Sci-Bytes> Hot Paper in Medicine
Week of August 7, 2011
"Emergence of a novel swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus in humans," by the Novel Swine-Origin Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Investigation Team (F.S. Dawood, et al.), New England Journal of Medicine, 360(25): 2605-15, 18 June 2009.
[Authors' affiliation (writing group): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA]
Abstract: "BACKGROUND On April 15 and
April 17, 2009, novel swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus (S-OIV) was
identified in specimens obtained from two epidemiologically unlinked
patients in the United States. The same strain of the virus was identified
in Mexico, Canada, and elsewhere. We describe 642 confirmed cases of human
S-OIV infection identified from the rapidly evolving U.S. outbreak.
METHODS Enhanced surveillance was implemented in the
United States for human infection with influenza A viruses that could not
be subtyped. Specimens were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention for real-time reverse-transcriptase-polymerase chain-reaction
confirmatory testing for S-OIV. RESULTS From April 15
through May 5, a total of 642 confirmed cases of S-OIV infection were
identified in 41 states. The ages of patients ranged from 3 months to 81
years; 60% of patients were 18 years of age or younger. Of patients with
available data, 18% had recently traveled to Mexico, and 16% were
identified from school outbreaks of S-OIV infection. The most common
presenting symptoms were fever (94% of patients), cough (92%), and sore
throat (66%); 25% of patients had diarrhea, and 25% had vomiting. Of the
399 patients for whom hospitalization status was known, 36 (9%) required
hospitalization. Of 22 hospitalized patients with available data, 12 had
characteristics that conferred an increased risk of severe seasonal
influenza, 11 had pneumonia, 8 required admission to an intensive care
unit, 4 had respiratory failure, and 2 died. The S-OIV was determined to
have a unique genome composition that had not been identified previously.
CONCLUSIONS A novel swine-origin influenza A virus was
identified as the cause of outbreaks of febrile respiratory infection
ranging from self-limited to severe illness. It is likely that the number
of confirmed cases underestimates the number of cases that have
occurred."
This 2009 report from the New England Journal of Medicine was
cited 121 times in current journal articles indexed by
Clarivate during
March-April 2011. With its latest tally, the report now marks it sixth
consecutive bimonthly period as the most-cited medicine paper published in
the last two years, aside from reviews. (In the latest Top Ten compilation
for medicine, half of the reports examine aspects of the 2009 H1N1
outbreak.) Indeed, it seems likely that the paper will leave the Top Ten
due to exceeding the mandatory two-year “retirement” age for
Hot Papers before its citations begin to flag. Prior to the most recent
two-month count, citations have accrued as follows:
January-February 2011: 72 citations
November-December 2010: 62
September-October 2010: 71
July-August 2010: 60
May-June 2010: 72
March-April 2010: 80
January-February 2010: 85
November-December 2009: 81
September-October 2009: 30
July-August 2009: 19
Total citations to date: 753
SOURCE: Hot Papers Database (Included with a subscription to the print newsletter Science Watch®, available from the Research Services Group of Thomson Reuters. Packaged on a CD that is mailed with each Science Watch issue, the Hot Papers Database contains data on hundreds of highly cited papers published during the last two years. User interface permits searching by author, organization, journal, field, and more. Total citations, as well as citations accrued during successive bimonthly periods, can be assessed and graphed.
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