An exploration of hydration practices in Maltese residential care homes for older people

Background: The integral relationship between adequate hydration and good health is widely recognised. Older people with complex needs and frailty can struggle to maintain adequate hydration, with residents in care home settings being at an increased risk of dehydration. Aims: To explore current hydration practices in residential care homes in Malta. Methods: An exploratory qualitative approach was adopted to explore staff’s views and approaches in supporting resident’s hydration. Data was collected via semi-structured, individual and small group interviews with 2 care homes from the central and southern region of Malta. A process of open coding, followed by axial coding were used to analyse the data. Peer debriefing was performed throughout, until agreement was reached amongst the research team about the final themes and sub-themes. Findings: Three themes emerged from the data: culture of promoting fluid intake; challenges in supporting older people to achieve optimum hydration; hydration practices and approaches. Conclusion: A hydration promotion culture was demonstrated through various practices adopted in the care homes. The strong focus on water intake, in response to concerns about consuming sugary beverages, has implications on the promotion of a person-centred approach to hydration care. Inconsistencies in monitoring of fluids and daily recommended targets, highlights the importance of policies or guidelines to guide hydration practice. Challenges related to refusal of fluids and language barriers amongst non-native staff were evident and justifies further research is this area

Patrón de abundancia espacio-temporal de la gamba de altura, Parapenaeus longirostris, y de la cigala, Nephrops norvegicus, en las aguas mediterráneas europeas

The main characteristics concerning the distribution of two of the most important decapod crustaceans of commercial interest in the Mediterranean Sea, the deep-water rose shrimp, Parapenaeus longirostris, and the Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus, are studied in the European Mediterranean waters. The study is based on data collected under the MEDITS trawl surveys from 1994 to 2015 from the Gibraltar Straits to the northeastern Levantine Basin (Cyprus waters). The observed differences can be interpreted as different responses to environmental drivers related to the differing life history traits of the two species. In fact, N. norvegicus is a long-living, benthic burrowing species with low growth and mortality rates, while P. longirostris is an epibenthic, short-living species characterized by higher rates of growth and mortality.Se investigaron las características de la distribución de dos de los crustáceos decápodos más importantes a nivel comercial del mar Mediterráneo, la gamba de altura, Parapenaeus longirostris y la cigala, Nephrops norvegicus, en aguas mediterráneas europeas. El presente estudio se basa en datos recopilados en las campañas de pesca experimental de arrastre MEDITS, relizadas de 1994 a 2015 desde el estrecho de Gibraltar hasta la cuenca levantina nororiental (aguas de Chipre). Las diferencias observadas en el patrón de distribución se pueden interpretar como distintas respuestas a factores ambientales relacionados con los diferentes rasgos del ciclo vital de las dos especies. De hecho, N. norvegicus es una especie bentónica de vida larga, con bajas tasas de crecimiento y mortalidad, mientras que P. longirostris es una especie epibentónica de vida corta, caracterizada por tasas más altas de crecimiento y de mortalidad

Rare thyroid malignancies in Europe : data from the information network on rare cancers in Europe (RARECAREnet)

Data will be made available on requestPeer reviewedPostprin

A persistent neutrophil-associated immune signature characterizes post-COVID-19 pulmonary sequelae

Interstitial lung disease and associated fibrosis occur in a proportion of individuals who have recovered from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection through unknown mechanisms. We studied individuals with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) after recovery from acute illness. Individuals with evidence of interstitial lung changes at 3 to 6 months after recovery had an up-regulated neutrophil-associated immune signature including increased chemokines, proteases, and markers of neutrophil extracellular traps that were detectable in the blood. Similar pathways were enriched in the upper airway with a concomitant increase in antiviral type I interferon signaling. Interaction analysis of the peripheral phosphoproteome identified enriched kinases critical for neutrophil inflammatory pathways. Evaluation of these individuals at 12 months after recovery indicated that a subset of the individuals had not yet achieved full normalization of radiological and functional changes. These data provide insight into mechanisms driving development of pulmonary sequelae during and after COVID-19 and provide a rational basis for development of targeted approaches to prevent long-term complications

