Gilles Pomier‐Layrargues, J. F. Giguère, J. Lavoie, P. Perney, S. Gagnon, M. D'Amour, J. Wells, Roger F. Butterworth – 1 January 1994 – Previous reports have suggested that “endogenous” benzodiazepines could contribute to neural inhibition in hepatic encephalopathy. RO 15‐1788 (flumazenil), a specific antagonist of brain benzodiazepine receptors, could thus reverse the neurological symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy. To test this possibility, we conducted a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled crossover trial of the efficacy of flumazenil in cirrhotic patients in hepatic coma.

Ole Hamberg, Hendrik Vilstrup – 1 January 1994 – Glucose reduces the hepatic conversion of aminonitrogen to urea, quantified by the functional hepatic nitrogen clearance (i.e., the slope of the linear relation between urea synthesis rate and blood α‐aminonitrogen concentration). This is due to a direct effect of glucose and to inhibition of glucagon. In this study, the effect of glucose on functional hepatic nitrogen clearance was examined during spontaneous hormone responses and during hormonal control by somatostatin.

D. Azoulay, D. Castaing, A. Dennison, W. Martino, D. Eyraud, H. Bismuth – 1 January 1994 – The aim of this prospective nonrandomized study was to assess the immediate and short‐term sequelae of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunting on the circulatory hyperdynamic state of the cirrhotic patient. Twelve transjugular portosystemic shunting procedures were performed in 12 cirrhotic patients for sclerotherapy failure (10 cases) and/or intractable ascites (4 cases). Self‐expandable stents 10 mm in diameter were used in all cases.

Patrick Marcellin, Didier Samuel, Jorge Areias, Marie‐Anne Loriot, Jean‐Louis Arulnaden, Michèle Gigou, Marie‐FrançOise David, Alain Bismuth, Michel Reynes, Christian Bréchot, Jean‐Pierre Benhamou, Henri Bismuth – 1 January 1994 – Orthotopic liver transplantation in patients with hepatitis B–related cirrhosis is commonly complicated by reinfection with the hepatitis B virus, with rapidly progressive liver disease and poor survival rate. We assessed the efficacy of prior therapy with recombinant interferon‐α on the prevention of posttransplantation hepatitis B virus reinfection.

Michael Neubrand, Joseph Holl, Michael Sackmann, Ulrich Klüppelberg, Jürgen Pauletzki, Gustav Paumgartner, Tilman Sauerbruch – 1 January 1994 – We conducted a prospective randomized study in gallstone patients to determine whether a combination of extracorporeal shock‐wave lithotripsy and subsequent dissolution with methyl tert‐butyl ether increases the success rate of methyl tert‐butyl ether dissolution and shortens treatment time compared with monotherapy with methyl tert‐butyl ether. Fifty patients were randomized into two groups.

Judy A. Spitzer – 1 January 1994 – Some disease processes in which increased endotoxin and cytokine levels exist (e.g., sepsis and infantile diarrhea) are also associated with increased levels of blood nitrates, the stable and products of nitric oxide. Available evidence suggests that the effects of an endotoxic environment, with its attendant complex cytokine networks, on liver function are mediated in part by modulation of hepatic nitric oxide synthesis.

Robert G. Lamb, John C. Koch, Jack W. Snyder, Shiva M. Huband, Suzanne R. Bush – 1 January 1994 – Primary cultures of adult rat hepatocytes were incubated (6 to 96 hr) with 50 to 150 mmol/L ethanol, 0.5 mmol/L linoleate, 0.5 mmol/L palmitate, 0.5 mmol/L 4‐methylpyrazole, 0 to 25 μmol/L vitamin E phosphate or selected combinations of these agents.

Jeffrey D. Rothstein – 1 January 1994

Giulio Diodati, Paola Bonetti, Franco Noventa, Carla Casarin, Massimo Rugge, Sergio Scaccabarozzi, Alessandro Tagger, Lucio Pollice, Federico Tremolada, Cristina Davite, Giuseppe Realdi, Arturo Ruol – 1 January 1994 – Sixty consecutive patients with chronic hepatitis C were included in a randomized controlled trial of recombinant human interferon‐α2a vs. no treatment. Treated patients received tapering doses of interferon thrice weekly for 1 yr.

Koteswara R. Chintalacharuvu, Anthony S. Tavill, Loizos N. Louis, Jean‐Pierre Vaerman, Michael E. Lamm, Charlotte S. Kaetzel – 1 January 1994 – The polymeric immunoglobulin receptor on rat hepatocytes binds dimeric IgA on the sinusoidal surface and mediates its transport to the canaliculus, where the complex of dimeric IgA and secretory component, the cleaved extracellular domain of polymeric immunoglobulin receptor, is secreted into bile.