Age-Specific Etiology of Severe Acute Respiratory Infections and Influenza Vaccine Effectivity in Prevention of Hospitalization in Russia, 2018-2019 Season

Metagenomic profiling of nasopharyngeal samples from adults with acute respiratory infection

Diagnosis of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) is challenging due to the broad diversity of potential microbial causes. We used metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) to analyze the nasopharyngeal virome of ARI patients, who had undergone testing with a clinical multiplex PCR panel (Amplisens ARVI-screen-FRT). We collected nasopharyngeal swabs from 49 outpatient adults, 32 of whom had ARI symptoms and were PCR-positive, and 4 asymptomatic controls in Kazakhstan during Spring 2021. We assessed the biodiversity of the mNGS-derived virome and concordance with PCR results. PCR identified common ARI viruses in 65% of the symptomatic cases. mNGS revealed viral taxa consisting of human, non-human eukaryotic and bacteriophage groups, comprising 15, 11 and 28 genera, respectively. Notable ARI-associated human viruses included rhinovirus (16.3%), betaherpesvirus 7 (14.3%) and Epstein-Barr virus (8.16%). The primary phage hosts were Streptococcus spp. (32.7%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (24.5%) and Burkholderia spp. (20.4%). In total, 47% of ARIs were linked solely to bacterial pathogens, a third to viral-bacterial co-infections, and less than 10% to only viral infections by mNGS. PCR showed low concordance with mNGS, except for rhinovirus. These results underscore the importance of broad diagnostic methods and question the effectiveness of commonly used PCR panels in ARI diagnosis.

Electroactive nanofibrous membrane with antibacterial and deodorizing properties for air filtration

Water vapor from respiration can severely accelerate the charge dissipation of the face mask, reducing filtration efficiency. Moreover, the foul odor from prolonged mask wear tends to make people remove their masks, leading to the risk of infection. In this study, an electro-blown spinning electroactive nanofibrous membrane (Zn/CB@PAN) with antibacterial and deodorization properties was prepared by adding zinc (Zn) and carbon black (CB) nanoparticles to the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers, respectively. The filtration efficiency of Zn/CB@PAN for PM0.3 was > 99% and could still maintain excellent durability within 4 h in a high-humidity environment (25 ℃ and RH = 95%). Moreover, the bacterial interception rate of the Zn/CB@PAN could reach 99.99%, and it can kill intercepted bacteria. In addition, the deodorization rate of Zn/CB@PAN in the moist state for acetic acid was 93.75% and ammonia was 95.23%, respectively. The excellent filtering, antibacterial, and deodorizing performance of Zn/CB@PAN can be attributed to the synergistic effect of breath-induced Zn/CB galvanic couples' electroactivity, released metal ions, and generated reactive oxygen species. The developed Zn/CB@PAN could capture and kill airborne environmental pathogens under humid environments and deodorize odors from prolonged wear, holding promise for broad applications as personal protective masks.

Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness in Persons Aged 15-64 Years: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Influenza is a respiratory disease caused by the influenza virus, which is highly transmissible in humans. This paper presents a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and test-negative designs (TNDs) to assess the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of seasonal influenza vaccines (SIVs) in humans aged 15 to 64 years. An electronic search to identify all relevant studies was performed. The outcome measure of interest was VE on laboratory-confirmed influenza (any strain). Quality assessment was performed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for RCTs and the ROBINS-I tool for TNDs. The search identified a total of 2993 records, but only 123 studies from 73 papers were included in the meta-analysis. Of these studies, 9 were RCTs and 116 were TNDs. The pooled VE was 48% (95% CI: 42-54) for RCTs, 55.4% (95% CI: 43.2-64.9) when there was a match between the vaccine and most prevalent circulating strains and 39.3% (95% CI: 23.5-51.9) otherwise. The TNDs' adjusted VE was equal to 39.9% (95% CI: 31-48), 45.1 (95% CI: 38.7-50.8) when there was a match and 35.1 (95% CI: 29.0-40.7) otherwise. The match between strains included in the vaccine and strains in circulation is the most important factor in the VE. It increases by more than 25% when there is a match with the most prevalent circulating strains. The laboratorial method for confirmation of influenza is a possible source of bias when estimating VE.