Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Int J Infect Dis 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; Department of Health Services Research, Management and Policy, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. USA.

Objectives: Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) is the most common cause of childhood morbidity and mortality in developing countries, including Haiti. Our objective was to detect pathogens found in children with ARI in rural Haiti to help develop evidence-based guidelines for treatment and prevention.

Methods: Retrospective study of students with ARI at four schools in rural Haiti. Read More

Influenza Other Respir Viruses 2019 Feb 15. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York.

Background: Respiratory viral infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. However, their characterization is incomplete because prevalence estimates are based on syndromic surveillance data. Here, we address this shortcoming through the analysis of infection rates among individuals tested regularly for respiratory viral infections, irrespective of their symptoms. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2019 Feb 5;20(3). Epub 2019 Feb 5.

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117545, Singapore.

Inflammatory airway disease, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is a major health burden worldwide. These diseases cause large numbers of deaths each year due to airway obstruction, which is exacerbated by respiratory viral infection. The inflammatory response in the airway is mediated in part through the MAPK pathways: p38, JNK and ERK. Read More

J Med Virol 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Department of Experimental Pathology, Immunology and Microbiology.

Background: Pediatric cancer patients have a higher risk of morbidity and mortality due to respiratory viral infections than do other patient populations.

Objectives: To investigate the causative viruses of respiratory infections and their burden among pediatric cancer patients in Lebanon.

Study Design: Nasopharyngeal swabs along with clinical and demographic data were collected from pediatric cancer patients presenting febrile episodes with upper respiratory tract symptoms. Read More

MBio 2019 Feb 12;10(1). Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Department of Infectious Diseases & Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

The enterovirus genus of the picornavirus family includes a large number of important human pathogens such as poliovirus, coxsackievirus, enterovirus A71, and rhinoviruses. Like all other positive-strand RNA viruses, genome replication of enteroviruses occurs on rearranged membranous structures called replication organelles (ROs). Phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase IIIβ (PI4KB) is required by all enteroviruses for RO formation. Read More

J Thorac Dis 2018 Dec;10(12):E861

Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing 100044, China.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.21037/jtd.2017. Read More

J Immunol 2019 Feb 11. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6008, Australia;

Asthma exacerbations are triggered by rhinovirus infections. We employed a systems biology approach to delineate upper-airway gene network patterns underlying asthma exacerbation phenotypes in children. Cluster analysis unveiled distinct IRF7 versus IRF7 molecular phenotypes, the former exhibiting robust upregulation of Th1/type I IFN responses and the latter an alternative signature marked by upregulation of cytokine and growth factor signaling and downregulation of IFN-γ. Read More

J Med Virol 2019 Feb 8. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

Influenza Virus Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 4-7-1 Gakuen, Musashimuyayama-shi, Tokyo, Japan.

Human rhinoviruses (RVs) belong to the genus Enterovirus of the family Picornaviridae, and are classified into RV-A, -B, and -C species. Two assays were developed to detect RVs by a real-time fluorescent reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification method: one was designed based on the 5'-untranslated regions (UTRs) of RV-A and B, and the other was designed based on the 5'-UTR of RV-C. The competence of both assays for the diagnosis of RV infection was tested using isolated viruses and compared with real-time RT-PCR assays on clinical specimens. Read More

Vaccine 2019 Feb 4;37(10):1266-1276. Epub 2019 Feb 4.

Molecular Mucosal Vaccine Immunology Group, Department of Immunology and infectious Disease, The John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia. Electronic address:

This study demonstrates that route and viral vector can significantly influence the innate lymphoid cells (ILC) and dendritic cells (DC) recruited to the vaccination site, 24 h post delivery. Intranasal (i.n. Read More

J Med Virol 2019 Feb 6. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Special Infectious Agent Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

More than two million Muslims visit Makkah, Saudi Arabia, annually to perform the religious rituals of Hajj where the risk of spreading respiratory infections is very common. The aim here was to screen symptomatic pilgrims for Middle East respiratory syndrome-Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and other viral etiologies. Thus, 132 nasopharyngeal samples were collected from pilgrims presenting with acute respiratory symptoms at the healthcare facilities in the holy sites during the five-days of the 2014 Hajj season. Read More

J Infect Dis 2019 Feb 5. Epub 2019 Feb 5.

Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Hospital System, Singapore.

Background: Few studies have studied relative cross-protection between different groups of viruses through studies of sequential infections in humans. We aimed to investigate presence of short-lived relative cross-protection between specific prior viral infections and subsequent febrile respiratory illness (FRI).

Methods: Basic Military Training (BMT) intakes between December 2009 and December 2014 were recruited, with the first FRI as the entry point. Read More

Vestn Otorinolaringol 2018 ;83(6):40-43

Russian Medical Academy of Post-Graduate Education, Moscow, Russia, 123242; Children's City Clinical Hospital Z.A. Bashlyaevoi, Moscow, Russia, 125373.

The purpose of observation is to increase the effectiveness of treatment of children with chronic adenoiditis and exudative medium otitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In the observation were included 102 children with exudative medium otitis and chronic adenoiditis at the age of 3 to 14 years. All patients passed clinical and anamnestic diagnostic, endoscopic study, study of the nasopharynx, and PCR diagnostics of the stroke of the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx. Read More

Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd 2019 Jan 29;163. Epub 2019 Jan 29.

Star-shl, Etten-Leur.

Global initiatives to tackle the rise of antimicrobial resistance highlight the need to invest in the development and use of new, rapid diagnostic tools in routine patient care to differentiate bacterial from viral infections. Selective use may enhance antibiotic stewardship, but should be based on evidence for the target populations. The landmark study of Ieven et al. Read More

Viruses 2019 Feb 1;11(2). Epub 2019 Feb 1.

State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 155 Changbai Road, Beijing 102206, China.

To understand the underlying mechanisms of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress caused by human rhinovirus (HRV) 16 and non-structural transmembrane protein 2B, the expressions of ER chaperone glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) and three signal transduction pathways, including protein kinase RNA-like ER kinase (PERK), activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6) and inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1), were evaluated after HRV16 infection and 2B gene transfection. Our results showed that both HRV16 infection and 2B gene transfection increased the expression of ER chaperone GRP78, and induced phosphorylation of PERK and cleavage of ATF6 in a time-dependent manner. Our data also revealed that the HRV16 2B protein was localized to the ER membrane. Read More

PLoS One 2019 1;14(2):e0210702. Epub 2019 Feb 1.

Pulmonary Cell Research & Pneumology, Department Biomedicine & Department of Internal Medicine, University & University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.

Bronchial epithelial cells are the first target cell for rhinovirus infection. The course of viral infections in patients with acute bronchitis, asthma and COPD can be improved by oral application of Pelargonium sidoides radix extract; however, the mechanism is not well understood. This study investigated the in vitro effect of Pelargonium sidoides radix extract (EPs 7630) on the expression of virus binding cell membrane and host defence supporting proteins on primary human bronchial epithelial cells (hBEC). Read More

Clin Microbiol Infect 2019 Jan 28. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Institut Pierre Louis d'épidémiologie et de Santé publique (IPLESP UMRS 1136), Paris, France; Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, UVSQ, UFR de Médecine, Versailles, France; Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris APHP, Hôpital Ambroise Paré, Service de Médecine Interne, Boulogne Billancourt, France.

Objectives: We aimed to identify patients' clinical characteristics associated with respiratory viruses identified among patients presenting with influenza-like illness (ILI).

Methods: A sample of patients of all ages presenting with ILI was included by physicians of the French Sentinelles network during two seasons (2015/16 and 2016/17). Nasopharyngeal samples were tested for the presence of influenza virus (IV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), rhinovirus (HRV), and metapneumovirus (HMPV). Read More

Sci Rep 2019 Jan 30;9(1):929. Epub 2019 Jan 30.

Department of Laboratory Medicine, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.

Numerous viruses can cause upper respiratory tract infections. They often precede serious lower respiratory tract infections. Each virus has a seasonal pattern, with peaks in activity in different seasons. Read More

Mil Med 2019 Jan 23. Epub 2019 Jan 23.

