1 November 1991

Kim M. Summers, June W. Halliday, Lawrie W. Powell – 1 November 1991

Raymond S. Koff – 1 November 1991

Giuliano Ramadori, Thomas Knittel, Stefan Schwögler, Florian Bieber, Hartmut Rieder, Karl‐Herrmann Meyer Zum Büschenfelde – 1 November 1991 – Fat‐storing (Ito) cells are perisinusoidal liver cells thought to play a central role in vitamin A metabolism and fibrogenesis. Glucocorticoids have been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of certain types of liver diseases by delaying the development of cirrhosis. To study the regulatory effects of dexamethasone on Ito cell gene expression, Ito cells were isolated from normal rat liver and primary cultures were established.

Stefano Gaiani, Luigi Bolondi, Daphna Fenyves, Gianni Zironi, Alessandra Rigamonti, Luigi Barbara – 1 November 1991 – Propranolol has been demonstrated to be effective in lowering portal pressure in cirrhotic patients. This effect is mediated by a reduction of splanchnic arterial inflow and a consequent decrease of portal vein and portocollateral blood flow. Although experimental studies suggest a direct effect of the drug on portocollateral circulation, little information exists about relative flow changes occurring in the portal vein and in collateral veins feeding esophageal varices.

Raymond S. Koff, Dawn Provenzale – 1 November 1991

John J. Lemasters, Ronald G. Thurman – 1 November 1991 – To determine the role of neutrophils in the pathogenesis of hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury, livers from male Fischer rats were subjected to 45 min of no‐flow ischemia followed by reperfusion for up to 24 h. Two phases of liver injury were identified, an initial phase during the first hour of reperfusion and a later progression phase with 80 ± 3% hepatocyte necrosis and an 80‐fold increase of neutrophil infiltration in the liver after 24 h.

Marco Bertolotti, Nicola Abate, Paola Loria, Michele Dilengite, Francesca Carubbi, Adriano Pinetti, Antonia Dlgrisolo, Nicola Carulli – 1 November 1991 – The rates of cholesterol 7α‐hydroxylation (the first and rate‐limiting step of bile acid synthesis from cholesterol) were evaluated in vivo in patients administered bile acids with different structural properties, cholestyramine or simvastatin, a competitive inhibitor of 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methylglutaryl‐coenzyme A reductase.

Dirk de Craemer, Ingrid Kerckaert, Frank Roels – 1 November 1991 – The peroxisomes in the liver of four patients with alcoholic hepatitis and in six patients with druginduced hepatitis are compared to eight control livers by catalase cytochemistry and morphometry. A decrease of catalase activity is observed in alcoholic, amitriptyline, aprindine, clomipramine and methimazole hepatitis. Peroxisomes with a heterogeneous distribution of the catalase reaction product are found in most hepatitis livers.

Jean‐Yves Scoazec, Gérard Feldmann – 1 November 1991 – Hepatic sinusoids are highly specialized capillary vessels characterized by the presence of resident macrophages adhering to the endothelial lining. Although it is likely that sinusoidal endothelial cells have specific adaptations, little is known about the roles that they actually play in vivo.