ClimateFish: A Collaborative Database to Track the Abundance of Selected Coastal Fish Species as Candidate Indicators of Climate Change in the Mediterranean Sea

Under the effects of global warming, many animals and plants are undergoing rapid distribution shifts. These changes can be particularly rapid in marine fishes, and many species have responded markedly to recent increases in sea temperature. ClimateFish is an open-access database, which collates abundance data for 7 Mediterranean indigenous and 8 non-indigenous fishes, proposed as candidate indicators of climate change. These species have been selected by a network of Mediterranean scientists based on their wide distribution, responsiveness to temperature conditions and easy identification. Data are periodically collected according to a standard visual census protocol in four different depth layers. At present, the database collates data on a total number of 101'771 observed individuals belonging to the 15 target species. Counts were realized along 3142 transects carried out in 7 Mediterranean countries between 2009 and 2021. This database, associated with climate data, offers new opportunities to investigate spatiotemporal effects of climate change and to test the effectiveness of each selected indicator. Data are available at https://doi.org/10.17882/86784.The Mediterranean ClimateFish initiative was initially conceived by the international basin wide monitoring program CIESM Tropical Signals (funded by the Albert II of Monaco Foundation) and subsequently supported by the Interreg Med Programme (Projects: MPA-ADAPT, grant number 1MED15_3.2_M2_337 and MPA Engage, grant number 5MED18_3.2_M23_007), 85% co funded by the European Regional Development Fund

Embedding critical thinking skills in the scientific curricula : how good are we?

Abstract Critical thinking (CT) is crucial for the successful functioning of the contemporary university promoting new ideas and knowledge (Barnett, 1997). However, many students do not have the necessary critical thinking abilities enabling them to succeed academically and in the workplace (Nicholas and Roth, 2016). Following meta-analysis of a range of CT studies, Abrami et al. (2015) argue that CT should be explicitly taught within existing disciplinary contexts, however, educators often construct their own meaning concerning CT, based on their disciplinary contexts and teaching experiences (Danczak, Thompson and Overston, 2017). This interactive workshop aims to discuss how staff in the Department of Pharmacy have embedded CT skills development into curriculum design and teaching practice, using a Critical Thinking Skills Toolkit (Wason, 2016). Based on the work of Facione (1990), this toolkit explicitly deconstructs Kingston’s Institutional Framework of CT skills and applies it to a variety of disciplines. The toolkit was edited within the department of Pharmacy to include disciplinary and statistical content. One chapter was introduced to either level 4 pharmaceutical sciences students who had previously undertaken a module of statistics, philosophy and scientific process, or to pharmacy students (n=370, levels 4-6). An online formative test was then undertaken assessing inference, assumption, deduction, logic and comprehension. Levels of engagement in pharmacy were good or poor (Level 4: 73%; Level 5: 5%; Level 6: 20%). In the pharmaceutical science cohort (n=104) engagement was high (81%). Both level 4 cohorts had similar scores in inference, assumption and deduction, but the pharmaceutical science cohort scored better in the logic and comprehension sections of the test. The lowest scorers overall were the level 5 students while the best scorers were level 6 pharmacy students. Practical group activities during the workshop will enable delegates from diverse disciplines to engage with each of the teaching tools within the toolkit and immerse themselves in tasks designed to develop students’ deductive reasoning, analysis, interpretation, and evaluation. By engaging delegates in the CT process and providing resources to support them, delegates can learn how to adapt the tools already available within their teaching and apply CT processes to them. References Abrami, P.C. Bernard, R.M., Borokhovski, E., Waddington, D. I., Wade, C. A. and Persson, T. (2015) 'Strategies for Teaching Students to Think Critically: A Meta-Analysis', Review of Educational Research, 85(2), pp. 275-314. Barnett, R. (1997) Higher Education: A Critical Business. Buckingham, England: Open University Press. Danczak, S. Thompson, D and Overton, L. (2017) ‘What does the term Critical Thinking mean to you?’ A qualitative analysis of chemistry undergraduate, teaching staff and employers views of critical thinking’, Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 18, 420- 434 Facione, P.A. (1990) Critical Thinking A statement of expert consensus for purposes of educational attainment and instruction. American Philosophical Association Nicholas, M.C. and Raider-Roth, M. (2016) 'A Hopeful Pedagogy to Critical Thinking', International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 10(2), pp. 1-10 Wason, H. (2016) ‘Embedding a Critical Thinking Framework for Undergraduate Business Students’, in Remenyi, D. (Ed.) 2016 Innovation in the Teaching of Research Methodology Excellence Awards: An Anthology of Case Histories, Reading: Academic Conferences and Publishing Internationa

