Role of the Host Genetic Susceptibility to 2009 Pandemic Influenza A H1N1

The recommendations and the way forward to fight human infections caused by influenza A (H1N1) in Brazil

Many recent outbreaks of influenza A (H1N1) in the world, especially in Brazil, it has become clear that the severity of the disease is not known in the same form. On Wednesday, June 7, 2023, Brazil notified the WHO of a fatal case of human infection with a variant of the influenza A(H1N1) virus of swine origin, this case was confirmed in a laboratory in the region of the interior state of Paraná. This is the first human infection caused by an influenza A (H1N1) virus reported in 2023 nationwide in Brazil. To mitigate H1N1 flu in Brazil, we urge the Brazillian government through its Ministry of Health to improve on mass awareness about the signs and symptoms of H1N1 flu among the Brazillians. The Brazillian government should also implement the One Health approach towards the control of H1N1 flu in Brazil, as we believe that these recommendations would go a long way in preventing future cases and the spread of H1N1 flu in Brazil. This article aims to present the clinical presentations of the H1N1 flu and the implications, recommendations and the way forward to protect the Brazilian population against the H1N1 flu.

Correlations of FCGR2A 131R/H and FCGR3A 158V/F Polymorphisms with the Susceptibility of Peri-implantitis in Chinese Han Population

The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship of peri-implantitis (PI) with FCGR2A and FCGR3A gene polymorphisms. One hundred and forty-four patients with PI and 136 patients without PI infection were selected. Gingival crevicular fluid samples were collected from the two groups. The FCGR2A and FCGR3A polymorphism in the two groups were measured. All volunteers were evaluated for periodontal status. The effect of polymorphisms on PI susceptibility was investigated by chi-square analysis and logistic regression. The frequency of FCGR2A rs1801274 GG genotype of PI group was higher than that of the control group, while the GA and AA genotype carriers were less in PI group. After adjusting for other clinical indicators, rs1801274 GA genotype, AA genotype, and the A allele were still negatively correlated with the onset of PI. FCGR3A rs396991 polymorphism was not associated with PI. FCGR2A rs1801274 polymorphism was significantly associated with PI in the Chinese Han population, and GG genotype might be a genetic risk factor for PI.

A 21-bp deletion in the complement regulator CD55 promotor region is associated with multifocal motor neuropathy and its disease course

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

To further substantiate the role of antibody-mediated complement activation in multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) immunopathology, we investigated the distribution of promotor polymorphisms of genes encoding the membrane-bound complement regulators CD46, CD55, and CD59 in patients with MMN and controls, and evaluated their association with disease course.

METHODS

We used Sanger sequencing to genotype five common polymorphisms in the promotor regions of CD46, CD55, and CD59 in 133 patients with MMN and 380 controls. We correlated each polymorphism to clinical parameters.

RESULTS

The genotype frequencies of rs28371582, a 21-bp deletion in the CD55 promotor region, were altered in patients with MMN as compared to controls (p .009; Del/Del genotype 16.8% vs. 7.7%, p .005, odds ratio: 2.43 [1.27-4.58]), and patients carrying this deletion had a more favorable disease course (mean difference 0.26 Medical Research Council [MRC] points/year; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.040-0.490, p .019). The presence of CD59 rs141385724 was associated with less severe pre-diagnostic disease course (mean difference 0.940 MRC point/year; 95% CI: 0.083-1.80, p .032).

INTERPRETATION

MMN susceptibility is associated with a 21-bp deletion in the CD55 promotor region (rs2871582), which is associated with lower CD55 expression. Patients carrying this deletion may have a more favorable long-term disease outcome. Taken together, these results point out the relevance of the pre-C5 level of the complement cascade in the inflammatory processes underlying MMN.

