Tak Mao Chan, Anna Suk Fong Lok, Ignatius Kum Po Cheng, Rachel Tzun Chan – 1 January 1993 – We longitudinally studied 51 patients from two hemodialysis centers to determine the prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in hemodialysis patients. Serum samples were tested for antibody to HCV by first‐ and second‐ generation enzyme immunoassays and for hepatitis C virus RNA by nested polymerase chain reaction assay.

Patrizia Paterlini, Françoise Driss, Bertrand Nalpas, Emilio Pisi, Dominique Franco, Pierre Berthelot, Christian Bréchot – 1 January 1993 – The role of HBV and HCV in the course of primary liver cancer in patients who are negative for HBsAg has been debated. Using a combination of serological and polymerase chain reaction assays, we investigated the association between HCV and HBV infections and primary liver cancer in 24 HBsAg‐negative patients living in France. The presence of HCV RNA and HBV DNA sequences was tested for in serum and in tumorous and nontumorous liver samples.

Yves M. Deugnier, Bruno Turlin, Romain Moirand, Olivier Loréal, Pierre Brissot, Lawrie W. Powell, Kim M. Summers, Linda Fletcher, June W. Halliday – 1 January 1993 – The biochemical hepatic iron index, defined as the ratio of hepatic iron concentration (expressed as micromoles per gram dry weight) to age permits accurate prediction of genetic status in patients with genetic hemochromatosis. However, the hepatic iron concentration is not always available.

1 January 1993

Hiroyasu Okuno, Masashi Takasu, Haruhiko Kano, Toshihito Seki, Yasuko Shiozaki, Kyoichi Inoue – 1 January 1993 – The depressant effect of interferon beta on drugmetabolizing activity in the human liver was investigated. Seven patients with chronic hepatitis C were treated with interferon beta at doses of 3 × 106 to 9 × 106 IU/day for 8 wk. The activities of 7‐methoxycoumarin O‐demethylase and 7‐ethoxycoumarin O‐deethylase in specimens obtained by liver biopsy were examined before and after interferon treatment.

Francesco Violi, Domenico Ferro, Claudio Quintarelli, Antonio Musca, Francesco Balsano, Corrado Cordova, Stefania Basili, The Calc Group – 1 January 1993 – This study explored the relationship between clotting activation and tissue plasminogen activator and its inhibitor in cirrhotic patients with different degrees of liver failure. Sixty‐seven patients (40 men, 27 women; age = 31–77 yr) with cirrhosis diagnosed by liver biopsy were divided into three subgroups (A, B and C) on the basis of Child‐Pugh classification.

Raymond S. Koff, Raymond S. Koff – 1 January 1993

Melissa P. Upton – 1 January 1993

Bertram I. Cohen, Shigeo Miki, Erwin H. Mosbach, Nariman Ayyad, Richard J. Stenger, Takahiro Mikami, Michiko Yoshii, Kenji Kihira, Takahiko Hoshita – 1 January 1993 – The prevention of cholesterol gallstone formation by three bile acid analogs, sodium 3α,7α‐dihydroxy‐5β‐cholane‐24‐sulfonate, sodium 3α,7β‐dihydroxy‐5β‐cholane‐24‐sulfonate and sodium 3α, 6α‐dihydroxy‐5β‐cholane‐24‐sulfonate, was examined in a hamster model of cholesterol cholelithiasis. Sodium taurochenodeoxycholate, sodium tauroursodeoxycholate and sodium taurohyodeoxycholate were studied simultaneously for comparison.

Hiroshi Adachi, Shuichi Kaneko, Eiki Matsushita, Yutaka Inagaki, Masashi Unoura, Kenichi Kobayashi – 1 December 1992 – The natural history of chronic hepatitis B patients who spontaneously cleared serum HBsAg was investigated. A total of 351 patients with chronic hepatitis B were observed in our hospital for at least 3 yr. Seven of these patients became HBsAg negative during the follow‐up period. HBsAg disappeared within 6 mo (range = 11 to 169 days, mean = 70 days) after acute elevation of ALT.