Precision teaching and fluency: the effects of charting and goal-setting on skaters’ performance

This research involved three successive studies where precision teaching methods were used to increase roller skaters performance rates of basic skating skills. The first study compared precision teaching methods both with and without the use of charting in a group design, and compared both within-subject and betweensubject differences for 12 skaters. Results showed that charting did not increase performance rates over that seen when charting was not used. The second study was a group design which compared two different types of goals, or performance aims, on skaters‟ performance. No difference was found between the two groups of 5 skaters when one group used a fixed, difficult goal and a second used a flexible, easier goal. In the final study, a single-subject design was used and 8 skaters completed a control condition where no goals were set before a goal was introduced for 4 skaters. It was found that an immediate increase in performance rates occurred following the introduction of the goal. Overall these three studies showed that skaters improved their performance rates over sessions, even in the absence of charting and/or goals, demonstrating that precision teaching can be applied to the sport of roller skating

Merging DNA metabarcoding and ecological network analysis to understand and build resilient terrestrial ecosystems

Summary 1. Significant advances in both mathematical and molecular approaches in ecology offer unprecedented opportunities to describe and understand ecosystem functioning. Ecological networks describe interactions between species, the underlying structure of communities and the function and stability of ecosystems. They provide the ability to assess the robustness of complex ecological communities to species loss, as well as a novel way of guiding restoration. However, empirically quantifying the interactions between entire communities remains a significant challenge. 2. Concomitantly, advances in DNA sequencing technologies are resolving previously intractable questions in functional and taxonomic biodiversity and provide enormous potential to determine hitherto difficult to observe species interactions. Combining DNA metabarcoding approaches with ecological network analysis presents important new opportunities for understanding large-scale ecological and evolutionary processes, as well as providing powerful tools for building ecosystems that are resilient to environmental change. 3. We propose a novel ‘nested tagging’ metabarcoding approach for the rapid construction of large, phylogenetically structured species-interaction networks. Taking tree–insect–parasitoid ecological networks as an illustration, we show how measures of network robustness, constructed using DNA metabarcoding, can be used to determine the consequences of tree species loss within forests, and forest habitat loss within wider landscapes. By determining which species and habitats are important to network integrity, we propose new directions for forest management. 4. Merging metabarcoding with ecological network analysis provides a revolutionary opportunity to construct some of the largest, phylogenetically structured species-interaction networks to date, providing new ways to: (i) monitor biodiversity and ecosystem functioning; (ii) assess the robustness of interacting communities to species loss; and (iii) build ecosystems that are more resilient to environmental change

Hepatitis B infection in Malta : a retrospective cross sectional study

Chronic Hepatitis B infection can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. Case notes of patients who tested positive for HBsAg between 1st Dec 2007 and 29th October 2009 were reviewed (n=197) . The results show that 2/3 (65%) of the study population were male and that HBV infection was detected across all age groups. About ¼ (25.4%) of the study group were foreigners. 79% of Maltese patients testing postive did not have any identifiable risk factors documented in their case notes for acquiring HBV. In more than 60% of patients who tested positive further assessment to determine suitability for treatment was not performed and only 6.6 % of the study population received treatment for HBV.peer-reviewe

Giant gastric folds in a patient with hypoalbuminaemia

A 70-year-old man presented with a 3-month history of persistent epigastric pain, 8 kg weight loss and lower limb swelling. Examination revealed a normal abdomen and bilateral lower limb oedema. Blood results were unremarkable except for hypoalbuminaemia (23 g/l) and peripheral eosinophilia (1.06×109/l). Urinalysis and CT of the abdomen were negative. An oesophagogastroduodenoscopy (OGD) revealed large gastric folds involving the fundus and the body of the stomach (figure 1), and a small antral polyp. Histology showed marked reactive mucosal changes, pronounced foveolar hyperplasia and cystic dilatation (figure 2), compatible with a diagnosis of Ménétrier’s disease. Helicobacter pylori was absent and the antral polyp was adenomatous. He was given omeprazole and prednisolone (20 mg daily), which was tailed down after 2 months. Subsequently, his symptoms improved significantly. He regained 10 kg in weight and his albumin levels normalised. OGD done post therapy and 1 year later still showed prominent, but less pronounced, gastric folds, and histological evidence of hyperplastic gastropathy.peer-reviewe

Endoscopic snare polypectomy of a pedunculated adenocarcinoma of the duodenal bulb arising from a hyperplastic polyp

Primary non-ampullary adenocarcinoma of the duodenum is a rare occurrence, arising mainly from adenomatous polyps [1].We report the first case of a pedunculated adenocarcinoma of the duodenal bulb, arising from a hyperplastic polyp, treated with endoscopic snare polypectomy.peer-reviewe

