No abstract

The presence of high-risk human Papillomavirus types 16, 18 and 33 was examined in 125 pregnant patients with abnormal Papanicolau smears. Specimens of cervicovaginal cells were analyzed by a simplified method of slot-blot hybridization. The overall prevalence of those viral sequences was 48%, being: 22.4% of HPV16, 17.6% of HPV18, 4.0% for double HPV16 and 18 infestation and 4.0% of HPV33. Their prevalence in HPV positive cervical sample was alone respectively 46.6%, 36.6%, 8.3% and 8.3%. Besides the high incidence of those carcinogenic types and intense viral proliferation, a rapid progression from CIN to carcinoma was clinically observed in four pregnant patients. Our data may reinforce the idea that progesterone has a positive role to the persistence and transformation of 'high risk' HPV, particularly of HPV16. The enhanced detection of potentially malignant types during pregnancy should warn on the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of papillomatosis.

Recombinant yeast-derived hepatitis B vaccine manufactured by Instituto Butantan was administered in two groups of adult volunteers (I, II) following two different schedules of immunization. In the first trial (10 &mgr;g doses and 0, 1, 3 months vaccination schedule) 106 individuals completed the full immunization program. The results of seroconversion by age group varied from 70 to 100% and the GMT from 46.5 to 124.9 mIU mL-1. In the second trial with 68 individuals (for dosage comparison and 0, 1, 6 months vaccination schedule) indicated that the vaccine formulated in 20 &mgr;g was more effective than in 10 &mgr;g. The adverse reactions observed in the vaccinees were less frequent than the ones previously found since the introduction of similar vaccines.