Mercedes Ruiz‐Moreno, Maria José Rua, Josefina Molina, Gloria Moraleda, Alberto Moreno, Jaime García‐aguado, Vicente Carréño – 1 June 1991 – Thirty‐six children with chronic hepatitis B were entered into a randomized controlled trial of recombinant human interferon‐α All patients had hepatitis B virus DNA and increased levels of aminotransferases in serum for at least 1 yr. Twelve children received 10 MU of interferon‐α 2b/m2 body surface area three times a week (group I); 12 children received 5 MU/m2 under the same conditions (group II); and 12 children served as controls (group III).

Damrong Ratanasavanh, Philippe Beaune, Fabrice Morel, Jean‐Pierre Flinois, F. Peter Guengerich, Andre Guillouzo – 1 June 1991 – We have used immunohistochemical, immunoblotting and messenger RNA blotting approaches to study the distribution and quantitation of three cytochrome P‐450 enzymes, namely P‐450 IA2, P‐450 IIC and P‐450 IIIA and, for comparison, epoxide hydrolase and NADPH‐cytochrome P‐450 reductase in human liver.

Serge Fratté, Jean‐Louis Gendrault, Anne‐Marie Steffan, André Kirn – 1 June 1991 – University of Wisconsin solution greatly lengthens the time liver storage is possible compared with all previous solutions used. To test whether this improvement is related to better preservation of the endothelial cell, which is thought to be the most vulnerable cell type in cold storage, we compared time‐related ultrastructural changes in rat livers stored in this solution or in Euro‐Collins solution. Rat livers were harvested after combined arterial and portal perfusion with the cold‐storage solution.

Thierry Coche, Xavier Deroubaix, Eric Depiereux, Ernest Feytmans – 1 June 1991 – We used compartmental modeling to describe taurocholate transport by isolated rat liver cells in suspension. Cells are preincubated in the presence of unlabeled taurocholate. When a steady‐state for taurocholate is reached, radiolabeled taurocholate is added to the medium and its exchange kinetics between the medium and the cells are followed over time. Because the studies are performed under steady‐state conditions, the kinetics can be described by linear compartmental models.

Hyman Zimmerman – 1 June 1991

James Neuberger – 1 June 1991 – The new immunosuppressive drug FK 506 was used from the outset with low doses of prednisone to treat 120 recipients of primary liver grafts and 20 more patients undergoing liver retransplantation. The patient survival rate after 2 to 8 months in the primary liver transplantation series is 93.3%, with original graft survival of 87.5%. Of the 20 patients in the hepatic retransplant series, 17 (85%) are living. Almost all of the surviving patients have good liver function.

Raymond S. Koff – 1 June 1991

Jorge J Gumucio, Teresa L. Wright – 1 June 1991 – In the period 1985–1988, 62 focal liver lesions in 58 cirrhotic patients were studied by ultrasonography; 12 of these focal lesions were documented to be regenerating lesions by echo‐guided fine‐needle biopsy. During an average follow‐up period of 10.2 months (range 3–22 months), hepatocellular carcinoma was subsequently found in 10 of the cases of regenerating nodules, whereas the initial diagnosis of regenerating nodule was confirmed in the remaining two cases.

Fred Kern – 1 June 1991

Joachim Bauer, Gabriella Lengyel, Swan N. Thung, Uwe Jonas, Wolfgang Gerok, George Acs – 1 June 1991 – Under strict observation of the ethical guidelines of the 1975 Declaration of Helsinki Human Research Committee, primary hepatocyte cultures were prepared from second‐trimester fetal liver specimens. We have shown for the first time that fetal hepatocytes have the capacity to produce an acutephase response on treatment with inflammatory mediators.