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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1979

The structure of goat hemoglobins. V. A fourth beta chain variant (beta-D-Malta; 69 Asp is replaced by Gly) with decreased oxygen affinity and occurring at a high frequency in Malta.

During a survey of hemoglobin types in goats in the Republic of Malta a variant (Goat Hb D-Malta) was discovered which differs from normal goat Hb A by the substitution of an aspartyl residue in position beta 69 (E13) by a glycyl residue. The gene frequency of the beta D allele was 0.255; 29 homozygous Hb D goats were present among 327 animals sampled. Homozygous Hb D goats also produce Hb C, whose beta chains are the product of a non-allelic beta C structural gene. Goat Hb D-Malta has a distinctly decreased affinity for molecular oxygen.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1986

[In vitro erythrophagocytosis in detecting opsonizing antibodies in a patient with Malta fever. A hypothesis on the explanation of in vivo hemophagocytosis in other patients with Malta fever].

In vitro agglutination and phagocytosis of erythrocytes by homologous neutrophil granulocytes and monocytes could be observed using the blood of a healthy person (blood group A, Rh+) to detect opsonising antibodies in the serum of a patient with Malta fever (blood group O, Rh+). Agglutination and erythrophagocytosis were independent of complement or the presence of Brucella melitensis. In patients with Malta fever and blood groups O and B, respectively, antibodies could be detected on the surface of erythrocytes of blood group A when used as antigen with the help of an immunofluorescence test. The same happened with a serum of one patient with blood group A. In vivo erythrophagocytosis detected in the bone marrow of patients with Malta fever is, therefore, possibly due to common antigens of erythrocytes of blood group A and B. melitensis.

ABO Blood-Group System↗
PubMed1983

[Malta fever in a brucellosis free region: analysis of a malta fever outbreak in the Göttingen area 1982].

During April/Mai 1982 15 patients were affected with acute Malta fever around Goettingen an area known the be brucellosis-free until then. The source of infections were local flocks of sheep. The infections were mainly acquired when assisting at lamb birth or abortions. Between onset and diagnosis of the disease intervals up to 3 month occurred. Diagnostically crucial were blood cultures and serological tests. Therapy with tetracyclines or co-trimoxazole were effective in all cases. In patients with status febrilis and anamnestic contact with brucellosis-prone animals brucellosis should be considered, even if the local area appears to be brucellosis-free.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Assessment and comparison of human exposure to lead between Belgium, Malta, Mexico and Sweden.

This is a follow-up study of UNEP/WHO Pilot Project on Assessment of Human Exposure to Lead and Cadmium through Biological Monitoring, carried out in 1983/1984. The main objectives of the follow-up study were: to study whether differences in blood-lead levels found between countries in the Biological Monitoring Project were confirmed and were primarily due to exposure via ingested lead (oral intake) or via inhaled lead; to make a preliminary survey, in selected areas, of the possible sources of high exposure (Malta, Belgium). Four countries participated: Belgium, Malta, Mexico, Sweden. To insure comparability between the populations, certain categories were monitored: teachers for socio-economic status, non smoking males, aged between 25 and 50 years old. The blood-lead concentration (PbB) was measured to determine the current exposure and the feces-lead excretion (PbF) was determined to find out the part of the exposure due to ingestion. Blood-lead levels and feces-lead excretion were very different between the four countries. Median values for PbB, in micrograms Pb/1, were, in decreasing values 247 in Malta, 188 in Mexico, 135 in Belgium and 53 in Sweden. Median values for PbF, in micrograms Pb/day, were 361 in Malta, 159 in Mexico, 82 in Belgium and 22 in Sweden. Oral intake seems to be the major exposure route in the four countries. The relationship between PbB and PbF is curvilinear. To investigate the possible source of high exposure, a preliminary survey was made in Malta and Belgium; lead in air suspended and sedimenting particles was monitored as well as the lead concentration in some food and street dust samples. Concerning the comparison of lead concentrations in these environmental samples between Belgium and Malta, no major differences were detected. The high internal exposure to lead in Maltese people, as measured by PbB, is probably due to a combination of several factors.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Regional differences in birth prevalence of congenital heart disease in Malta.

