Socioeconomic status and its impact on the prevalence of severe ADHD in the Maltese Islands

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common disorder associated with hyperactivity, impulsivity and reduced attention. If left untreated this may possibly lead to various impairments in other areas, such as lack of educational attainment, increased risk of accident-prone behaviour, substance misuse and antisocial behaviours. Although the exact aetiology is still not fully understood, various studies have demonstrated the presence of both a genetic and an environmental component. ADHD is highly hereditable, demonstrating a strong genetic component. Furthermore, increased rates of ADHD have been linked with a low socioeconomic status. The islands of Malta have traditionally been divided for statistical purposes into 6 districts, with certain districts more often being associated with low socioeconomic demographics. The main aim of this study was to assess whether higher prevalence rates of ADHD were present in the districts, which are classically associated with a low socioeconomic status. All persons aged 0 to 18 years attending the governmental clinics, having a documented diagnosis of severe ADHD and therefore being prescribed pharmacotherapy were identified and included in this study. 9 youngsters were living in institutional care and were therefore excluded from the study. A significant difference (p<0.0001) in the point prevalence of ADHD between the 6 Malta districts was found, with higher rates of ADHD occurring in the harbour districts. Though not statistically significant, a positive correlation was demonstrated between the ADHD prevalence and a number of socioeconomic variables, these included; the rate of smoking (p=0.111), number of people classified as at-risk-of-poverty per district (p=0.397), and number of people with no schooling per district (p=0.156). The overall point prevalence for ADHD in Malta obtained was 0.85, a value which is less than the average prevalence noted worldwide. The authors believe this value is an underestimation since the data collection in this study did not include ADHD cases off pharmacological treatment and any ADHD cases assessed and treated in the private sector.peer-reviewe

Providing adhesion for a miniture mobile intra-abdominal device based on biomimetic principles

This paper investigates the surface adhesion characteristics required for a miniature mobile device to move around the abdominal cavity. Such a device must be capable of adhering to the tissue lining and move freely across the upper surface of the insufflated abdomen. Accordingly, the potential of utilising bioinspired solutions to facilitate wet adhesion is assessed

Nutrition knowledge of elite and non-elite Gaelic footballers

Dietary intake plays a significant role in athletic performance and is influenced by several factors, including nutrition knowledge. Gaelic footballers are amateur athletes who conduct high-intensity, intermittent activity during training and competition, and have previously demonstrated insufficient dietary intake. This study aimed to examine nutrition knowledge in elite and non-elite Gaelic footballers. An online survey was distributed to competitive Gaelic footballers, examining nutrition knowledge using the Abridged Nutrition for Sport Knowledge Questionnaire. Total, general, and sport nutrition knowledge were compared between elite and non-elite athletes, and those who had and had not previously received nutrition education, using Mann-Whitney U-tests. A total of 190 participants (15.3% women) completed the survey. No differences between elite and non-elite athletes in nutrition knowledge were identified (p > 0.05). Athletes with previous nutrition education scored higher than those without previous nutrition education in total (54.0 ± 4.9% vs 46.8 ± 9.6%; p = 0.002) and sport (51.9 ± 12.5% vs 43.4 ± 11.8%; p = 0.005) nutrition knowledge. Findings suggest an importance of nutrition education at all levels of athletic competition to improve nutrition knowledge, which may empower athletes to make appropriate dietary decisions to support training and competition demands

Gender-specific epidemiology of diabetes: a representative cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Diabetes and its associated complications are part of a chronic disease global epidemic that presents a public health challenge. Epidemiologists examining health differences between men and women are being challenged to recognise the biological and social constructions behind the terms 'sex' and/or 'gender', together with social epidemiology principles and the life course approach. This paper examines the epidemiology of a population with diabetes from the north-west metropolitan region of South Australia.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data were used from a sub-population with diabetes (n = 263), from 4060 adults aged 18 years and over living in the north-west suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. Eligible respondents were asked to participate in a telephone interview, a self-report questionnaire and a biomedical examination. Diabetes (undiagnosed and diagnosed) was determined using self-reported information and a fasting blood test administered to participants. Data were analysed using SPSS (Version 10.0) and EpiInfo (Version 6.0).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Factors associated with diabetes for both men and women were being aged 40 years and over, and having a low gross annual household income, obesity and a family history of diabetes. In addition, being an ex-smoker and having low cholesterol levels were associated with diabetes among men. Among women, having a high waist-hip ratio, high blood pressure and reporting a previous cardiovascular event or mental health problem were associated with diabetes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results found that men and women with diabetes face different challenges in the management of their condition. Public health implications include a need for quality surveillance data, including epidemiological life course, social, behavioural, genetic and environmental factors. This will enrich the evidence base for health promotion professionals and allow policy makers to draw inferences and conclusions for interventions and planning purposes.</p

