A study of seroprevalence of rubella IgG in Maltese adolescents

The objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of rubella IgG antibodies in Maltese adolescents, through a cross-sectional study, with mailed questionnaire and blood sampling. The subjects tested were 172 individuals, aged 14-15 years from Malta and Gozo for the prevalence of vaccination and seropositivity (IgG) for rubella. The results of the 85% individuals vaccinated seropositivity was detected in 168 youths (97.7%). The study showed a high level of detectable humoral immunity to rubella but this could not be definitively attributed to vaccination alone.peer-reviewe

Note on a probable case of toxocara choroiditis

A case report regarding a man who complained of a “foggy” vision in the left eye is presented. In the patient`s home there have been no dogs for 14 years, but cats have always been kept. This is a probable case of toxocara choroiditis, a newly understood disease due to manifestation with the larva of the nemathelminths Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati. Besides a review regarding diagnosis and treatment of this case, reference is made to the study of Dr. R. A. Wiseman of the London School of Hygiene when he, on a study tour, visited Malta in 1967. Dr. Wiseman examined 52 dogs in Malta and found some 14 of them infected, the percentage figure being given as 28.8 %.peer-reviewe

Lil ommi

Ġabra ta’ poeżiji u proża li tinkludi: Tifkiriet biss! ta’ Wallace Ph. Gulia – Elan vital ta’ Joe Saliba – B’tifkira ta’ għeluq il-ħamsin sena tal-mewt ta’ l-għażiż missieri Ċensu Busuttil ta’ E. D. Busuttil – Lil ommi ta’ V. Busuttil.peer-reviewe

Lill-Madonna Assunta

Ġabra ta’ poeżiji u proża li tinkludi: Fil-beraħ waħdi ta’ V. Ungaro – Xiħ u xiħa ta’ Ġużè Chetcuti – Nifirħu ta’ Ġorġ Pisani – Talba lil ommi mejta ta’ Erin Serracino-Inglott – It-taqbida ta’ Giacinto Tua u Ivo Muscat-Azzopardi – Mit-tieqa ta’ kamarti ta’ V. Ungaro – Karità ta’ J. E. Busuttil – Fit-tberik tal-grotta ta’ Lourdes fil-Ħawli ta’ Brother Henry – Lill-Madonna Assunta ta’ M. Agius.N/

Lil ommi

Ġabra ta’ poeżiji u proża li tinkludi: Innu tas-Soċjetà tad-Duttrina Nisranija - M.U.S.E.U.M. ta’ Dun Karm – Ħġejjeġ ta’ Wallace Gulia – Maskarata ta’ Ġużè Chetcuti – Misterju ta’ Ġużi Abela – Lill-kewkba żahrija ta’ Val. V. Barbara – Dawk il-ġarar tal-brandy ta’ J. E. Busuttil – Marida ta’ Vincent Caruana – Meta jdur ir-riħ! ta’ Ivo Muscat-Azzopardi – Lill-Madonna tat-taraġ ta’ Dun Frans Camilleri – Fid-dar ta’ John Keats ta’ Anġ. Dougall – A legend traduzzjoni ta’ May Butcher mir-Russu ta’ A. Pleshcheief – Leġġenda – Għeluq is-sena mill-mewt ta’ missieri ta’ Clo. Gauci – Ġirien Marju ta’ Ġeraldu Azzopardi – Innu tat-tfal tad-duttrina ta’ Val. V. Barbara – Lil Anton Buttigieg, poeta Malti ta’ Dun Pawl Cauchi – Misserijietna ta’ M. Agius – Fir-razzett ta’ Katarin ta’ A. Buttigieg – Lil ommi ta’ Vincenzo Ungaro.N/

Novel aspects of the pathogenesis of aneurysms of the abdominal aorta in humans

Aneurysm of the abdominal aorta (AAA) is a particular, specifically localized form of atherothrombosis, providing a unique human model of this disease. The pathogenesis of AAA is characterized by a breakdown of the extracellular matrix due to an excessive proteolytic activity, leading to potential arterial wall rupture. The roles of matrix metalloproteinases and plasmin generation in progression of AAA have been demonstrated both in animal models and in clinical studies. In the present review, we highlight recent studies addressing the role of the haemoglobin-rich, intraluminal thrombus and the adventitial response in the development of human AAA. The intraluminal thrombus exerts its pathogenic effect through platelet activation, fibrin formation, binding of plasminogen and its activators, and trapping of erythrocytes and neutrophils, leading to oxidative and proteolytic injury of the arterial wall. These events occur mainly at the intraluminal thrombus–circulating blood interface, and pathological mediators are conveyed outwards, where they promote matrix degradation of the arterial wall. In response, neo-angiogenesis, phagocytosis by mononuclear cells, and a shift from innate to adaptive immunity in the adventitia are observed. Abdominal aortic aneurysm thus represents an accessible spatiotemporal model of human atherothrombotic progression towards clinical events, the study of which should allow further understanding of its pathogenesis and the translation of pathogenic biological activities into diagnostic and therapeutic applications

Total eclipse of the heart: the AM CVn Gaia14aae/ASSASN-14cn

We report the discovery and characterization of a deeply eclipsing AM CVn-system, Gaia14aae (=ASSASN-14cn). Gaia14aae was identified independently by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN; Shappee et al.) and by the Gaia Science Alerts project, during two separate outbursts. A third outburst is seen in archival Pan-STARRS-1 (PS1; Schlafly et al.; Tonry et al.; Magnier et al.) and ASAS-SN data. Spectroscopy reveals a hot, hydrogen-deficient spectrum with clear double-peaked emission lines, consistent with an accreting double-degenerate classification. We use follow-up photometry to constrain the orbital parameters of the system. We find an orbital period of 49.71min, which places Gaia14aae at the long period extremum of the outbursting AM CVn period distribution. Gaia14aae is dominated by the light from its accreting white dwarf (WD). Assuming an orbital inclination of 90° for the binary system, the contact phases of the WD lead to lower limits of 0.78 and 0.015M⊙ on the masses of the accretor and donor, respectively, and a lower limit on the mass ratio of 0.019. Gaia14aae is only the third eclipsing AM CVn star known, and the first in which the WD is totally eclipsed. Using a helium WD model, we estimate the accretor's effective temperature to be 12 900 ± 200K. The three outburst events occurred within four months of each other, while no other outburst activity is seen in the previous 8yr of Catalina Real-time Transient Survey (CRTS; Drake et al.), Pan-STARRS-1 and ASAS-SN data. This suggests that these events might be rebrightenings of the first outburst rather than individual event