Selenium Nanoparticles Control H1N1 Virus by Inhibiting Inflammatory Response and Cell Apoptosis

The treatment of influenza caused by H1N1 has been the focus of much attention. Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have been used in many aspects of research in the last two decades. They have shown excellent performance in antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant functions. Previous anti-H1N1 cell experiments using SeNPs have shown that they have evident antiviral effects and low toxicities. This study focuses on the mechanism of selenium nanoparticles against an H1N1 influenza virus infection in vivo. The results showed that the selenium levels in the body decreased after an H1N1 virus infection, and inflammatory factors in the lung tissues increased abnormally, leading to the onset and aggravation of an inflammatory response. The H1N1 virus infection also led to the excessive activation of apoptotic pathways in the body and induced the apoptosis of tissue cells. In addition, this study found that SeNPs can alleviate this phenomenon. All results showed that SeNPs are promising inhibitors for controlling influenza H1N1 virus infections.

Clinical misdiagnosis of influenza infection with a confusing clinical course: A case report

A 32-year-old woman with a history of hypothyroidism and major depressive disorder was admitted with severe weakness and somnolence. She had tachycardia and hypotension, indicative of severe dehydration, and was treated with a vasopressor and sodium bicarbonate, but her clinical manifestations deteriorated. A high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scan showed a patchy ground glass appearance with interlobular septal thickening, suggesting pneumonia. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was requested for the influenza A virus (IAV), which was positive. The patient was treated with oseltamivir and discharged with improved clinical symptoms.

The role of IL17 and IL17RA polymorphisms in lethal pandemic acute viral pneumonia (Influenza A virus H1N1 subtype)

Background

The cytokines play an essential role in acute inflammatory processes, and the IL-17 may be responsible for ambiguous aspects, and the correlation with genetic polymorphisms could improve the search for this critical biomarker. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the IL-17A and IL-17RA tissue expression and the polymorphisms that codified these proteins in a population that died of pandemic Influenza A virus H1N1 subtype compared to a non-pandemic Influenza virus population.

Methods

Necropsy lung samples immunohistochemistry was performed to assess the presence of IL-17A and IL-17RA in the pulmonary tissue. Eight single nucleotide polymorphisms were genotyped using TaqMan® technology.

Results

The Influenza A H1N1 pandemic group had higher tissue expression of IL-17A, higher neutrophil recruitment and shorter survival time between admission and death. Three single nucleotide polymorphisms conferred risk for pandemic influenza A H1N1, the AA genotype of rs3819025 G/A, the CC genotype of rs2241044 A/C, and the TT genotype of rs 2,241,043 C/T.

Conclusions

One IL17A polymorphism (rs381905) and two IL17RA polymorphisms (rs2241044 and rs2241043) represented biomarkers of worse prognosis in the population infected with pandemic influenza A H1N1. The greater tissue expression of IL-17A shows a Th17 polarization and highlights the aggressiveness of the pandemic influenza virus with its duality in the protection and pathogenesis of the pulmonary infectious process.

Shaping Neonatal Immunization by Tuning the Delivery of Synergistic Adjuvants via Nanocarriers

Adjuvanted nanocarrier-based vaccines hold substantial potential for applications in novel early-life immunization strategies. Here, via mouse and human age-specific in vitro modeling, we identified the combination of a small-molecule STING agonist (2'3'-cyclic GMP-AMP, cGAMP) and a TLR7/8 agonist (CL075) to drive the synergistic activation of neonatal dendritic cells and precision CD4 T-helper (Th) cell expansion via the IL-12/IFNγ axis. We further demonstrate that the vaccination of neonatal mice with quadrivalent influenza recombinant hemagglutinin (rHA) and an admixture of two polymersome (PS) nanocarriers separately encapsulating cGAMP (cGAMP-PS) and CL075 (CL075-PS) drove robust Th1 bias, high frequency of T follicular helper (TFH) cells, and germinal center (GC) B cells along with the IgG2c-skewed humoral response in vivo. Dual-loaded cGAMP/CL075-PSs did not outperform admixed cGAMP-PS and CL075-PS in vivo. These data validate an optimally designed adjuvantation system via age-selected small-molecule synergy and a multicomponent nanocarrier formulation as an effective approach to induce type 1 immune responses in early life.

