M. Sawkat Anwer, Paul D. Berk, Frederick J. Suchy, Allan W. Wolkoff – 1 June 1992

Erin G. Schuetz – 1 June 1992 – The extracellular matrix (ECM) promotes tissue morphogenesis, cell migration, and the differentiation of a variety of cell types. However, the mechanisms by which ECM causes differentiated gene expression have been unknown. In this report, we show that culturing the hepatocyte‐derived cell line H2.35 on an ECM gel changes cell morphology and selectively stimulates the transcription of a subset of liver‐specific genes, including serum albumin.

Masataka Kato, Robin D. Hughes, Richard T. Keays, Roger Williams – 1 June 1992 – Cerebral edema is a serious complication of the encephalopathy in fulminant hepatic failure. It is a major cause of death. The mechanisms responsible for its formation are unclear, and the aim of this study was to investigate the ultrastructural appearance of brain capillaries by scanning electron microscopy.

Giuseppe Mazzella, Paolo Parini, Davide Festi, Franco Bazzoli, Rita Aldini, Aldo Roda, Domenica Tonelli, Antonio Cipolla, Antonio Salzetta, Enrico Roda – 1 June 1992 – It has been recently shown that the newest hypocholesterolemic agent, simvastatin, lowers the biliary cholesterol saturation index and that its association with ursodeoxycholic acid renders it more effective.

Aziz Ghahary, Gerald Y. Minuk, Jiangming Luo, Tony Gauthier, Liam J. Murphy – 1 June 1992 – Insulinlike growth factor binding proteins modulate the action of the insulinlike growth factors in various bioassays and may regulate the bioavailability of the insulinlike growth factors in vivo. Because the insulinlike growth factors may influence hepatic regeneration, we have examined the effect of partial hepatectomy on serum insulinlike growth factor binding proteins and on the abundance of insulinlike growth factor binding protein‐1 messenger RNA in the liver.

1 June 1992

Masayuki Okido, Shuji Shimizu, J. Donald Ostrow, Fumio Nakayama – 1 June 1992 – We have previously isolated from 13 cholesterol gallstones a low molecular weight acidic bili‐protein that inhibited the precipitation of calcium carbonate in vitro. We now report the isolation of a similar protein from seven black pigment gallstones. Cholesterol was removed from the stones by Soxhlet apparatus with methyl t‐butyl ether, and bile acids were extracted with methanol.

Stefan Krähenbühl, Jörg Stucki, Jürg Reichen – 1 June 1992 – Mitochondrial metabolism was studied in liver mitochondria isolated from rats with secondary biliary cirrhosis induced by bile duct ligation for 5 wk. State 3 oxidation rates were decreased in mitochondrial preparations from bile duct—ligated rats as compared with sham‐operated control rats by 63% and 42% using β‐hydroxybutyrate and succinate as substrates, respectively. In contrast, when the substrate was ascorbate/N, N, N′, N′‐tetramethyl‐p‐phenylenediamine state 3 oxidation rates were not affected by bile duct ligation.

Stanley M. Lemon – 1 June 1992

Anna S. F. Lok, Ramsey Cheung, Rachel Chan, Vincent Liu – 1 June 1992 – Sera from 103 patients were tested for hepatitis C virus RNA by nested polymerase chain reaction assay. Using primers from the highly conserved 5′untranslated region, we detected hepatitis C virus RNA in 67 (88.2%) of 76 patients positive for antibody to hepatitis C virus by both second‐generation and neutralization enzyme immunoassays. Hepatitis C virus RNA was detected in 93% of patients who had been infected for 10 yr or less and in 89% of those who had been infected for longer than 10 yr.