[The role of the complement system in the defence against infections and new ways of assessing the activation routes]. / De rol van het complementsysteem in de afweer tegen infecties en nieuwe bepalingsmogelijkheden van de activatieroutes.

The complement system is of major importance in the defence against infections. Deficiencies in one of the three pathways of activation of the complement system can cause serious infections; the classical pathway, the alternative pathway and the lectin pathway. A new ELISA assay has been developed to enable the assessment of the functional activity of the whole lectin pathway and to determine the classical and the alternative pathway functional activity in a simple uniform design.

[Current incidence of the aged among hospitalized tuberculosis patients]. / Incidenta actuala vîrstnicilor printre bolnavii de tuberculoza sanatorizati

A survey including 10 442 tuberculosis patients hospitalized in a sanatorium showed that 1 086 (10.42%) were 65 years old or older, the proportion increasing from 5.21% in 1964 to 12.78% in 1973 (p less than 0.001). The patients over 70 represented 3.73% of the total, increasing twofold in the course of ten years, from 2.37% to 4.15% (p less than 0.05). There was a rural prevalence, i.e. 11.9% as against 6.85% from urban areas (p less than 0.001), and in the over 70 years age group 4.13% as against 2.74% (p less than 0.001).