BACKGROUND: A recrudescent wave of pandemic influenza A/H1N1 is underway in Mexico in winter 2013-14, following a mild 2012-13 A/H3N2 influenza season. Mexico previously experienced several waves of pandemic A/H1N1 activity in spring, summer and fall 2009 and winter 2011-2012, with a gradual shift of influenza-related hospitalizations and deaths towards older ages. Here we describe changes in t...

BACKGROUND In response to the novel influenza A H1N1 outbreak in the NY City area, 6090 patient samples were submitted over a 5-week period for a total of 14,114 viral diagnostic tests, including rapid antigen, direct immunofluorescence (DFA), viral culture and PCR. Little was known about the performance of the assays for the detection of novel H1N1 in the background of seasonal H1N1, H3N2 and ...

BACKGROUND The pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus emerged during 2009 and has spread worldwide. This virus can cause injuries to the lungs, liver, and heart. However, data regarding whether this influenza virus can affect pancreatic islets are limited. We investigated the effects of influenza A (H1N1) pneumonia on fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and islet function, and evaluated possible correlatio...

BACKGROUND Worldwide, the infectivity and disease burden of the H1N1 pandemic were overestimated because of limited clinical experience concerning patient presentation and outcome of those infected with the novel H1N1 virus. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to compare the epidemiologic clinical data among H1N1 RT-PCR-positive and RT-PCR-negative pneumonic patients during the 2009-2010 pandemic in M...

BACKGROUND During the 2009 pandemic of influenza A virus subtype H1N1 (A[H1N1]pdm09) infection, older individuals were partially protected from severe disease. It is not known whether preexisting antibodies with effector functions such as antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) contributed to the immunity observed. METHODS We tested serum specimens obtained from 182 individuals aged 1...

BACKGROUND The first positive patient with influenza A (H1N1) was recorded in March 2009 and the pandemic continued with new outbreaks throughout 2010. This study's objective was to quantify the total cost of inpatient care and identify factors associated with the increased cost of the 2009-2010 influenza A pandemic in comparison with nonviral respiratory infection. METHODS In total, 133 posi...

BACKGROUND With the recent emergence of the novel A(H1N1) virus in 2009, the efficacy of available drugs, such as neuraminidase (NA) inhibitors, is of great concern for good patient care. Influenza viruses are known to be able to acquire resistance. In 2007, A(H1N1) viruses related to A/Brisbane/59/2007 (H1N1) (A[H1N1] Brisbane-like virus), which are naturally resistant to oseltamivir, emerged....

We previously developed a rapid and simple gold nanoparticle(NP)-based genomic microarray assay for identification of the avian H5N1 virus and its discrimination from other influenza A virus strains (H1N1, H3N2). In this study, we expanded the platform to detect the 2009 swine-origin influenza A virus (H1N1/2009). Multiple specific capture and intermediate oligonucleotides were designed for the...

BACKGROUND The human B-cell response to natural influenza virus infection has not been extensively investigated at the polyclonal level. METHODS The overall B-cell response of patients acutely infected with the 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus (A[H1N1]pdm09) was analyzed by determining the reactivity of plasmablast-derived polyclonal antibodies (PPAbs) to influenza proteins. Recipie...

Infection with the influenza A (H1N1) virus is a major challenge for public health because it can cause severe morbidity and even mortality in humans. The over-secretion of inflammatory cytokines (cytokine storm) is considered to be a key contributor to the severe pneumonia caused by H1N1 infection. It has been reported that hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α) is associated with the produ...