Dynamics of Anti-influenza Mucosal IgA Over a Season in a Cohort of Individuals Living or Working in a Long-term Care Facility.

Background: Serological surveys are used to ascertain influenza infection and immunity, but evidence for the utility of mucosal immunoglobulin A (IgA) as a correlate of infection or protection is limited.

Methods: We performed influenza-like illness (ILI) surveillance on 220 individuals living or working in a retirement community in Gainesville, Florida from January to May 2018, and took pre- and postseason nasal samples of 11 individuals with polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed influenza infection and 60 randomly selected controls. Mucosal IgA against 10 strains of influenza was measured from nasal samples.

Sustainability of school-located influenza vaccination programs in Florida.

Background: School-located influenza vaccination (SLIV) programs are a promising strategy for increasing vaccination coverage among schoolchildren. However, questions of economic sustainability have dampened enthusiasm for this approach in the United States. We evaluated SLIV sustainability of a health department led, county-wide SLIV program in Alachua County, Florida.

School-located influenza vaccination reduces community risk for influenza and influenza-like illness emergency care visits.

Background: School-located influenza vaccination (SLIV) programs can substantially enhance the sub-optimal coverage achieved under existing delivery strategies. Randomized SLIV trials have shown these programs reduce laboratory-confirmed influenza among both vaccinated and unvaccinated children. This work explores the effectiveness of a SLIV program in reducing the community risk of influenza and influenza-like illness (ILI) associated emergency care visits.

Implementing a community-supported school-based influenza immunization program.

School-based influenza immunization programs are increasingly recognized as a key component of community-based efforts to control annual influenza epidemics. Computer modeling suggests that immunizing 70% of schoolchildren could protect an entire community from the flu. Most of the school-based influenza immunization programs described in the literature have had support from industry or federal grants.

Rapid diagnosis of bacterial sinusitis in patients using a simple test of nasal secretions.

Upper respiratory symptoms and sinusitis constitute a major reason for patient visits to their physician. The diagnosis of sinusitis is often made based on history and physical exam, but the accuracy of such diagnosis is questioned. Sinus films or CT scans are expensive.

Peer nomination: a tool for identifying medical student exemplars in clinical competence and caring, evaluated at three medical schools.

Purpose: Peer evaluation is underused in medical education. The goals of this study were to validate in a multiinstitutional study a peer nomination form that identifies outstanding students in clinical competency and interpersonal skills, to test the hypothesis that with additional survey items humanism could be identified as a separate factor, and to find the simplest method of analysis.

Method: In 2003, a 12-item peer nomination form was administered to junior or senior medical students at three institutions.

Leukocyte esterase and protein levels in saliva, as indicators of gingival and periodontal diseases in children.

Purpose: This study was to determine if dip stick assays of children's saliva for leukocyte esterase or protein (Serim Research Corporation, Elkhart, Ind) reflect the presence or severity of gingival or periodontal diseases in children.

Methods: The study included 13 children with periodontitis [study group] and a control group of 17 children without periodontitis. The saliva leukocyte esterase and protein values (scales from 1 to 4) were tested with dip stick analyses.

Role of IgA versus IgG in the control of influenza viral infection in the murine respiratory tract.

The roles of IgG and secretory IgA in the protection of the respiratory tract (RT) against influenza infection remain unclear. Passive immunization with Ab doses resulting in serum IgG anti-influenza virus Ab titers far in excess of those observed in immune mice has compounded the problem. We compared the effects of i.