Screening, intervention and outcome in autism and other developmental disorders: the role of randomized controlled trials

We draw attention to a number of important considerations in the arguments about screening and outcome of intervention in children with autism and other developmental disorders. Autism screening in itself never provides a final clinical diagnosis, but may well identify developmental deviations indicative of autism—or of other developmental disorders—that should lead to referral for further clinical assessment. Decisions regarding population or clinic screening cannot be allowed to be based on the fact that prospective longitudinal RCT designs over decades could never be performed in complex developmental disorders. We propose an alternative approach. Early screening for autism and other developmental disorders is likely to be of high societal importance and should be promoted and rigorously evaluated

Risk homeostasis theory - A study of intrinsic compensation

Risk homeostasis theory (RHT) suggests that changes made to the intrinsic risk of environments are negated in one of three ways: behavioural adjustments within the environment, mode migration, and avoidance of the physical risk. To date, this three-way model of RHT has little empirical support, whilst research findings on RHT have at times been diametrically opposed. A reconciliation of apparently opposing findings might be possible by suggesting that extrinsic compensation fails to restore previously existing levels of actual risk in cases where behavioural adjustments within the environment are incapable of negating intrinsic risk changes. This paper reports a study in which behavioural adjustments within the physical risk-taking environment are capable of reconciling target with actual risk. The results provide positive support for RHT in the form of overcompensation for the intrinsic risk change on specific driver behaviours

Freeze casting of porous monolithic composites for hydrogen storage

Hydrogen storage by adsorption offers operational benefits over energy intensive compression techniques. Incorporating physisorption materials in compression stores could improve hydrogen capacities, reducing the volume or pressure needed for storage vessels. However, such materials are often presented as fine powders and development efforts to date have predominantly focused on improving hydrogen uptake alone. Without due attention to industry-relevant attributes, such as handling, processability, and mechanical properties it is unlikely that these materials will find commercial application. In the paper, the desirable mechanical properties of hydrogen-adsorbent PIM-1 are exploited to yield a series of composite monoliths doped with a high surface area activated carbon, intended to act as pressure vessel inserts. Freeze casting techniques were successfully adapted for use with chloroform, facilitating the production of coherent and controlled three-dimensional geometries. This included the use of an innovative elastomeric mould made by additive manufacture to allow facile adoption, with the ability to vary multiple forming factors in the future. The composite monolith formed exhibited a stiffness of 0.26 GPa, a compressive strength of 6.7 MPa, and an increased BET surface area of 847 m2 g−1 compared to PIM-1 powders, signifying the first steps towards producing hydrogen adsorbents in truly useful monolithic forms

Liposome delivery systems for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) will affect around 115 million people worldwide by the year 2050. It is associated with the accumulation of misfolded and aggregated proteins (β-amyloid and tau) in the senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles found in the brain. Currently available drugs for AD only temporarily alleviate symptoms and do not slow the inevitable progression of this disease. New drugs are required that act on key pathologies in order to arrest or reverse cognitive decline. However, there has been a spectacular failure rate in clinical trials of conventional small molecule drugs or biological agents. Targeted nanoliposomes represent a viable and promising drug delivery system for AD that have not yet reached clinical trials. They are biocompatible, highly flexible, and have the potential to carry many different types of therapeutic molecules across the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and into brain cells. They can be tailored to extend blood circulation time and can be directed against individual or multiple pathological targets. Modifications so far have included the use of brain-penetrating peptides, together with Aβ-targeting ligands, such as phosphatidic acid, curcumin, and a retro-inverted peptide that inhibits Aβ aggregation. Combining several modifications together into multifunctional liposomes is currently a research area of great interest. This review focuses on recent liposomal approaches to AD therapy, including mechanisms involved in facilitating their passage across the BBB, and the evaluation of new therapeutic agents for blocking Aβ and/or tau aggregation