Masafumi Naito, Norio Hayashi, Hideki Hagiwara, Naoki Hiramatsu, Akinori Kasahara, Hideyuki Fusamoto, Takenobu Kamada – 1 April 1994 – We studied hepatitis C virus carriers with normal liver function to evaluate the histological features of their livers and the replicative levels of hepatitis C virus. Liver biopsies were performed in 22 hepatitis C virus carriers with persistently normal ALT levels.

Paola Loria, Marco Bertolotti, M. Teresa Cassinadri, Michele A. Dilengite, Mara Bozzoli, Francesca Carubbi, Mauro Concari, M. Eugenia Guicciardi, Nicola Carulli – 1 April 1994 – To test whether de novo synthesis of cholesterol is a limiting factor for bile acid synthesis, we studied the acute effect of simvastatin, an inhibitor of HMG–coenzyme A reductase (the limiting step of cholesterol synthesis) on bile acid synthesis and biliary lipid secretion in subjects with interrupted enterohepatic circulation.

Mitsuo Shimada, Takashi Matsumata, Takashi Maeda, Katsuhiko Yanaga, Akinobu Taketomi, Keizo Sugimachi – 1 April 1994 – Nine patients with hepatocellular carcinoma originating in the caudate lobe who underwent hepatic resection were studied. The caudate lobe was divided into three parts, according to the criteria of Kumon, including the Spiegel lobe, the paracaval portion and the caudate process. The tumors were located in the Spiegel lobe in four, the paracaval portion in four and the caudate process in one.

Kenichi Kitani, Setsuko Kanai, Yuko Sato, Minoru Ohta – 1 April 1994 – Male Wistar rats were infused intravenously with taurochenodeoxycholate (0.4 μmol/min/100 gm) alone (group A) or with one of the three bile salts (tauroursodeoxycholate [group B], tauro β‐muricholate [group C] or tauro α‐muricholate [group D]) at a rate of 0.2 μmol/min/100/gm for 1 hr. One‐hour bile flow and bile salt excretion rates were significantly lower in group A than in the other three coinfused (B, C, D) groups.

Yasuo Sato, Takahiro Ochiya, Yuko Yasuda, Kenichi Matsubara – 1 April 1994 – Poly‐N‐para‐vinylbenzyl‐lactonamide (PVLA)‐coated reticulated polyurethane (PVLA‐RPU) has been employed for the long‐term maintenance of primary rat hepatocyte cultures. After 3 days of incubation of 2 × 107 hepatocytes/cm3 embedded in PVLA‐RPU discs and kept in culture medium, most cells showed typical hepatocyte morphology, with some bile canaliculus‐like intercellular spaces among the hepatocytes on examination with scanning and transmission electron microscopy.

Shigwang Qian, Anthony J. Demetris, Noriko Murase, Abdul S. Rao, John J. Fung, Thomas E. Starzl – 1 April 1994 – Nonarterialized orthotopic liver transplantation with no immunosuppression was performed in 13 mouse‐strain combinations. Two strain combinations with major histocompatibility complex class I and class II and minor histocompatibility complex disparity had 20% and 33% survival of more than 100 days, but the other 11 combinations, including four that were fully allogeneic and all with only class I, class II or minor disparities, yielded 45% to 100% survival of more than 100 days.

Maan Anbari, Karen V. Root, Rebecca W. Van Dyke – 1 April 1994 – Endocytic vesicles are acidified by an electrogenic proton pump and a parallel chloride conductance; however, acidification might be decreased if electrogenic transporters, such as Na,K‐ATPase, that increase vesicle interior‐positive membrane potential were also present. We examined this issue in early rat liver endosomes using ion substitution and inhibitors to alter Na,K‐ATPase activity.

1 April 1994

Fred H. Williams, Dwain L. Thiele – 1 April 1994 – In these studies, we examined the role of discrete classes of alloantigen differences in generating nonsuppurative cholangitis during graft‐vs.‐host disease. Transfer of C57BL/6J (B6) splenocytes to class I major histocompatibility complex‐disparate bm1 × B6 F1, class II major histocompatibility complex‐disparate B6 × bm12 F1, or multiple non‐major histocompatibility complex antigen‐disparate Balb,B × B6 F1 mice led to the development of periportal inflammatory infiltrates and lymphocyte invasion of bile duct walls.

Robert J. McDonald, Harrison W. Farber – 1 April 1994