[The AIDS epidemic among children in Romania. The current data and short-term forecasts]. / L'épidémie de SIDA chez les enfants en Roumanie. Données actuelles et prévisions à court terme.

Situation and main characteristics of the AIDS epidemics in Romania are analysed. Prevention measures, among which it is worth mentioning a correct information of the population, are proposed.

The continuous decrease in the number of SSPE annual cases ten years after compulsory anti-measles immunization.

The record of SSPE cases diagnosed immunochemically and serologically in our laboratory, standing for about 60% of the total new cases reported in our country, shows a significant decrease in the incidence in 1988-89 (from 5.21 new cases per year per million total population in 1987 to 1.82 cases in 1988). In 85% of the patients, SSPE onset occurred at the age of 10 years or more, suggesting the possibility of a primary measles infection before anti-measles immunization became compulsory. High serum and CSF anti-measles antibody titres in recently diagnosed patients show subclinical long-term courses. Further serologic tests for viruses inducing persistent infections (herpes viruses, AgHBs and HIV) do not show any difference when compared to a control group excepting an increased incidence of anti-cytomegalic titres.

Viral infection correlated with superoxide anion radicals production and natural and synthetic copper complexes.

Studies conducted on asymmetric triazine derivatives synthetized at the Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research Institute showed that products S1, S16, S17, S19, S20 and S22 have a remarkable O2- radical scavenger activity. Among these derivatives, the product S1 is the most efficient as an antiviral agent.

Protein kinase C and the antiviral effect of human interferon.

Protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors: Hidaka's compounds H-7 (10 microM) and H-8 (20 microM), palmitoyl-carnitine (10 microM) and phloretin (50 microM), did not modify the antiviral effect of human natural or recombinant interferon alpha and of natural interferon beta. The tumor promoter 12-o-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) (200 nM), known as activator of PKC induced an antiviral state when tested on human embryo fibroblasts challenged with the vesicular stomatitis virus. The battery of PKC inhibitors used inhibited the antiviral effect induced by TPA. Palmitoyl-carnitine (10 microM) exerted a toxic effect that was reversed by interferon treatment (2,000 IU/ml interferon alpha). These results suggest that PKC, possibly activated by interferon-receptor interaction, is not essential for inducing the antiviral effect of interferon, but, probably, mediates the antiviral effect of TPA.

[The antiproliferative effects associated with vincristine and human interferons in experimental in vitro systems]. / Effets antiprolifératifs associés du vincristine et des interférons humains dans des systèmes expérimentaux in vitro.

Cytotoxic potential of suboptimal doses of vincristine associated with human interferon was studied in two cell lines of tumoral origin, as compared to the action of or gamma type interferon preparations. Results show that the vincristine cytotoxic effect may be synergistically augmented in both culture types by simultaneous interferon administration.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). VII. Established lymphoid cell line (IVPat-88) obtained from synovial fluid of a patient with aseptic arthritis.

Attempts have been made to culture mononuclear cells from synovial fluid of 8 patients with arthropathy, and have led to the development of the lymphoid cell line IVPat-88. Cell line has been propagated by serial passages for more than 14 weeks in continuous culture. The cells grew as single, free-floating individuals, or in dense clumps without adherence to glass or plastic surface. All these cells were identified as altered lymphoblasts because of their growth pattern and uniform morphology, and the presence of Epstein-Barr Viral Capsid Antigen (VCA) in 5 to 10% of the cells. The cell concentration varied during the period of culture from about 300,000 to 1,700,000 cells per ml, and mean doubling time during phases of active growth was 42 and 60 hours in MEM and RPMI 1640 tissue culture media, respectively. The methods used and the characteristics of the cell line are described.

[Adaptation of the avidin-biotin system for identifying and quantifying Sendai virus antigens]. / Adaptation du système avidine-biotine en vue de l'identification et du dosage des antigènes du virus Sendaï.

The avidin-biotin system was adapted in view of the identification and dosage of the Sendai parainfluenza virus and of its antigens, using the method of double antibodies (biotinylated and nonbiotinylated) in ELISA type tests.

[Assessment of the epidemiological parameters of the most widespread viral diseases in the Socialist Republic of Romania and in Sibiu County for period 1967-1986]. / Estimation des paramètres épidémiologiques des viroses les plus répandues en R.S. de Roumanie et dans le département de Sibiu pour l'intervalle 1967-1986.

