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Pyroptosis is a mode of inflammatory cell death, characterized by cell membrane rupture and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Pyroptosis is a critical part of the innate immune response and acts as a defense mechanism against different types
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Pyroptosis is a mode of inflammatory cell death, characterized by cell membrane rupture and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Pyroptosis is a critical part of the innate immune response and acts as a defense mechanism against different types of pathogens, including viruses. Several respiratory viruses, including influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus, and SARS-CoV-2, have been shown to trigger pyroptosis through distinct mechanisms. While pyroptosis is beneficial to the host by controlling virus replication and eliminating infected cells, the exaggerated induction of pyroptosis can be harmful and cause significant tissue damage, such as that to the lung tissue during infection with respiratory viruses. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms and the role pyroptosis plays during respiratory virus infections could lead to the development of novel therapeutic approaches to reduce the morbidity caused by these infections. In this review, we discuss the recent knowledge obtained on the pathophysiological role of pyroptosis during different respiratory viral infections as well as some experimental approaches to regulating its detrimental effects to the host.
Full article
Background/Objective: After the relaxation of acute containment measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, Europe experienced a substantial rebound of non-COVID infections surpassing pre-pandemic levels and causing significant clinical burden. The aim of our study is to analyze outpatient prescription data in Germany, France, Italy,
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Background/Objective: After the relaxation of acute containment measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, Europe experienced a substantial rebound of non-COVID infections surpassing pre-pandemic levels and causing significant clinical burden. The aim of our study is to analyze outpatient prescription data in Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, the UK, and Poland in order to assess trends and disparities in the post-COVID landscape. Methods: The present cross-sectional study utilized data from six independently collected datasets containing details from longitudinal prescription (LRx) databases. We aimed to evaluate changes in the number of antibiotic prescriptions issued in 2022 (the first post-pandemic year) compared to 2021 (a pandemic year), as well as subsequent developments in 2023 and 2024. Analyses were stratified by age group and by sex. In addition, the most frequently prescribed antibiotics in each year and country were reported. Results: All countries experienced a marked increase in antibiotic use in 2022 compared to 2021. The year-on-year growth in 2022 ranged from +12.0% in France to a substantial +39.3% in Belgium. Germany, Poland, and the UK also showed strong increases of over 25%, while Italy rose by 21.5%. Growth slowed in 2023 and stabilized or declined in 2024, particularly in Poland, Italy, and Belgium. Pediatric antibiotic use surged in 2022, especially among children under 10 (+75% in the UK), then leveled off and even declined in some cases in 2024, while the number of antibiotic prescriptions in older adults either decreased or increased only slightly. Germany and the UK showed continued pediatric antibiotic use increases through 2023. Amoxicillin dominated prescriptions in most countries, but drug choice patterns varied widely by country. Conclusions: This study shows a clear increase in outpatient antibiotic prescriptions issued across Europe after the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among children and teenagers. Although the overall trends are now starting to level out, some countries still show rising numbers. These findings underscore the importance of a renewed focus on antibiotic stewardship programs, particularly in outpatient and primary care settings.
