Background and Aims: Hepatitis B infection is a serious public health problem worldwide. It has been shown that the levels of ANTIBODY to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) decrease after vaccination. The main objective of this study was to assess the level of anti-HBs among children after primary vaccination against hepatitis B virus (HBV) in Tehran, Iran.Methods: The study was conducted in four selected healthcare centers in Tehran during a 6-month period from September 2005 to March 2006 in Tehran. Blood samples collected from 165 healthy, 1- to 5-year-old children who had been vaccinated against HBV were tested for anti-HBs using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: Approximately 47.9 % of the cases were male. Among the cases, the minimum and maximum titers of hepatitis B surface antibodies (HBsAb) were zero and 1000 m IU, respectively. The mean level of HBsAb titer in this study was 232.64 m IU, with a standard deviation of 278.711 m IU.Conclusions: The results showed that HBsAb titer may decrease over time after vaccination. Finally, along with prevention and control strategies, ongoing investigation and monitoring of ANTIBODY levels against HBV in children and other age ranges is recommended.

Aim: This study was designed to evaluate the frequency of ANTIBODY against these viruses in individuals attending the endoscopy ward of Taleghani hospital Tehran, Iran. Background: Blood-borne viruses such as hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus and HTLV-1 virus are among the world’s public health problems. Hepatitis viruses cause liver problems and HTLV-1 infection can lead to adult T-Cell lymphoma (ATL). Patients and methods: Blood samples of 219 individuals attending the endoscopy ward of Taleghani hospital between years 2009-2011 were collected. A questionnaire containing demographic data was completed for each subject. Blood samples were tested for ANTIBODY against HTLV-1, HCV and HBc by ELISA (Dia.pro Italy). In case of positive results for anti-HBc, samples were also tested for HBs Ag antigen.Results: Ninety two subjects were male and 127 were female. Mean age of the population was 39.87 ± 16.47. None of the subjects had anti-HCV ANTIBODY, while 4 of them had anti-HTLV-1 ANTIBODY and 26 anti-HBc ANTIBODY, which only two of these individuals had HBs ANTIBODY.Conclusion: The results of this study show that frequency of anti-HCV and anti-HTLV-1 antibodies are very low, while the frequency of anti-HBc was higher in the population. Since HTLV-1 is the causative agent of a type of blood cancer, it seems that screening of donated bloods in this region should be considered.

Background: In spite of available, and sensitive screening assay for detection of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg), occasional cases of post-transfusion hepatitis B virus infection are still observed. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of positive anti hepatitis B core (anti-HBc) and presence of HBV-DNA in serum sample of healthy blood donors negative for both HBsAg and anti-HCV ANTIBODY. We evaluated whether anti-HBc could be adopted as a screening assay for blood donation. Material and Methods: Two thousands sera negative for both HBsAg and anti-HCV collected from healthy blood donors tested for presence of anti-HBc ANTIBODY. All sera positive for anti-HBc ANTIBODY were then investigated for determination of anti-HBc and anti-HBs titers, HbeAg and anti-HBe ANTIBODY by enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Every sample that tested negative for HBsAg but positive for anti-HBc alone or in combination with other serological markers was also examined for the presence of HBV-DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: Out of 2000 HBsAg negative blood samples, 131 samples (6.55%) were positive for anti-HBc. HBV-DNA was detected in 16 of 131(12.2%) anti-HBc positive specimens. The liver function test results were all in normal range except in 4 (25%) of 16 HBV-DNA positive subjects. Conclusion: Anti-HBc ANTIBODY should be tested routinely on blood donor volunteers, and if the sera become positive regardless of anti-HBs titer, the blood should be discarded. Further testing for HBV-DNA is appropriate to follow up the blood donor patient for HBV infection.

Background and Aims: An important way to prevent hepatitis B infection is vaccination especially among high-risk populations including healthcare workers. Unfortunately, immunologic response to the vaccine is not perfect. Multiple different factors such as gender, age, body mass index (BMI), smoking and underlying diseases can influence the immunologic response. So, this study was conducted to evaluate the post-vaccination immunologic response of medical students of Guilan University of Medical Sciences (GUMS).Methods: In this cross-sectional study, GUMS medical students who had received complete vaccine series at zero, one, and six months were enrolled. Their demographic data and the factors which could probably alternate the immunologic response were collected by interview. The anti-HBs Ab titer was evaluated by Enzyme-Linked-Immunoassay (ELISA.( Appropriate immunologic response was supposed to be HBsAb>=10mIU/ml. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 10.00.P value <0.05 was considered significant.Results: We evaluated 233 students with mean age of 24.9¡4.5 years. 74.7% were female. 4.9% did not respond properly to vaccination. Females' immunologic responses were significantly higher than males' (P=0.001). Responsiveness was significantly lower in smokers than non-smokers (P=0.02). Mean age in inappropriate and appropriate responder groups were 28.67¡5.4 and 24.77±4.4 years, respectively (P=0.004).Conclusions: 95.1% of students had a protective level of anti-HBsAb (>10mIU/ml). Since health-care staffs including medical students are a high risk group to be contaminated with HBV, it is preferable to be evaluated for anti-HBs titer1-3 months after full three-dose vaccination especially when these factors are present; in this way the false sense of being immunized among them may be decreased.