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The aim of this retrospective study was to examine factors related to symptomatic pain treatment in 992 hospitalized patients referred to the pain clinic. These patients accounted for 1440 different pains (1.5 pains/patient), of nociceptive (59%), or neuropathic (24%) origin, a combination of both (16%) and of unidentified (1%) origin. Patients resistant to therapy did not differ from nonresistant patients (62%) in terms of age, sex, or number of pains. Although recommended pharmacological treatments were pursued, the neuropathic origin of pain was a factor in resistance to treatment. Among the neuropathic pains resistant to treatment (42%) a central nervous origin is more frequently found. Resistance to pain was more frequently encountered after strokes, primitive tumor of the central nervous system or traumatic plexopathy, whereas peripheral lesions of the nervous system were more easily controlled by symptomatic treatment. This study shows that central neuropathic pain is more frequently associated with resistance to recommended pharmacological symptomatic treatments. This observation underlines the limits of conventional medical therapy.

Investigations pointed out the high level of respiratory diseases and pneumonias in children, especially in the youngest ones (0-1 year-old) during all the surveyed period. An influenza outbreak during the second half of February was registered in the infantile population--school and low-age children--which gave most of the cases. Serology and isolations incriminated an influenza virus related to the A/Beijing 353/89 (H3N2) strain. Isolations worked out after the influenza epidemics pointed out circulation of parainfluenza and adenoviruses. The necessity is emphasized of the anti-influenza vaccination of low-age children.

A study was conducted on the specific and non specific immunomodulator effects of the inactivated vaccine NIVGRIP. The results revealed the seroconversion of HAI antibodies against influenza and mumps viruses and the reduction of viral and microbial flora of the pharynx. The kinetics of some proteins specific to the acute stage (siderophiline antitrypsin, microglobulin, complement C1q and C2 factors, C reactive protein and fibronectin) was also investigated and significant quantitative modifications were noticed in vaccinated subjects. The mean illness duration (acute respiratory disease) was three times as short in vaccinated subjects as in controls.

A study was performed on 756 serum samples collected from the umbilical cord of newborn infants. HBV markers were found in 4.63% of the tested subjects. Of these samples, 291 were tested for the HIV markers and 0.34% were found positive (versus 0 in the controls, most of them men from the same region). Results confirmed the possibility of vertical transmission of both viruses, HBV and HIV, in Romania.

The presence of some viral and inframicrobial antigens in peripheral leukocytes was investigated by the indirect immunofluorescence technique in 120 patients with different forms of rheumatism and 50 clinically healthy controls. Mycoplasma pneumoniae and type 3 para-influenza virus were detected most frequently. The determination of serum interferon titer revealed a rise of this product in rheumatic patients.

An acute respiratory disease outbreak appeared during February and March 1988 in a half-closed community. Virologic investigations were conducted and an influenza virus type B strain was isolated, antigenically like B/Victoria 2/87. Administration of the anti-influenza vaccine in the fifth day of the outbreak evolution led to considerable reduction of the new cases and to outbreak extinction after 48 hours.

A comparative study was conducted in patients vaccinated with the NIVGRIP trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine and in placebo receiving controls on the kinetics of the serum hemagglutination inhibiting (HAI) antibodies and the neutralizing secretory antibodies in the nasopharyngeal secretions (NPS), of the blastic transformation of lymphocytes index, of the rosette formation index and of the serum immunoglobulins. A significant rise of the H.A.I. and the neutralizing secretory antibodies as well as of the blastic transformation of lymphocytes index was recorded after stimulation with the influenza vaccine. There were no significant changes in controls. No significant variations of the blastic transformation of lymphocytes index after stimulation with P.P.D. and of the rosette formation index were recorded in both investigated groups. Serum immunoglobulin titres showed significant variations in vaccinated as well as in control groups. The results point out the stimulating effect of the NIVGRIP inactivated influenza vaccine on both humoral and cell mediated immune responses.

The study of the kinetics of interferon in the nasopharyngeal secretions (NPS) of adults vaccinated by intranasal route with the NIVGRIP inactivated influenza vaccine and of unvaccinated controls led to the following observations: the large variety of the individual reactions to the IFN inducing action of the NIVGRIPR vaccine: the presence of low titers of a "physiological" IFN in the NPS of 26% of the patients before vaccination; a positive conversion to IFN in 60% of the patients after the first and in 33% after the second administration of the vaccine. No changes were noted in the percentage of IFN positive controls during the observation period. A "physiological" IFN was detected in the NPS of 10% of the controls.