US Army Public Health Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD.

Introduction: Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cp) is a bacterium that causes pneumonia and other respiratory diseases. Fever may be present early but absent by time of presentation to clinic. Increases in X-ray-confirmed pneumonia (XCP) and laboratory-confirmed Cp infections were observed in new soldiers in training at Fort Leonard Wood (FLW), Missouri, early in 2014. Read More

J Pediatr Hematol Oncol 2019 Jan 25. Epub 2019 Jan 25.

Pediatric Infection.

Background: Acute viral respiratory infections are common causes of febrile episodes in children. There are still limited data about distribution of acute viral respiratory infections in children with cancer.

Objective: The first aim of this study was to evaluate the viral etiology and seasonality of acute viral respiratory infection in pediatric patients with cancer in a 3-year study. Read More

Front Microbiol 2018 9;9:3294. Epub 2019 Jan 9.

Department of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology/Stem Cell Transplantation, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

Highly immunocompromised pediatric and adult hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients frequently experience respiratory infections caused by viruses that are less virulent in immunocompetent individuals. Most of these infections, with the exception of rhinovirus as well as adenovirus and parainfluenza virus in tropical areas, are seasonal variable and occur before and after HCT. Infectious disease management includes sampling of respiratory specimens from nasopharyngeal washes or swabs as well as sputum and tracheal or tracheobronchial lavages. Read More

Enzyme Microb Technol 2019 Apr 4;123:15-20. Epub 2019 Jan 4.

State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China. Electronic address:

Human rhinovirus 3C protease (HRV 3C protease) is commonly used as a tool to remove fusion tags from recombinant proteins in gene engineering due to its distinguished specificity and high activity at low temperature. This paper is aimed to simplify the strategy of removing epitope tags from target proteins with HRV 3C protease. Fusion proteins composed of a xylanase from Bacillus sp. Read More

J Nat Prod 2019 Jan 24. Epub 2019 Jan 24.

College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences , Seoul National University , Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826 , Republic of Korea.

Six new dimeric lignans (1-6) and one new lignan glycoside (16) were isolated from Forsythia viridissima roots along with nine known lignans (7-15). Spectroscopic analyses and chemical methods were used to determine these new structures and their absolute configurations. Among these compounds, dimatairesinol (1) and viridissimaols A-E (2-6) were assigned as dimers of dibenzylbutyrolactone analogues. Read More

BMC Bioinformatics 2019 Jan 23;20(1):48. Epub 2019 Jan 23.

Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.

Background: With sequencing technologies becoming cheaper and easier to use, more groups are able to obtain whole genome sequences of viruses of public health and scientific importance. Submission of genomic data to NCBI GenBank is a requirement prior to publication and plays a critical role in making scientific data publicly available. GenBank currently has automatic prokaryotic and eukaryotic genome annotation pipelines but has no viral annotation pipeline beyond influenza virus. Read More

Mediterr J Hematol Infect Dis 2019 1;11(1):e2019006. Epub 2019 Jan 1.

Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Background: Despite the introduction of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for the diagnosis of respiratory viral infection (RVI), guidance on the application of this test and the management of RVI in immunocompromised children is lacking. This study evaluated the clinical characteristics of RVI and established strategies for the PCR test in children and adolescents with hematological malignancies.

Methods: This study included children and adolescents with underlying hematological malignancies and respiratory symptoms, in whom a multiplex PCR test was performed. Read More

Yonsei Med J 2019 Feb;60(2):216-222

Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University Guro Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Purpose: The most common cause of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) is respiratory infection. Most studies of bacterial or viral cause in AECOPD have been conducted in Western countries. We investigated bacterial and viral identification rates in AECOPD in Korea. Read More

Chest 2019 Jan 17. Epub 2019 Jan 17.

Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI.

