Nasim Ara Begum, Masaki Mori, Takashi Matsumata, Kenji Takenaka, Keizo Sugimachi, Graham F. Barnard – 1 November 1995 – Our aim was to isolate potentially important differentially expressed gene products from paired human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and normal liver samples using the differential messenger RNA (mRNA) display technique. Total RNA samples were reverse transcribed with anchoring oligonucleotide primers and then amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with additional upstream random primers.

Yan Xin, Jerome M. Lasker, Charles S. Lieber – 1 November 1995 – Carbohydrate‐deficient transferrin (CDT) is now considered to be the most sensitive and specific biological marker of alcohol abuse. However, the mechanism by which chronic alcohol consumption causes an elevation of CDT levels in serum is still not understood. Therefore, we fed eight pairs of male rats a nutritionally adequate liquid diet containing either alcohol (36% of energy) or isocaloric dextrose (control) for 4 weeks, after which blood and liver samples were obtained.

Michael Bauer, Nicole C. Paquette, Jian X. Zhang, Inge Bauer, Benedikt H. J. Pannen, Steven R. Kleeberger, Mark G. Clemens – 1 November 1995 – Recent evidence suggests that hepatic stellate cells function as liver‐specific pericytes that are highly contractile in response to endothelin‐1 (ET‐1). Liver injury has been shown to lead to “activation” of stellate cells producing a phenotypic change to a more myofibroblastic cell type including loss of vitamin A and increased contractility.

Mark G. Swain, Mirjana Maric – 1 November 1995 – Nonspecific systemic complaints are commonly encountered in patients with cholestatic liver diseases. However, the cause of these symptoms is poorly understood. Because corticotropin‐releasing hormone (CRH) has been implicated as a mediator of sickness‐related systemic symptoms, we examined CRH‐mediated neuroendocrine and behavioral responses in rats with cholestasis due to bile duct resection (BDR) or sham resected (sham) controls.

Ricardo Rossi – 1 November 1995

1 November 1995

1 November 1995

Shinichi Iwamura, Hideaki Enzan, Toshiji Saibara, Saburo Onishi, Yasutake Yamamoto – 1 November 1995 – Sinusoidal inclusion‐containing endothelial cells in the liver were investigated with particular interest in their capacity of metabolizing immunoglobulin. Formalin‐fixed deparaffinized liver specimens were used for immunohistochemistry, and pronase digestion was proved to be effective for antigen retrieval of immunoglobulin. The inclusions in sinusoidal endothelial cells were strongly immunostained with anti‐immunoglobulin (Ig)G, IgA, and IgM antibodies in predigested sections.

Hiroshi Imamura, Sophie Laberge, Antoine Brault, Jean Coté, P.‐Michel Huet – 1 November 1995 – Kupffer cells (KCs) are of bone‐marrow origin. After liver transplantation, recipient KCs are supposed to replace donor KCs. On the other hand, KCs are currently hypothesized to play a major immunogenic role in acute liver allograft rejection. In the present study, we investigated the immunogenic role of KCs in acute rat liver allograft rejection.

Kazuo Tajiri, Happei Miyakawa, Namiki Izumi, Fumiaki Marumo, Chifumi Sato – 1 November 1995 – To investigate the role of nitric oxide in renal function and hemodynamics in cirrhotic patients with ascites, L‐arginine (30 g in 300 mL of distilled water), a substrate for nitric oxide synthase, was infused into six cirrhotic patients with ascites, and the effects were compared with those of saline infusion. Healthy controls (n = 5) were also studied under the same conditions.