Julian Wei Tze Tang

..Influenza incidence peaks in June through July and November through January, though influenza cases can be detected throughout the year...

..The effectiveness of this intervention depends on optimum positioning of the arm over the nose and mouth during coughing, though unsightly stains on sleeves may make it unacceptable to some...

..Data from this study further reinforces the concept that the relationship between climate factors and respiratory virus incidence differ between subtropical/tropical and temperate countries...

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..Since the emergence of the pandemic influenza A/H1N1/2009 virus in April 2009, diagnostic testing in many countries has revealed the rapid displacement and then replacement of circulating seasonal influenza viruses by this novel virus...

..These findings may therefore limit the usefulness of monitoring HSV loads in everyday clinical practice...

..Rainfall was not significantly correlated with the incidence of influenza A or B in any of these cities...

..This article outlines each of these techniques in a non-technical manner, suitable for a clinical readership without specialist airflow or engineering knowledge...

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..On this basis, recommendations are made to improve the control of aerosol-transmitted infections in hospitals as well as in the design and construction of future isolation facilities...

..The underlying basis for the seasonality of influenza A viruses is still uncertain. Phylogenetic studies investigated this phenomenon but have lacked sequences from more subtropical and tropical regions, particularly from Southeast Asia...

..This in-house assay offers a highly sensitive and specific option for laboratories seeking to expand their influenza testing capacity...

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..It was first applied to 3512 patients with influenza-like illnesses at a tertiary hospital in Singapore, during the containment phase of the pandemic (May to July 2009)...

..A linkage study on 300 healthy Singaporeans showed variable haplotypes. When the assay was applied to plasma DNA from 50 hepatitis C virus genotype-1 (HCV-1)-infected patients, five compound heterozygous types were detected...

..Therefore this assay enables further study of these C-terminal mutations in Southeast Asian populations, where there is a high prevalence of CRF01_AE and other non-subtype B HIV infections...

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..The results support the importance of norovirus as a causative agent of diarrhea in children, which may be underestimated by the current routine diagnostic testing...

..Larger studies are required to confirm these findings...

..The underlying reasons for these findings are unclear and similar studies are required elsewhere to elucidate these and prevent this spread of drug-resistance happening again in future...

..The co-circulation of a common (1b) and a rare (6a) HCV genotype in Hong Kong provides a unique opportunity for future studies to compare their transmission efficiency, clinical course, and response to treatment...

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..An analysis of captured digital images showed that the exhaled air at the peak of simulated exhalation reached a distance of approximately 0.40 m...

..The link between viral lineage, integration pattern, and oncogenesis deserves further study...

..The spike glycoprotein (S) gene of the severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) has been useful in analyzing the molecular epidemiology of the 2003 SARS outbreaks...

..Respiratory assist devices, such as oxygen masks, may enhance the potential to spread infectious aerosols from patients with respiratory infections...

..The current study shows that, among southern Chinese, the outcome of HPV-infected cervical lesions is associated with HLA-DRB1 polymorphism. These associations often vary with the type of HPV infection...

..Viral respiratory infections may precipitate acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD). However, little is known about viral etiology related to AECOPD in Asia. We aimed to study the viral etiology of AECOPD in Hong Kong...

..The emergence of the pandemic A/H1N1/2009 influenza virus has enabled preexisting pandemic influenza plans to be put into action. This review examines the clinical and public health impact of this new virus...

..It aims to provide, with minimal mathematics and statistics, a practical overview of how phylogenetic methods can be incorporated into virological studies by clinical and laboratory specialists...

..Understanding factors affecting length of hospital stay (LOS) in patients with severe influenza may improve their management...

..Routinely collected cervical samples contain a heterogeneous population of viruses, hampering the application of viral load and integration testing in clinical settings...

..The outbreak strain was also detected in plasma of four of these patients, suggesting systemic infection. The outbreak strain was identified as type 12. Standard infection control measures were effective to control this outbreak...

..029; odds ratio, 2.74; 95% confidence interval, 1.15 to 6.57; controls, P = 0.04; odds ratio, 2.41; 95% confidence interval, 1.05 to 5.54), and both CD14-159CC and FcgammaRIIA-RR131 are risk genotypes for severe SARS-CoV infection...