Craig J. McClain – 1 August 1991 – Study Objective: To determine whether elevated tumor necrosis factor levels contribute to the clinical manifestations and complications of severe acute alcoholic hepatitis and to evaluate the relation between tumor necrosis factor and plasma levels of endotoxin and interleukin‐1β.

Tünde E. Felker, Donald Gantz, Anna M. Tercyak, Cheryl Oliva, Susanne Bennett Clark, Donald M. Small – 1 August 1991 – Isolated rat livers were perfused with an oxygenated perfluorocarbon emulsion, FC‐43 emulsion for 1 to 4 hr. FC‐43 emulsion contained 20% FC‐43 (wt/vol) perfluorotributylamine (the fluorocarbon component for the transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide) emulsified with 2.56% Pluronic F‐68 (a nonionic surfactant) in Krebs‐Ringer bicarbonate buffer. FC‐43 emulsion also contained 3% hydroxyethyl starch as an oncotic agent and 1.8 mg/ml glucose.

Dario Sorrentino, Karen Van Ness, Isabela Ribeiro, Charles M. Miller – 1 August 1991 – Although several studies suggest that hepatic graft failure after cold ischemia results from nonparenchymal cell damage, other data indicate that hepatocellular ATP content is significantly correlated with the transplantation success rate.

Joseph Y. Sung, Eldon A. Shaffer, Merle E. Olson, Joseph W. C. Leung, Kan Lam, J. William Costerton – 1 August 1991 – It has been suggested that bacteria in the intestine gain access into the biliary tract by entering the portal‐venous blood. We have tested the hypothesis of hematogenous infection of the biliary system in cats. The animals were treated in three different groups: group A (no biliary obstruction), group B (acute biliary obstruction) and group C (chronic biliary obstruction).

1 August 1991

Pei‐Jer Chen, Meei‐Hua Lin, Su‐Jen Tu, Ding‐Shinn Chen – 1 July 1991 – To clone and characterize hepatitis C virus strains present in Taiwan, RNA was extracted from liver tissue collected from a patient during the acute phase of posttransfusion non‐A, non‐B hepatitis. RNA was then subjected to complementary DNA synthesis and the polymerase chain reaction, using primers derived from the original nucleotide sequence of the United States hepatitis C virus strain.

Telfer B. Reynolds – 1 July 1991 – In a double‐blind randomized trial, the hemodynamic events following the administration of propranolol (n = 51) or a placebo (n = 51) were prospectively studied in cirrhotic patients with esophageal varices. The hepatic venous pressure gradient, heart rate, and variceal size were determined at the baseline and 3, 12, and 24 months after the beginning of therapy. Baseline values were similar in both groups.

Ned Ballatori – 1 July 1991 – The liver is the major organ which eliminates leukotriene C4 (LTC4) and other cysteinyl leukotrienes from the blood circulation into bile. Transport of LTC4 was studied using inside‐out vesicles enriched in canalicular and sinusoidal membranes from rat liver. The incubation of canalicular membrane vesicles with [3H]LTC4 in the presence of ATP resulted in an uptake of LTC4 into vesicles. The initial rate of ATP‐stimulated LTC4 uptake was about 40‐fold higher in canalicular than in sinusoidal membrane vesicles.

Lori A. Bottalico, Hannah T. Betensky, Young B. Min, Shelley B. Weinstock – 1 July 1991 – One drawback to using perfluorochemical emulsions as blood substitutes is that perfluorochemical particles are cleared from the blood by the reticuloendothelial system, primarily liver and spleen. We measured the impact of two perfluorochemical emulsions on clearance of colloidal carbon (< 1 μm) and 51Cr‐sheep red blood cells (about 8 μm) by the reticuloendothelial system in vivo and in the isolated perfused liver.

1 July 1991