Publications by authors named "A-F A Mentis"
Background: The economic crisis that began in 2008 has severely affected Southern (Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain) Western European (SWE) countries of Western Europe (WE) and may have affected ongoing efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis. This study was conducted to investigate the impact of the economic crisis on the burden of HBV and HCV disease.
Methods: Global Burden of Diseases 2019 data were used to analyse the rates of epidemiological metrics of HBV and HCV acute and chronic infections in SWE and WE.
Article Synopsis
- In a study of 183 unvaccinated children hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia, 10.4% had autoantibodies that neutralized type I interferons (IFNs), specifically targeting IFN-α2 and IFN-ω in varying combinations.
- Among the children with autoantibodies, 3.8% neutralized higher levels of IFN-α2, while the rest had lower neutralization capabilities, and some uninfected children also displayed similar antibodies.
- The presence of these autoantibodies significantly increased the odds of developing severe COVID-19 pneumonia, particularly those neutralizing higher concentrations of IFN-α2 compared to those neutralizing IFN-ω.
The burden of mental disorders, substance use disorders and self-harm among young people in Europe, 1990-2019: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019.
Lancet Reg Health Eur
May 2022
Article Synopsis
- - The study highlights that mental health issues are a significant public health concern for young people in Europe, with varying levels of resources allocated to tackle these problems across different countries.
- - Data from 31 European countries reveals alarming statistics for mental disorders, substance use disorders, and self-harm, showing trends in disability and premature death over a 30-year period.
- - The findings suggest that improving national policies on mental health is crucial, particularly for younger populations, to address the increasing burden of these conditions highlighted in the research.
Current virus detection methods often take significant time or can be limited in sensitivity and specificity. The increasing frequency and magnitude of viral outbreaks in recent decades has resulted in an urgent need for diagnostic methods that are facile, sensitive, rapid and inexpensive. Here, we describe and characterise a novel, calcium-mediated interaction of the surface of enveloped viruses with DNA, that can be used for the functionalisation of intact virus particles via chemical groups attached to the DNA.
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