SummaryWe investigated the prevalence of hepatitis B antigen (HBAg) and antibody (HBAb) in 293 prostitutes and in 379 pregnant women of similar age and of low socioeconomic level, who served as controls. HBAg was found in 4-4% of prostitutes and 3-4% of controls. The prevalence of HBAb was significantly higher (P <0 001) in prostitutes (56 7%) than in controls (24*5%). The prevalence of HBAb was clearly age-dependent in both groups. Evidence of hepatitis B virus infection significantly increased with the number of years in prostitution. The evidence of increased infection rates among prostitutes and their distribution support the hypothesis that hepatitis B infection is sexually transmitted. IntroductionRecent studies suggest that hepatitis B may be transmitted by non-parenteral or at least inapparent routes (Cossart, 1971) and that sexual transmission may play an important role in the spread of the disease (Jeffries et al., 1973). Thus a high rate of infection might be expected among prostitutes. We therefore decided to test this hypothesis by studying the prevalence of hepatitis B antigen (HBAg) and antibody (HBAb) in prostitutes in Athens, where the incidence of hepatitis B virus infection is high (Papaevangelou et al., 1971). We report the results of the study in this paper.

The association between serum levels of alpha 1-antitrypsin (a1AT) at the time of diagnosis and survival was studied in a group of 44 patients with confirmed pancreas cancer. All 44 patients were followed until time of death, which occurred in all cases from pancreas cancer, with a median time of 3 months and a range of 0.5 to 16 months. Cox's proportional hazards model was utilized in the analysis controlling for sex, age and tobacco smoking. Males, older patients and smokers have higher fatality rates, but none of these relations was statistically significant. By contrast, there was a statistically highly significant association of increased levels of serum a1AT, at the time of diagnosis of the cancer of pancreas, with shorter survival; patients with serum a1AT higher by 100mg/100ml had a 57% higher fatality rate. These results indicate that serum a1AT represents a clinically interesting prognostic factor in pancreas cancer.

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(1974). Archives of Disease in Childhood, 49, 936. Hepatitis B antigen and antibody in maternal blood, cord blood, and amniotic fluid. Transplacental transmission of hepatitis B virus from hepatitis B antigen carrier mothers was investigated by studying the presence of the antigen and its antibody in maternal blood, umbilical cord blood, and amniotic fluid. Hepatitis B antigen was shown in the umbilical cord blood of 2 out of 14 newborns whose mothers were permanent hepatitis B antigen carriers. The antigen was eliminated from the blood of these newborns in less than 3 months. It was also detected in the concentrated amniotic fluid of one hepatitis B antigen cord blood-positive case. Antibodies (anti-HBs) crossed the placental barrier easily and were found in the umbilical cord blood and in the amniotic fluid. They were not detected in the umbilical cord blood and amniotic fluid of any of the studied newborns of hepatitis B antigen carrier mothers.These data indicate that the fetuses of carrier mothers are exposed to the hepatitis B virus. However, chronic antigen positivity and anti-HBs production was not shown. Occurrence of in utero infection and subsequent resolution cannot be excluded, but it appears more probable that in utero infection is blocked.

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