Autism spectrum disorder

Background: Autism spectrum disorder is a complex heterogeneous condition that is characterized by impairments in social interaction, communication, and behavior which mostly co-exists with several comorbidities. The current prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in the general population is estimated to be 1 in 68 children. Despite significant advances in research and multiple treatment options, the management of the disease remains poor. Although there are governmental services and few non-governmental organizations working for individuals with autism, there is no official data available regarding the incidence and prevalence of autism in Malta Methods: This study focuses on the need of increasing awareness for autism spectrum disorder in Malta among the general public and health care professionals which would benefit a better understanding of the disorder for early diagnosis and more effective treatments. This was best provided through questionnaires. Results: Our survey revealed that only a limited percentage of the Maltese population had some knowledge about the symptoms, age of onset, potential causes of the disease and treatment options for autism. Conclusion: There is an immense need for improvement regarding the awareness of autism in Malta to estimate the exact burden of the disorder and make the latest diagnostic and treatment options available to the people living with this disease on the island

(E)-3-(2,3,4,5,6-Penta­fluoro­styr­yl)thio­phene

The reaction of thio­phene-3-carboxaldehyde and perfluoro­benzyl­triphenyl­phospho­nium bromide in the presence of sodium hydride gave the title compound, C12H5F5S, in 70% yield. The thiophene and perfluorophenyl groups form a dihedral angle of 5.4 (2)°. The structure is characterized by a head-to-tail organization in a columnar arrangement due to π–π inter­actions between the thio­phene and penta­fluoro­phenyl rings with centroid–centroid distances in the range 3.698 (2)–3.802 (2) Å

4-Bromo-N-(3,4,5-trimethoxy­benzyl­idene)aniline

The title compound, C16H16BrNO3, adopts an E configuration with respect to the imine C=N bond. The two benzene rings are twisted with respect to each other at an angle of 38.3 (1)°. In the crystal structure, mol­ecules are connected by weak bifurcated C—H⋯(O, O) hydrogen bonds, forming a helical chain along the b axis

Bis(tetra­ethyl­ammonium) bis­(dimethyl­formamide)­tetra­kis­(μ-N,2-dioxido­benzene-1-carboximidato)penta­copper(II)

The title compound, (C8H20N)2[Cu5(C7H4NO3)4(C3H7NO)2], abbreviated as (TEA)2[CuII(12-MCCuII N(shi)-4](DMF)2 [where TEA is tetra­ethyl­ammonium, shi3− is salicyl­hydroximate (or N,2-dioxidobenzene-1-carboximidate) and DMF is N,N-dimethyl­formamide], contains five CuII ions. Four of the CuII ions are members of a metallacrown ring (MC), while the fifth CuII is bound in a central cavity. Two of the ring CuII ions are five-coordinate with distorted square-pyramidal geometry. The coordination sphere is composed of two shi3− ligands and one DMF mol­ecule. The other two ring CuII ions and the central CuII ion are four-coordinate with square-planar geometry. The coordination spheres of these ions are only composed of shi3− ligands. The charge of the [CuII(12-MCCuII N(shi)-4]2− unit is balanced by two uncoordinated TEA+ countercations. The structure shows severe static disorder with the metallacrown, the tetra­ethyl­ammonium cations and the DMF solvent mol­ecule all disordered over each of two mutually exclusive sites, with occupancy rates for the major moieties of 0.6215 (6) for the metallacrown, 0.759 (3) for the tetra­ethyl­ammonium ion and 0.537 (6) for the DMF mol­ecules. The metallacrown unit is located on a crystallographic inversion center and disordered about a non-crystallographic twofold axis. The DMF mol­ecule and the tetra­ethyl­ammonium ion are disordered about a non-crystallographic twofold axis and pseudo-inversion center, respectively

