The medicinal use of leeches in Malta

The medical practice based on the Greek doctrine of the four humors considered that disease was due to alterations in the composition of these humors, and therapy was therefore based on attempting to restore the balance. Bleeding was the first resort in the treatment of a large majority of diseases ­ a therapeutic measure that persisted throughout the centuries. Bloodletting generally took the form of using a knife or lancet to open a vein, a procedure referred to as venesection or phlebotomy. A gentler and more desirable form of bleeding was to put a leech on the affected part and to let the animal engorge itself with the bad blood thought to dwell below the point of application. Leeches have been used medically for centuries; in Europe the use of leeches to drain off blood reached its height of popularity in the 19th century. The practice of bloodletting in the Maltese Islands dates at least to about the 2nd century AD. A tomb-slab from the late Roman/Palaeo-Christian period depicts a set of surgical instruments that include two Roman cupping vessels 1. Only 93 kilometers away from Sicily and 290 km from Northern Africa, the Maltese archipelago with its central position in the Mediterranean was an important meeting place for the various cultures that dominated the region. Malta's location at the crossroads of culture is reflected by the medical practices in use throughout the centuries. The practice of venesection in Malta persisted through the ages and during the medieval period (1539), the procedure was being carried out by the barbersurgeons against payment of one unza2. The barber-surgeons or barberotti remained responsible for venesection well into the 19th century and were only removed from the list of medical practitioners in 19213. The gentler form of bloodletting through the use of leeches was also practiced in Malta.peer-reviewe

SLM Materials Development

The purpose of this project was to create a procedure to efficiently determine a “recipe” of parameter values that create a desired set of mechanical properties. Research was conducted into the laser powder bed fusion process with focus on underdeveloped materials. A design of experiment was used with a set of density correlated parameters to establish a method of producing nearly dense parts. Our methods include SLM printing, metrology, and statistical analysis. An experimental procedure for materials development was designed, but unable to be validated during the scope of this project, due to unforeseen safety issues (exposure to Chromium 6, a toxic substance). Next steps include validation of this procedure using various metal powders in a SLM 125 HL

Sign languages and sociolinguistic typology

This paper examines the possible relationship between proposed social determinants of morphological ‘complexity’ and how this contributes to linguistic diversity, specifically via the typological nature of the sign languages of deaf communities. We sketch how the notion of morphological complexity, as defined by Trudgill (2011), applies to sign languages. Using these criteria, sign languages appear to be languages with low to moderate levels of complexity. This may partly reflect the influence of key social characteristics of communities on the typological nature of languages. Although many deaf communities are relatively small and may involve dense social networks (both social characteristics that Trudgill claimed may lend themselves to linguistic ‘complexification’), the picture is complicated by the highly variable nature of the sign language acquisition for most deaf people, and the ongoing contact between native signers, hearing non-native signers, and those deaf individuals who only acquire sign languages in later childhood and early adulthood. These are all factors that may work against the emergence of linguistic complexification. The relationship between linguistic typology and these key social factors may lead to a better understanding of the nature of sign language grammar. This perspective stands in contrast to other work where sign languages are sometimes presented as having complex morphology despite being young languages (e.g., Aronoff et al., 2005); in some descriptions, the social determinants of morphological complexity have not received much attention, nor has the notion of complexity itself been specifically explored

Medicinal and other leeches (Annelida, Hirudinea) in the Maltese Islands

The identity and possible provenance of the leeches used medicinally in the Maltese Islands since the sixteenth century and particularly during the nineteenth century is discussed. Two haematophagous species have been identified as possible medicinal imports. Five other non-medicinal species of leeches have been identified as either presently occurring in the Maltese Islands, or as having been possibly introduced in the past.peer-reviewe

Centrifugation and capillarity integrated into a multiple analyte whole blood analyser

A unique clinical chemistry analyser is described which processes 90 μl of whole blood (fingerstick or venous) into multiple aliquots of diluted plasma and reports the results of 12 tests in 14 min. To perform a panel of tests, the operator applies the unmetered sample directly into a single use, 8 cm diameter plastic rotor which contains the required liquid diluent and dry reagents. Using centrifugal and capillary forces, the rotor meters the required amount of blood, separates the red cells, meters the plasma, meters the diluent, mixes the fluids, distributes the fluid to the reaction cuvettes and mixes the reagents and the diluted plasma in the cuvettes. The instrument monitors the reagent reactions simultaneously using nine wavelengths, calculates the results from the absorbance data, and reports the results

Is the endemic Maltese Top-shell Gibbula nivosa extinct?

