Juan Cabrera, Luis Inglada, Enrique Quintero, Wladymiro Jimenez, Antonio Losada, Juan Mayor, Cayetano Guerra – 1 December 1991 – Fourteen cirrhotic patients with tense ascites were treated with total paracentesis and intravenous isotonic saline infusion. Standard liver and kidney function tests, plasma renin activity and aldosterone concentration were measured before, at 48 hrs and at 7 days after total paracentesis. The volume of ascites removed was 7.7 ± 5.6 1 (mean ± S.E.M.).

Richard Moreau, Antoine Hadengue, Eric Pussard, Olivier Soubrane, Philippe Sogni, Christophe Gaudin, Didier Lebrec – 1 December 1991 – We studied the relationships in 29 patients with cirrhosis between pulmonary arterial atrial natriuretic peptide concentrations and the following: systemic and splanchnic hemodynamics, the hematocrit, arterial oxyhemoglobin saturation, oxygen tension and the severity of cirrhosis. Plasma atrial natriuretic peptide concentrations ranged from 21 to 208 pg/ml and averaged 78 ± 8 pg/ml (mean ± S.E.M.).

Yannick Bacq, Jean‐Marc Besnier, Thanh‐Hai Duong, Guy Pavie, Etienne‐Henri Metman, Patrick Choutet – 1 December 1991 – Fascioliasis is the parasitic infestation of the liver and biliary tract related to Fasciola hepatica. Bithionol is proposed as the treatment of choice for human fascioliasis without major side effects. However, the efficacy of bithionol has been evaluated in chronic but not in acute fascioliasis. In this study we report on the success of treatment with bithionol in 10 patients with fascioliasis, 8 having acute fascioliasis.

Giris Jacob, Bashara Bishara, Samuel S. Lee, Nir Hilzenart, Arieh Bomzon – 1 December 1991 – Recent evidence suggests that serotonergic mechanisms within the cardiovascular system are activated and may be important in the development of the hyperkinetic circulation and the maintenance of portal hypertension in cirrhotic patients.

Adrian M. di Bisceglie, Zachary D. Goodman, Kamal G. Ishak, Jay H. Hoofnagle, Jacqueline J. Melpolder, Harvey J. Alter – 1 December 1991 – We have evaluated the clinical and histopathological outcomes of patients who contracted chronic non A, non B hepatitis as a result of transfusions administered during heart surgery at the National Institutes of Health. Posttransfusion hepatitis developed in 65 of 1,070 (6.1%) patients and became chronic in 45 (69%) of those cases. Antibody to hepatitis C virus was detectable in 53 patients (82%) with posttransfusion non A, non B hepatitis.

Michael Oellerich, Martin Burdelski, Hans‐Ulrich Lautz, Lutz Binder, Rudolf Pichlmayr – 1 December 1991 – The aim of this prospective study was to examine the usefulness of flow‐dependent dynamic liver function tests and conventional methods of evaluating liver function as predictors of pretransplant survival in patients with advanced cirrhosis. Patients who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation within the follow‐up period of 365 days were excluded. One hundred one patients with histologically confirmed cirrhosis were studied.

Steven I. Shedlofsky, Niel C. Hoglen, Larry E. Rodman, Ron Honchel, Farrel R. Robinson, Alice T. Swim, Craig J. McClain, Larry W. Robertson – 1 December 1991 – To determine whether the cytokine tumor necrosis factor/cachectin might be a mediator of hepatotoxicity seen after exposure to polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbons, rats treated with a single dose of 3,3′,4,4′‐tetrabromobiphenyl (150 μmol/kg intraperitoneally) or corn oil vehicle were studied. The 3,3′,4,4′‐tetrabromobiphenyl caused the expected anorexia, alterations in organ weights and changes in cytochromes P‐450 over 21 days.

Albert D. Min, Tobias Goeser, Rui Liu, Celeste G. Campbell, Phyllis M. Novikoff, Allan W. Wolkoff – 1 December 1991 – In previous studies, we identified a 55 kD organic anion–binding protein in liver cell sinusoidal plasma membrane subfractions. Other investigators identified another 55 kD bromosulfophthalein/bilirubin binding protein on the surface of rat hepatocytes and HepG2 cells and suggested that this protein served as a transporter for these ligands.

Yukihiko Adachi, Hiroaki Kobayashi, Yoshiaki Kurumi, Mika Shouji, Motokazu Kitano, Toshio Yamamoto – 1 December 1991 – The purpose of this study was to provide further insight into the mechanism of bilirubin diglucuronide excretion through the hepatocyte canalicular membrane by investigating the uptake of (3H)bilirubin diglucuronide by purified canalicular membrane vesicles of rat liver. The uptake was analyzed by a rapid filtration technique. The difference between vesicle‐associated (3H)bilirubin diglucuronide at 37° C and at 0° C during the initial 1 min was regarded as uptake.

J. Fred Nagelkerke, Bob van de Water, Irene M. Twiss, J. Paul Zoetewey, Hans J. G. M. de Bont, Peter Dogterom, Gerard J. Mulder – 1 December 1991 – The secretion of very‐low‐density lipoprotein from hepatocytes proceeds through the microtubules. In this study, the role of glutathione in the maintenance of intact microtubules and the secretion of very‐low‐density lipoprotein has been investigated.