Complete Genome Sequences of 13 Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Subgroup A Strains of Genotypes NA1 and ON1 Isolated in the Philippines

Complete genome sequences of 13 human respiratory syncytial virus strains were determined from samples obtained from children hospitalized in the Philippines between 2012 and 2013 because of acute respiratory infection. We identified amino acid polymorphisms between the NA1 and ON1 genotypes in the P, G, F, and L proteins

Z-350, A Novel Compound with ␣ 1 -Adrenoceptor Antagonistic and Steroid 5␣-Reductase Inhibitory Actions: Pharmacological Properties In Vivo

ABSTRACT The ␣ 1 -adrenoceptor-antagonistic and steroid 5␣-reductaseinhibitory actions of Z-350 [(S)-4-{3-{4-{1-(4-methylphenyl)-3-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazine-1-yl]propoxy}benzoyl}indole-1-yl}butyric acid hydrochloride] were investigated in rabbits and rats in vivo. Z-350 (1-30 mg/kg), administered intraduodenally, dosedependently inhibited phenylephrine-induced increases in prostatic urethral pressure with an ED 50 value of 3.8 mg/kg in anesthetized male rabbits, whereas the effects on mean blood pressure and orthostatic hypotensive response were weaker when compared with other ␣ 1 -adrenoceptor antagonists, tamsulosin and prazosin. Z-350 (1-10 mg/kg p.o.) dose-dependently inhibited the prostatic steroid 5␣-reductase activity in rats with an ED 50 value of 2.8 mg/kg. The daily oral administration of Z-350, at м10 mg/kg for 7 days, significantly reduced the prostatic growth induced by testosterone in castrated rats, with no effect on dihydrotestosterone-induced prostatic growth. These results indicate that Z-350 exhibited ␣ 1 -adrenoceptor-antagonistic and 5␣-reductase inhibitory actions at almost equal doses in vivo, and was expected to improve the bladder outlet obstruction associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia with smaller cardiovascular adverse effect. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a frequent disorder in elderly men, characterized by the progressive enlargement of prostatic tissue, resulting in an obstruction of the proximal urethra and disturbance of urinary flow. Symptomatic BPH is generally considered to consist of the following two components: a static component related to prostatic tissue mass, and a dynamic component related to prostatic smooth muscle tone. The ability of an ␣ 1 -adrenoceptor antagonist to improve the clinical symptoms of BPH was first demonstrated by In contrast, other approaches to reduce prostatic enlargement had also been made previously. It is well known that the growth of the prostate gland is dependent on tissue androgen Simultaneous ␣ 1 -adrenoceptor-antagonistic and steroid 5␣-reductase inhibitory actions are thus expected to be more effective than each action alone

Enterovirus 68 among Children with Severe Acute Respiratory Infection, the Philippines

TOC summary: Enterovirus 68 was found in 21 children with severe pneumonia

Detection of human rhinovirus C viral genome in blood among children with severe respiratory infections in the Philippines.

Human rhinovirus (HRV) C was recently identified as the third species of HRV using a molecular technique. Infections caused by previously identified HRVs (A and B) are thought to be limited to the respiratory tract; however, pathogenesis of HRVC is still largely unknown. A total of 816 nasopharyngeal swabs from hospitalized children with severe respiratory infections in the Philippines (May 2008-May 2009) were tested for HRV by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and 243 samples (29.8%) were positive for HRV. Among these patients, serum samples were also tested to determine whether specific HRV species were associated with viremia. Only 30 serum samples (12.3%) were positive for HRV. However, the HRV positive rates were different among HRV species, 3% (4/135) for HRVA, 0% (0/25) for HRVB, and 31% (26/83) for HRVC, and were the highest on 2 days after the onset of symptoms. These results suggest that HRVC may have a different pathogenicity and can more commonly cause viremia than HRVA and HRVB. Serum positive rates for HRV are affected by age, i.e., higher positive rates for those aged 1 year or more. HRVC that were detected from serum exhibited the same level of sequence diversity as those positive only for nasopharyngeal samples in phylogenetic analysis. However, all HRVA which were detected from serum were clustered in a monophyletic clade based on their 5' non-coding region (NCR) sequences, which is closely related with a certain HRVC genotype (A2) in 5'-NCR. This finding suggests that the 5'NCR region may be associated with viremia

Influenza and other respiratory viruses detected by influenza-like illness surveillance in Leyte Island, the Philippines, 2010-2013.

This study aimed to determine the role of influenza-like illness (ILI) surveillance conducted on Leyte Island, the Philippines, including involvement of other respiratory viruses, from 2010 to 2013. ILI surveillance was conducted from January 2010 to March 2013 with 3 sentinel sites located in Tacloban city, Palo and Tanauan of Leyte Island. ILI was defined as fever ≥38°C or feverish feeling and either cough or running nose in a patient of any age. Influenza virus and other 5 respiratory viruses were searched. A total of 5,550 ILI cases visited the 3 sites and specimens were collected from 2,031 (36.6%) cases. Among the cases sampled, 1,637 (75.6%) were children aged <5 years. 874 (43.0%) cases were positive for at least one of the respiratory viruses tested. Influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) were predominantly detected (both were 25.7%) followed by human rhinovirus (HRV) (17.5%). The age distributions were significantly different between those who were positive for influenza, HRV, and RSV. ILI cases were reported throughout the year and influenza virus was co-detected with those viruses on approximately half of the weeks of study period (RSV in 60.5% and HRV 47.4%). In terms of clinical manifestations, only the rates of headache and sore throat were significantly higher in influenza positive cases than cases positive to other viruses. In conclusion, syndromic ILI surveillance in this area is difficult to detect the start of influenza epidemic without laboratory confirmation which requires huge resources. Age was an important factor that affected positive rates of influenza and other respiratory viruses. Involvement of older age children may be useful to detect influenza more effectively

Seasonality of Influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Viruses and the Effect of Climate Factors in Subtropical–Tropical Asia Using Influenza-Like Illness Surveillance Data, 2010 –2012 - Fig 3

<p><b>Global wavelet power spectra for influenza A (A), influenza B (B), and RSV (C) positives at the three study sites.</b> Colours indicate study sites (Okinawa, green; Baguio, pink; Eastern Visayas, purple).</p