1 June 1994

Hal F. Yee, Teresa L. Wright – 1 June 1994 – Serial serum samples and pretreatment and post‐treatment liver tissue from patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection were tested for HCV RNA by reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction and branched DNA signal amplification assays. At the end of treatment with interferon‐α (IFNα), 4 of 5 patients showing no biochemical response (in alanine aminotransferase activity), 4 of 5 with transient responses, and 1 of 5 showing complete and sustained responses had HCV RNA detectable in serum.

Parvathi Mohan, Saidee C. Ling, John B. Watkins – 1 June 1994 – The ontogeny of hepatic synthesis and biliary secretion of glutathione was characterized and correlated with hepatic gamma glutamyl transpeptidase, bile flow rate, biliary bile acids and amino acids in Sprague‐Dawley rats at 18 days of gestation and postnatally at ages 7, 14, 21, 28 and 54 days. Bile was collected by bile duct cannulation under intraperitoneal anesthesia with nembutal/ketamine.

Jeffrey A. Handler, Caroline A. Genell, Robin S. Goldstein – 1 June 1994 – The purpose of these studies was to investigate intrahepatic changes underlying age‐related decreases in bile flow by evaluating the effects of aging on bile acid–dependent and –independent flow, canalicular versus ductular flow and hepatic tight junction permeability. The isolated perfused liver was used to assess age‐related changes in intrinsic hepatobiliary function without the complications of extrahepatic factors such as circulating hormones or hemodynamics.

Francesco Cetta, Francesco Lombardo, Andrea Cariati – 1 June 1994

Inmaculada Castillo, Javier Bartolomé, Sonia Navas, Sara Gonzalez, Montserrat Herrero, Vicente Carreño – 1 June 1994 – We studied the long‐term outcomes of 43 patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with one or two interferon cycles, in relation to hepatitis C virus RNA in serum and peripheral‐blood mononuclear cells. After the first interferon cycle, 15 (35%) patients had normal transaminase levels, although only five of them had normal levels throughout follow‐up (complete responders).

Antonio Madejón, Teresa Cotonat, Javier Bartolomé, Inmaculada Castillo, Vicente Carreño – 1 June 1994 – We examined the efficacy of decreasing high doses (beginning at 18 MU/day) of interferon‐α2a vs. that of daily low doses (3 MU) in the treatment of chronic hepatitis delta virus infection. Patients treated with 18 MU had a somewhat higher frequency of normalization of serum ALT levels than patients treated with low doses (31% and 12%, respectively, on an intention‐to‐treat basis).

Elihu M. Schimmel – 1 June 1994

Eduardo Martínez‐Ansó, José E. Castillo, Javier Díez, Juan F. Medina, Jesús Prieto – 1 June 1994 – Sodium‐independent Cl−/HCO3− exchange activity has been observed in isolated rat hepatocytes and intrahepatic bile duct epithelial cells, where it is involved in intracellular pH regulation and, possibly, biliary bicarbonate secretion. Monoclonal antibodies to the membrane domain of human chloride/bicarbonate anion exchanger proteins, AE1 and AE2, were prepared so that we might determine by immunohistochemical methods the presence and location of these antiporters in the human liver.

Ulus Salih Akarca, Sheila Greene, Anna Suk Fong Lok – 1 June 1994 – Precore hepatitis B virus mutants have been detected mainly in HBeAg‐negative patients with active liver disease. We previously reported two novel mutations: M1 (C‐to‐T change at nucleotide 1856 [pro‐ser at codon 15]) and M3 (G‐to‐A change at nucleotide 1898 [gly‐ser at codon 29]) in addition to two well‐described mutations: M2 (G‐to‐A change at nucleotide 1896 [trp‐stop at codon 28]); and M4 (G‐to‐A change at nucleotide 1899 [gly‐asp at codon 29]) in Chinese patients.