Full article
This study investigated the role of molecular mimicry in the context of autoimmunity associated with viral infection, using SARS-CoV-2 as a model system. A bioinformatic analysis was performed to identify sequence homologies between the SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein and the human proteome, with
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This study investigated the role of molecular mimicry in the context of autoimmunity associated with viral infection, using SARS-CoV-2 as a model system. A bioinformatic analysis was performed to identify sequence homologies between the SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein and the human proteome, with a specific focus on immunogenic regions to assess potential cross-reactivity. The analysis revealed homologous regions between the viral S protein and several human proteins, including DAAM2, CHL1, HAVR2/TIM3, FSTL1, FHOD3, MYO18A, EMILIN3, LAMP1, and αENaC, which are predicted to be recognizable by B-cell receptors. Such recognition could potentially lead to the production of autoreactive antibodies, which can contribute to the development of autoimmune diseases. Furthermore, the study examined potential autoreactive CD4+ T-cell responses to human protein autoepitopes that could be presented by HLA class II molecules. Several HLA class II genetic variants were computationally associated with a higher likelihood of cross-reactive immune reactions following COVID-19, including HLA-DPA1*01:03/DPB1*02:01, HLA-DPA1*02:01/DPB1*01:01, HLA-DPA1*02:01/DPB1*05:01, HLA-DPA1*02:01/DPB1*14:01, HLA-DQA1*01:02/DQB1*06:02, HLA-DRB1*04:01, HLA-DRB1*04:05, HLA-DRB1*07:01, and HLA-DRB1*15:01. Additionally, seven T helper cell autoepitopes (YSEILDKYFKNFDNG, ERTRFQTLLNELDRS, AERTRFQTLLNELDR, RERKVEAEVQAIQEQ, NAINIGLTVLPPPRT, PQSAVYSTGSNGILL, TIRIGIYIGAGICAG) were identified that could be implicated in autoimmune T-cell responses through presentation by class II HLA molecules. These findings highlight the utility of viral B- and T-cell epitope prediction for investigating molecular mimicry as a possible mechanism in virus-associated autoimmunity.
Full article
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on mental health globally, especially among users of primary health care (PHC) services. This systematic review aims to synthesize the current evidence on the prevalence and associated factors of depression, anxiety, and stress among adult
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The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on mental health globally, especially among users of primary health care (PHC) services. This systematic review aims to synthesize the current evidence on the prevalence and associated factors of depression, anxiety, and stress among adult PHC users in Europe during the post-pandemic period. The review followed PRISMA 2020 guidelines and was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251033455). We searched Web of Science, PubMed, b-on, and Scopus up to April 2025. Eligible studies included peer-reviewed, quantitative observational studies conducted in Europe from 2022 onward, provided they addressed the post-pandemic context and assessed depression, anxiety, and/or stress using validated tools. Two reviewers independently screened the studies and performed data extraction. The risk of bias was assessed using the ROBINS-I tool. A narrative synthesis of the findings was subsequently conducted. A total of 11 studies involving 8958 participants were included in this analysis. Most studies were cross-sectional and employed tools such as the DASS-21, PHQ-9, and HADS. The prevalence of depressive symptoms reached up to 63%, and anxiety affected over 40% of participants in several studies. Vulnerable groups included women, individuals with chronic illnesses, those unemployed, and persons living alone or facing financial hardship. The risk of bias was moderate to serious in most studies. The evidence highlights significant post-pandemic psychological distress, conceptualized as symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress measured through validated psychometric instruments, in PHC settings, with underdiagnosis remaining a key issue. Limitations include heterogeneity in assessment tools and designs, as well as reliance on self-report measures. Results underscore the need for routine mental health screening and integrated care in PHC. This review received no specific funding.
Full article
Home Visitors and early childhood educators play a critical role in supporting the development of young children from low-income families in the United States. During the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions on service delivery dramatically impacted the professional experience of Home Visitors, presenting significant new
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Home Visitors and early childhood educators play a critical role in supporting the development of young children from low-income families in the United States. During the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions on service delivery dramatically impacted the professional experience of Home Visitors, presenting significant new challenges for this dedicated, often under-compensated workforce. An external evaluation team explored the experiences of Early Head Start Home Visitors serving six regions of a county in the mid-Atlantic region. Researchers engaged Early Head Start program partners in identifying issues and methods of investigation to help inform organizational efforts to support their staff and the families they serve. Findings include that Home Visitors experienced significant stress and mental health challenges due to the frequently shifting environment, loss of peer interactions and loss of personal boundaries due primarily to their efforts to sufficiently support families in a time of crisis. These experiences contribute to burnout and increase the chances of early care and education workers leaving the field despite a deep commitment to the work. Considerations for how to retain high-quality early childhood education workers, in particular through potential significant environmental disruptions, include the need for strong peer support networks and transparent, responsive leadership.