Autism spectrum disorder

Background: Autism spectrum disorder is a complex heterogeneous condition that is characterized by impairments in social interaction, communication, and behavior which mostly co-exists with several comorbidities. The current prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in the general population is estimated to be 1 in 68 children. Despite significant advances in research and multiple treatment options, the management of the disease remains poor. Although there are governmental services and few non-governmental organizations working for individuals with autism, there is no official data available regarding the incidence and prevalence of autism in Malta.Methods: This study focuses on the need of increasing awareness for autism spectrum disorder in Malta among the general public and health care professionals which would benefit a better understanding of the disorder for early diagnosis and more effective treatments. This was best provided through questionnaires.Results: Our survey revealed that only a limited percentage of the Maltese population had some knowledge about the symptoms, age of onset, potential causes of the disease and treatment options for autism.Conclusion: There is an immense need for improvement regarding the awareness of autism in Malta to estimate the exact burden of the disorder and make the latest diagnostic and treatment options available to the people living with this disease on the island.peer-reviewe

The effect of polyvinyl alcohol antimicrobial foam dressing with two organic pigments vs. silver antimicrobial foam on exuding venous ulcerations : a comparative pilot study

Background: Treatment of venous ulcers often includes incorporation of dressings, for reduction of bio-load. Evidence is lacking with regards to which dressing is ideal for healing chronic venous wounds. This study aimed to compare the healing effect of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) antimicrobial foam dressing impregnated with two organic pigments (gentian violet and methylene blue) vs. silver antimicrobial foam dressing.Research Design and Method: A quasi-experimental study was conducted. 28 participants were divided into two groups and treated with one of the antimicrobial foams. Patients reviewed weekly for 3 weeks. Wound healing was assessed using the Bates-Jensen Wound Assessment Tool.Results: Over a period of 3weeks, both the PVA antimicrobial foam with two organic pigments and the silver antimicrobial foam dressings were effective in reducing mean BJWAT scores and wound healing (p < 0.001). The former was significantly better at week 1 (p = 0.001) and 2 (p = 0.014) but not at week 3 (p = 0.881).Conclusion: PVA antimicrobial foam with two organic pigments showed some superiority over silver antimicrobial foam dressings in chronic venous ulcers. This should be considered when treating chronic venous ulcerations since the rate of healing was greater despite the extreme severity of ulcers at the start of the study.peer-reviewe

Genome-wide analysis of 53,400 people with irritable bowel syndrome highlights shared genetic pathways with mood and anxiety disorders.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) results from disordered brain-gut interactions. Identifying susceptibility genes could highlight the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. We designed a digestive health questionnaire for UK Biobank and combined identified cases with IBS with independent cohorts. We conducted a genome-wide association study with 53,400 cases and 433,201 controls and replicated significant associations in a 23andMe panel (205,252 cases and 1,384,055 controls). Our study identified and confirmed six genetic susceptibility loci for IBS. Implicated genes included NCAM1, CADM2, PHF2/FAM120A, DOCK9, CKAP2/TPTE2P3 and BAG6. The first four are associated with mood and anxiety disorders, expressed in the nervous system, or both. Mirroring this, we also found strong genome-wide correlation between the risk of IBS and anxiety, neuroticism and depression (rg > 0.5). Additional analyses suggested this arises due to shared pathogenic pathways rather than, for example, anxiety causing abdominal symptoms. Implicated mechanisms require further exploration to help understand the altered brain-gut interactions underlying IBS

Diving into the vertical dimension of elasmobranch movement ecology

Knowledge of the three-dimensional movement patterns of elasmobranchs is vital to understand their ecological roles and exposure to anthropogenic pressures. To date, comparative studies among species at global scales have mostly focused on horizontal movements. Our study addresses the knowledge gap of vertical movements by compiling the first global synthesis of vertical habitat use by elasmobranchs from data obtained by deployment of 989 biotelemetry tags on 38 elasmobranch species. Elasmobranchs displayed high intra- and interspecific variability in vertical movement patterns. Substantial vertical overlap was observed for many epipelagic elasmobranchs, indicating an increased likelihood to display spatial overlap, biologically interact, and share similar risk to anthropogenic threats that vary on a vertical gradient. We highlight the critical next steps toward incorporating vertical movement into global management and monitoring strategies for elasmobranchs, emphasizing the need to address geographic and taxonomic biases in deployments and to concurrently consider both horizontal and vertical movements