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

Nikteb...

Ġabra ta’ poeżiji u proża li tinkludi: L-iben il-ħali ta’ David Agius Muscat – Kaptan ta’ Kit Azzopardi – Il-lanterna ta’ Charles Bezzina – Li kelli mmur lura ta’ Ġorġ Borg – Firda ta’ Ġorġ Borg – Garden fairy ta’ Charles Briffa – Sejf jinfidlek ruħek ta’ Charles Briffa – Waqt ta’ Joseph Buttigieg – Vjaġġ ta’ John Caruana – Ċaqlembuta ta’ Antoine Cassar – Ħaġa tqila ta’ Carmel G. Cauchi – F’tarf il-blat ta’ Leanne Ellul – Int ta’ Victor Fenech – Pippin u l-bojja ta’ Charles Flores – L-arloġġ ta’ Joe Friggieri – Il-fjur tal-ġakaranda ta’ Joe Friggieri – Fjur tal-kaktus ta’ Joel Galea – Biss is-skiet ta’ Joel Galea – Għalissa ta’ Maria Grech Ganado – Ilsna ta’ Maria Grech Ganado – Is-sried ixoqqna fin fin ta’ Adrian Grima – Ħsieb ħalliel... ta’ Patrick Sammut – Lament lil ommi ta’ Salv Sammut – Hekk kif tinħass ġol-arja x-xitwa ta’ Lillian Sciberras – F’għajnejha, il-ħarsa siekta ta’ Clare Azzopardi – Għad jagħdab l-irdum ta’ Paul P. Borg – Forsi...xi darba ta’ Charles Casha – Faxxa ngħas ta’ Sergio Grech – Il-mejda tal-mogħdija ta’ Pierre J. Mejlak – Min jaf bi Stojan Kurepa? ta’ Immanuel Mifsud – L-eħrex jum tal-gwerra ta’ Maurice Mifsud Bonnici – Il-vażett tal-bewsiet ta’ Rita Saliba – Pjanu ta’ Trevor Żahra – Il-ħalliel ta’ Guy de Maupassant, traduzzjoni ta’ Toni Aquilina – Salvu tal-pasturi ta’ Francis Ebejer, traduzzjoni ta’ Steve Borg – Sunetti ta’ William Shakespeare, traduzzjoni ta’ Oliver Friggieri – Nikteb... ta’ Nizar Qabbani, traduzzjoni ta’ Kevin Saliba.peer-reviewe

Servitude et grandeur militaires

Ġabra ta’ poeżiji u proża li tinkludi: Notturn op. 9 nru 2 ta’ Beverly Agius – Naf ta’ Carmel Azzopardi – Ħsejjes ħajja ta’ Clifton Azzopardi – Il-ġrajja t’għasfur stramb ta’ Mario Azzopardi – Tektik...u għana ta’ Rena Balzan – Kun af li f’qiegħ għajnejk ta’ Charles Bezzina – Il-qalb imwebbsa ta’ Ġorġ Borg – Bħal ħuta mġewħa ta’ Louis Briffa – Taħt il-Mezquita, Cordòba ta’ Norbert Bugeja – Il-maskarat ta’ Alfred Degabriele – Trid mara ta’ Leanne Ellul – Id-dgħajsa ta’ Victor Fenech – Ilħna ta’ Joe Friggieri – Roulette ta’ Joe Friggieri – Għera ta’ Joe P. Galea – Ħġieġa ta’ Maria Grech Ganado – Ġenna qatt mirbuħa ta’ Karmenu Mallia – Il-fantażma tal-mara mqarba ta’ Albert Marshall – Daħlet Qorrot ta’ Daniel Massa – Granada, parque central ta’ Immanuel Mifsud – Waħda mara ta’ Immanuel Mifsud – Mors ta’ Therese Pace – Għada ta’ Alfred Palma – Emmint xejn ma jintemm ta’ Ġorġ Peresso – Tuffieħa bl-imsiemer tal-qronfol ta’ John Peter Portelli – Lil Karmenu Vassallo ta’ Andrew Sciberras – Irrid il-qamar jiddi ta’ Carmel Scicluna – Din il-biċċa ħuta ta’ Steve Borg – Karta li taret mar-riħ ta’ Lina Brockdorff – Nixtieq, u kemm nixtieq! ta’ J. J. Camilleri – Caterina ta’ Sandro Mangion – L-għajta tal-pappagall ta’ Pierre J. Mejlak – Id-destin ta’ Laurence Mizzi – L-arloġġ tal-bozza ta’ Rita Saliba – Kurżità ta’ Alfred Sant – Il-ġeneral ta’ Vincent Vella – Mirja ta’ Trevor Żahra – L-adulteri ta’ Golan Haji, traduzzjoni ta’ Clare Azzopardi u Albert Gatt – L-istennija ta’ Berislav Blagojević, traduzzjoni ta’ Kit Azzopardi – Il-qattus ta’ Ghassan Kanafani, traduzzjoni ta’ Walid Nabhan – L-iben addottat ta’ Guy de Maupassant, traduzzjoni ta’ Josette Attard – Sunett nru. 18 ta’ William Shakespeare, traduzzjoni ta’ Alfred Palma – Llanto por Ignacio Sánchez Mejías ta’ Federico Garcia Lorca, traduzzjoni ta’ Therese Pace – Servitude et grandeur militaires ta’ Alfred de Vigny, traduzzjoni ta’ Paul Zahra.peer-reviewe

