Tadashi Terada, Yasuni Nakanuma – 1 December 1991 – Epithelia of intrahepatic bile ducts and peribiliary glands were immunohistochemically examined for pancreatic α‐amylase and trypsin in 54 normal autopsied livers. α‐Amylase was evaluated with a polyclonal antibody, and trypsin was assayed with both polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies. α‐Amylase was observed in large ducts, septal ducts and peribiliary glands in most livers and was seen in interlobular ducts in seven (13%) livers.

Mark E. Bubak, Michael K. Porayko, Ruud A. F. Krom, Russell H. Wiesner – 1 December 1991 – We investigated the incidence and types of liver biopsy complications in our first 160 consecutive liver transplantations. A significant complication was identified by the need for therapeutic intervention (for example, hospitalization, transfusion, intravenous fluids, chest tube, surgery or antibiotic therapy). A total of 950 percutaneous hepatic allograft biopsies were performed in 136 patients (mean = 6.9 biopsies/graft; range = 1 to 29).

Ian G. McFarlane, Kanchan Chaggar, Susan E. Davies, Heather M. Smith, Graeme J. M. Alexander, Roger Williams – 1 December 1991 – Sera from 31 patients with chronic hepatitis delta virus infection and 18 patients with acute hepatitis delta virus infection were examined for IgA class antibodies to this virus using a newly developed enzyme immunoassay. IgA antibody to hepatitis D virus was detected in 21 (67.7%) of 31 patients with chronic delta viral hepatitis, but in only 1 (5.6%) of the 18 patients with acute infection (p < 0.0005).

Swan N. Thung, Michael A. Gerber – 1 November 1991

Juan Armendariz‐Borunda, Jerome M. Seyer, Arnold E. Postlethwaite, Andrew H. Kang – 1 November 1991 – Conditioned media from cultured Kupffer and mononuclear macrophagic cells obtained 48 hr after CCl4 administration to rats contains chemotactic factors for human skin fibroblasts and human monocytes. The chemotactic mediator for fibroblasts was approximately 17 kD and was more prominent at early stages of culture. It induced a dose‐dependent chemotactic response in fibroblasts.

Henry H. Hsu, Teresa L. Wright, Daniel Luba, Mary Martin, Stephen M. Feinstone, Gabriel Garcia, Harry B. Greenberg – 1 November 1991 – Although hepatitis C infection has been clearly demonstrated to be transmitted through blood products or blood contamination, most cases of sporadic hepatitis C infection are unassociated with parenteral risk factors, and it is unclear how infection might be acquired by nonparenteral means. One potential mode of nonparenteral transmission is through body secretions.

Gary L.

Stephan Krahenbuhl, Eric P. Brass – 1 November 1991 – Energy metabolism is abnormal in patients and experimental animals with liver cirrhosis. To help better understand the abnormalities, fuel homeostasis and carnitine metabolism were studied in fed and 24‐hr‐starved rats with secondary biliary cirrhosis induced by bile duct ligation for 4 wk. Plasma ketone body concentrations were decreased by 67% in starved, bile duct–ligated rats compared with control rats.

Sumiko Nagoshi, Tomoaki Tomiya, Yuzuru Sato, Yuji Oka, Itsuro Ogata, Kenji Fujiwara – 1 November 1991 – When epidermal growth factor was given to rats after partial hepatectomy, hepatic putrescine content was significantly increased at 4, 6 and 10 hr compared with control rats. Ornithine decarboxylase activity was also increased.

Christopher B. O'brien, John R. Senior, Renu Arora‐Mirchandani, Ashok K. Batta, Gerald Salen – 1 November 1991 – We investigated the effects of once‐daily oral administration of 10 mg/kg ursodeoxycholic acid (generic name, ursodiol) on elevated serum enzyme activities, bilirubin, cholesterol, bile acids and symptoms in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis.