BACKGROUND: Influenza A and B virus detection is pivotal in epidemiological surveillance and disease management. Rapid and accurate diagnostic techniques are crucial for timely clinical intervention and outbreak prevention. Quantum dot-encoded microspheres have been widely used in immunodetection. The integration of quantum dot-encoded microspheres with flow cytometry is a well-established technique that enables rapid analysis. Thus, establishing a multiplex detection method for influenza A and B virus antigens based on flow cytometry quantum dot microspheres will help in disease diagnosis.
OBJECTIVE: To establish a codetection method of influenza A and B virus antigens based on flow cytometry quantum dot-encoded microsphere technology, which forms the foundation for the assays of multiple respiratory virus biomarkers.
METHODS: Different quantum dot-encoded microspheres were used to couple the monoclonal antibodies against influenza A and B. The known influenza A and B antigens were detected both separately and simultaneously on a flow cytometer, and the detection conditions were optimized to establish the influenza A and B antigen codetection method, which was utilized for their detection in clinical samples. The results were compared with the fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method to validate the clinical performance of this method.
RESULTS: The limits of detection of this method were 26.1 and 10.7 pg/mL for influenza A and B antigens, respectively, which both ranged from 15.6 to 250000 pg/mL. In the clinical sample evaluation, the proposed method well correlated with the fluorescent quantitative PCR method, with positive, negative, and overall compliance rates of 57.4%, 100%, and 71.6%, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: A multiplex assay for quantitative detection of influenza A and B virus antigens has been established, which is characterized by high sensitivity, good specificity, and a wide detection range and is promising for clinical applications.

UNASSIGNED: H10 avian influenza viruses circulate in wild birds and can reassort with other subtypes. H10N8 and H10N3 have previously caused sporadic human infections in China.
UNASSIGNED: This report documents the first human case of co-infection with avian-origin H10N5 and seasonal H3N2 influenza viruses. Epidemiological investigations identified H10N5 in environmental samples linked to the patient, but no transmission to close contacts occurred.
UNASSIGNED: Enhanced surveillance of avian influenza in live poultry markets and poultry populations is crucial for thoroughly characterizing the epidemiology, transmission, and pathogenesis of H10N5 viruses. Strengthening assessments of outbreak control measures is essential to guide effective management.

Influenza A (H1N1) viruses are prone to antigenic mutations and are more variable than other influenza viruses. Therefore, they have caused continuous harm to human public health since the pandemic in 2009 and in recent times. Influenza A (H1N1) can be prevented and treated in various ways, such as direct inhibition of the virus and regulation of human immunity. Among antiviral drugs, the use of natural products in treating influenza has a long history, and natural medicine has been widely considered the focus of development programs for new, safe anti-influenza drugs. In this paper, we focus on influenza A (H1N1) and summarize the natural product-derived phytochemicals for influenza A virus (H1N1) prevention and treatment, including marine natural products, flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids and their derivatives, phenols and their derivatives, polysaccharides, and derivatives of natural products for prevention and treatment of influenza A (H1N1) virus. We further discuss the toxicity and antiviral mechanism against influenza A (H1N1) as well as the druggability of natural products. We hope that this review will facilitate the study of the role of natural products against influenza A (H1N1) activity and provide a promising alternative for further anti-influenza A drug development.

BACKGROUND: The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), influenza A, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections have similar modes of transmission and clinical symptoms. There is a need to identify simple diagnostic indicators to distinguish these three infections, particularly for community hospitals and low- and middle-income countries that lack nucleic acid detection kits. This study used clinical data to assess the diagnostic value of routine blood tests in differentiating between SARS-CoV-2, influenza A, and RSV infections in children.
METHODS: A total of 1420 children treated at the Hangzhou Children\'s Hospital between December 2022 and June 2023 were enrolled in this study, of whom 351 had SARS-CoV-2, 671 had influenza, and 398 had RSV. In addition, 243 healthy children were also collected. The blood test results of SARS-CoV-2 patients were compared to those of patients with influenza A and RSV and the healthy controls. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) was employed to evaluate each blood parameter\'s diagnostic value.
RESULTS: Children with SARS-CoV-2 exhibited notably elevated levels of white blood cell (WBC) count, platelet (PLT) count, neutrophil count, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) compared to influenza A patients (P < 0.05). In contrast, SARS-CoV-2 patients exhibited a decrease in the mean platelet volume to platelet count ratio (MPV/PLT) and the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) when compared to other individuals (P < 0.05). These parameters had an AUC between 0.5 and 0.7. Compared to patients with RSV, SARS-CoV-2 patients had significantly higher MPV/PLT and significantly lower WBC, lymphocyte, PLT, LMR, and lymphocyte multiplied by platelet (LYM*PLT) values (P < 0.05). However, only LYM*PLT had an acceptable diagnostic value above 0.7 for all age groups. Compared to healthy children, children with COVID-19 exhibited elevated NLR and MPV/PLT levels, alongside decreased lymphocyte, PLT, LMR, and LYM*PLT values. (P < 0.05). The AUC of the LMR, LYM*PLT, and PLT were above 0.7 in all age groups, indicating promising diagnostic values.
CONCLUSIONS: The routine blood parameters among patients with COVID-19, influenza A, and RSV differ significantly early in the disease and could be used by clinicians to discriminate between the 3 types of infection.

UNASSIGNED: Starting from 2009, H1N1 has been one of the respiratory diseases that afflict the global population. Concurrently, due to the influence of COVID-19, it has become widely accepted that preventing the virus\'s spread necessitates personal protection measures and disinfection in public spaces.
UNASSIGNED: This study conducted two experiments. In the classroom experiment, six UVC dose test points were calibrated to test whether the UVC dose at each testing point met the standards for inactivating IAVs and the time required to meet the standards. In the simulated classroom experiment, seven square slides made of IAVs were placed. After 10 min of robot movement, irradiated sterile square slides were made into suspension and injected into chicken embryos. Cultivate chicken embryos and conduct IAVs testing.
UNASSIGNED: Classroom experiment has shown that 5 testing points can meet the standards for inactivating IAVs(3 mJ/cm2), with a required time of 80 min, 40 min, 15 min, 5 min and 10 min. The UVC dose for testing points that do not meet the standards in 80 min is only 0.5 mJ/cm2. The simulation classroom experiment outcomes revealed that 99.99 % of IAVs were deactivated. Furthermore, this study established both a desktop control group and a chair arm control group, both of which yielded identical results, indicating an inactivation logarithm of IAVs≥4log.
UNASSIGNED: The study presented that IAVs on the surface of an object can be effectively and rapidly deactivated at an irradiation density of 1.8 mW/cm2. Meanwhile, the study provides evidence of the feasibility of using the GXU robot to inactivate IAVs in a classroom environment.

UNASSIGNED: The aim of this study is to describe the novel epidemiological and clinical characteristics of influenza A-induced severe pneumonia occurring after the prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and to further assess its potential risk factors for mortality.
UNASSIGNED: We retrospectively studied the consecutive case series of 30 patients with confirmed influenza A-induced severe pneumonia treated in the intensive care unit at Dazhou Central Hospital in Sichuan, China, from March 1 to April 30, 2023. Logistic regression was used to analyze the independent risk factors, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were applied to evaluate the predictive efficacy of associated risk factors for mortality.
UNASSIGNED: The mortality rate was 33.3% in this study. Independent risk factors for mortality of patients were acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (p = 0.044) and septic shock (p = 0.012). ROC statistics for ARDS and septic shock to predict mortality in patients with influenza A-induced severe pneumonia demonstrated an area under the curve of 0.800 (sensitivity 80.0%, specificity 80.0%) and 0.825 (sensitivity 70.0%, specificity 95.0%), respectively.
UNASSIGNED: ARDS and septic shock were the independent risk factors for mortality in patients with influenza A-induced severe pneumonia following the end of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. But high level of next generation sequencing reads Aspergillus coinfection, and comorbidities did not increase death risk of the study population.

BACKGROUND: Influenza is an acute respiratory infection caused by influenza virus. Maxing Shigan Decoction (MXSGD) is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine prescription for the prevention and treatment of influenza. However, its mechanism remains unclear.
METHODS: The mice model of influenza A virus pneumonia was established by nasal inoculation. After 3 days of intervention, the lung index was calculated, and the pathological changes of lung tissue were detected by HE staining. Firstly, transcriptomics technology was used to analyze the differential genes and important pathways in mouse lung tissue regulated by MXSGD. Then, real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (RT-PCR) was used to verify the changes in mRNA expression in lung tissues. Finally, intestinal microbiome and intestinal metabolomics were performed to explore the effect of MXSGD on gut microbiota.
RESULTS: The lung inflammatory cell infiltration in the MXSGD group was significantly reduced (p < 0.05). The results of bioinformatics analysis for transcriptomics results show that these genes are mainly involved in inflammatory factors and inflammation-related signal pathways mediated inflammation biological modules, etc. Intestinal microbiome showed that the intestinal flora Actinobacteriota level and Desulfobacterota level increased in MXSGD group, while Planctomycetota in MXSGD group decreased. Metabolites were mainly involved in primary bile acid biosynthesis, thiamine metabolism, etc. This suggests that MXSGD has a microbial-gut-lung axis regulation effect on mice with influenza A virus pneumonia.
CONCLUSIONS: MXSGD may play an anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory role by regulating intestinal microbiome and intestinal metabolic small molecules, and ultimately play a role in the treatment of influenza A virus pneumonia.