AIM: Recent studies have shown a correlation between environmental pollutants and increased risk of selected congenital malformations. The South-East area of the Island of Malta is much more industrialised than the more rural North-West area. The aim of this study was to test the null hypothesis that there are no regional differences in Malta in the prevalence at birth of congenital cardiac malformations. METHODS: Live born infants with congenital cardiac malformations born between 1990 and 1994 were allocated to 10 areas, and thence to 2 regions of 5 areas each, so as to constitute North-West and South-East Malta. Official publications gave population totals and growth rates. Those infants with congenital cardiac malformations were then compared between the different regions using chi2 and the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of congenital heart disease at birth was 8.8/1000 live births. The birth prevalence for the South-East region (10.1/1000 LB--95% CI 8.4-12.3/1000 live births) was significantly higher than for the North-West (7.4/1000 live births--95% CI 6.0-9.0/1000 live births)--p=0.03, Odds ratio 1.38 (95% CI 1.05-1.80). The Mann-Whitney U test showed a significant difference in the distribution amongst the 10 defined areas (p=0.016). The Central-East area had the highest prevalence of cardiac malformations in the entire Island--p=0.02, Odds ratio 1.70 (95% CI 1.10-2.61). Demography showed an efflux of individuals from the South-East of Malta. CONCLUSION: The higher prevalence of congenital heart disease noted at birth in South-East Malta is unlikely to be due to genetic factors, as these would have migrated North-West along with the population movement. An environmental factor, therefore, seems more likely to be responsible for the increased predisposition to congenital heart disease in the South-East of Malta.

Birth Rate↗
PubMed1997

Leishmaniasis in Malta and the Mediterranean basin.

Leishmaniasis is a public-health problem in most countries bordering the Mediterranean littoral. In Malta, where the disease has been recognized for many years, Phlebotomus perniciosus is the established vector and dogs act as reservoir hosts. Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) was the only form of the disease recorded in Malta until the early 1980s, when cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) was recognized. Although the incidence of CL has recently increased, the overall numbers of cases of leishmaniasis have markedly decreased since the 1960s. Prior to 1963, almost all cases were aged < 10 years. Although leishmaniasis in Malta is still mainly a disease of children, adult cases are increasingly being recognized. HIV-VL co-infection is being seen more and more frequently in the Mediterranean basin, especially in Spain, France and Italy. During diagnosis, leishmaniasis should be suspected on the basis of the clinical picture in endemic areas and on the travel history of those patients from non-endemic areas. In Malta, VL and CL are generally confirmed by detection of the parasites in smears, of bone-marrow or, rarely, splenic aspirates and of lesions, respectively. Antimonials are the standard therapeutic agents for VL, although liposomal amphotericin B is a very effective but expensive alternative, with no significant adverse effects. In Malta, the treatment of choice for CL is cryotherapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Biosynthesis of hemoglobin F Malta-I in culture by adult circulating erythropoietic precursors.

By using a methylcellulose clonal assay, we cultured peripheral blood erythropoietic precursors (BFU-E) from an adult couple whose child had HbF Malta-I(gamma 117 His leads to Arg), a G gamma variant, and measured the synthetic rates of HbA, HbF, and HbF Malta-I. Hemoglobin was labeled with 14C-amino acid in culture, separated by slab gel isoelectric focusing technique, and quantitated by autoradiographic or fluorographic method. Culture of BFU-E from both parents revealed significant HbF biosynthesis. HbF Malta-I was present in culture of the father's cells and comprised about 24% of total HbF. When we analyzed Hb biosynthesis in individual bursts, all bursts contained HbA and HbF in varying ratios. The frequency distribution of the individual bursts differing in percentages of HbF biosynthesis approached normal distribution. While the relative ratio of HbF Malta-I to total HbF biosynthesis in individual bursts also revealed significant variation, its frequency distribution did not show a normal distribution. There was a positive correlation between the ratios of HbF/Hb and HbF Malta-I/HbF in individual bursts.

Autoradiography↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Decreased prevalence of hypoplastic left heart syndrome in Malta.

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is the most severe form of congenital heart disease (CHD), which until recently was considered to be fatal. However, surgical intervention is now possible using neonatal heart transplantation or three-stage palliative surgery (Norwood's staged operations). In Malta, during the period 1977-1994, there were four cases of classic HLHS, with an additional three cases of HLHS-like cases. The birth prevalence of classical HLHS was 0.04 per 1000 live births, whereas that of combined HLHS-like cases was 0.06 per 1000 live births for the same period. One neonate with HLHS is expected every 3 or 4 years. Despite a high rate of ascertainment of CHD, the birth prevalence of HLHS in Malta was significantly lower than that quoted in historical studies (p < 0.006) and in the European Congenital Anomalies and Twins Registry (p < 0.002). Malta has the expected birth prevalence of CHD, but the spectrum of CHD exhibits a predominance of lesions causing right ventricular outflow obstruction and a deficit of lesions causing left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. CHD is caused by a genetic-environmental interaction. The low rate of HLHS in Malta appears to be a true divergence from the usual observed spectrum of CHD and may be caused by genetic and/or environmental factors.

