Maltese academics' presentations, publications

• Prof. Lilian Azzopardi from the Department of Pharmacy was a keynote speaker at the conference on pharmacy education in Europe in the light of the Bologna Process, organised last week by the European Association of Faculties of Pharmacy (EAFP) in Lille, France.

Prof. Azzopardi is currently working on a pharmacy practice textbook intended to be used as a benchmark to harmonise pharmacy practice education in Europe. A number of senior academics from pharmacy faculties across Europe are evaluating the text before it is published by UK's Royal Pharmaceutical Society press.

• Dr Neville Vassallo from the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry recently delivered a lecture at the renowned Zentrum für Neuropathologie und Prionforschung, at Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, during which he presented research data on the role of dietary polyphenols as small-molecule inhibitors of alpha-synuclein aggregation. The latter is a recognised hallmark event in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease, the most common motor neurodegenerative disorder world-wide.

The visit coincided with the publication of a book edited by Dr Vassallo entitled Polyphenols and Health, New and Recent Advances which includes articles on cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disease, memory, cancer, osteoporosis, obesity, and immune disorders by leading pioneers in the various fields.