Publications by authors named "A Margaritis"
Article Synopsis
- Nucleic acid-amplification testing (NAT) is a method used to check blood donations for harmful viruses to keep people safe.
- In 2019, a global survey showed that countries mostly followed government rules for testing blood for viruses like HIV and hepatitis.
- The results indicated a trend towards using individual samples for testing instead of larger pools to improve safety in blood donations.
Article Synopsis
- The project reviewed the global use of nucleic acid amplification testing (NAT) in blood services to detect viral and parasite nucleic acids and reduce transfusion-related infections.
- A survey conducted among members of the International Society of Blood Transfusion revealed a significant increase in NAT adoption over the past decade, with data showing low but notable positivity rates for various viruses in blood donations.
- While NAT has enhanced blood transfusion safety worldwide, there is a call to address economic barriers that prevent some regions from implementing these important testing methods.
Article Synopsis
- - The study aimed to determine the prevalence of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) in critically ill patients, along with its effects on ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), ICU length of stay, and in-hospital mortality.
- - Conducted in a mixed medical-surgical ICU with 52 patients, the research utilized a modified hydrogen breath test to diagnose SIBO, revealing a prevalence rate of 36.5%.
- - The findings indicated that SIBO was linked to a higher incidence of VAP and longer ICU stays, but did not significantly affect overall in-hospital mortality. Age was identified as a notable predictor for SIBO.
Increased plasma concentrations of total homocysteine (tHcy; mild-moderate hyperhomocysteinemia: 15-50 μ tHcy) are considered an independent risk factor for the onset/progression of various diseases, but it is not known about how the increase in tHcy causes pathological conditions. Reduced homocysteine (HSH ∼1% of tHcy) is presumed to be toxic, unlike homocystine (∼9%) and mixed disulfide between homocysteine and albumin (HSS-ALB; homocysteine [Hcy]-albumin mixed disulfide, ∼90%). This and other notions make it difficult to explain the pathogenicity of Hcy because: (i) lowering tHcy does not improve pathological outcomes; (ii) damage due to HSH usually emerges at supraphysiological doses; and (iii) it is not known why tiny increments in plasma concentrations of HSH can be pathological.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWith the increased use of reclaimed asphalt (RA), the ability of bituminous materials to resist fatigue cracking may face a decline mainly due to the aged reclaimed asphalt binder (RAB), especially when RA is used at higher rates and not sufficiently treated. In this study, the bulk scale (asphalt) and its subscale (mortar) were employed to evaluate the effect on fatigue resistance when a RAB is added, by considering three replacement rates: 0%, 40%, and 70% RAB. The fatigue testing of asphalt mixtures was carried out using a four-point bending (4PB) setup, while the mortars were tested using a new column-like geometry utilising a dynamic shear rheometer (DSR).
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