Birth Rate↗
PubMed2005

A study of continuing nurse education in Malta: the importance of national context.

The literature recommends that in the light of the constant changes in the contexts in which nurses perform [Buerhaus, P., 1997. The future of the nurse labour market. Image 29(4), 313-318], nurse education systems should incorporate specialised and continuing education [Lenera, V., 1987. The Nurse and the Future: Role and Function. In: Health Care and Nurse Education in the 21st Century. Commission of the European Communities, Brussels; Castledine, G., McGee, P., 1998. Advanced and Specialist Nursing Practice, Blackwell Science Ltd., Oxford; Chiarella, M., 1998. Developing the credibility of continuing education. Nurse Education Today 10, 70-73 ]. Using a qualitative approach, the research study reported in this article explored views of student and qualified nurses in Malta about such educational opportunities. Data were collected using questionnaires administered by post to student and qualified nurses in Malta (n=172) [Fenech Adami, M., 2002. An exploratory study of the adequacy of the nurse education system in Malta. PhD Thesis. University of Aberdeen.]. In congruence with the literature, the findings revealed widespread support for and interest in specialised and continuing education in general [Nolan, M., 1994. Continuing professional education: identifying the characteristics an effective system. Journal of Advanced Nursing 22, 551-560; Wilson-Barnett, J., 1994. Evaluating the clinical nurse specialist - a review. International Journal of Nursing Studies 31(6), 561-571]. However, some of the findings challenge that which is recommended in the literature. The findings should contribute to the effective development of specialised and continuing education opportunities in Malta. Moreover, by their divergence from the literature, these findings illustrate that nurse education should always be planned against a backdrop of the context in which it is to be delivered. In turn, the findings point out the importance of researching education within specific contexts rather than simply extrapolating research evidence and subsequent recommendations on nurse education from one national context to another.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2003

Seasonality of births is associated with seasonality of marriages in Malta.

This study was carried out to quantify secular trends in seasonal variation in births in Malta, a small Mediterranean country where the vast proportion of births occur in wedlock due to a predominantly Roman Catholic population. It also related such variations to seasonal variation in marriages. Annual seasonal peaks of marriages and births were analysed over the period 1950-1996 by X11 ARIMA. A significant peak in marriages (n = 111,932) in the third quarter of the year was found for almost the entire period under study. This was paralleled by a peak in births (n = 299,558) for the period 1970-1996, which lagged after the peak in marriages by 13-14 months. For the period 1994-1996, when monthly data for monthly pregnancies were available by pregnancy order, the peak in births was caused by first pregnancies only. Seasonal patterns in births occur almost universally due to cultural and/or biometeorological factors. The best known patterns include those of the southern United States, where births decline in April and May, and in northern Europe, where births peak in March and April. In Malta, the late summer peak in births appears to be due to a practical and planned approach by Maltese couples to contraceptive planning, probably influenced by the Roman Catholic ethos and social pressures, with unprotected intercourse occurring only after marriage. In Malta, birth control, albeit by so-called natural methods, was introduced in the 1960s. Prior to this period, births peaked towards the beginning/end of the year, and this may be the more natural seasonality of births in Malta.

Birth Rate↗
PubMed2005

Factors determining the nutrition transition in two Mediterranean islands: Sardinia and Malta.

OBJECTIVE: To examine and analyse consumption changes over time of 24 food items between Sardinia and Malta. SETTING: The data were collected in 2001 in Sardinia and 2002 in Malta. DESIGN: A structured qualitative questionnaire, articulated around four main themes: food supply, transformation, preparation and consumption habits, was administered by face-to-face interviews with the help of a local person. It encompassed mainly open-ended questions, which allowed us to measure factors contributing to change. SUBJECTS: Thirty mother-daughter pairs were interviewed in each insular territory. RESULTS: Despite a common trend revealing a shift away from cereals, pulses and potatoes to the benefit of meat products, fats and sugar, our results showed contrasting evolutions in food consumption between both insular societies. Fruit and vegetables, olive oil and fish, which are part of the main features of the Mediterranean diet, were among the top foods for which consumption frequency has increased in Sardinia. In Malta, besides an increase in olive oil and vegetable consumption, cheeses and desserts showed the highest increase. Along with modernity and improved living conditions, enhanced commercial availability and increased diversity of food preparation were also identified as factors contributing to food consumption changes. CONCLUSIONS: Although the Sardo-Mediterranean model is evolving under the impact of modernisation, it is not disappearing. In Malta, however, modernity has led to a more sudden shift from a state of food shortage to one of affluence, but in a cultural context where the identity is no longer Mediterranean but Anglo-Saxon.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

gamma chain composition in five Italian newborns heterozygous for Hb F Malta G gamma-117 His leads to Arg.