Essential peculiarities of the kinetics of the morbidity evolution of most frequent virus diseases were explained using a determinant mathematical model. The main epidemiological parameters for the whole territory of the S.R. of Romania and of Sibiu County were evaluated for the 1967-1986 period.

[Different modalities for registering AIDS cases. Their importance for the European epidemic]. / Considérations sur les différentes modalités d'enregistrement des cas de SIDA. Signification pour l'épidémie européenne.

The high number of AIDS cases diagnosed in different European countries imposed to reconsider the opinion that European epidemic is just reflecting the American epidemic. The whole morbidity des not point out the peculiar elements of HIV infection propagation in Europe. The exponential rise of reported case number during 1987 imposes to analyse the new epidemiological situation.

[Gamma interferon induced in human leukocytes by phytohemagglutinin: its production and biological characteristics]. / Inteféron gamma induit dans des leucocytes humains par la phytohémagglutinine: production et carcatéristiques biologiques.

Human gamma type interferon (IFN) preparations were obtained through phytohemagglutinin stimulation of leukocytes from the peripheral blood. Biological value of these preparations varied between 160 u and 800 u/ml, depending on leukocyte incubation medium, culture system and inductor conservation. The rising of the antiviral activity through association between gamma (3 u) and alpha (27 u) interferons was revealed by the virus quantity reduction (in this case the vesicular stomatitis virus was used) during a 24-hour multiplication cycle. The protection ensured by the mixture of the two types of interferon was about ten times higher than the additive effect of the two preparations. Study of the antiproliferative activity of a gamma interferon preparation was conducted on two human cell lines of tumoral origin (T-10 from a glioblastoma, and HEp-2) and revealed the difficulties to quantify precisely this property of the crude gamma interferon preparations.

Interferon-induced antiviral state is inhibited by neomycin and mimicked by diacylglycerols.

The antiviral effect of human interferons alpha and beta was inhibited in dose-dependent manner by submillimolar concentrations of neomycin, known to block phosphoinositide hydrolysis and therefore the diacylglycerol formation. On the contrary, the synthetic permeant diacylglycerols (1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-sn or rac-glycerol) were able to induce an interferon-like antiviral state when tested against the vesicular stomatitis virus and herpes simplex type I virus. Hidaka's compound H-8 (1.2 microM), expected to inhibit cAMP- and cGMP-dependent protein kinases, did not modify the antiviral effect of interferon. Our data suggest that the phosphoinositide pathway is involved in transducing the interferon antiviral signal, but, since the exogenous phospholipase C (0.1-1 U/ml) failed to induce an antiviral state, this pathway, although implicated, seems not the only one.

Computerized studies of influenza epidemiology in the Sibiu county between 1968 and 1986.

The report presents a statistical synthesis (a microcomputer Junior was used) concerning the incidence of various acute infections of the upper respiratory tract (AIURT), the stages of their evolution, the distribution of cases among the population groups, the seasonal incidence and the values of epidemiologic parameters. We used clinical and epidemiologic data on AIURT of viral etiology (especially influenza). The structure of a data base on the epidemiology of AIURT of viral etiology is also presented.

[Treatment of cutaneous herpes and herpes zoster with Nivcrisol-D]. / Traitement de l'herpès cutané et du zona zoster à l'aide de NIVCRISOL-D.

The results obtained at the Dermatological service of the Colentina Hospital show that the product NIVCRISOL-D, containing propolis, has a significant therapeutical effect against recurrent herpes and zona zoster.

[Presence of C-reactive protein in the development of acute mumps infection. Preliminary report]. / Observations sur la présence de la protéine C réactive durant l'évolution de l'infection ourlienne aiguë. Rapport préliminaire.

Investigations conducted on subjects with epidemic parotitis serologically confirmed (hemagglutination inhibition) allowed the detection of amounts of C reactive protein (Crp) higher than the normal level in 34% of the serum samples collected during the first twelve days of illness. After that, the Crp gradually decreased. The results showed that Crp is present in more than 40% of the subjects with uncomplicated mumps and in 55 to 75% of the cases with such complications as meningitis or orchitis. In most of the subjects, the Crp was found only in the first sample, but not in the second. Nevertheless, high amounts were found later, simultaneously with anti-mumps antibodies.