Human rhinoviruses (RVs) are picornaviruses that can cause a variety of upper and lower respiratory tract illnesses, including the common cold, bronchitis, pneumonia, and exacerbations of chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma. There are currently > 160 known types of RVs classified into three species (A, B, and C) that use three different cellular membrane glycoproteins expressed in the respiratory epithelium to enter the host cell. These viral receptors are intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (used by the majority of RV-A and all RV-B types), low-density lipoprotein receptor family members (used by 12 RV-A types), and cadherin-related family member 3 (CDHR3; used by RV-C). Read More

PLoS Pathog 2019 Jan 18;15(1):e1007509. Epub 2019 Jan 18.

DTU National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Lindholm, Kalvehave, Denmark.

Many picornaviruses cause important diseases in humans and other animals including poliovirus, rhinoviruses (causing the common cold) and foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). These small, non-enveloped viruses comprise a positive-stranded RNA genome (ca. 7-9 kb) enclosed within a protein shell composed of 60 copies of three or four different capsid proteins. Read More

Allergy 2019 Jan 17. Epub 2019 Jan 17.

Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.

J Allergy Clin Immunol 2019 Jan 14. Epub 2019 Jan 14.

Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.

Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2019 Jan 16. Epub 2019 Jan 16.

Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Obesity is an important risk factor for severe asthma exacerbations, which are mainly caused by respiratory infections. Dietary fatty acids, which are increased systemically in obese patients and are further increased after high fat meals, affect the innate immune system and may contribute to dysfunctional immune responses to respiratory infection. This study investigated the effects of dietary fatty acids on immune responses to respiratory infection in pulmonary fibroblasts and a bronchial epithelial cell line (BEAS-2B). Read More

J Biomol Struct Dyn 2019 Jan 16:1-12. Epub 2019 Jan 16.

a Laboratory of Drug Design and Discovery, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences , Dr. Harisingh Gour University (A Central University) , Sagar , India.

HRV 3 C protease (HRV 3C) is an important target for common cold and upper respiratory tract infection. Keeping in view of the non-availability of drug for the treatment, newer computer-based modelling strategies should be applied to rationalize the process of antiviral drug discovery in order to decrease the valuable time and huge expenditure of the process. The present work demonstrates a structure wise optimization using Monte Carlo-based QSAR method that decomposes ligand compounds (in SMILES format) into several molecular fingerprints/descriptors. Read More

Braz J Microbiol 2019 Jan 5;50(1):117-125. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Medical University, University Hospital Alexandrovska, Pediatric Clinic, 1 St. Georgi Sofiiski, 1431, Sofia, Bulgaria.

Acute lower respiratory infections (ALRIs) are a leading cause of morbidity and hospital admissions in children. This study aimed to determine the viral etiology of these infections in children aged < 5 years during three successive epidemic seasons in Bulgaria. Nasopharyngeal and throat specimens were collected from children with bronchiolitis and pneumonia during the 2015/2016, 2016/2017, and 2017/2018 seasons. Read More

Braz J Microbiol 2019 Jan 30;50(1):133-137. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Medicine Department, Clinical Virology Laboratory, Infectious Diseases Unit, Sao Paulo Federal University, Rua Pedro de Toledo, 781, 15 andar, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

In 2007, the new polyomaviruses WUPyV and KIPyV were identified in patients with acute respiratory infections. The aim of this study was to investigate these viruses in hospitalized patients with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI). A retrospective study was conducted with 251 patients, from April 2009 to November 2010, using nasopharyngeal aspirates, naso- and oropharyngeal swab samples from hospitalized patients (children < 12 years and adults) who had SARI within 7 days of the onset of symptoms, including fever (> 38. Read More

Indian J Pediatr 2019 Jan 14. Epub 2019 Jan 14.

Department of Pediatrics, T.N. Medical College & B.Y.L. Nair Hospital, Mumbai, India.

Objective: To determine the frequency of respiratory pathogens in infants diagnosed with acute lower respiratory tract infections.

Methods: A prospective cross-sectional observational study was conducted in infants hospitalized with a diagnosis of acute lower respiratory tract infection (ALRTI), in a tertiary care hospital in a metropolitan city of Western India. Nasopharyngeal swabs were analyzed by multiplex real time polymerase chain reaction, for 18 viruses and 3 bacteria (H. Read More

Health Sci Rep 2018 Aug 18;1(8):e59. Epub 2018 Jul 18.

