Background and Objectives: The occurrence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in children in Romania has been reported since 1989. This retrospective study was aimed at assessing clinical and biological risk factors for mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV in two HIV-acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) Regional Centers (RCs), Constanta and Craiova in Romania. Materials and Methods: During the study period (2008–2019), 408 HIV-positive pregnant women, 244 from Constanta RC and 164 from Craiova RC who attended antenatal visits, were included. All HIV-positive pregnant women were under combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) during pregnancy and childbirth, being followedup with their infants up to 18 months after delivery. We investigated the clinical as well as biological risk factorsassociated with increased MTCT of HIV. Results: Comparing different variables of HIV-positive pregnant women from the two HIV-AIDS CRs, we find that there are significant differences between the mean value of hemoglobin, CD4 level, environmental area, marital and amniotic membranes status, and HIV patient stage in the last trimester of pregnancy (p < 0.05), but without any differences in mother’s mean age, education level, type of delivery, breastfeeding, the duration of cART administration, HIV viral load, and survival rate. Conclusions: In 408 HIV-positive pregnant women followed up at two HIV-AIDS RCs in Romania, the most important clinical and biological risk factors associated with increased MTCT of HIV are represented by anemia, CD4 level, and HIV patient stage.

Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction that results from an exaggerated host immune response to disseminated infection. The relationship between lymphopenia and sepsis has been extensively studied, and in particular, sepsis-induced lymphopenia is gradually being recognized as an essential factor in the prognosis of sepsis. Notably, sepsis-induced lymphopenia has been associated with worse outcomes, including increased risk of secondary infections, multiple organ failure, and death. Few studies have directly compared the dynamic evolution of lymphocyte counts between different etiologies of sepsis or evaluated their prognostic value using serial measurements. This study aims to explore the temporal dynamics of lymphopenia, but also of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR) ratio in patients with severe systemic infections and to assess their relationship with in-hospital mortality. Methods: A prospective cohort of 95 adult patients was analyzed. Absolute lymphocyte counts (ALCs) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR) ratio values were recorded on Days 1, 3, 5, and 7. Comparisons were made between different infectious etiologies and outcomes, and ROC analysis assessed predictive performance. Results and Conclusions: Patients with viral sepsis (“COVID-19”) showed a significant and sustained decrease in lymphocyte counts (p < 0.001) and a progressive increase in NLR (p < 0.001), unlike patients with bacterial sepsis. In correlation with outcome, regardless of etiology, lymphocyte counts were significantly lower in non-survivors from Day 3 onward, while NLR was significantly higher on Day 7 (p = 0.002). Early NLR and ALC had limited predictive value, but longitudinal trends were associated with poor prognosis.

Hepatitis B virus infection is one of the most common diseases diagnosed and treated in infectious disease hospitals around the world, with about 5% of the world’s population infected with this virus. In 2020, 21 cases of acute hepatitis B were registered in Romania and no case of perinatal transmission or chronic hepatitis B, the maximum incidence rate in women was among those aged between 45 and 54 years, and in men between 20 and 24 years. This study is a retrospective on the response to antiviral treatment of children with hepatitis B, which is on the records of the Clinical Hospital for Infectious Diseases between 2010 and 2021. Although the treatment was good and the disease is practically non-clinical, ongoing biochemical and imaging monitoring is required to detect a possible increase in HBV-DNA levels, as well as to prevent liver damage and complications. In the case of patients in our group, Entecavir had a beneficial effect, due to the fact that HBV-DNA became undetectable in 7 of the 9 patients, and the values of transaminases were within normal limits.