David Sacerdoti, Massimo Bolognesi, Giancarlo Bombonato, Angelo Gatta – 1 December 1995 – Doppler sonographic portal vein parameters are used for the noninvasive evaluation of portal hypertension in cirrhosis. The patency of a paraumbilical vein is a rather frequent finding in cirrhosis, which may affect hepatic hemodynamics and function. We evaluated portal and hepatic arterial parameters in 184 cirrhotic patients with and without a patent paraumbilical vein and the relationships with paraumbilical blood flow. A patent paraumbilical vein was found in 33.7% of patients.

Alan N. Langnas, Rodney S. Markin, Mark S. Cattral, Stanley J. Naides – 1 December 1995 – We recently observed that more than one third of pediatric patients who presented with non‐A, non‐B fulminant liver failure (FLF) also developed aplastic anemia (AA) either before or shortly after liver transplantation. Factors involved in the suppression of bone marrow could be the same as those causing hepatic failure. We considered parvovirus B19 a candidate etiologic agent because of the known tropism of B19 for erythroid precursors.

Salvatore Badalamenti, Francesco Salerno, Elettra Lorenzano, Gianni Paone, Giovanna Como, Silvia Finazzi, Anna Cristina Sacchetta, Antoni Rimola, Giorgio Graziani, Dinangelo Galmarini, Claudio Ponticelli – 1 December 1995 – Nephrotoxicity is the main untoward effect of cyclosporine (CsA) treatment. Experimental and clinical data suggest that dietary supplementation with fish oil may lessen cyclosporine nephrotoxicity, possibly by lowering renal thromboxane (Tx) production.

Mara Massimi, Laura Conti Devirgiliis, Victoria Kolb‐Bachofen, Luciana Dini – 1 December 1995 – The expression of galactose‐specific receptors on liver cells from rats at the end of pregnancy and from estrogen‐treated animals was studied. The number and distribution of binding sites were estimated on hepatocytes and Kupffer and endothelial cells in vitro as well as in situ by means of protein‐gold complexes.

Ines Bohlinger, Marcel Leist, Johannes Barsig, Tefan Uhlig, Gisa Tiegs, Albrecht Wendel – 1 December 1995 – Mice sensitized with D‐galactosamine (GalN) and challenged with recombinant murine tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) developed severe apoptotic and secondary necrotic liver injury as assessed by histology, measurement of cytosolic DNA fragments, and determination of liver specific enzymes in plasma. Pretreatment with recombinant human interleukin‐1β (IL‐1) rendered mice insensitive to this TNFα toxicity.

Raymond S. Koff, Leonard B. Seeff – 1 December 1995

Rosina T. Lis – 1 December 1995

Seiya Momosaki, Hirohisa Yano, Sachiko Ogasawara, Koichi Higaki, Tohru Hisaka, Masamichi Kojiro – 1 December 1995 – We investigated the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM‐1) in ex vivo human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells and in vitro in eight liver cancer cell lines, including six HCC cell lines and two combined hepatocholangiocarcinoma (CHC) cell lines. Immunohistochemistry showed the expression of ICAM‐1 on the HCC cell surface with honeycomblike appearance in most cases (96.2%).

Chandan Guha, Jayanta Roy Chowdhury – 1 December 1995 – Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), a member of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family, was identified as a specific keratinocyte mitogen after isolation from a lung fibroblast line. Recently, recombinant (r)KGF was found to influence proliferation and differentiation patterns of multiple epithelial cell lineages within skin, lung, and the reproductive tract.

Chandan Guha, Jayanta Roy Chowdhury – 1 December 1995 – We have established a system of efficient gene transfer to liver grafts using adenovirus vectors. The purpose of this study was to examine variables affecting gene transfer to rat liver grafts during cold preservation. Our results demonstrate that gene transfer efficiency was directly correlated with the ratio of vector to hepatic cells (multiplicity of infection [MOI]) and the length of exposure to the vector. At MOls of 101 and 501, the hepatic cell transduction rate was 25‐30% and 10%, respectively.