Translation and validation of the Fatigue Severity Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Modified Health Assessment Questionnaire into the Maltese language, in a cohort of Maltese Systemic Lupus Erythematosus patients

PURPOSE: The assessment of fatigue, sleep quality and functional disability requires the use of validated instruments such as the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Modified Health Assessment Questionnaire (mHAQ) respectively. The aim of this study was to translate and validate these instruments into the Maltese Language. METHOD: Forward translation from the original English version into Maltese was carried out by two translators. The two versions were compiled to produce a preliminary initial Maltese translation. This was translated back into English by two other translators. This led to the development of the pre-final version of the Maltese translation, which was pilot-tested in 20 bilingual patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. RESULTS: Psychometric testing revealed good reliability of the Maltese translation of the three questionnaires. Cronbach’s alpha of the Maltese versions of the FSS, PSQI and mHAQ were 0.877, 0.859 and 0.897 respectively, showing good internal consistency. Validity of the Maltese version of the FSS was shown, since it had a significant positive correlation with visual analogue scale for fatigue (r=0.809, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The Maltese translations were thus finalised, and could be used for clinical assessment or research purposes.peer-reviewe

Cardiovascular risk assessment and management in rheumatoid arthritis : are guidelines being followed?

Aim: The aim of the audit was to determine whether the cardiovascular risk assessment and management in rheumatoid arthritis patients at Mater Dei Hospital is in concordance with the recommendations by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR). Background: Patients who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis have an increased risk of morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease. This is due to both the high prevalence of traditional risk factors, and systemic inflammation. Method: This audit was carried out retrospectively on 91 patients by using the medical notes to collect data on demographics, co-morbidities, drug history and cardiovascular risk assessment and management over a two year period (August 2010 to July 2012). The data was then analysed in order to assess whether the management of cardiovascular risk in rheumatoid arthritis patients was in concordance with EULAR recommendations. Results: Cardiovascular risk factors were documented as follows over the two year period audited: weight in 27.5%, BMI in 0%, smoking status in 72.5%, blood pressure in 72.5%, blood glucose in 72.5% and lipid profile in 54.9%. Smoking cessation advice was given in 15.8% and advice on other lifestyle changes in 14.3%. 81.1% of hypertensive patients were on treatment recommended as first-line by the guidelines and HbA1c was adequately controlled in 85.7% of diabetic patients in whom it was monitored. Conclusion: Cardiovascular risk factors are highly prevalent in rheumatoid arthritis patients. This audit identified aspects of cardiovascular risk assessment that require improvement. This would enable a better identification of cardiovascular risk factors that could be treated in order to reduce the patients’ cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.peer-reviewe

A fast - Monte Carlo toolkit on GPU for treatment plan dose recalculation in proton therapy

In the context of the particle therapy a crucial role is played by Treatment Planning Systems (TPSs), tools aimed to compute and optimize the tratment plan. Nowadays one of the major issues related to the TPS in particle therapy is the large CPU time needed. We developed a software toolkit (FRED) for reducing dose recalculation time by exploiting Graphics Processing Units (GPU) hardware. Thanks to their high parallelization capability, GPUs significantly reduce the computation time, up to factor 100 respect to a standard CPU running software. The transport of proton beams in the patient is accurately described through Monte Carlo methods. Physical processes reproduced are: Multiple Coulomb Scattering, energy straggling and nuclear interactions of protons with the main nuclei composing the biological tissues. FRED toolkit does not rely on the water equivalent translation of tissues, but exploits the Computed Tomography anatomical information by reconstructing and simulating the atomic composition of each crossed tissue. FRED can be used as an efficient tool for dose recalculation, on the day of the treatment. In fact it can provide in about one minute on standard hardware the dose map obtained combining the treatment plan, earlier computed by the TPS, and the current patient anatomic arrangement