A multi-center prospective study of plant-based nutritional support in adult community-based patients at risk of disease-related malnutrition

IntroductionThere is an emerging need for plant-based, vegan options for patients requiring nutritional support.MethodsTwenty-four adults at risk of malnutrition (age: 59 years (SD 18); Sex: 18 female, 6 male; BMI: 19.0 kg/m2 (SD 3.3); multiple diagnoses) requiring plant-based nutritional support participated in a multi-center, prospective study of a (vegan suitable) multi-nutrient, ready-to-drink, oral nutritional supplement (ONS) [1.5 kcal/mL; 300 kcal, 12 g protein/200 mL bottle, mean prescription 275 mL/day (SD 115)] alongside dietary advice for 28 days. Compliance, anthropometry, malnutrition risk, dietary intake, appetite, acceptability, gastrointestinal (GI) tolerance, nutritional goal(s), and safety were assessed.ResultsPatients required a plant-based ONS due to personal preference/variety (33%), religious/cultural reasons (28%), veganism/reduce animal-derived consumption (17%), environmental/sustainability reasons (17%), and health reasons (5%). Compliance was 94% (SD 16). High risk of malnutrition (‘MUST’ score ≥ 2) reduced from 20 to 16 patients (p = 0.046). Body weight (+0.6 kg (SD 1.2), p = 0.02), BMI (+0.2 kg/m2 (SD 0.5), p = 0.03), total mean energy (+387 kcal/day (SD 416), p < 0.0001) and protein intake (+14 g/day (SD 39), p = 0.03), and the number of micronutrients meeting the UK reference nutrient intake (RNI) (7 vs. 14, p = 0.008) significantly increased. Appetite (Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire (SNAQ) score; p = 0.13) was maintained. Most GI symptoms were stable throughout the study (p > 0.06) with no serious adverse events related.DiscussionThis study highlights that plant-based nutrition support using a vegan-suitable plant-based ONS is highly complied with, improving the nutritional outcomes of patients at risk of malnutrition

SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 Delta variant replication and immune evasion

