https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/134918 Sun, 12 Apr 2026 22:30:08 GMT 2026-04-12T22:30:08Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/120035 Title: Minima Medica 2021 Authors: Mangion, Bernardette; Xuereb, Jennifer Abstract: Table of contents: 1/ Foreword messages (Prof. Jean Calleja Agius, Matthew Buttigieg, Jennifer Xuereb & Bernardette Mangion) -- 2/ Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) -- 3/ Bloom Syndrome: an example of how an genomic instability leads to cancer -- 4/ Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 2 and its Association with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis -- 5/ Neonatal Hypoglycaemia: A Review -- 6/ The Pathophysiology of Hydrops Fetalis -- 7/ Irritable Bowel Syndrome Overview -- 8/ Repercussions of Home Confinement during the COVID-19 Pandemic -- 9/ The Effect of Fibre in Fruit and Vegetables on Colorectal Cancer -- 10/ Vitamin D Receptor and Cancer -- 11/ Parkinson's Disease - From Pathogenesis To Novel Therapeutic Approaches -- 12/ Does a plant based diet actually decrease the risk of colorectal cancer? -- 13/ Phantom Limb Syndrome: A Review -- 14/ Frontotemporal Dementia. Fri, 01 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/120035 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/120034 Title: Frontotemporal dementia Authors: Miruzzi, Mark Abstract: Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a neurodegenerative disorder of insidious onset, and the term encompasses several entities. It is mostly sporadic. Epidemiologically, its prevalence as a dementia is third behind Alzheimer's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies (Bang et al., 2018). The incidence of FTD is around 1.61-4.1 cases per 100,000 people annually (Coyle-Gilchrist et al., 2016), and the most common age of onset is in the sixth decade (Kelley and El-Khouri, 2016). This case report highlights the fact that the presentation of frontotemporal dementia can be subtle, and can present a diagnostic difficulty when differentiating it from vascular dementia and other cognitive disorders. Fri, 01 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/120034 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/119976 Title: Phantom limb syndrome : a review Authors: Galea, Matteo Abstract: Phantom limb syndrome is a condition whereby patients experience painful or nonpainful, kinaesthetic sensory sensations in a non-existing limb. French surgeon Ambroise Pare was the first to observe this phenomenon in 1551, after critically wounded soldiers had to undergo subsequent limb amputation. An approximate 98% and up to 80% of amputees experience phantom limb sensations (PLS) and phantom limb pain (PLP) respectively. This literature review will primarily focus on the pathophysiology of phantom limb syndrome, its clinical manifestation and PLP management. Despite its prevalence, phantom limb syndrome is still regarded as a poorly understood phenomenon making it a chronic syndrome particularly difficult to treat. Fri, 01 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/119976 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/119972 Title: Does a plant based diet actually decrease the risk of colorectal cancer? Authors: Grixti, Gabrielle Abstract: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most prevalent cancer (World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research; Bray et al., 2018) and the second leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide (World Health Organisation). There are various lifestyle and dietary risk factors for CRC. Diet is the most influential risk factor for CRC other than increasing age, particularly over the age of 50 (Baena & Salinas, 2015); male gender; and genetic predispositions (Brenner et al., 2014). CRC is therefore a threat to public health especially due to increased unhealthy diets rich in meat, processed foods, cholesterol and fat. In fact, CRC incidence is higher in developed countries in comparison with less developed countries (Bishehsari et al., 2014), as studies have shown that a more westernised lifestyle leads to a higher prevalence of CRC (Carroll et al., 2014). A European study was carried out which involved 347,237 participants who were followed up for 12 years, which led to the conclusion that a decrease in CRC risk can be obtained through the implementation of lifestyle changes such as increased exercise, maintaining a healthy body mass index (BMI), little to no smoking or alcohol intake, and a healthy diet, rich in fibre and low in processed and red meats (Aleksandrova et al., 2014). Implementing various of these lifestyle changes led to the largest decrease in CRC risk. Fri, 01 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/119972 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z