The percentage of Hb F Malta G gamma-177 His replaced by Arg and the gamma chain composition have been evaluated at birth and at different times after birth in five Italian newborns heterozygous for this variant. The percentage of Hb F Malta ranged at birth from 24% to 31% of the total Hb F, while the average G gamma/A gamma chain ratio was about 7/3, overlapping the values observed in normal newborns. T gamma chains were detected in three out of five newborns, with a percentage of about 10% of the total Hb F. After birth the Hb F Malta declined faster than the total Hb F; thus, the Hb F decrease during the first 45 d of life is mainly due to the switch-off of the G gamma locus containing the Hb F Malta gene.

Aging↗
PubMed2002

Multiple sclerosis in Malta in 1999: an update.

OBJECTIVES: To ascertain the prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the islands of Malta and compare it with a previous study undertaken 21 years earlier, when a remarkably low prevalence was found. METHOD: Deaths with MS on the death certificate since the last study were reviewed. Sources of information about new patients were the Hospital Activity Analysis scheme, the MS Society of Malta, the records of the state hospitals, long stay private hospitals and nursing homes, lists provided by the state pharmacies, and magnetic resonance imaging, cerebrospinal fluid, and evoked response studies. Prevalence day was 1 January 1999. The Poser classification was used. RESULTS: Since 1978, 17 patients had died with a verified diagnosis of MS on the death certificate. They included all 10 deaths with MS from the original study and two immigrants. Fifty patients had clinically definite MS (CDMS) and 13 clinically probable MS (CPMS). The prevalence of CDMS was 13.2/100 000 (male 11.2, female 15.2). The prevalence of CDMS and CPMS combined was 16.7/100,000 (male 13.3, female 19.9). The annual incidence was 0.7/100,000. Twelve patients were found with CDMS among the 7213 immigrants resident in Malta (166/100,000). The expected rate was 1/100,000, determined at Maltese born rates. There were major changes in the population distribution during the 21 years between the two studies, with a big increase in the age groups with a high risk of MS. There is a longer expectation of life and the diagnosis in now made earlier. CONCLUSION: Malta still has a low MS prevalence. In comparison with Sicily and other Mediterranean countries of Europe it offers an opportunity to ascertain the genetic and environmental factors responsible for the disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Epidemiology and control of brucellosis in ruminants from 1986 to 1996 in Malta.

The epidemiology and control of Brucella melitensis in Malta was analysed using herd test data made available by the Veterinary Service of Malta. The eradication scheme commenced in 1987 with the introduction of a test and slaughter scheme using the Rose Bengal test. Herds registered with Malta Dairy Products Limited (MDP) showed a herd prevalence of 23% in 1987 which fell to less than 1.5% by 1993. Prevalence rose to 13% in 1995. Herds not delivering milk to the MDP showed an initial herd prevalence of 4% which fell below 1% in 1994, remaining under 2% in 1995. The epidemic in 1995 caused approximately 300 human brucellosis cases. Large herds and herds with small ruminants were most at risk to brucellosis infection. Seasonal fluctuation of prevalence was apparent. Increased enforcement of regulations and motivation of farmers would accelerate eradication of brucellosis in Malta.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

[The Order of Malta and its politics of health from the 14th to the 18th centuries].

The Order of Malta established in Jerusalem in the 12th century retreated to Saint Jean of Acra then to Cyprus in 1291, to Rhodes on 1310 and to Malta in 1530 to remain there until 1798. In Rhodes it erected an hospital called the "Collachium". The "Grand Maître" had for assistant in charge of the health the Hospitalier a man who was always the chief of the French Knights. In Malta, in 1593, was founded a great hospital or Sacred Infirmary, at la Valette with a staff of three doctors and two assistants, eight surgeons and assistants and a apothicary with three apothicaries and five assistants. The Malta University, including a Faculty of Medicine was founded in 1769 where they taught anatomy, chemistry, physiology, pathology, semeiologie, hygiene and therapeutics.

Education, Medical↗
PubMed1996

[Historical brief on the fever of Malta].

Malta fever (brucellosis) is an infectious disease of cattle (chiefly goats) which can infect man. Although the disease is not limited to Malta, occurring also in other mediterranean countries as well as in Asia and America, it was originally described in 1863 in Malta where the responsible bacteria (Brucella melitensis) was discovered in 1887 by D. Bruce. Ten years later Wright & Smith (1897) showed that the agglutination test originally established for typhoidic patients could be used for the diagnosis of Malta fever. Finally the conclusions of the Commission for the investigation of Mediterranean fever (1905-1907) are briefly recalled.

Animal Diseases↗