Frederik Nevens, M. Pilar Pizcueta, Mercedes Fernández, Jaime Bosch, Joan Rodés – 1 December 1991 – Serotonergic mechanisms have recently been implicated in the pathogenesis of portal hypertension; this suggests that blockade of serotonin S2 receptors may be a new approach for the pharmacological therapy of portal hypertension.

Esteban Mezey, Joan Caballería, Mack C. Mitchell, Albert Parés, H. Franklin Herlong, Joan Rodés – 1 December 1991 – The effect of parenteral amino acid administration on nutritional state, liver function and mortality was assessed in patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis. Twenty‐eight patients received 2 1/day of a solution of dextrose (65 gm/L) and amino acids (25.8 gm/L) for 1 mo, whereas 26 received only the dextrose solution. All patients were allowed to eat a standard hospital diet.

1 December 1991

Attilio Rigotti, Flavio Nervi – 1 December 1991 – Hepatic cholesterol metabolism was examined in 27 Swedish patients with cholesterol gallstone disease and in 13 patients free of gallstones operated for roentgenographically suspect polyps in the gallbladder. All 40 patients underwent cholecystectomy, and a liver biopsy and gallbladder bile were obtained at surgery. The cholesterol saturation of gallbladder bile was significantly higher in patients with gallstones compared to the gallstone‐free controls (131 ± 13 vs. 75 ± 5%, P < 0.001).

Amanda J. Thornton, John Ham, Steven L. Kunkel – 1 December 1991 – Communication circuits operating between activated monocytes/macrophages and adjacent hepatocytes in the liver effect important alterations in hepatocyte function. We demonstrate here that primary human hepatocytes and hepatoma cells are able to function as effector cells in the recruitment of inflammatory cells in hepatic disease and inflammatory states by synthesizing a neutrophil/lymphocyte chemotactic factor, interleukin‐8.

E. Anthony Jones – 1 December 1991

Paul C. Adams, Edward Lin, Kathryn R. Barber, Chris W. M. Grant – 1 December 1991 – The elimination of toxic metal ions metabolically accumulated by patients remains a difficult clinical problem and a target of drug development. DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid) is a hydrophilic chelating agent with high affinity for divalent and trivalent metal ions including iron but with a limited ability to cross cell membranes for access to iron stores.

Hiroaki Okuda, Nicola Tavoloni, Terrence F. Blaschke, Chi‐Li Kiang, Mary Jane T. Jones, Jeanne G. Waggoner, Mohinder K. Sardana, Shigeru Sassa, Richard I. Shrager, Paul D. Berk – 1 December 1991 – δ‐Aminolevulinic acid‐4‐[14C] and [3H]‐bilirubin were administered intravenously to five patients with Gilbert's syndrome and four healthy control subjects on two occasions: before and on days 10 through 14 of a course of phenobarbital (2.5 mg/kg/day).

Reinhild Klein, Joseph Eisenburg, Paul Weber, Frank Seibold, Peter A. Berg – 1 December 1991 – Antibodies against neutrophils have been detected in sera from patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis and inflammatory bowel diseases either by immunofluorescence or by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.

Abraham Zifroni, Fenton Schaffner – 1 December 1991 – We followed up a group of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis who participated in a 4‐yr prospective, double‐blind controlled trial of colchicine therapy for 4 additional years. All were placed on open label colchicine (0.6 mg twice daily) after the trial was concluded. Of the original group of 28 patients treated with colchicine, 8 died and 5 recieved transplants (3 of the 5 died). Of the original placebo control group eight patients died and six received transplants (1 of the 6 died).