The management of patients positive to hepatitis C virus antibody in Malta

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the main causes of chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide and is an important public health concern. A retrospective analysis of the demographics and management of patients who had a positive anti-HCV detected by enzyme immunoassay test done at Mater Dei Hospital was carried out to analyse the epidemiology of HCV infection in Malta and assess our management when compared to the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) guidelines. 72% of patients were male. The majority of patients were aged 21-50 years. The main mode of infection was via intravenous drugs use, accounting for 68% of cases. Only 56% of patients found to be HCV Ab positive had a scheduled appointment with an infectious diseases specialist or gastroenterologist documented on the MDH online appointment system. 58% of patients had HCV RNA testing done and 45% had genotype testing. 7.3% with HCV infection were given treatment, of which 43% had a Sustained Virological Response (SVR).peer-reviewe

The need for gastroscopy in early cirrhotics : a retrospective analytical study

The aim of this study was to predict which Child-A cirrhotic patients would not have oesophageal varices at endoscopy. This is a retrospective study that reviewed 59 Child-A cirrhotic patients under the care of a gastroenterology firm. All gastroscopy reports (97 episodes in total) undergone by these patients were analysed. Patients were classified into 3 groups namely absent varices (AV) group: no oesophageal varices seen at endoscopy, small varices (SV) group: small oesophageal varices seen, banded varices (BV) group: moderate/large oesophageal varices requiring banding. In this study the varices were graded as per UK guidelines that is small varices being ones which collapse to inflation of the oesophagus with air, moderate varices do not collapse and large varices occlude the lumen.1 Patient demographics, a platelet count and spleen size on imaging at the time of endoscopy were also noted. Statistical differences between the 3 groups were then analysed using ANOVA. Our results showed that most of the patients were middle aged males. Furthermore, there was a statistically significant difference in platelet count and spleen size between the three groups (p values: 0.008 and 0.035 respectively). A noteworthy finding was that none of the patients who required banding had a normal spleen size (spleen < 12 cm). Having said this, due to considerable overlap between the three groups, further recommendations could not be proposed.peer-reviewe

Acute liver impairment in a young, healthy athlete : hypoxic hepatitis and rhabdomyolysis following heat stroke

Any process that substantially diminishes arterial blood flow or arterial oxygen content to the liver can result in hypoxic (ischaemic) hepatitis. 90% of hypoxic hepatitis occurs in unstable patients in intensive care units with haemodynamic failure secondary to heart failure, respiratory failure and toxic shock. The rate of in-hospital mortality in hypoxic hepatitis is very high with studies recording mortalities of 61.5%. It tends to be very uncommon in healthy, young patients with no underlying medical problems. We report here the case of a young healthy athlete who developed heat stroke associated with rhabdomyolysis and hypoxic hepatitis while he was running the final stages of a marathon. The patient required intensive care admission and inotropic support for a few hours after he was admitted with heat stroke. He underwent a rapid recovery after he was resuscitated with fluids. N-acetyl cysteine was also given during the acute stage of the hepatitis. This case highlights an uncommon case of hypoxic hepatitis in a young, healthy patient secondary to hypotension and heat stroke. Inotropic support might have precipitated the hypoxic hepatitis in this young patient.peer-reviewe

BacillOndex: An Integrated Data Resource for Systems and Synthetic Biology

BacillOndex is an extension of the Ondex data integration system, providing a semantically annotated, integrated knowledge base for the model Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. This application allows a user to mine a variety of B. subtilis data sources, and analyse the resulting integrated dataset, which contains data about genes, gene products and their interactions. The data can be analysed either manually, by browsing using Ondex, or computationally via a Web services interface. We describe the process of creating a BacillOndex instance, and describe the use of the system for the analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms in B. subtilis Marburg. The Marburg strain is the progenitor of the widely-used laboratory strain B. subtilis 168. We identified 27 SNPs with predictable phenotypic effects, including genetic traits for known phenotypes. We conclude that BacillOndex is a valuable tool for the systems-level investigation of, and hypothesis generation about, this important biotechnology workhorse. Such understanding contributes to our ability to construct synthetic genetic circuits in this organism

Tenofovir as rescue therapy following clinical failure to lamivudine in severe acute hepatitis B

Acute hepatitis B (AHB) is a self-limiting condition in more than 95% of cases. Treatment is however recommended in patients with severe AHB (<1% of cases), aiming to prevent liver failure and death. Various nucleos(t)ide analogues (NA) have been found to be effective in severe AHB, although NA-resistant strains causing AHB have been also recently reported. The use of tenofovir in severe AHB has only been described in 3 cases (1 adult and 1 infant with HBV mono-infection, 1 adult with HBV/HIV co-infection). We hereby report a 47-year-old treatment-naïve male, who developed severe AHB and was initially treated with lamivudine (LMV). Initial rapid biochemical response was followed by biochemical breakthrough after 9 days, suggesting LMV resistance. Rescue therapy with ‘add-on’ tenofovir brought about a sustained improvement in biochemical, serological and virological markers until HBsAg was lost after 4 months. Thus, this is the second adult HBV mono-infected patient, who responded successfully to tenofovir in severe AHB.peer-reviewe