dbGSRV: A manually curated database of genetic susceptibility to respiratory virus

Human genetics has been proposed to play an essential role in inter-individual differences in respiratory virus infection occurrence and outcomes. To systematically understand human genetic contributions to respiratory virus infection, we developed the database dbGSRV, a manually curated database that integrated the host genetic susceptibility and severity studies of respiratory viruses scattered over literatures in PubMed. At present, dbGSRV contains 1932 records of genetic association studies relating 1010 unique variants and seven respiratory viruses, manually curated from 168 published articles. Users can access the records by quick searching, batch searching, advanced searching and browsing. Reference information, infection status, population information, mutation information and disease relationship are provided for each record, as well as hyperlinks to public databases in convenient of users accessing more information. In addition, a visual overview of the topological network relationship between respiratory viruses and associated genes is provided. Therefore, dbGSRV offers a convenient resource for researchers to browse and retrieve genetic associations with respiratory viruses, which may inspire future studies and provide new insights in our understanding and treatment of respiratory virus infection. Database URL: http://www.ehbio.com/dbGSRV/front/

A systematic review and meta-analysis of host genetic factors associated with influenza severity

BACKGROUND

The severity of influenza disease can range from mild symptoms to severe respiratory failure and can partly be explained by host genetic factors that predisposes the host to severe influenza. Here, we aimed to summarize the current state of evidence that host genetic variants play a role in the susceptibility to severe influenza infection by conducting a systematic review and performing a meta-analysis for all markers with at least three or more data entries.

RESULTS

A total of 34 primary human genetic association studies were identified that investigated a total of 20 different genes. The only significant pooled ORs were retrieved for the rs12252 polymorphism: an overall OR of 1.52 (95% CI [1.06-2.17]) for the rs12252-C allele compared to the rs12252-T allele. A stratified analysis by ethnicity revealed opposite effects in different populations.

CONCLUSION

With exception for the rs12252 polymorphism, we could not identify specific genetic polymorphisms to be associated with severe influenza infection in a pooled meta-analysis. This advocates for the use of large, hypothesis-free, genome-wide association studies that account for the polygenic nature and the interactions with other host, pathogen and environmental factors.

TNFA and IL10 Polymorphisms and IL-6 and IL-10 Levels Influence Disease Severity in Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 Virus Infected Patients

Cytokines are key modulators of immune response, and dysregulated production of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines contributes to the pathogenesis of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infection. Cytokine production is impacted by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genes coding for them. In the present study, SNPs in the IL6, TNFA, IFNG, IL17A, IL10, and TGFB were investigated for their association with disease severity and fatality in influenza A(H1N1)pdm09-affected patients with mild disease (n = 293) and severe disease (n = 86). Among those with severe disease, 41 patients had fatal outcomes. In a subset of the patients, levels of IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TNF, IFN-γ, and IL-17 were assayed in the plasma for their association with severe disease. The frequency of TNFA rs1800629 G/A allele was significantly higher in severe cases and survived severe cases group compared to that of those with mild infection (OR with 95% for mild vs. severe cases 2.95 (1.52–5.73); mild vs. survived severe cases 4.02 (1.84–8.82)). IL10 rs1800896-rs1800872 G-C haplotype was significantly lower (OR with 95% 0.34 (0.12–0.95)), while IL10 rs1800896-rs1800872 G-A haplotype was significantly higher (OR with 95% 12.11 (2.23–76.96)) in fatal cases group compared to that of the mild group. IL-6 and IL-10 levels were significantly higher in fatal cases compared to that of survived severe cases. IL-6 levels had greater discriminatory power than IL-10 to predict progression to fatal outcome in influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus-infected patients. To conclude, the present study reports the association of TNFA and IL10 SNPs with severe disease in Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus-infected subjects. Furthermore, IL-6 levels can be a potential biomarker for predicting fatal outcomes in Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infected subjects.