Fast Breaking Papers - 2010
April 2010

Rogelio Perez-Padilla talks with ScienceWatch.com and answers a few questions about this month's Fast Breaking Paper Paper in the field of Clinical Medicine.
	Article Title: Pneumonia and Respiratory Failure from Swine-Origin Influenza A (H1N1) in Mexico Authors: Perez-Padilla, R;de la Rosa-Zamboni, D;de Leon, SP;Hernandez, M;Quinones-Falconi, F;Bautista, E;Ramirez-Venegas, A;Rojas-Serrano, J;Ormsby, CE;Corrales, A;Higuera, A;Mondragon, E;Cordova-Villalobos, JA;INER Working Grp Influenza Journal: N ENGL J MED, Volume: 361, Issue: 7, Page: 680-689, Year: AUG 13 2009 * Inst Nacl Enfermedades Resp, Tlalpan 4502, Mexico City 14080, DF, Mexico. * Inst Nacl Enfermedades Resp, Mexico City 14080, DF, Mexico. (addresses have been truncated.)

  Why do you think your paper is highly cited?

The timing was very appropriate, as it was published in the middle of the pandemic and was therefore a good source of information for many countries where the outbreak was just starting. It provided important clinical information regarding the influenza pandemic.

  Does it describe a new discovery, methodology, or synthesis of knowledge?

"We hope the pandemic ceases, but surely influenza became a priority for clinical research and basic research at our institution."

It was a timely synthesis of clinical features of the severe influenza, including only routine clinical, radiological, pathological, and laboratory features which were important to know because it was a new virus.

  Would you summarize the significance of your paper in layman's terms?

It alerted physicians, health personnel, and ministries of health of the main clinical characteristics of severe flu, and, in many countries, it helped prepare them for the influenza outbreak before it started. Indeed, they knew the flu was coming, and the paper described the presentation of the most severe cases.

  How did you become involved in this research, and were there any problems along the way?

Our institute was one of the first hospitals concentrating on patients with severe influenza and therefore we had the experience that would soon be needed elsewhere.

The problem was working on the paper while, at the same time, having an increasing workload due to patients suffering from the influenza outbreak in our hospital.

  Where do you see your research leading in the future?

We hope the pandemic ceases, but surely influenza became a priority for clinical research and basic research at our institution. We've increased the surveillance of respiratory viruses, the capability for identifying variants, and are now in a better position for dealing with new outbreaks of severe respiratory disease. We also participate in national and international networks on influenza for research purposes.

Rogelio Perez-Padilla, M.D.
Director
Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias
Mexico City, Mexico
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Additional information:

View the ScienceWatch.com Special Topics of H1N1 Flu and Avian Influenza.

KEYWORDS: AVIAN INFLUENZA; VIRUS-INFECTIONS; H5N1; HUMANS; DISEASE.