National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis Johannesburg South Africa.

Aim: To investigate the prevalence of human bocavirus (hBoV), human coronaviruses (hCoV), and human polyomaviruses (hPyV) among patients with severe acute respiratory illness (SARI), in South Africa.

Methods: The study included 680 South African patients randomly selected in age-defined categories from hospitalised patients enrolled through SARI surveillance during 2012 to 2013. A multiplex reverse transcription real-time polymerase chain reaction assay was used to detect hBoV; hCoV-OC43, hCoV-229E, hCoV-NL63, and hCoV-HKU1; and Washington University hPyV (hPyV-WU) and Karolinska Insitute hPyV (hPyV-KI), in respiratory tract specimens collected from patients with SARI. Read More

Health Sci Rep 2018 Jun 24;1(6):e38. Epub 2018 May 24.

Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology Turku University Turku Finland.

Background And Aim: Bronchiolitis is a leading cause of hospitalization in infants and is associated with a risk of subsequent asthma. The innate immunity genes, such as those encoding toll-like receptors (TLRs), are likely to play a role in bronchiolitis and post-bronchiolitis outcome. Thus far, only one study has considered TLR5 genes in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2019 Jan 8;19(1):32. Epub 2019 Jan 8.

The First People's Hospital Affiliated to Huzhou University, Huzhou, 313000, China.

Background: Viruses are commonly found in patients with acute respiratory infections (ARIs). However, the viral etiologies and clinical characteristics of outpatients with ARIs are poorly understood in China. Here, we identified the viral etiologies in outpatients with ARIs in Huzhou, China. Read More

Front Immunol 2018 20;9:3067. Epub 2018 Dec 20.

Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.

A majority of the morbidity and mortality associated with the genetic disease Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is due to lung disease resulting from chronic respiratory infections. The CF airways become chronically colonized with bacteria in childhood, and over time commensal lung microbes are displaced by bacterial pathogens, leading to a decrease in microbial diversity that correlates with declining patient health. Infection with the pathogen is a major predictor of morbidity and mortality in CF, with CF individuals often becoming chronically colonized with in early adulthood and thereafter having an increased risk of hospitalization. Read More

Front Immunol 2018 14;9:2943. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Manchester Collaborative Centre for Inflammation Research, The Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.

Secondary infections arise as a consequence of previous or concurrent conditions and occur in the community or in the hospital setting. The events allowing secondary infections to gain a foothold have been studied for many years and include poor nutrition, anxiety, mental health issues, underlying chronic diseases, resolution of acute inflammation, primary immune deficiencies, and immune suppression by infection or medication. Children, the elderly and the ill are particularly susceptible. Read More

Front Immunol 2018 18;9:2908. Epub 2018 Dec 18.

Institut Cochin, Inserm U1016, Paris, France.

Human rhinovirus is frequently seen as an upper respiratory tract infection but growing evidence proves the virus can cause lower respiratory tract infections in patients with chronic inflammatory lung diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In addition to airway epithelial cells, macrophages are crucial for regulating inflammatory responses to viral infections. However, the response of macrophages to HRV has not been analyzed in detail. Read More

Front Microbiol 2018 12;9:3097. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Department of Pathology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States.

Survival rates for pediatric cancer have steadily improved over time but it remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among children. Infections are a major complication of cancer and its treatment. Community acquired respiratory viral infections (CRV) in these patients increase morbidity, mortality and can lead to delay in chemotherapy. Read More

Pediatr Allergy Immunol Pulmonol 2018 Dec 12;31(4):236-240. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Department of Pediatrics, Arkansas Children's Research Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas.

The respiratory tract can be colonized with bacterial, fungal, and viral microorganisms, and the whole of the microbiota, their genes, and the surrounding environment is collectively termed the microbiome. Increasing evidence indicates that the respiratory microbiome has an important role in respiratory health and disease and is both impacted by and potentially contributes to the severity of symptomatic respiratory viral infections and asthma in children. A deeper understanding of the complex interactions between bacteria, viruses, and the host will provide further comprehension into the drivers and mechanisms of respiratory health and disease and will impart opportunities for clinical therapies. Read More

Am J Trop Med Hyg 2018 Dec 26. Epub 2018 Dec 26.