Abstract: The B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first identified in the state of Maharashtra in late 2020 and spread throughout India, outcompeting pre-existing lineages including B.1.617.1 (Kappa) and B.1.1.7 (Alpha)1. In vitro, B.1.617.2 is sixfold less sensitive to serum neutralizing antibodies from recovered individuals, and eightfold less sensitive to vaccine-elicited antibodies, compared with wild-type Wuhan-1 bearing D614G. Serum neutralizing titres against B.1.617.2 were lower in ChAdOx1 vaccinees than in BNT162b2 vaccinees. B.1.617.2 spike pseudotyped viruses exhibited compromised sensitivity to monoclonal antibodies to the receptor-binding domain and the amino-terminal domain. B.1.617.2 demonstrated higher replication efficiency than B.1.1.7 in both airway organoid and human airway epithelial systems, associated with B.1.617.2 spike being in a predominantly cleaved state compared with B.1.1.7 spike. The B.1.617.2 spike protein was able to mediate highly efficient syncytium formation that was less sensitive to inhibition by neutralizing antibody, compared with that of wild-type spike. We also observed that B.1.617.2 had higher replication and spike-mediated entry than B.1.617.1, potentially explaining the B.1.617.2 dominance. In an analysis of more than 130 SARS-CoV-2-infected health care workers across three centres in India during a period of mixed lineage circulation, we observed reduced ChAdOx1 vaccine effectiveness against B.1.617.2 relative to non-B.1.617.2, with the caveat of possible residual confounding. Compromised vaccine efficacy against the highly fit and immune-evasive B.1.617.2 Delta variant warrants continued infection control measures in the post-vaccination era

Neural correlates of music perception in cochlear implant users using functional neuroimaging

Despite significant advances in cochlear implants (CI), music perception in CI recipients remains generally poor. Studies suggest that an enormous variability exists in CI users' ability to perceive and enjoy music through an implant, and the factors that contribute to this wide variation in individual outcomes following cochlear implantation are diverse and not completely understood. The purpose of this thesis was to examine, with the aid of neuroimaging, the neural basis underlying the wide variability in music perception outcomes following implantation.The first part of this thesis reviewed applications and limitations of current neuroimaging modalities, including functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), in the CI population. This review summarized the existing literature on the use of fNIRS neuroimaging in adult and pediatric CI recipients and outlined possible directions for future research, as well as clinical applications using this promising technique. The results of this review revealed that fNIRS is the imaging modality of choice in CI users because it is non-invasive, compatible with CI devices, and not subject to electrical artifacts. The second part of this thesis started the examination of the correlation between behavioral measures of music perception and auditory cortical activation in CI users using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), and attempted to identify patient-related factors that modulate this relationship. This prospective case-control study reported on 27 CI recipients and 25 normal-hearing controls. Behavioral music performance was assessed by the Montreal Battery for the Evaluation of Amusia (MBEA). fNIRS neuroimaging of the auditory cortex was recorded during music, rhythm and pitch perception. Results of this study revealed that reliable auditory cortical responses were obtained in all participants with fNIRS. Findings also suggested that larger areas of auditory cortical hemodynamic responses activations may be linked to improved performance on behavioral tasks.Taken together, the findings from the present thesis provide evidence that fNIRS is a safe, reliable neuroimaging modality that can provide an objective brain-based measure of music perception in CI users that is correlated with behavioral outcomes. Ultimately, this data will contribute toward the advancement of strategies aimed at improving the overall musical experience in CI users.Malgré les avancées significatives dans les implants cochléaires, la perception musicale chez les patients implantés demeure généralement faible. Les étudies suggèrent qu'une énorme variabilité existe chez les patients implantés quant à leurs habiletés à pouvoir percevoir et apprécier la musique à travers leurs implants. De plus, les facteurs qui contribuent à cette vaste variabilité de performance après l'implantation cochléaire sont divers et peu explorés. L'objectif de cette thèse était donc d'examiner les fondements neurologiques qui expliquent cette variabilité dans la perception musicale après l'implantation en utilisant la neuro-imagerie. La première étude a exploré les applications et les limitations des techniques courantes de neuroimagerie, incluant la « near-infrared spectroscopy » (fNIRS), chez les patients implantés. Cette étude a résumé la littérature existante de la neuroimagerie fNIRS dans les récipients cochléaires adultes et pédiatriques et a fourni de futures directions pour des applications potentielles cliniques ou scientifiques de cette technologie prometteuse.La deuxième étude a examiné la corrélation entre les mesures comportementales de la perception musicale et l'activation du cortex auditif chez les patients implantés en utilisant la fNIRS, et a tenté d'identifier les facteurs spécifiques aux patients qui modulent cette relation. Cette étude cas-contrôle prospective a inclus 27 patients avec implants cochléaires et 25 contrôles avec une audition normale. La perception musicale a été évaluée avec un outil comportemental, la « Montreal Battery for the Evaluation of Amusia » (MBEA). La neuroimagerie fNIRS du cortex auditif a été mesurée lors de la perception musicale, rythmique et spectrale. Les résultats de cette étude ont démontré que des mesures fiables ont été enregistrées avec la fNIRS chez tous les patients recrutés. Les résultats ont également suggéré que des régions d'activation corticale plus larges pourraient être liées à une meilleure performance sur les tâches comportementales.Somme toute, les résultats de cette thèse fournissent les arguments qui appuient la fNIRS en tant que technologie sécuritaire et fiable permettant une examen neurologique objectif de la perception musicale qui est associé à la performance comportementale chez les patients avec un implant cochléaire. Ultimement, ces données vont contribuer à l'avancement des stratégies visant l'amélioration de l'expérience musicale globale chez les patients implantés

