Strategies for prevention and control of hepatitis B and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatitis B represents a serious public health problem in all parts of the world, and particularly in hyperendemic areas, where the majority of infections occur in childhood. As this infection in early life leads frequently to chronic infection, the prevalence rates of long-term sequelae, such as chronic active hepatitis and cirrhosis, are high. In addition, recent epidemiological, virological and molecular biological studies have provided evidence that persistent or past infection with hepatitis B virus plays an important role in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Regional response of lymphatic tissue in bronchogenic cancer.

The limiting factors in the treatment of bronchogenic cancer consist, from the bronchological point of view, in the possibility to estimate the advanced macromorphological stage of the disease with the determination of the degree of the affection of regional intrathoracic nodes. By the perbronchial route it is possible to obtain also a sufficient amount of material from unaffected nodes for purposes of testing their function. The testing of the spontaneous E-rosette formation is shortened, with the use of this method, by three quarters of an hour, but the possibility of obtaining a sufficient quantity of lymphocytes by the perbronchial puncture with the use of a fine needle is on average smaller than 50% in all types of bronchogenic cancer.

Prevalence of markers of hepatitis B virus infection in various countries: a WHO collaborative study.

A WHO collaborative study on viral hepatitis B in which 21 laboratories in 20 countries participated is described. The aim of the study was to define the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), its subtypes, and its antibody (anti-HBs) by age and sex and urban or rural residence in normal populations in different parts of the world. High-risk groups in the populations and patients with various diseases were also investigated.

The viral etiology of acute respiratory infections in children in Uganda.

The role of viruses in respiratory diseases of young children in Uganda was studied. A viral etiology was established in 36% of the infections investigated. The most important pathogens were found to be respiratory syncytial virus and parainfluenza viruses, which were responsible for 26% of infections investigated.