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Summary Serum concentrations of sex steroid‐binding protein (SBP) were measured by an immunodiffusion technique in a total of 133 samples from 70 healthy pregnant women, 18 puerperal women and 21 non‐pregnant women. In 6 individuals, trends of serum SBP were established from multiple samples taken throughout pregnancy. Maternal serum SBP levels had increased significantly above base line values as early as by 10 weeks gestation, and attained a plateau between 25 and 30 weeks, at which time mean values were about 10‐fold higher than the normal non‐pregnant range, the levels then declined slightly twoards term. Parallel measurements of dihydrotestosterone‐binding capacity of SBP showed a good correlation between SBP content and biological activity. Six abnormal pregnancies were encountered in the present study, and in five of them the molar ratios of bound hormone to SBP concentration were much lower than the normal value, suggesting a reduced binding capacity of the protein for the hormone.

PRESENCE OF A TISSUE PROTEIN, a,H GLOBULIN, I N THE SERUM OF PATIENTS WITH NEOPLASTIC DISEASESThe presence of an u I globulin of probable hepatic origin has been demonstrated by immunodiffusion and radioimmunodiffusion techniques in sera of patients with neoplastic diseases. -199 out of 395 (50%) of the sera of cancer patients were positive for u,H. -71 out of 355 (20%) of pathological but non cancerous sera were positive -None of the 45 normal control sera showed the presence of the u , H protein.The a,H protein is found more frequently in cancerous than in non cancerous sera. However, at present, a diagnostic test cannot be derived from its absence or presence. The discovery of a malignancy in a certain number of sera originally classified as non cancerous incites to pursue our investigations. The elevated percentage of positive pathological sera is suggestive of a reactivity factor. Diferent factors liable to interfere with the results are discussed. The presence of u L H could be a symptom of a metabolic hepatic reaction similar to that giving vise to the u,AP globulin in the rat.