Tophaceous Gout of the Middle Ear: Case Reports and Review of the Literature.

Tophaceous gout of the middle ear is a rare occurrence that presents as a granular white-colored mass. It is frequently misdiagnosed as cholesteatoma or tympanosclerosis in patients who otherwise may not manifest any clinical or biochemical signs of gout. While uncommon, it can lead to clinically significant disease such as conductive hearing loss. The present report describes 2 cases of middle ear gouty tophi initially mistaken for another entity. Both patients underwent surgery, and the diagnosis of gout was revealed after final histopathological analysis. A review of the literature is also presented

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy for neuroimaging in cochlear implant recipients.

Functional neuroimaging can provide insight into the neurobiological factors that contribute to the variations in individual hearing outcomes following cochlear implantation. To date, measuring neural activity within the auditory cortex of cochlear implant (CI) recipients has been challenging, primarily because the use of traditional neuroimaging techniques is limited in people with CIs. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is an emerging technology that offers benefits in this population because it is non-invasive, compatible with CI devices, and not subject to electrical artifacts. However, there are important considerations to be made when using fNIRS to maximize the signal to noise ratio and to best identify meaningful cortical responses. This review considers these issues, the current data, and future directions for using fNIRS as a clinical application in individuals with CIs. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled

Risk Factors Associated With Mortality in Patients With Otogenic Brain Abscess.

ObjectiveOtogenic brain abscess is a well-recognized clinical condition that describes brain abscess secondary to an ear infection or mastoiditis. Current evidence remains limited on risk factors associated with mortality as most data are from case series. We aimed to 1) report the mortality rate among patients who did and did not receive mastoidectomy 2) identify factors associated with inpatient mortality.Study designRetrospective cohort study.SettingMulti-institutional.PatientsWe identified a cohort of patients for years 2008 to 2014 who in their inpatient hospitalization carried the diagnoses of both brain abscess and infectious ear disease.InterventionsInpatient neurotology and neurosurgical procedures.Main outcome measuresA multivariable logistics regression model was built to identify the factors associated with inpatient mortality.ResultsThe final analysis included 252 patients, of which 84 (33.3%) underwent mastoidectomy. The rate of inpatient morbidity and mortality were 17.5% and 4.0%, respectively. The rate of mortality in patients without mastoidectomy versus those with mastoidectomy was 4.2% versus 3.6%, respectively (p > 0.99). The odds of inpatient mortality were significantly increased for every 10-year increase in age (odds ratio [OR] 2.73, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.39-7.01, p = 0.011) and for Black compared to White patients (OR: 45.81, 95% CI: 4.56-890.92, p = 0.003).ConclusionOlder age and Black race were associated with increased odds of inpatient mortality and there were no significant differences in mortality between mastoidectomy cohorts. This research serves to generate further hypotheses for larger observational studies to investigate the association between sociodemographic factors and surgical variables with outcomes among this surgical population