Duke-Ruhuna Collaborative Research Centre, Galle, Sri Lanka.

The contribution of respiratory viruses to acute febrile illness (AFI) burden is poorly characterized. We describe the prevalence, seasonality, and clinical features of respiratory viral infection among AFI admissions in Sri Lanka. We enrolled AFI patients ≥ 1 year of age admitted to a tertiary care hospital in southern Sri Lanka, June 2012-October 2014. Read More

J Microbiol Immunol Infect 2018 Dec 15. Epub 2018 Dec 15.

School of Medicine for International Students, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; School of Chinese Medicine for Post Baccalaureate, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Pediatrics, E-Da Hospital/I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Background/purposes: Human rhinovirus type C (HRV-C) has been associated with asthma exacerbation (AE) in children in several countries. However, in Taiwan the association between HRV, especially HRV-C, and AE in children has yet to be elucidated. We sought to investigate the prevalence of respiratory viruses in children with acute lower respiratory tract infection (ALRTI) in Taiwan and the association between different types of HRV and AE in children. Read More

J Infect Dis 2018 Dec 22. Epub 2018 Dec 22.

Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Background: The association of rhinoviruses (RV) detection to illness is poorly understood.

Methods: We enrolled case-patients hospitalized with severe respiratory illness (SRI) at two hospitals and outpatients with influenza-like-illness (ILI) and asymptomatic individuals (controls) from two affiliated clinics during 2013-2015. We compared the RV prevalence among ILI and SRI cases to those of controls stratified by HIV-serostatus using penalized logistic regression. Read More

Osong Public Health Res Perspect 2018 Dec;9(6):334-339

Laboratory of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Pharmacy, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea.

Objectives: Human rhinoviruses (HRVs) are the major cause of the common cold. Currently there is no registered, clinically effective, antiviral chemotherapeutic agent to treat diseases caused by HRVs. In this study, the antiviral activity of dexamethasone (DEX) against HRV1B was examined. Read More

Ann Acad Med Singapore 2018 Nov;47(11):445-450

Department of Infectious Diseases, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore.

Introduction: Respiratory virus (RV) infections have been implicated in acute exacerbation cardiopulmunary conditions. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of RV infections in patients admitted to the cardiology unit with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) in a tertiary hospitals in Singapore.

Materials And Methods: This was a single-centre, prospective observational study. Read More

RNA 2018 Dec 21. Epub 2018 Dec 21.

Old Dominion University;

A presumed RNA cloverleaf (5'CL), located at the 5'-most end of the non-coding region of the enterovirus genome, is the primary established site for initiation of genomic replication. Stem loop B (SLB) and stem loop D (SLD), the two largest stem loops within the 5'CL, serve as recognition sites for protein interactions that are essential for replication. Here we present the solution structure of rhinovirus serotype 14 5'CL using a combination of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering. Read More

J Infect Dis 2018 Dec 20. Epub 2018 Dec 20.

Epidemiology and Demography Department, Kenya Medical Research Institute - Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi.

We report on infection patterns in 5 households (78 participants) delineating the natural history of human rhinovirus (HRV). Nasopharyngeal collections were obtained every 3-4 days irrespective of symptoms, over a 6-month period, with molecular screening for HRV and typing by sequencing VP4/VP2 junction. Overall, 311/3468 (8. Read More

Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2018 Dec 21. Epub 2018 Dec 21.

University of Arizona, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Tucson, Arizona, United States ;

Human SCGB1A1 protein has been shown to be significantly reduced in bronchoalveolar lavage, sputum and serum from human asthmatics as compared to healthy individuals. However, the mechanism of this reduction and its functional impact have not been entirely elucidated. By mining online datasets, we found that the message RNA of SCGB1A1 was significantly repressed in brushed human airway epithelial cells from asthmatics and this repression appeared to be associated with the reduced expression of FOXA2. Read More