Outcome of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation In Frail Patients

The concept of frailty is one which is gaining increasing attention due to its multifactorial constituents, and its impact on geriatric patient care. This retrospective analysis of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in Maltese Hospitals aims to determine the significance of frailty in relation to CPR outcome in one calendar year. In this study, we analysed the outcome of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in Maltese Hospitals for the year 2019 in relation to frailty status using the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). 185 eligible patients were obtained from the CPR register after excluding patients <18years of age, peri-arrest cases, a test case, double-recorded CPR documents and patients with insufficient data recorded. From these 185 patients, the statistics were of 123 males and 62 females, with an age range of 26 years to 99 years. The median age was 78 years whilst mean age was 76.2 years. The majority of patients fell within CCI of 4-8 (143 patients), with the largest cohort obtaining a score of 6 (39 patients). The results highlight a low rate of ROSC (4.32%) irrespective of CCI score. However, when ROSC was achieved, survival to discharge was noted to be greater with lower CCI scores. Only 5 patients survived one year post discharge.This data is in keeping with other studies regarding CPR in frail patients, despite the use of other scores such as the Clinical Frailty Score. Smith et al’s study in Australian tertiary centres between 2008 and 2017 used the CCI, and points out a lower rate of discharge home in frail patients who survive an in-hospital cardiac arrest [1]. Limitations of our study include the small population, although exhaustive of the CPRs performed on the Maltese Islands in 2019.

Income Maximisation in a Maltese Household Photovoltaic System by Means of Output and Consumption Simulations

The installation of photovoltaic (PV) systems in the Maltese Islands plays an important role in allowing Malta to increase its share in renewable energy to meet the set European Union targets. In the Maltese residential sector, PV systems are generally installed on rooftops of households with a south-facing orientation and a 30° inclination angle. The scope of this study is to present a methodology to maximise the income for residents from electricity generated, by comparing the output of electricity generation with the electricity consumption patterns of different household types and consequently identifying the most favourable installation configurations of these PV systems. The research was carried out by simulating the monthly electricity generation of a 3 kilowatt-peak PV system for a year, as well as the hourly electricity generation for a day in each season of the year using the PVsyst software package. A total of 21 configurations were studied by altering the orientation and inclination angles used to install the PV system. This study confirms that a south-facing PV system inclined at 30° generates the most electricity in a year. However, when compared with electricity consumption patterns of low-, medium- and high-consumption households, it is shown that a south-facing PV system inclined at 40° provides a better income for residents.

The Impact of Predicted Climate Change on Groundwater Resources in a Mediterranean Archipelago: A Modelling Study of the Maltese Islands

The effects of changes in climate predicted for 2100—reduction in recharge, increase in water demand and sea-level rise—on groundwater volume and saltwater intrusion have been quantified in the Maltese Islands, an archipelago located at the center of the Mediterranean Sea. A three-dimensional density dependent and heterogeneous model, working in transient conditions, was developed based on morphological and geological information. The hydraulic conductivity and porosity of the lithological formations were derived from previous tests and studies conducted on the islands. The complex fault system intersecting the area has also been included in the model. The results show that among the three considered factors affecting groundwater resources, the most significant is the increase in water demand, which is closely followed by the decrease in groundwater recharge. Sea-level rise plays a marginal role. The 80-year simulation period showed that these combined impacts would cause a loss of more than 16% of groundwater volume.

Contribution to the knowledge of the beetle fauna (Insecta, Coleoptera) of Malta: new records of seven species with supporting DNA barcodes

We report the presence of seven species of Coleoptera newly found on the Maltese Islands in the central Mediterranean. The first species records from the Maltese Islands include: Ancylopus melanocephalus (Olivier, 1808) (Endomychidae), Aplidia transversa (Fabricius, 1801) (Scarabaeidae), Cercyon quisquilius (Linnaeus, 1761) (Hydrophilidae), Hyperaspis duvergeri F&uuml;rsch, 1985 (Coccinellidae), Lebia cruxminor (Linnaeus, 1758) (Carabidae), Smicronyx pauperculus Wollaston, 1864 (Curculionidae), and Oxytelus sculptus Gravenhorst, 1806 (Staphylinidae). The morphological identification of each newly reported species was also confirmed through DNA barcoding.

Mesophotic depth biogenic accumulations (“biogenic mounds”) offshore the Maltese Islands, central Mediterranean Sea

The mesophotic domain is a poorly explored part of the oceans, notably in the Mediterranean Sea. Benthic communities in these depths are not well documented and as such are under higher risk from anthropogenic impacts. Hard substrate habitats in this depth window are not common and are a key ecotope. The Malta Plateau in the central Mediterranean, which is characterised by low sedimentation rates, offers a potentially unexplored domain for these features. Bathymetric and backscatter data offshore of the eastern coast of the island of Malta were used to characterise the benthic habitats. >1700 small structures were identified in mesophotic depth and verified by dives to be biogenic mounds. These mounds extend from several meters to tens of meters in diameter and occur in two main depth windows 40 to 83 mbpsl and 83 to 120 mbpsl, each formed probably in a different stage along the last glacial cycle. The mounds are composed of interlocking bioconstruction by encrusting organisms and are colonised by sponges and various cold water corals (most of which are protected). This unique and important habitat is currently under grave threat by human activity, most immediately by trawling activity.

DNA barcoding of marine algae from Malta: new records from the central Mediterranean

The heterokont benthic multicellular algae Schizocladia ischiensis E.C. Henry, K. Okuda et H. Kawai (Schizocladiophyceae), Hecatonema terminale (Kützing) Kylin and Striaria attenuata (Greville) Greville (Phaeophyceae) are reported for the first time from the waters around the Maltese islands in the central Mediterranean. They were identified through algal isolation from incubated natural substrata, coupled with DNA barcoding targeting the biomarkers COI and rbcL plus the RuBisCO spacer. For three additional brown algae, Colpomenia sinuosa (Mertens ex Roth) Derbès et Solier, Asperococcus bullosus J.V.Lamouroux and Sphacelaria sp., DNA sequences confirmed previous morphology-based records from Malta. This paper also provides an updated literature-based species list of the marine macroalgae present in Malta.

The Xlendi Bay shipwreck (Gozo, Malta): a petrographic and typological study of an archaic ceramic cargo

An underwater survey off the southwest coast of the island of Gozo revealed a well-preserved shipwreck 110 m below the surface. The site belonged to a previously unknown wreck with a cargo of volcanic millstones and ceramic amphorae dating to the 7th century BC. This article presents the first results of thin-section analysis taken from the pottery objects, and concludes that the ship was carrying a heterogeneous cargo of amphora-borne goods from the Maltese islands, North Tunisia, and possibly Sicily, making it the earliest, known shipwreck in the central Mediterranean; and provides the earliest evidence for Maltese external trade in the central Mediterranean.