Y K Shimizu, S M Feinstone, M Kohara, R H Purcell, H Yoshikura – 1 February 1996 – We previously demonstrated that a human T‐cell line, HPBMa10‐2 derived from HPBALL, was capable of supporting a productive infection of hepatitis C virus (HCV). We subsequently found Daudi cells, a human B‐cell line, to be susceptible to HCV infection. Employing these cell lines infected with HCV as well as liver obtained during the acute phase of hepatitis C from a chimpanzee, we observed intracellular HCV particles by electron microscopy (EM).

J Kountouras, I Magoula, G Tsapas, I Liatsis – 1 February 1996 – No evidence is available on the transport of biliary urate and the possible role of choleretic agents in the regulation of biliary urate elimination in humans.

1 February 1996

1 February 1996

T Tomiya, K Fujiwara – 1 February 1996 – Transforming growth factor α (TGF α) is supposed to act as a mitogen for hepatocytes in an autocrine manner in vitro and in vivo. Retarded liver regeneration is a possible reason for poor prognosis of fulminant hepatitis (FH). We analyzed serum TGF α levels in patients with FH and patients with acute nonfulminant hepatitis (AH). Also, the relation of those levels to serum hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) levels and their changes after glucagon‐insulin (G‐I) therapy were studied.

Y Zhang, M Kanzaki, H Mashima, T Mine, I Kojima – 1 February 1996 – Activin A, an autocrine factor produced by hepatocytes, inhibits mitogen‐stimulated DNA synthesis and induces apoptotic death of cultured rat hepatocytes. Several lines of evidence indicate that norepinephrine (NE), as a comitogenic growth factor, alters the balance between growth stimulation and inhibition and acts as a trigger for the initiation of hepatocyte proliferation. In the present study, we examined whether NE modulated the effects of activin A on rat hepatocytes in primary culture.

S Mochida, A Ohno, M Arai, T Tamatani, M Miyasaka, K Fujiwara – 1 February 1996 – Massive hepatic necrosis develops after endotoxin administration in rats pretreated with heat‐killed Propionibacterium acnes as a result of microcirculatory disturbance caused by endothelial cell destruction by activated macrophages in the hepatic sinusoids.

F Oberhammer, P Nagy, R Tiefenbacher, G Froschl, B Bouzahzah, S S Thorgeirsson, B Carr – 1 February 1996 – Recently, cases of liver damage and liver tumors have been reported after treatment of prostate cancer patients with the antiandrogen cyproterone acetate (CPA). In rat liver, CPA initiates a wave of DNA synthesis that is accompanied by apoptosis. In apoptotic hepatocytes, a latent form of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF‐β1) is detectable by immunohistochemistry.

E Larrea, N Garcia, C Qian, M P Civeira, J Prieto – 1 February 1996 – Tumor necrosis factor α (TNF‐α) is a cytokine with pleiotropic properties that is induced in a variety of pathological situations including viral infections. In this work, we analyzed the expression of TNF‐α gene in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Serum TNF‐α levels were found to be elevated in all chronic hepatitis C patients including those cases presenting sustained biochemical remission of the disease after interferon therapy.

F Tanaka, Y Shiratori, O Yokosuka, F Imazeki, Y Tsukada, M Omata – 1 February 1996 – In an attempt to clarify the genetic factors in alcoholism among the Japanese, polymorphism of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) genes has been investigated.