Masahito Minami, Takeshi Okanoue, Etsuro Nakajima, Koichiro Yasui, Keizo Kagawa, Kei Kashima – 1 April 1993 – A defective form of the hepatitis B virus has been found in a patient with chronic type B hepatitis. Sequence analysis of the viral DNA after polymerase chain reaction amplification revealed a 117–base pair deletion (nucleotides 3129–53, subtype adr). This deletion includes the initiation codon of the pre‐S2 region and a newly created in‐frame stop codon in the pre‐S1 region (nucleotide 3055) located 230 base pairs downstream from the pre‐S1 initiation codon.

Giulia Orsatti, Neil D. Theise, Swan N. Thung, Fiorenzo Paronetto – 1 April 1993 – Twenty‐eight macroregenerative nodules from 14 cirrhotic patients who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation were evaluated for DNA ploidy by means of image analysis of Feulgen‐stained tissue sections. The lesions were classified as type 1 (16 cases) or type 2 (12 cases) on the basis of the absence or presence of cellular or architectural atypia in the nodules. The surrounding cirrhotic nodules were evaluated for liver cell dysplasia.

J. Matthias Löhr, Stefan Kuchenreuter, Hans Grebmeier, Eckhardt G. Hahn, Wolfgang E. Fleig – 1 April 1993 – The case of a 56‐yr‐old patient with polycythemia vera who was initially seen with jaundice is reported. Compression of the common bile duct by choledochal varices was found to be the cause of the obstructive jaundice. This compression was successfully treated with placement of a plastic endoprosthesis across the stenosis during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. The significance of choledochal varices in the evaluation of obstructive jaundice is emphasized.

Stefaan Keppens, Ann Vandekerckhove, Han Moshage, Sing Hiem Yap, Raymond Aerts, Henri de Wulf – 1 April 1993 – Hepatocytes were isolated from human liver tissue by a two‐step perfusion technique. They were treated with vasopressin, angiotensin, ATP and phenylephrine, which are known to be Ca2+‐mediated glycogenolytic agents in rat liver tissue, and as a control, they were treated with the cyclic AMP–mediated hormones glucagon and isoproterenol. All agonists induce a timedependent activation of glycogen phosphorytase.

David W. A. Beno, Ronald Espinal, Brian M. Edelstein, Bernard H. Davis – 1 April 1993 – Recent studies suggest that prostaglandin E may have the ability to suppress cytokine responsiveness. We examined the effects of prostaglandin E administration on several parameters of acute and chronic liver injury induced by bile duct ligation. Enisoprost, a prostaglandin E1 analog, was found to suppress early hepatic and Ito cell type I collagen gene expression without‐diminishing the induction of the fibrogenic cytokine transforming growth factor‐β.

Paul B. Watkins – 1 April 1993 – Omeprazole has been shown to induce cytochrome P450IA1 and P450IA2 activity in vitro. To reflect cytochrome P450IA2 (CYPIA2) activity in vivo, the 13C‐[N‐3‐methyl]‐caffeine breath test was conducted in 18 volunteers: 12 extensive metabolizers, one intermediate metabolizer, and five poor metabolizers of S‐mephenytoin. Breath tests were performed before treatment with an oral dose of 40 mg omeprazole, on the seventh day of treatment, and after a 7‐day washout period.

Michael D. Apstein – 1 April 1993

Tetsuo Ohta, Takukazu Nagakawa, Toshiya Takeda, Luis Fonseca, Masahiro Kanno, Kazuhiro Mori, Masato Kayahara, Keiichi Ueno, Itsuo Miyazaki, Tadashi Terada – 1 April 1993 – Apolipoprotein A‐1 is known to be one of inhibiting factors of cholesterol nucleation in bile, and decreased activity of apolipoprotein A‐1 is considered to predispose cholesterol‐supersaturated bile to formation of cholesterol crystals.

John J. Alam, Irving H. Fox – 1 April 1993

Elliot Alpert – 1 April 1993