Circulating alpha-1 acid glycoprotein level in cirrhotic patients was determined by radioimmunoassay, and was compared to the ones in normal subjects and chronic active hepatitis with sublobular necrosis. Serum alpha-1 acid glycoprotein levels in liver cirrhosis (p less than 0.001) and chronic active hepatitis with sublobular necrosis (p less than 0.02) were significantly reduced comparing to the normal subjects, although any statistically significant difference was not observed between the formers. In liver cirrhosis, thie serum alpha-1 acid glycoprotein level correlated negatively with serum albumin concentration but neither with serum alpha-1 globulin fraction nor with Indocyanine green clearance rate.

Serum desialylated glycoprotein level was tested for chronic hepatitic patients. The level was significantly elevated in patients with chronic aggressive hepatitis but not in chronic persistent hepatitis comparing to normal subjects. In chronic aggressive hepatitis, severe type (2B), serum desialylated glycoprotein levels were significantly enhanced but not in moderate type (2A) when compared to chronic persistent hepatitis. Sera taken serially from patients with chronic aggressive hepatitis, severe type (2B), demonstrated a slight correlation between circulating desialylated glycoprotein level and serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase activity.

An improved method for quantitation of desialylated glycoproteins was developed. The assay was carried out in non-saturating condition other than saturating condition which has been used by the other authors. In the present method a lower radioactivity in the assay solution can be used. Standard curves obtained by adding an increasing amount of desialylated alpha1-acid glycoprotein to the assay solution made it possible to measure desialylated glycoproteins equivalent to 5-200 ng of desialylated alpha1-acid glycoprotein. Desialylated alpha1-acid glycoprotein used for the assay could be prepared in large scale by hydrolysis with 0.1 N-H2SO4.

Ausria ll-125 and Ausab were used for testing 1,000 sera from apparently healthy blood donors living in a geographically relatively isolated farm area in the northern part of Shikoku-island. Hepatitis B surface antigen was detected in 2.1% of the donors. The prevalence of antibody to the antigen was 19%. A significant excess of the antigen carriers was detected among males and among donors aged 20-29 years. The frequency of detectable antibody against the antigen increased with advancing age. There was no significant differences in the prevalence of the antibody between males and females. Only 9 male donors were found to have elevated serum glutamyl-oxalacetic-transaminase level. Of these donors with elevated transaminase level, one was with positive antigen and five w ere with positive antibody.