Hari S. Conjeevaram, Alexander Nagle, Andrew Katz, Kristine Kaminsky‐Russ, Arthur J. McCullough, Kevin D. Mullen – 1 May 1994 – The portacaval shunt rat is often used as a model of human portal‐systemic encephalopathy, but its relevance to human portal‐systemic encephalopathy remains uncertain. Specifically, it has not been demonstrated that the behavioral changes seen in this model respond to measures known to improve portal‐systemic encephalopathy in human subjects.

Ramon Gomis, Josefa Fernández‐Alvarez, Pilar Pizcueta, Mercedes Fernández, Roser Casamitjana, Jaume Bosch, Joan Rodés – 1 May 1994 – Increased circulating insulin and glucagon levels are a common observation in patients with cirrhosis, as well as in portal hypertensive models. Hyperinsulinemia and hyperglucagonemia may be caused either by increased beta‐ and alpha‐cell secretion or by defective hepatic clearance of these hormones.

Stephan Krähenbühl, Christine Talos, Jürg Reichen – 1 May 1994 – Hepatic metabolism of fatty acids is impaired in experimental animals with long‐term bile duct ligation. To characterize the underlying defects, fatty acid metabolism was investigated in isolated hepatocytes and isolated liver mitochondria from rats subjected to long‐term bile duct ligation or sham surgery. After starvation for 24 hr, the plasma β‐hydroxy‐butyrate concentration was decreased in rats with bile duct ligation as compared with control rats.

Mark J. Czaja, Jun Xu, Yue Ju, Elaine Alt, Phyllis Schmiedeberg – 1 May 1994 – Endogenous lipopolysaccharide has been implicated as a cofactor in the hepatocellular injury and death resulting from toxic liver injury. To prevent this lipopolysaccharide‐induced injury and to further understand the mechanism of this effect, an anti‐lipopolysaccharide antibody was administered to rats in which toxic hepatocellular injury was induced. Rats were given the hepatotoxin galactosamine together with an isotypic control antibody B55 or the anti‐lipopolysaccharide antibody E5.

R. Paul Aftring, Mason W. Freeman – 1 April 1994 – We employed homologous recombination in embryonic stem cells to produce mice lacking functional LDL receptor genes. Homozygous male and female mice lacking LDL receptors (LDLR−/− mice) were viable and fertile. Total plasma cholesterol levels were twofold higher than those of wild‐type littermates, owing to a seven‐ to ninefold increase in intermediate density lipoproteins (IDL) and LDL without a significant change in HDL. Plasma triglyceride levels were normal.

Kazuhiko Koike, Kyoji Moriya, Shiro Iino, Hiroshi Yotsuyanagi, Yasuo Endo, Tatsuo Miyamura, Kiyoshi Kurokawa – 1 April 1994 – We studied the development of liver tumors in male HBx gene transgenic mice.

Makoto Yoshiba, Kazuhiko Dehara, Kazuaki Inoue, Hiroaki Okamoto, Makoto Mayumi – 1 April 1994 – To assess the contribution of hepatitis C virus to non‐A, non‐B fulminant hepatitis in Japan, we compared 10 major clinical features among 7 patients with type B fulminant hepatitis (type B group), 13 patients with non‐A, non‐B fulminant hepatitis with evidence of hepatitis C virus infection (type C group) and 10 patients without evidence of hepatitis C virus infection (NANB group).

J. Carlos Teran, Kevin D. Mullen, Jay H. Hoofnagle, Arthur J. McCullough – 1 April 1994 – Interferon‐α induces remission in 30% to 40% of patients with chronic hepatitis B, but its effect on hepatic connective tissue turnover has not been well documented. We studied the changes in serum procollagen III propeptide and laminin‐P1 peptide (Lam‐P1) in 33 patients with chronic hepatitis B (11 nontreated controls and 22 treated patients) during a 4‐mo randomized trial of interferon‐α. Liver biopsy specimens were obtained at the start of treatment and 12 mo later.

Shou‐Dong Lee, Yuan‐Jen Wang, Ruey‐Hwa Lu, Cho‐Yu Chan, Kwang‐Juei Lo, Randolph Moeckli – 1 April 1994 – Recently, with an available serological hepatitis E virus diagnostic kit, the prevalence of IgG antibody to hepatitis E virus among Chinese subjects in Taiwan was evaluated by means of a solid‐phase enzyme‐linked immunoassay based on two recombinant hepatitis E virus antigens. The overall prevalence of hepatitis E virus antibody was 10.7% among 384 healthy subjects older than 20 yr but only 0.3% among 600 school‐children and young adolescents younger than 20 yr (p < 0.0001).

Ruth M. Dixon, Peter Styles, Faris N. Al‐Refaie, Graham J. Kemp, Sarah M. Donohue, Beatrix Wonke, A. Victor Hoffbrand, George K. Radda, Bheeshma Rajagopalan – 1 April 1994 – The transverse relaxation time of water protons is shortened by the presence of iron. This shortening depends on the amount and the environment of iron in the sample. We have developed a method for measuring short transverse relaxation time noninvasively by magnetic resonance spectroscopy.