Multimodal Corpus Analysis of Subtitling: The Case of Non-standard Varieties

This article proposes a new methodology for multimodal corpus analysis. It does so by particularly focusing on the issue of the translation of non-standard language varieties. This new methodology, which is significantly influenced by the work of Iedema (2003) , Jimenez Hurtado and Soler Gallego (2013) , Pastra (2008) and Ramos Pinto (2018) , is capable of identifying the modes and resources at play and the relations identified between them, as well as how such relations participate in the construction of the non-standard varieties’ communicative meaning. It also accounts for the impact of the introduction of subtitles on preserving, cancelling or modifying the intermodal relations identified in the source text and, consequently, the diegetic functions they support; that is, the function they assume in the fictional world of the film. In this regard, the methodology assumes a clear translational perspective

The multidisciplinary role of cultural management: A look for communication as management tool and key-activity

The purpose of this article is to explore the communication as tool and key-activity, within the scope of multidisciplinary character of cultural management and cultural equipment’s multimensionality. It's a hybrid study - conceptual and empirical - and exploratory, based on literature review and illustrated with descriptive analysis from data collected by 573 questionnaires regarding a specific event. Was followed a mixed methodology – qualitative and quantitative - and an interpretative paradigm. Were pulled out 3 conclusions: 1) The first one is the awareness need by the cultural management for an adoption of multidisciplinary posture, lined up by the multidimensional nature of cultural equipment’s and the organizational environment, in a purpose to match public expectations; 2) The second one is the need of comprehend the communication as tool and key-activity to engender culture value in both organizational environments: inside and outside; 3) The third, due questionnaire application, resides in the mass-media advantage over digitals, for public fund. This article: a) provides inputs for an interterritorial plan creation; b) contribute for the discussion about ideologic construction of professional category, instrands of thought building about its functions and concerns; c) increase communication importance as key-activity; d) highlight the power of media in cultural events; e) contributes to sign the need for a multidisciplinary training for cultural managers. The article value resides in reinforce the discussion for a new vision about the action ray of the cultural manager, supported in the connection between the equipment’s dimensions and the multidisciplinary posture.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Free and Dissolved Gases in Castrocaro Spa Waters (Italy)

Free and dissolved gases in cold water samples from the Castrocaro spa, Northern Italy, were analyzed for their chemical composition. These gases were interpreted as the result of the binary mixing between a N2- and a CH4-rich component. CO2 is generally a minor constituent. N2/Ar ratios below the air typical value suggest that air saturated water (ASW) is the most likely source of atmospheric-derived components. This atmospheric end-member is predominant in low-salinity waters. Conversely, CH4-enriched gases are mainly associated with brackish to saline waters. The occurrence of minor amounts of light hydrocarbons (C2-C3) indicates a predominant biogenic origin of CH4. The He isotopic composition of the CH4-richest sample (3He/4He = 0.22 Ra) is in the range of values measured for cold seeps and mud volcanoes along the Northern Apennines foothills, and indicates a predominant crustal origin of this gas

The use of essential oils to protect rice from storage fungi

Rice (Oryza sativa) is the main food of half of the population of our planet. The growth of fungi closely associated to the eventual occurrence of mycotoxins can be responsible for serious economic losses and public health risks. Knowledge about the origin of the growth of toxigenic fungi is a prerequisite to the establishment of mycotoxin control programs. Socio-economical and environmental factors led to an extreme reduction of rice availability, while the estimated rice production losses increased in all continents what increases the importance to develop new harmless strategies for the control of fungi affecting stored rice. Natural products from plant origin were screened for the control of main pernicious fungi.In this work we have collected rice samples from different origins (national and imported) and these samples were analysed for fungal infection. Several fungi taxa were isolated: Absidia, Alternaria, Aspergillus, Bipolaris, Botrytis, Chaetomium, Curvularia, Cunninghamela, Epicoccum, Fusarium, Geotrichum, Helicoma, Nigrospora, Penicillium, Pyricularia, Rhizopus, Scytalidium, Stemphylium, Sordaria, Trichoconiella, Trichoderma, Trichothecium and Ulocladium. Some of the fungi isolated are potentially mycotoxigenic. We also studied a way to control the growth of some of these fungi using plant extracts and essential oils from Syzyginum aromaticum and Laurus nobilis. Promising results were obtained.Keywords: Rice, Cereals, Fungi, Bio-pesticides, Plant extracts