Norman L. Sussman, James H. Kelly – 1 June 1993 – We have developed a novel hepatocyte loaded hollow fiber bioreactor as a potential bioartificial liver. Freshly harvested rat hepatocytes were entrapped in a three‐dimensional gel matrix within hollow fibers in a perfused bioreactor. Gel entrapment allowed cells to be cultured at high density while maintaining tissuespecific function. Hepatocyte function was evaluated in 10 bioreactors, each containing approximately 5 x 107 cells.

Harvey J. Alter, James W.‐K. Shih – 1 June 1993 – Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has not yet been cultured or visualized. We attempted to recover HCV‐associated particles from plasma of infected humans to assess the natural properties of the virus. Starting with 720 ml of donor plasma containing high titer of HCV core antigen ELISA activities, we identified HCV core antigen activity and viral RNA enriched in a potassium bromide density gradient fraction with a density of 1.115 g/ml.

Steven N. Fine – 1 June 1993

Yamina Lazizi, Pascal Dubreuil, Jacques Pillot – 1 June 1993 – HBcAg and antibody to HBcAg were assayed in chronic hepatitis B virus carriers who were not reactive for HBc antibodies on available commercial tests. HBc antibody–negative sera, collected before the onset of the acute phase in recovering patients, were used as controls. A high level of HBcAg was detected in HBc antibody–negative chronic hepatitis B virus carriers after dissociative treatment. HBcAg levels were correlated with serum hepatitis B virus DNA levels.

Gitte M. Knudsen, Jes Schmidt, Thomas Almdal, Olaf B. Paulson, Hendrik Vilstrup – 1 June 1993 – We repeatedly measured blood‐brain barrier passage of phenylalanine, leucine, glucose and GABA in nine patients with hepatic encephalopathy using the intravenous double‐indicator technique. Controls were four patients without liver disease and two of the patients who had recovered completely from their hepatic encephalopathy. The corrected cerebral venous output curves were fitted by use of a three‐compartment model with four parameters.

Neil D. Theise, Jonathan D. Lapook, Swan N. Thung – 1 June 1993 – We report an incidental small hepatocellular carcinoma in a patient with chronic hepatitis C infection without cirrhosis. The existence of portal triads and the Meyenburg complexes within the lesion and atypical subnodules suggests that the carcinoma has arisen in the context of a macroregenerative nodule rather than the whole nodule being an early, spreading carcinoma. A growing body of evidence supports macroregenerative nodules as being precursor lesions in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Sybrand Y. de Boer, Ad A. M. Masclee, Wai Fan Lam, Jaap Schipper, Jan B. M. J. Jansen, Cornelius B. H. W. Lamers – 1 June 1993 – The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of acute stable hyperglycemia on gallbladder motility, plasma cholecystokinin level and pancreatic polypeptide secretion. Gallbladder emptying in response to modified sham feeding and regular feeding was determined in six healthy subjects on two separate occasions during normoglycemia (serum glucose = 5 mmol/L) and during hyperglycemia (serum glucose = 15 mmol/L).

1 June 1993

1 May 1993

Graham R. Foster, Robert D. Goldin, Andrew Hay, Michael J. McGarvey, George R. Stark, Howard C. Thomas – 1 May 1993 – The terminal protein domain of the hepatitis B viral polymerase can inhibit the cellular response to interferon. To clarify the clinical relevance of this inhibitory effect, we examined the expression of terminal protein in liver biopsy specimens from patients with chronic hepatitis B infection.