Vaccines are one of the most effective means of preventing influenza A, typically containing the hemagglutinin (HA) of the influenza A virus. However, antigenic drift and shift of the influenza A virus can lead to instability in vaccine efficacy. Compared to HA, the antigenic variation rate of neuraminidase (NA) is slower. In traditional inactivated influenza vaccines, although they contain a certain amount of NA, there are significant differences between different batches, which cannot consistently induce NA-based immune responses. Therefore, NA is often overlooked in vaccine development. In this study, we report an mRNA vaccine encoding the NA of two strains of influenza A virus. The experimental results demonstrated that when matched with the viral strain, this mRNA vaccine induced high levels of neutralizing antibodies, providing a protective effect to mice in viral challenge experiments, and this immune response was shown to be biased towards the Th1 type. In summary, this study demonstrates that NA is a promising potential antigen, providing new insights for the development of influenza A virus vaccines.

UNASSIGNED: Influenza A is the most common viral pathogen isolated from pediatric clinics during influenza seasons. Some young patients with influenza manifest rapid progression with high fever and severe sequelae, such as pneumonia and meningitis. Therefore, early diagnosis and prompt treatment are highly important. Specific diagnostic tests currently include antigen detection, antibody detection, nucleic acid test and virus isolation. Rapid antigen testing is the most commonly adopted method in the outpatient setting, but false negative results are frequently observed, which causes delayed treatment and severe outcome. Routine blood test is the most commonly used detection for the outpatients. Incorporating specific blood cell counts into rapid antigen test may overcome some technical issues and enable accurate early diagnosis.
UNASSIGNED: We enrolled 537 children with influenza-like symptoms like fever or respiratory symptoms from pediatric outpatients and 110 children without infectious diseases for control. Routine blood tests detected by a routine analyzer and influenza A virus antigen detection were performed in the patients. Significant blood routine parameters between groups were examined by statistical tests. Parameters in routine blood test were assessed by the receiver operating characteristic curve to find the screening indicators of influenza A. Multivariate logistic regression were used to establish the optimal combinations of blood routine parameters in our screening model.
UNASSIGNED: Two subgroups were set according to age: ≤6 years old group and >6 years old group. In each group, patients were further divided into three subgroups: the influenza A-positive-result group (A+ group) (n=259), influenza A-negative-result group (A- group) (n=277) and healthy control group (H group) (n=110). Most routine blood parameters showed significant differences among the three subgroups in each age group. Notably, lymphocyte (LYM) number, platelet (PLT) number, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) and LYM multiplied by PLT (LYM*PLT) exhibited extremely significant differences. Using A- group as a reference based on the area under the curve (AUC), both age groups had a similar trend. For A- group, the optimal cutoff value of LYM*PLT was 221.6, the AUC, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.6830, 55.71% and 76.92% in the ≤6 years old group. Meanwhile, the cutoff value of LYM*PLT was 196.7, and the AUC, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.6448, 53.97% and 70.81%, respectively in the >6 years old group. Screening model based on multivariate logistic regression model revealed that LYM*PLT was the optimal parameter combinations in ≤6 years old group (AUC =0.7202), while LYM and PLT were the optimal parameter combinations in >6 years old group (AUC =0.6760).
UNASSIGNED: Several blood routine parameters in children with influenza A demonstrate differential levels in both age subgroups. The LYM*PLT exhibits the potential screening value of influenza infection.

H9N2 avian influenza is a low-pathogenic avian influenza circulating in poultry and wild birds worldwide and frequently contributes to chicken salpingitis that is caused by avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC), leading to huge economic losses and risks for food safety. Currently, how the H9N2 virus contributes to APEC infection and facilitates salpingitis remains elusive. In this study, in vitro chicken oviduct epithelial cell (COEC) model and in vivo studies were performed to investigate the role of H9N2 viruses on secondary APEC infection, and we identified that H9N2 virus enhances APEC infection both in vitro and in vivo. To understand the mechanisms behind this phenomenon, adhesive molecules on the cell surface facilitating APEC adhesion were checked, and we found that H9N2 virus could upregulate the expression of fibronectin, which promotes APEC adhesion onto COECs. We further investigated how fibronectin expression is regulated by H9N2 virus infection and revealed that transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling pathway is activated by the NS1 protein of the virus, thus regulating the expression of adhesive molecules. These new findings revealed the role of H9N2 virus in salpingitis co-infected with APEC and discovered the molecular mechanisms by which the H9N2 virus facilitates APEC infection, offering new insights to the etiology of salpingitis with viral-bacterial co-infections.IMPORTANCEH9N2 avian influenza virus (AIV) widely infects poultry and is sporadically reported in human infections. The infection in birds frequently causes secondary bacterial infections, resulting in severe symptoms like pneumonia and salpingitis. Currently, the mechanism that influenza A virus contributes to secondary bacterial infection remains elusive. Here we discovered that H9N2 virus infection promotes APEC infection and further explored the underlying molecular mechanisms. We found that fibronectin protein on the cell surface is vital for APEC adhesion and also showed that H9N2 viral protein NS1 increased the expression of fibronectin by activating the TGF-β signaling pathway. Our findings offer new information on how AIV infection promotes APEC secondary infection, providing potential targets for mitigating severe APEC infections induced by H9N2 avian influenza, and also give new insights on the mechanisms on how viruses promote secondary bacterial infections in animal and human diseases.