Spatial and temporal trend in the abundance and distribution of gurnards (Pisces: Triglidae) in the northern Mediterranean Sea

In this study we investigated the spatio-temporal distribution of gurnards (8 species of Triglidae and one species of Peristediidae) in the northern Mediterranean Sea using 22 years of MEDITS bottom trawl survey data (1994-2015). Gurnards showed significant differences in terms of abundance, dominance and composition among geographical sub-areas and ecoregions, with the highest relative biomass (BIy) being found in Malta, eastern Corsica, the Balearic Islands and the eastern Ionian Sea. The lowest gurnards BIy were observed in the highly exploited areas of the western Mediterranean and the Adriatic Sea, where the largest number of species with a negative linear trend in BIy was also found. The temporal trends in species abundances highlighted a general decrease for the coastal species (C. lucerna, C. lastoviza, C. obscurus) as compared with the species inhabiting the deep continental shelf and slope (T. lyra, P. cataphractum). The results provide for the first time an overview of the spatiotemporal trend in the abundance of gurnards over the wide spatial scale of the northern Mediterranean Sea, also suggesting the possible use of these species as indicators for monitoring the impact of fishing pressure on demersal fish assemblages.  En este estudio hemos investigado la distribución espacio-temporal de los gurnardos (8 especies de Triglidae y 1 especie de Peristediidae) en el norte del Mediterráneo usando 22 años de datos de la campaña de pesca de arrastre MEDITS (1994-2015). Los gurnardos mostraron diferencias significativas en la abundancia, dominancia y composición entre las distintas sub-areas geográficas (GSAs) y las ecoregiones, encontrándose las mayores biomasas relativas (BIy) en Malta, el este de Córcega, las Islas Baleares y el oeste del mar Jónico. Por otro lado, los menores valores de BIy fueron observados en las áreas más explotadas del oeste del Mediterráneo y del Mar Adriático, donde también se observó el mayor número de especies con una tendencia lineal negativa en relación a BIy. La tendencia temporal en la abundancia de especies evidenció una disminución general en las especies costeras (C. lucerna, C. lastoviza, C. obscurus) respecto a las especies que habitan la profunda plataforma y pendiente continentales (T. lyra, P. cataphractum). Los resultados proporcionan por primera vez una visión general de las tendencias espacio-temporales en la abundancia de los gurnardos en la amplia escala espacial del norte del Mediterráneo, sugiriendo también la posibilidad de usar estas especies como indicadores para monitorear el impacto de la presión de pesca sobre los ensamblajes de peces demersales

Rare thyroid malignancies in Europe: Data from the information network on rare cancers in Europe (RARECAREnet).

Limited information is available on the incidence of rare thyroid cancer (TC) subtypes: anaplastic (ATC) and medullary (MTC). The aim of this study was to describe incidence variations and trends across European countries of all TC subtypes. We used the RARECAREnet database including 80721 TC incident cases in the period 2000-2007 from 77 population-based cancer registries (CRs) in Europe. In the trend analyses, we included 68890 TC cases from 53 CRs with at least 6 years of incidence data in the years 2000-2007. In Europe age-standardised incidence rates (ASR) in women were The huge increase and heterogeneity between countries of PTC incidence has a small influence on the trends and variations of MTC and ATC in Europe. Large-scale epidemiological and clinical registry-based studies are warranted to increase knowledge about the rarest TC subtypes. This information would be fundamental for the design of new clinical trials and for inference