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(1976). Archives The three cases of fetofetal transfusion syndrome were exceptional in the large difference between IgG concentrations in recipient and donor twins. The discrepancy was much greater than that found between the levels of proteins produced by the fetus, suggesting a disturbance in maternofetal placental transfer.IgM was detected in all cord sera, with one exception, and the level was not related to order of birth. IgA was detected in 16% of cord sera, 13% in sera from first borns. IgE was detected in only 8% of cord sera and there was no evidence of placental transfer.For several centuries it has been recognized that the human infant has a surprising resistance to some infections during the first months of life. That this is due to the transfer of immunity from mother to fetus was first shown by Fischl and Wundcheim (1895) when they isolated diphtheria antitoxin from human umbilical cord blood. Since then the subject of maternofetal transfer of immunity has been extensively studied and it is now well known that it is the immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies which cross the placenta and that, in the human newborn, IgG is almost entirely of maternal origin. Much is still unknown about the regulation of maternofetal transfer of IgG and we hoped that further light might be shed on the subject by studying the pattern of immunoglobulins in multiple pregnancy. Our interest was further stimulated on finding a large intrapair difference in cord serum IgG concentration in 2 male infants suffering from the fetofetal transfusion syndrome (Bryan and Slavin, 1974).

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The activity of the phase 1 enzyme aspirin esterase was studied in liver tissue from 16 patients, aged 45-88 years. No correlation between age and enzyme activity was found in post-mitochondrial, cytosolic and microsomal fractions. These results provide further evidence that age is not a major determinant of the activity of hepatic drug-metabolizing enzymes in man.

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