A clinical diagnostic model for predicting influenza among young adult military personnel with febrile respiratory illness in Singapore

10.1371/journal.pone.0017468PLoS ONE63

Striking Similarities in the Presentation and Duration of Illness of Influenza A and B in the Community: A Study Based on Sentinel Surveillance Networks in France and Turkey, 2010-2012

Contains fulltext : 152751.PDF (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Influenza B represents a high proportion of influenza cases in some seasons (even over 50%). The Influenza B study in General Practice (IBGP) is a multicenter study providing information about the clinical, demographic and socio-economic characteristics of patients affected by lab-confirmed influenza A or B. Influenza B patients and age-matched influenza A patients were recruited within the sentinel surveillance networks of France and Turkey in 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons. Data were collected for each patient at the swab test day, after 9+/-2 days and, if not recovered, after 28+/-5 days. It was related to patient's characteristics, symptoms at presentation, vaccination status, prescriptions of antibiotics and antivirals, duration of illness, follow-up consultations in general practice or emergency room. We performed descriptive analyses and developed a multiple regression model to investigate the effect of patients and disease characteristics on the duration of illness. Overall, 774 influenza cases were included in the study: 419 influenza B cases (209 in France and 210 in Turkey) and 355 influenza A cases (205 in France and 150 in Turkey). There were no differences between influenza A and B patients in terms of clinical presentation and number of consultations with a practitioner; however, the use of antivirals was higher among influenza B patients in both countries. The average (median) reported duration of illness in the age groups 0-14 years, 15-64 years and 65+ years was 7.4 (6), 8.7 (8) and 10.5 (9) days in France, and 6.3 (6), 8.2 (7) and 9.2 (6) days in Turkey; it increased with age but did not differ by virus type; increased duration of illness was associated with antibiotics prescription. In conclusion, our findings show that influenza B infection appears not to be milder disease than influenza A infection

Influenza viruses types in 2010-2011 winter season and effectiveness of oseltamivir treatment [2010-2011 kış sezonunda görülen İnfluenza virüsü tipleri ve tedavide oseltamivir'in etkinligi]

Objective: The aim of this multicentric prospective study was to evaluate the efficacy of a new bioequivalent formulation of oseltamivir for the treatment of influenza A, influenza B and H1N1 during the 2010- 2011 influenza season. Materials and Methods: We compared the symptoms and signs of 300 pediatric patients presenting to three University hospitals with an influenza-like illness, between January and March 2011. Nasal swab specimens were collected from all children and tested by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for influenza viruses. After randomization, half of the participants were prescribed oseltamivir, while the other half were observed conservatively. Forty patients who were followed-up for influenza prior to the study were also included into the evaluation. Results: Influenza was confirmed by RT-PCR in 129 children, 71 of whom were prescribed oseltamivir. The durations of symptoms such as fever, cough, nasal congestion and rhinorrhea were significantly shorter for patients who were treated with oseltamivir compared with untreated patients (for all symptoms p<0.002). Early initiation of oseltamivir therapy (within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms) was associated with more favorable outcomes and a earlier recovery than in patients for whom treatment was delayed (beyond 48 hours). Thirty-seven patients (28.6%) had H1N1, 44 (34.1%) had influenza A, 46 (35.6%) had influenza B, 1 (0.75%) had H1N1 plus influenza A and 1 (0.75%) had influenza A plus influenza B viruses. In the comparison of the duration of symptoms in different virus types, a statistically significant difference was only observed in patients with influenza B, who had a longer duration of cough (p<0.001), nasal congestion (p<0.001) and rhinorrhea (p<0.001). Conclusion: Oseltamivir is an effective treatment for the management of seasonal influenza and H1N1, and should be initiated immediately without waiting for laboratory confirmation of diagnosis

Benign Acute Childhood Myositis Associated with Influenza: A Cluster of Cases from a Single Centre in the 2013-2014 Cold Season

Influenza associated myositis has generally a clearly defined clinical picture. However, it may cause diagnostic confusion and unnecessary work up due to unfamiliarity with this condition by the medical staff. In this report, retrospective clinical and laboratory data about 10 children with influenza associated myositis diagnosed among all admissions to emergency room of a tertiary referral centre during the cold season of 2013-2014 was presented to increase awareness of this clinical issue

Evaluation of Local and Systemic Levels of Interleukin-17, Interleukin-23, and Myeloperoxidase in Response to Periodontal Therapy in Patients with Generalized Aggressive Periodontitis

We aimed to investigate serum and gingival crevicular fluid levels of myeloperoxidase, interleukin-17, and interleukin-23 before and after nonsurgical periodontal therapy in generalized aggressive periodontitis patients and compare to those in healthy controls. Interleukin-17, interleukin-23, and myeloperoxidase levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in gingival crevicular fluid and serum samples taken from 19 systemically healthy generalized aggressive periodontitis patients and 22 healthy controls. In addition, the levels of IL-17, IL-23, and myeloperoxidase were reassessed at 3 months after periodontal therapy in the generalized aggressive periodontitis (GAP) group. Periodontal clinical parameters were also evaluated at baseline and 3 months post-therapy. The investigated molecule levels in serum decreased significantly at 3 months as a result of the therapy (p = 0.014 for IL-17, p = 0.000 for IL-23, and p = 0.001 for myeloperoxidase (MPO)). Significant reductions were also observed in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) IL-17, IL-23, and MPO levels at 3 months after therapy (p = 0.000 for all molecules). However, the GCF levels of IL-17, IL-23, and MPO in GAP patients were still higher than those in the controls at 3 months (p = 0.001). A significant decrease in the local and systemic levels of IL-17, IL-23, and MPO based on the therapy might indicate the role of these mediators for tissue destruction in periodontal tissues