Antibodies against synthetic oligopeptides deduced from the putative core gene for the diagnosis of hepatitis C virus infection

Hiroaki Okamoto, Fumio Tsuda, Atsuhiko Machida, Eisuke Munekata, Yoshihiro Akahane, Yoshiki Sugai, Kazuo Mashiko, Takehiro Mitsui, Takeshi Tanaka, Yuzo Miyakawa, Makoto Mayumi – 1 February 1992 – Immunoassays were developed to detect antibodies against oligopeptides deduced from the putative core gene of hepatitis C virus, and their performances were compared with that of the commercial immunoassay for antibodies against the product of nonstructural regions of hepatitis C virus (anti‐C100‐3).

Anti—pre‐S responses and viral clearance in chronic hepatitis B virus infection

Agata Budkowska, Pascal Dubreuil, Thierry Poynard, Patrick Marcellin, Marie‐Anne Loriot, Patrick Maillard, Jacques Pillot – 1 January 1992 – Serial sera were collected prospectively during the clinical course of 13 HBsAg carriers with chronic liver disease and analyzed for ALT levels, pre‐S1 and pre‐S2 antigens and corresponding antibodies and other serological hepatitis B virus markers.

Significance of serum human hepatocyte growth factor levels in patients with hepatic failure

Tomoaki Tomiya, Sumiko Nagoshi, Kenji Fujiwara – 1 January 1992 – Serum human hepatocyte growth factor levels were measured using a newly developed enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay kit in patients with liver diseases. Serum human hepatocyte growth factor levels were increased in correlation with derangements of prothrombin time, total bilirubin and other parameters reflecting hepatocellular dysfunction in 112 patients with chronic liver disease. The levels were positively correlated with serum AST and ALT levels in 59 of these patients whose prothrombin times were within the normal range.

Intracellular calcium–mediated activation of hepatic Na+/H+ exchange by arginine vasopressin and phenylephrine

M. Sawkat Anwer, James M. Atkinson – 1 January 1992 – The effect of Ca+ + mobilizing agonists arginine vasopressin and phenylephrine on Na+/H+ exchange was studied in freshly isolated hepatocytes and isolated perfused rat livers. The activity of Na+/H+ exchange was determined from the rate of H+ efflux, 22Na uptake and pHi recovery. Arginine vasopressin and phenylephrine stimulated H+ efflux and 22Na uptake in isolated rat hepatocytes and increased the rate of pHi recovery from acid‐loaded hepatocytes. These effects were inhibited by amiloride.

Circulatory changes induced by portal venous diversion and mesenteric hypertension in rats

Samuel S. Lee, Kaj Johansen, Didier Lebrec – 1 January 1992 – We studied the hemodynamics in four groups of rats with combinations of mesenteric hypertension and portal diversion. Operations created three groups with mesenteric hypertension and different degrees of portal venous diversion: mesenteric vein stenosis, portal vein stenosis and end‐to‐side portacaval anastomosis with mesenteric vein stenosis, the fourth group had only portacaval anastomosis. A control group had sham operations.

Plasma catecholamine concentrations are a reliable index of sympathetic vascular tone in patients with cirrhosis

Alain Braillon, Christophe Gaudin, Jorge L. Poo, Richard Moreau, Bertrand Debaene, Didier Lebrec – 1 January 1992 – In patients with cirrhosis, the significance of elevated plasma catecholamine concentrations is unclear. Thus we investigated the relationship between plasma catecholamine concentrations and the hemodynamic effect of pindolol (an index of sympathetic vascular tone) in 10 patients with cirrhosis.

Graft regeneration and host liver atrophy after auxiliary heterotopic liver transplantation for chronic liver failure

Pierre J. A. Willemse, Lambert Ausema, Onno T. Terpstra, Eric P. Krenning, Fibo W. J. Ten Kate, Solko W. Schalm – 1 January 1992 – We studied the size of the liver graft and the host liver in six consecutive patients undergoing auxiliary heterotopic liver transplantation for chronic endstage liver disease. In all cases, a liver reduced in size by left lateral hepatectomy was inserted. The sizes of the graft and host liver were estimated by planimetry of two‐dimensional di‐isopropyl iminodiacetic acid scintigrams taken 3, 7, 21, 90 and 180 days after surgery.

Detection of hepatitis C virus RNA in serum of patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with interferon‐α

Hideki Hagiwara, Norio Hayashi, Eiji Mita, Keiji Ueda, Tetsuo Takehara, Akinori Kasahara, Hideyuki Fusamoto, Takenobu Kamada – 1 January 1992 – We tested serial serum samples for hepatitis C virus RNA from patients undergoing treatment for chronic hepatitis C with interferon‐α using an assay that combined reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction. The subjects studied were 20 patients with chronic hepatitis who had serum antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti‐C100–3).

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