H Leyland, J Gentry, M J Arthur, R C Benyon – 1 November 1996 – Urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) generates plasmin, a process inhibited by plasminogen‐activator inhibitor (PAI)‐1 and localized to the cell surface by binding of uPA to a specific receptor. Plasmin degrades extracellular matrix (ECM) both directly and by activation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Because stellate cells play a central role in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis both via production of ECM proteins and through secretion of MMPs, their contribution to plasmin generation was assessed.

J Maltby, S Wright, G Bird, N Sheron – 1 November 1996 – Alcoholic hepatitis is characterized by parenchymal neutrophil infiltration. Hepatic synthesis of the neutrophil chemokine interleukin‐8 (IL‐8) is highly elevated in alcoholic hepatitis and levels correlate with the degree of neutrophil infiltration. The aim of this study was to further determine the spectrum of synthesis of chemokines in liver tissue from patients with alcoholic liver disease and a range of disease control subjects.

R E Poupon, P M Huet, R Poupon, A Bonnand, J T Van Nhieu, E S Zafrani – 1 November 1996 – The efficacy of colchicine combined with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and UDCA alone in the treatment of patients with nonadvanced primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) was evaluated in a 2‐year controlled study. Seventy‐four patients with PBC who had been treated previously with UDCA (at least 8 months) but still had abnormal liver test results, especially elevated alkaline phosphatase activity, were randomized to be administered colchicine (1 mg/d, 5 days per week) (n = 37) or a placebo (n = 37).

Jeffry A. Lowell, Sandy Burgess, Surendra Shenoy, John A. Curci, Marion Peters, Todd K. Howard – 1 November 1996

S. H. Caldwell, E. E. De Lange, M. J. Gaffey, M. Sue, J. C. Boyd, R. C. Dickson, C. Driscoll, W. C. Stevenson, M. B. Ishitani, C. McCullough, T. L. Pruett – 1 November 1996 – Measurement of liver volume in patients with advanced liver disease is used to gauge the appropriate size of donor organs and may have prognostic value. We sought to determine the accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in measuring liver volume in 19 adult patients under consideration for liver transplantation. We also correlated the liver volume determination to the clinical severity of disease.

S Gagandeep, S Gupta – 1 November 1996

D Trere, M Derenzini, V Sirri, L Montanaro, W Grigioni, G Faa, G M Columbano, A Columbano – 1 November 1996 – A qualitative and quantitative analysis of silver‐stained nuclear organizer regions (AgNOR) proteins was performed during hepatocarcinogenesis induced in rats initiated by diethylnitrosamine (DENA) using the resistant‐hepatocyte model.

K L Lindsay, G L Davis, E R Schiff, H C Bodenheimer, L A Balart, J L Dienstag, R P Perrillo, C H Tamburro, J S Goff, G T Everson, M Silva, W N Katkov, Z Goodman, J Y Lau, G Maertens, J Gogate, B Sanghvi, J Albrecht – 1 November 1996 – To evaluate response rates to 3, 5, or 10 million units (MU) of interferon alfa‐2b, given thrice weekly, and to determine whether higher doses of interferon increase the likelihood or durability of the response, a multicenter, randomized trial was performed at nine academic medical centers in the United States.

R A Weisiger, D C Rockey – 1 November 1996

F Nomura, M Noda, M Miyake, T Nakai – 1 November 1996 – Adenosine diphosphate (ADP)‐ribosylation is a posttranslational protein modification that, in turn, alters several regulatory proteins in mammalian cells. We demonstrated that long‐term alcohol intake enhanced the ADP‐ribosylation of a 58‐kd protein in rat liver plasma membranes. To assess the biological significance of this phenomenon, we partially purified the 58‐kd acceptor protein from solubilized rat liver homogenates by two sequential preparative high‐pressure liquid chromatographies.