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Biomedical subjects

A Popescu

Publications and source records attributed to A Popescu.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

The Bucharest Multifactorial Prevention Trial of Coronary Heart Disease--ten year follow-up: 1971-1982.

The trial begun in 1971 and the paper brings the results after a ten-year follow-up. Both the intervention and control group contained 5000 men with a similar socioeconomic and professional structure; the intervention group was examined every six months in the first 5 years and annually in the second phase. The control group was examined "only after" 5 years and a second time at the final moment. The decreases of the cumulative ten-year incidences were: for hard events--26.7%; for myocardial infarction--20%; for fatal myocardial infarction--52%; for stroke--31%; for cardiovascular mortality--38%; for total mortality--14%. The trend of serum cholesterol and cigarettes/day was downward, but the blood pressure had a rather flat evolution in the intervention group. The control group disclosed also some downward trends.

Adult↗

CD 26--to be or not to be a cofactor for CD 4 receptor of human immunodeficiency viruses.

Earlier work has shown that HIV binding to CD 4 is necessary, but apparently not sufficient, for viral entry into cells. Several molecules have been proposed as potential candidates for coreceptors in HIV infection. Remarkable attention and criticism was raised by the report of Hovanessian group from Pasteur Institute, France, which claimed the role of CD 26, an enzyme also known as dipeptidyl peptidase IV, as cofactor in HIV entry and HIV infection. Present review mentions some reports which support or reject this hypothesis.

CD4 Antigens↗

Considerations about the prophylactic role of T cell vaccination in HIV infection.

The AIDS epidemic in Romania has properties that are both common to countries of Eastern Europe and unique to Romania. The unique aspects include the large number of cases in children infected parenterally and a relatively low but steadily increasing number of HIV infected adults. Other groups of children and adults were also exposed at risk to acquire HIV by transfusion with unscreened blood or by multiple parenteral treatments with potentially contaminated needles. Our hypothesis was that a substantial number of people in area of high endemicity was "silently" infected but did not undergo specific immune response or clinical signs. In an attempt to explore the possibility that immunization with autologous proteins (consequence of multiple transfusions) can play a role in the protection from HIV infection or in slowing down the progression of disease, we compared the incidence of autoantibodies (anti-nuclear, smooth muscle and anti-HEp-2) in a group of long survivors children with AIDS, in HIV infected children with rapid evolution and in adults at risk for parenteral acquisition of blood borne viral disease. We analyzed also the incidence of some blood borne viral infections and the presence of anti-HLA antibodies in the same groups of patients. Our results do not support the suggestion that HIV infection or AIDS can be prevented, respectively, delayed by T-cell vaccination.

Adolescent↗

Preliminary results of HIV screening in sentinel facilities in Romania.

In the first months of 1994, 393 patients (random consecutive clinic attenders) from three sentinel clinics were tested for anti-V3 loop antibodies in ELISA with a branched synthetic peptide reproducing eight copies of full V3 sequence. Compared with a commercial HIV 1/2 ELISA kit the sensitivity of anti-V3 assay was 97.6% and the specificity 89.7%. The seroprevalence in women attending prenatal clinic was 7.54% and in children with multiple hospitalization record, 3.82%. Both heterosexual and parenteral transmission through unsafe medical practices fuel actual AIDS epidemic in Romania.

Adult↗

[A seroprevalence study of the hepatitis C virus among multiply transfused patients].

A study was conducted on 61 polytransfused patients, 24 patients submitted to long lasting parenteral treatments, 116 blood donors and 132 controls. Immuno-enzymatic tests were used for detection of antibodies against hepatitis C virus (HCV). They were found in 56 (91.8%) out of the 61 polytransfused patients, in 5 (4.3%) of the donors, in 5 (20.8%) of the patients with multiple treatments and in 5 (3.7%) controls. The VHB markers were detected at variable rates in all investigated groups. The high rate of seropositivity indicates that hepatitis C is becoming an important public health problem in Romania.

Adult↗

Stimulation of anti-influenza serum antibody formation in the rat using bovine thymus polypeptide extract.

The authors show that a thymus polypeptide extract, TP1, prepared by them has the effedt of stimulating the formation of anti-influenza serum antibodies and do not show antigenic properties. The extract causes increase of serum lymphocytes. Electrophoretic analysis in polyacrylamide gel reveals a number of 11 fraction, while paper chromatography for amino acids, a number of 12 spots.

Amino Acids↗

Some sex- and age-dependent correlations in acute viral hepatitis.

HBsAg was found to be present in 28.7% of 1980 sera from acute viral hepatitis (AVH) patients tested by immunodiffusion and counterimmunoelectrophoresis. The incidence of HBsAg-positive AVH cases was lower in female subjects aged 10-19 years. The follow up of SGPT, bilirubinemia and thymol turbidity kinetics in 473 of the patients revealed some HBsAg-dependent differences. Such differences oscillated more markedly in adults than in children and were less obvious in women. The possible involvement of certain individual factors in the determinism of hepatitis B virus infection and of its further evolution is suggested.

Adolescent↗

The experience of the "Stefan S. Nicolau" Institue of Virology in the preparation of administration of inactivated influenza vaccines applicable by nasal or oral route.

Studies conducted for over 20 years allowed the authors to accumulate a rich experience in the production and administration of an inactivated influenza vaccine applicable by nasal and oral route, prepared in the "Stefan S. Nicolau" Institute of Virology. Applied as a monovalent in a single dose of 1000 IU, the vaccine induced seroconversion of 70% of the vaccines and ensured a 2--4-fold decrease in influenza morbidity. Owing to these qualities the vaccine represents one of the most advantageous preparations used in influenza prophylaxis.

Antibodies, Viral↗

Bivalent influenza vaccination with inactivated vaccines administered by nasal or oral route.

Influenza vaccinations were performed either by administration of a bivalent A2 + B vaccine, or by successive application of monovalent B and A2 vaccines. During an influenza epidemic caused by an A2 strain, the following observations could be made: a) the best efficiency (no influenza cases) was recorded in adults and aged persons (over 65 years) irrespective of the vaccination scheme; b) in schoolchildren the best results (no influenza cases) were obtained in the lot having received monovalent A2 vaccine, and in the lot vaccinated nasally with monovalent B vaccine and 14 days later with monovalent A vaccine.

Administration, Intranasal↗