Survey of influenza and other respiratory viruses diagnostic testing in US hospitals, 2012-2013.

Background: Little is known about laboratory capacity to routinely diagnose influenza and other respiratory viruses at clinical laboratories and hospitals.

Aims: We sought to assess diagnostic practices for influenza and other respiratory virus in a survey of hospitals and laboratories participating in the US Influenza Hospitalization Surveillance Network in 2012-2013.

Materials And Methods: All hospitals and their associated laboratories participating in the Influenza Hospitalization Surveillance Network (FluSurv-NET) were included in this evaluation.

Impact of Prompt Influenza Antiviral Treatment on Extended Care Needs After Influenza Hospitalization Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Background: Patients hospitalized with influenza may require extended care on discharge. We aimed to explore predictors for extended care needs and the potential mitigating effect of antiviral treatment among community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 65 years hospitalized with influenza.

Methods: We used laboratory-confirmed influenza hospitalizations from 3 influenza seasons.

Family History of Sudden Cardiac Death of the Young: Prevalence and Associated Factors.

Sudden cardiac death of the young (SCDY) is a devastating event for families and communities. Family history is a significant risk factor for this potentially preventable cause of death, however a complete and detailed family history is not commonly obtained during routine health maintenance visits. To estimate the proportion of adults with a family history of SCDY, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Genomics Program included two questions within the 2007 Michigan Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (MiBRFS).

Comparing clinical characteristics between hospitalized adults with laboratory-confirmed influenza A and B virus infection.

We challenge the notion that influenza B is milder than influenza A by finding similar clinical characteristics between hospitalized adult influenza-cases. Among patients treated with oseltamivir, length of stay and mortality did not differ by type of virus infection.

The burden of influenza hospitalizations in infants from 2003 to 2012, United States.

Background: Little information is available describing the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of those <12 months hospitalized with influenza, particularly at a population level.

Methods: We used population-based, laboratory-confirmed influenza hospitalization surveillance data from 2003 to 2012 seasons to describe the impact of influenza by age category (<3, 3 to <6 and 6 to <12 months). Logistic regression was used to explore risk factors for intensive care unit (ICU) admission.

Hospital-onset influenza hospitalizations--United States, 2010-2011.

Background: Seasonal influenza is responsible for more than 200,000 hospitalizations each year in the United States. Although hospital-onset (HO) influenza contributes to morbidity and mortality among these patients, little is known about its overall epidemiology.

Objective: We describe patients with HO influenza in the United States during the 2010-2011 influenza season and compare them with community-onset (CO) cases to better understand factors associated with illness.

Patients hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza during the 2010-2011 influenza season: exploring disease severity by virus type and subtype.

Background:  The 2010-2011 influenza season was dominated by influenza A(H3N2) virus, but influenza A(H1N1) pdm09 (pH1N1) and B viruses cocirculated. This provided an opportunity to explore within-season predictors of severity among hospitalized patients, avoiding biases associated with season-to-season differences in strain virulence, population immunity, and healthcare seeking.

Methods:  Population-based, laboratory-confirmed influenza hospitalization surveillance data were used to examine the association between virus type/subtype and outcomes in children and adults.

Reduced influenza antiviral treatment among children and adults hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza infection in the year after the 2009 pandemic.

Influenza antiviral treatment is recommended for all persons hospitalized with influenza virus infection. During the 2010-2011 influenza season, antiviral treatment of children and adults hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza declined significantly compared with treatment during the 2009 pandemic (children, 56% vs 77%; adults, 77% vs 82%; both P < .01).

Rubella contact tracing associated with air travel.

This report reviews U.S. guidelines for the identification of persons exposed to rubella during air travel.

Attitudes and behaviors of international air travelers toward pandemic influenza.

Background: Air travelers play a significant role in the spread of novel strains of influenza viruses; however, little is understood about the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of international air travelers toward pandemic influenza in relation to public health interventions and personal protective behaviors at overseas destinations.

Methods: Prior to the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, we surveyed a convenience sample of 404 departing international travelers at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. Presented with a hypothetical pandemic influenza scenario occurring overseas, the participants predicted their anticipated protective behaviors while abroad and recorded their attitudes toward potential screening measures at US ports of entry (POE).

Screening for testicular cancer: an evidence review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

Background: Testicular cancer is the most common type of cancer in men aged 15 to 34 years. Because treatment produces favorable outcomes even in advanced stages, the U.S.