Masahiro Uehara, Noriyuki Sato – 1 August 1994 – To evaluate whether neutrophil bactericidal function, the ability to produce oxygen‐derived free radicals, is altered in patients with chronic liver disease, we measured chemiluminescence amplified by a luciferin analog (Cypridina luciferin analog‐dependent chemiluminescence) and luminol (luminol‐dependent chemiluminescence) in response to N‐formyl‐Met‐Lue‐Phe by neutrophils from patients with chronic liver diseases due to C and/or B type hepatitis: chronic active hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Yilmaz Cakaloglu, J. Michael Tredger, John Devlin, Roger Williams – 1 August 1994 – We have investigated the importance of cytochrome P‐450IIIA enzyme activity in influencing dosage of the immunosuppressive drugs FK 506 and cyclosporine after liver transplantation. Cytochrome P‐450IIIA enzyme activity in vivo was measured 1 yr postoperatively in 37 stable orthotopic liver graft recipients (21 receiving FK 506 and 16 given cyclosporine) by the erythromycin breath test and the production of monoethylglycinexylidide from lignocaine.

Michéle Chevallier, Sylviane Guerret, Philippe Chossegros, Françoise Gerard, Jean‐Alexis Grimaud – 1 August 1994 – The evaluation of hepatic fibrosis on histological sections is of great interest for the staging and follow‐up of chronic liver disease. Because no reliable scoring system is yet available, we have designed a semiquantitative scoring system in which the four main sites of fibrotic deposit — centrilobular vein, portal tract and perisinusoidal space, together with width and number of septa when present — are analyzed.

Rebecca F. Harrison, Mervyn H. Davies, James M. Neuberger, Stefan G. Hubscher – 1 August 1994 – Fibroobliterative lesions and fibrous cholangitis are characteristic histological lesions of primary sclerosing cholangitis. To determine whether such lesions can be found in the liver allograft, and whether they represent recurrent disease, we reviewed all consecutive histological material taken at greater than 6 mo after transplantation in a 3‐yr period from a series of 207 liver transplantations (22 with primary sclerosing cholangitis, 185 controls without primary sclerosing cholangitis).

Yukio Kato, Ke‐Xin Liu, Toshikazu Nakamura, Yuichi Sugiyama – 1 August 1994 – Because hepatocyte growth factor is known to have affinity for heparin, we studied the binding isotherm and found that hepatocyte growth factor has a high‐affinity binding site for 35S‐heparin with an equilibrium dissociation constant of approximately 0.6 nmol/L. We then analyzed the pharmacokinetic behavior of the heparin–hepatocyte growth factor complex in rats.

Gianfranco Alpini, John O. Phillips, Benjamin Vroman, Nicholas F. Larusso – 1 August 1994

Michael L. Schilsky – 1 August 1994 – Wilson disease (WD) is an autosomal recessive disorder of copper transport which maps to chromosome 13q14.3. In pursuit of the WD gene, we developed yeast artificial chromosome and cosmid contigs, and microsatellite markers which span the WD gene region. Linkage disequilibrium and haplotype analysis of 115 WD families confined the disease locus to a single marker interval. A candidate cDNA clone was mapped to this interval which, as shown in the accompanying paper, is very likely the WD gene.

1 August 1994

Silvano Raia, Luiz Caetano Da Silva, Luiz Carlos C. Gayotto, Sonia Coutinho Forster, Julia Fukushima, Edna Strauss – 1 August 1994 – The long‐term follow‐up of patients with the severe form of Manson's schistosomiasis who had had elective surgical treatment for portal hypertension, in a randomized trial, was clinically evaluated. Of 94 patients, proximal splenorenal shunting was performed in 32, esophagogastric devascularization with splenectomy in 32 and distal splenorenal shunting in 30.

Yasuhiro Nishizaki, Jonathan D. Kaunitz, Masaya Oda, Paul H. Guth – 1 August 1994 – Patients with cirrhosis have an increased incidence of gastric ulcers and erosions. We evaluated the effect of carbon tetrachloride—induced cirrhosis on rat gastric mucosal defense mechanisms using our recently developed in vivo fluorescence microscopy technique. Cirrhotic rats had increased portal vein pressure, increased serum aminotransferase concentrations and decreased serum albumin concentrations. We noted significantly more spontaneous gross gastric lesions in the cirrhotic rats.