Use of Propolis chemical and Asian tiger mosquito bites : case report and review

Propolis is a substance of variable composition which incorporates resins derived from plants and beeswax. It varies depending on the geographic location and local flora such as plant and bee species. Propolis possesses several attributes such as immune enhancement, antimicrobial, antioxidant, analgesic as well as reported anti-tumour effects.1,2 Several research efforts have focused on studying the chemical composition of propolis.3-7 The diverse biological activity probably relates in part to the significant changes in extract constituents. Propolis has been popularized in the past as a natural remedy but significant possible pharmaceutical use is envisaged. This brief review details a case of how multiple annoying localized allergic skin reactions secondary to Asian tiger mosquito bites were soothed and resolved very rapidly with the application of Propolis.peer-reviewe

The concept of cardiac transplantation and cellular memory : 'Angel heart'

A manga, animated series and live-action drama named Angel Heart based on the work of Tsukasa Hojo, centers on a fascinating and somewhat controversial topic in neurocardiology, that of cellular memory. Angel Heart follows a heart transplant recipient as well as Ryo Saeba, also known as the underground sweeper ‘City Hunter’, who was the partner of the heart donor. Throughout the story some thoughts and memories are seen to resurface within the transplant recipient, in a highly dramatized manner, which were not originally her own. Cellular memory is a somewhat controversial scientific concept, often discussed and disputed, as either fact or fiction.peer-reviewe

Chemical pathology in the movies : ‘Lorenzo’s oil’

T he 1992 medical drama ‘Lorenzo’s Oil’, directed by George Miller, is at the same time a tragic and uplifting movie which deals with one of the lesser known diseases, adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), which forms part of a subset of diseases of interest to the chemical pathologist. The movie follows the quest and struggle of Michaela and Augusto Odone to save their very own child, Lorenzo, who is found to have this rare condition. The events narrated in this movie are based on a true story, albeit with some alterations made for a movie adaptation.peer-reviewe

Medical research in the movies : ‘living proof’

'Living proof' is a medical TV drama based on a true story. It revolves entirely around the clinical trials and tribulations of development of Herceptin®, including the struggles of some of the women enrolled in the initial single dosage exploratory ‘mouse protein study’ and Phase I-III trials. It provides very valid medical insights into the potential hardships of medical research, funding required for laboratory equipment, and recounts a development that proved to be a milestone in the treatment of HER-2 (Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) positive breast cancer patients.peer-reviewe

The Effect of 2D and 3D Menus on Memory Retention in User Interface Design

The increasing use of 3D user interface elements, particularly 3D menus, demonstrates the need to expand research in the field of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) as it pertains to 3D user interfaces. The results of this thesis contribute to the understanding of the cognitive impacts of using 3D menus. Multiple application areas for 3D menus have been identified where memory retention is a critical success factor, but little research has been done in the area of memory retention for 3D menus. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate if the use of 3D carousel menus increases retention of information over 2D menus and if is there a gender effect with these results. A three factor split-plot (one-between subject factor and two-within subject factors) experiment was designed to test if menu dimension, content type, and gender are significant factors in memory retention and to determine if there are any interactions between these factors. The results of the experiment revealed that dimension and gender are not significant factors in the retention of information and none of the interactions of dimension (2D vs. 3D), gender, and content were significant. Several subjects’ questionnaire responses demonstrated that the menu dimension they perceived to better aid retention was 3D; however these results were not statistically significant. While these results showed that within the boundaries chosen the use of a 3D menu neither promotes nor degrades memory retention, there are still a number of questions that need to be answered regarding the use of 3D menus and their effect on other cognitive processes

Focus on rare diseases : The National Society for Phenylketonuria

Dr Michelle Muscat interviews Suzanne Ford, the Society Dietitian at The National Society for Phenylketonuria [NSPKU], in the UK.peer-reviewe

At the crossroads of chemical pathology and bariatrics

Obesity afflicts a high number of individuals worldwide. Also, looking further into the local situation in Malta, there are alarming national statistics with regards to Maltese prevalence of obesity. This in turn poses a significant burden on health care given obesity is associated with multiple co-morbidities. Notable examples include type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and sleep apnoea. When dietary, exercise and pharmacological regimes fail, certain patients may meet the criteria for Bariatric surgery which usually encompass those with morbid obesity having a BMI greater or equal to 40kg/m2 or a BMI greater or equal to 35kg/m2 which is medically complicated. Bariatric surgery has the potential to result in remission of type 2 diabetes.peer-reviewe

Manga and anime in medical education: leontiasis ossea in ‘Black Jack’

‘Black Jack’, the medical manga (Japanese comic/graphical novel) by the widely acclaimed godfather of manga, Ozamu Tezuka, follows the dramatized story of the unlicensed surgeon. It spans many manga volumes, and many episodes in the corresponding animated series (commonly referred to as anime), with a key focus on Black Jack’s superior, sensationalized, surgical abilities. This brief review focuses on the presence of a patient with leontiasis ossea at the beginning of the ‘Black Jack 21’ anime series and highlights the use of media such as manga and anime in medical education