Full article
Background and Objective: The intricate connection between daily behaviours and health necessitates robust monitoring, particularly with the advent of Internet of Things (IoT) systems. This study introduces an innovative approach that exploits the synergy of information from various IoT sources to assess the
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Background and Objective: The intricate connection between daily behaviours and health necessitates robust monitoring, particularly with the advent of Internet of Things (IoT) systems. This study introduces an innovative approach that exploits the synergy of information from various IoT sources to assess the alignment of behavioural routines with health guidelines. The goal is to improve the readability of behaviour models and provide actionable insights for healthcare professionals. Method: We integrate data from ambient sensors, smartphones, and wearable devices to acquire daily behavioural routines by employing process mining (PM) techniques to generate interpretable behaviour models. These routines are grouped according to compliance with health guidelines, and a clustering method is used to identify similarities in behaviours and key characteristics within each cluster. Results: Applied to an elderly care case study, our approach categorised days into three physical activity levels (Insufficient, Sufficient, Desirable) based on daily step thresholds. The integration of multi-source data revealed behavioural variations not detectable through single-source monitoring. We demonstrated that the proposed visualisations in calendar and timeline views aid health experts in understanding patient behaviours, enabling longitudinal monitoring and clearer interpretation of behavioural trends and precise interventions. Notably, the approach facilitates early detection of behaviour changes during contextual events (e.g., COVID-19 lockdown and Ramadan), which are available in our dataset. Conclusions: By enhancing interpretability and linking behaviour to health guidelines, this work signifies a promising path for behavioural analysis and discovering variations to empower smart healthcare, offering insights into patient health, personalised interventions, and healthier routines through continuous monitoring with IoT-driven data analysis.
Full article
The first webinar in the series, held on 17 April 2020, saw both Prof. Dr. Antoine Flahault, Director of the Institute of Global Health, University of Geneva, Switzerland, and Prof. Dr. Evelyne Bischof, Associate Professor, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, China and Research physician, University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland speak on this topic.
The second webinar in the series, entitled “Coronaviruses: history, replication, innate immune antagonism”, saw Prof. Dr. Susan R. Weiss, Professor of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania speak on this topic.
WEBINAR 3: Could the COVID-19 Crisis be the Opportunity to Make Cities Carbon Neutral, Liveable and Healthy
The third webinar in this series was presented by Prof. Dr. Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, a world leading expert in environmental exposure assessment, epidemiology, and health risk/impact assessment with a strong focus and interest on healthy urban living.
WEBINAR 4: COVID-19 - Global Supply Chains and the SDGs
For the fourth webinar of this series, Prof. Dr. Max Bergman, Dr. Dorothea Schostok and Prof. Dr. Patrick Paul Walsh gave a presentation on Global Supply Chains and the SDGs.
WEBINAR 5: The New Role of Family Physicians in Times of COVID-19
The fifth webinar of the COVID-19 Series saw Prof. Dr. Christos Lionis discuss the new role of family physicians that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.
WEBINAR 6: Survey on Symptoms/Signs, Protective Measures, Level of Awareness and Perception Regarding COVID-19 Outbreak among Dentists
In the sixth webinar of this series, Prof. Dr. Guglielmo Campus and Prof. Dr. Maria Grazia present and discuss the risk and the preventions that can and should be taken by dentists during this pandemic.
WEBINAR 7: Living with COVID-19: An Early Intervention Therapeutic Strategy to Control the Pandemic
The seventh webinar of the COVID-19 series, Dr. Hamid Merchant discussed the different therapeutic strategies that can be adopted in the early stages of the infection.
WEBINAR 8: Impact of COVID-19 on Routine Immunization, Reproduction and Pregnancy Outcome
For the eighth COVID-19 webinar, Prof. Dr. Jon Øyvind Odland discussed the effect that COVID-19 seems to have on pregnant women; whereas Prof. Dr. Giovanni Gabutti discussed the role of routine immunization as a way of fighting COVID-19.