The trochid gastropod Gibbula nivosa, endemic to the Maltese Islands, has recently only been found in two Maltese bays, where it occurred on seagrass leaves and under stones at depths of 1-4m. Intensive sampling of Cymodocea nodosa and Posidonia oceanica meadows, sediment and pebbles at depths of 2-12m, carried out in 2000 and 2002, resulted only in empty shells but no live animals, suggesting that the species is extinct from these localities where previously good populations were found. However, the occurrence of fresh shells from other Maltese sites suggests that small undiscovered populations may exist. G.nivosa is considered to be ’critically endangered’.peer-reviewe

Inhaled corticosteroids for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-the shifting treatment paradigm

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) guidelines suggest using inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) in patients with severe airflow limitation or those at high risk of exacerbations. This recommendation is based on evidence demonstrating that ICS, especially when prescribed in fixed-dose combinations (FDC) with long-acting β2 agonists (LABA), improve quality of life (QoL), decrease exacerbations and hospitalisations, and have been associated with a trend towards a reduction in all-cause mortality. Audit shows that routine prescribing practice frequently uses inhaler therapies outside current guidelines recommendations; severe to very severe disease constitutes about 20% of all COPD patients, but up to 75% of COPD patients are prescribed an ICS, with significant numbers given ICS/LABA as first-line maintenance therapy. The role of ICS in the treatment paradigm for COPD is changing, driven by the growing evidence of increased risk of pneumonia, and the introduction of a new class of FDC; LABA and long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA), which simplify dual bronchodilation and present a plausible alternative therapy. As the evidence base for dual therapy bronchodilation expands, it is likely that maximal bronchodilation will move up the treatment algorithm and ICS reserved for those with more severe disease who are not controlled on dual therapy. This change has already manifested in local COPD algorithms, such as those at Tayside, and represents a significant change in recommended prescribing practice. This review reassesses the role of ICS in the shifting treatment paradigm, in the context of alternative treatment options that provide maximal bronchodilation

Longitudinal cohort study of horse owners

This report summarises the findings of a three-year mixed methods research study designed to capture factors that influence horse owner Hendra virus (HeV) risk mitigation practices. The research project focuses on horse owners; their knowledge, attitudes, and risk mitigation practices, i.e. uptake of vaccination, property management, and biosecurity practices. A flexible research methodology enabled the tracking of core subject areas over time whilst also responding to new or evolving shifts in the HeV landscape, e.g. new HeV cases, event management, and issues arising in the vaccine roll-out. By tracking relationships within the data and engaging with stakeholders and the horse owner population, it is hoped that findings from the study will help to identify important linkages and effective strategies for communication/information and policy implementation

The co-transcriptome of uropathogenic Escherichia coli-infected mouse macrophages reveals new insights into host-pathogen interactions

© 2014 The Authors. Cellular Microbiology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Urinary tract infections (UTI) are among the most common infections in humans. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) can invade and replicate within bladder epithelial cells, and some UPEC strains can also survive within macrophages. To understand the UPEC transcriptional programme associated with intramacrophage survival, we performed host-pathogen co-transcriptome analyses using RNA sequencing. Mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs) were challenged over a 24h time course with two UPEC reference strains that possess contrasting intramacrophage phenotypes: UTI89, which survives in BMMs, and 83972, which is killed by BMMs. Neither of these strains caused significant BMM cell death at the low multiplicity of infection that was used in this study. We developed an effective computational framework that simultaneously separated, annotated and quantified the mammalian and bacterial transcriptomes. Bone marrow-derived macrophages responded to the two UPEC strains with a broadly similar gene expression programme. In contrast, the transcriptional responses of the UPEC strains diverged markedly from each other. We identified UTI89 genes up-regulated at 24h post-infection, and hypothesized that some may contribute to intramacrophage survival. Indeed, we showed that deletion of one such gene (pspA) significantly reduced UTI89 survival within BMMs. Our study provides a technological framework for simultaneously capturing global changes at the transcriptional level in co-cultures, and has generated new insights into the mechanisms that UPEC use to persist within the intramacrophage environment

Longitudinal cohort study of horse owners

This report summarises the findings of a three-year mixed methods research study designed to capture factors that influence horse owner Hendra virus (HeV) risk mitigation practices. The research project focuses on horse owners; their knowledge, attitudes, and risk mitigation practices, i.e. uptake of vaccination, property management, and biosecurity practices. A flexible research methodology enabled the tracking of core subject areas over time whilst also responding to new or evolving shifts in the HeV landscape, e.g. new HeV cases, event management, and issues arising in the vaccine roll-out. By tracking relationships within the data and engaging with stakeholders and the horse owner population, it is hoped that findings from the study will help to identify important linkages and effective strategies for communication/information and policy implementation