Influence of Type of Cigarette on Peripheral versus Central Lung Cancer

Objectives: Adenocarcinoma has replaced squamous cell carcinoma as the most common cell type of lung cancer in the United States. It has been proposed that this shift is due to the increased use of filter and lower-tar cigarettes, resulting in increased delivery of smoke to peripheral regions of the lungs, where adenocarcinoma usually occurs. We reviewed radiologic data to evaluate the hypothesis that tumors in smokers of cigarettes with lower-tar yield are more likely to occur peripherally than tumors in smokers of higher-yield cigarettes. Methods: At two urban academic medical centers, we reviewed computed tomographic scans, chest radiographs, and medical records to assign tumor location (peripheral or central) for 330 smokers diagnosed with carcinoma of the lung between 1993 and 1999. We compared the proportion of tumors in a peripheral versus central location by lifetime filter use and average lifetime tar rating (<21 and ≥21 mg). Results: Tumor location (69% peripheral and 31% central) was unrelated to cigarette filter use. Smokers of cigarettes with lower-tar ratings were more likely than those with higher ratings to have peripheral rather than central tumors (odds ratio, 1.76; 95% confidence interval, 0.89-3.47). When restricted to subjects with adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma, the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) was 2.31 (1.05-5.08). Conclusions: Among cigarette smokers with lung cancer, use of cigarettes with lower-tar yield was associated with preferential occurrence of tumors in peripheral sites. Our findings support the hypothesis that changes in smoking associated with lower-tar cigarettes have led to a shift in the location of smoking-related lung cancer

Measuring performance on the Healthcare Access and Quality Index for 195 countries and territories and selected subnational locations: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

Background A key component of achieving universal health coverage is ensuring that all populations have access to quality health care. Examining where gains have occurred or progress has faltered across and within countries is crucial to guiding decisions and strategies for future improvement. We used the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) to assess personal health-care access and quality with the Healthcare Access and Quality (HAQ) Index for 195 countries and territories, as well as subnational locations in seven countries, from 1990 to 2016.Methods Drawing from established methods and updated estimates from GBD 2016, we used 32 causes from which death should not occur in the presence of effective care to approximate personal health-care access and quality by location and over time. To better isolate potential effects of personal health-care access and quality from underlying risk factor patterns, we risk-standardised cause-specific deaths due to non-cancers by location-year, replacing the local joint exposure of environmental and behavioural risks with the global level of exposure. Supported by the expansion of cancer registry data in GBD 2016, we used mortality-to-incidence ratios for cancers instead of risk-standardised death rates to provide a stronger signal of the effects of personal health care and access on cancer survival. We transformed each cause to a scale of 0–100, with 0 as the first percentile (worst) observed between 1990 and 2016, and 100 as the 99th percentile (best); we set these thresholds at the country level, and then applied them to subnational locations. We applied a principal components analysis to construct the HAQ Index using all scaled cause values, providing an overall score of 0–100 of personal health-care access and quality by location over time. We then compared HAQ Index levels and trends by quintiles on the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a summary measure of overall development. As derived from the broader GBD study and other data sources, we examined relationships between national HAQ Index scores and potential correlates of performance, such as total health spending per capita.Background A key component of achieving universal health coverage is ensuring that all populations have access to quality health care. Examining where gains have occurred or progress has faltered across and within countries is crucial to guiding decisions and strategies for future improvement. We used the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) to assess personal health-care access and quality with the Healthcare Access and Quality (HAQ) Index for 195 countries and territories, as well as subnational locations in seven countries, from 1990 to 2016.Methods Drawing from established methods and updated estimates from GBD 2016, we used 32 causes from which death should not occur in the presence of effective care to approximate personal health-care access and quality by location and over time. To better isolate potential effects of personal health-care access and quality from underlying risk factor patterns, we risk-standardised cause-specific deaths due to non-cancers by location-year, replacing the local joint exposure of environmental and behavioural risks with the global level of exposure. Supported by the expansion of cancer registry data in GBD 2016, we used mortality-to-incidence ratios for cancers instead of risk-standardised death rates to provide a stronger signal of the effects of personal health care and access on cancer survival. We transformed each cause to a scale of 0–100, with 0 as the first percentile (worst) observed between 1990 and 2016, and 100 as the 99th percentile (best); we set these thresholds at the country level, and then applied them to subnational locations. We applied a principal components analysis to construct the HAQ Index using all scaled cause values, providing an overall score of 0–100 of personal health-care access and quality by location over time. We then compared HAQ Index levels and trends by quintiles on the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a summary measure of overall development. As derived from the broader GBD study and other data sources, we examined relationships between national HAQ Index scores and potential correlates of performance, such as total health spending per capita