Howard C. Thomas – 1 January 1992 – Background. A nosocomial outbreak of fulminant hepatitis B occurred in five patients in Haifa, Israel. Previous investigations identified the suspected source as a carrier of hepatitis B surface antigen who was positive for antibodies to hepatitis B e antigen and had chronic liver disease. We examined the strain of hepatitis B virus (HBV) that caused this epidemic, in order to identify specific mutations in the precore or core region.

Peter Schirmacher, Albert Geerts, Antonello Pietrangelo, Hans P. Dienes, Charles E. Rogler – 1 January 1992 – Hepatocyte growth factor/hepatopoietin A is a complete mitogen for parenchymal liver cells, and its expression is increased as an early response to acute liver injury. To identify the liver cell population responsible for hepatocyte growth factor gene expression, we investigated tissue sections and isolated and purified cell fractions from normal rat liver by in situ and Northern blot hybridization.

J. Michael Henderson, Gregory J. Mackay, Alan B. Lumsden, Hussein M. Atta, Richard Brouillard, Michael H. Kutner – 1 January 1992 – This study tested the hypothesis that the denervated liver is more susceptible to hypovolemic shock than the normal liver. Fourteen swine, seven nondenervated and seven after liver denervation, were studied during hypovolemic shock to 50% of baseline blood pressure. Hepatic artery and portal vein flows were measured using transonic flow probes, and cardiac output and central venous pressure were measured using Swan‐Ganz catheters.

1 December 1991

Jonathan A. Leighton, Michael K. Bay, Alma L. Maldonado, Steven Schenker, K. Vincent Speeg – 1 December 1991 – Colchicine may have benefit in primary biliary cirrhosis and alcoholic liver disease. It is currently used in patients with impaired liver function, yet little is known about its elimination in such patients. Colchicine clearance in the rat is significantly impaired in various models of liver disease. To study this in human beings, colchicine pharmacokinetics were compared in normal subjects and patients with alcoholic cirrhosis.

Petra Steindl, Andreas Püspök, Wilfred Druml, Peter Ferenci – 1 December 1991 – Hepatic encephalopathy is ameliorated by drugs acting on the central GABAA‐benzodiazepine receptor complex.

Peter A. Burke – 1 December 1991

Roger L. Martin, Kenneth F. Ilett, Rodney F. Minchin – 1 December 1991 – Previous studies in which investigators have induced the rate of polyamine uptake in vitro have used either inhibitors of polyamine biosynthesis or growth factors that induce cell proliferation. Recently, however, we have described the induction of putrescine uptake in cultured adult mouse hepatocytes and have shown that uptake is independent of both intracellular polyamine levels and proliferation.

Peter K. Mays, Robin McAnulty, Geoffrey J. Laurent – 1 December 1991 – Liver collagen levels are determined by a balance between synthesis and degradation, processes known to have rapid rates in growing animals. We report age‐related changes in liver collagen synthesis and degradation rates, as well as protein synthesis rates, in rats at five ages from 1 to 24 mo. Fractional collagen synthesis rates were determined after injection of [14C]proline with a flooding dose of unlabeled proline and its incorporation as hydroxy‐[14C]proline into proteins.

Shuhei Nishiguchi, Tetsuo Kuroki, Tsuneo Yabusako, Shuichi Seki, Kenzo Kobayashi, Takeyuki Monna, Shuzo Otani, Masami Sakurai, Toshio Shikata, Sukeo Yamamoto – 1 December 1991 – The relationship between alcoholic liver disease and hepatitis C virus was studied in 80 patients by searching for hepatitis C virus RNA with the polymerase chain reaction and by measuring hepatitis C virus antibodies.