https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/33564 Sat, 18 Apr 2026 07:12:26 GMT 2026-04-18T07:12:26Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/70667 Title: Malta Journal of Health Sciences, Vol.2(2) Editors: Gatt, Daniela Abstract: 1/ The Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Centre - Stefan Laspina; 2/ The development of early expressive vocabulary in children with Down Syndrome - Christina Coppini, Daniela Gatt; 3/ Maltese children with a hearing impairment: analysis of the current situation and its impact on the quality of life of parents - Stefan Sciberras, Ritienne Grima; 4/ The influence of personality traits on the wellbeing of Maltese university students: a quantitative study - Charlot Cauchi, Katya DeGiovanni; 5/ Assessment of the utility of repeat stool testing for Clostridium difficile stool toxin using enzyme immunoassay - Karl Galea, Christopher Barbara, Michael A. Borg; 6/ Validation of a Polymerase Chain Reaction technique for Kidd blood group genotyping - Karl Xuereb, Jesmond Debono, Joseph Borg Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/70667 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/70666 Title: Malta Journal of Health Sciences, Vol.2(1) Editors: Gatt, Daniela Abstract: 1/ The growth of a new Mental Health Department - Martin WardPsychiatric nursing -- Study and teaching -- Malta; 2/ The nurse is present: a review exploring the temporality of illness through presence and narrative, an artist’s perspective - Pamela Baldacchino; 3/ Investigating the effect of long-term musical experience on the auditory processing skills of young Maltese adults - Martha Pace and Nadine Calleja; 4/ The use of joint attention in the naturalistic setting in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders - Cheryl Dalli and Joseph Agius; 5/ The current situation for the water sources in the Maltese Islands - David Spiteri, Chris Scerri and Vasilis Valdramidis; 6/ Community awareness and perception towards rodent control: implications for prevention and control of Lassa fever in urban slums of Southwestern Nigeria - Adebimpe Wasiu Olalekan Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/70666 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/9908 Title: The influence of personality traits on the wellbeing of Maltese university studies: a quantitative study Authors: Cauchi, Charlot; De Giovanni, Katya Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between personality traits and health-related behaviours among Maltese university students. Based on the Five-Factor Model of personality, this study uncovered significant differences between low, medium and high levels of personality traits and their association to health-related behaviours. Data were collected from a sample of 576 students who completed a questionnaire comprising a personality inventory and wellbeing questions. The findings suggested that conscientiousness and agreeableness related to health-promoting behaviours like reduced binge drinking and drug use. Similarly, extraversion and openness related to increased fruit and vegetable consumption. However, healthdeterring behaviours were also observed. These included drinking and driving, as well as unsafe sexual practices. Neuroticism was linked to health-deterring behaviours that included lack of exercise and drug use. This study adds to the existing evidence that shows personality traits to serve as both protective and deterring factors to health. The novel findings on Maltese students’ personality-health trends reported in this paper could be used to develop health promotion strategies aimed at specific personalities. Tue, 01 Dec 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/9908 2015-12-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/9907 Title: Assessment of the utility of repeat stool testing for Clostridium difficile stool toxin using enzyme immunoassay Authors: Galea, Karl; Barbara, Christopher; Borg, Michael Angelo Abstract: The poor performance of toxin enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for laboratory testing for Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection (CDI) is well acknowledged. Guidelines published in recent years state that testing solely with EIA for detecting toxins A and B is sub-optimal. As a consequence, clinicians may lose confidence in the test and submit multiple samples to offset the poor sensitivity of the toxin EIA. This leads to waste of laboratory resources and is discouraged by recent guidelines. 2,489 requests for toxin EIA submitted during one year at a state general hospital in Malta were reviewed to assess the utility of repeat stool testing for C. difficile toxin detection using toxin EIA and also to gather data on the extent of repeat samples within 28 days of a positive test. There were a total of 1,970 diarrhoeal episodes, from which a total of 302 cases (15.3%) submitted more than one sample for repeated testing. Only 2% of these repeats tested positive after having an initial negative result for the C. difficile toxin EIA test. Most recent published practice guidelines recommend a two-step or three-step testing algorithm in the diagnosis of C. difficile-associated diarrhoea, which offers a marked increase in sensitivity when compared to that of toxin A and B EIA alone. A three-step protocol is proposed which should enable the discernment of the role of C. difficile in a diarrhoeal patient. Tue, 01 Dec 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/9907 2015-12-01T00:00:00Z