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.

Hajime Takikawa, Tohru Narita, Naoyo Sano, Masami Yamanaka – 1 June 1991 – We previously reported that high‐dose infusion of ursodeoxycholate into rats caused its extensive glucuronidation. In this study, the glucuronidation of various bile acids after high‐dose infusion into rats was examined and the effects of coinfusion of bile acids on the glucuronidation of a trace dose of [14C]deoxycholate were also studied.

Giorgio Senaldi, Giorgina Mieli‐Vergani, Bernard Portmann, Alex P. Mowat, Diego Vergani – 1 June 1991

Floriano Rosina, Cristina Pintus, Carlton Meschievitz, Mario Rizzetto – 1 June 1991 – To determine whether long‐term therapy with recombinant interferon‐α can improve the course of chronic delta hepatitis, 61 Italian patients with this disease were randomly assigned to receive either interferon‐α‐2b three times a week (5 MU/m2 for 4 mo and then 3 MU/m2 for another 8 mo) or no treatment. At the end of the 12‐mo study, all patients were followed‐up for 12 additional months.

Nobuyuki Enomoto, Shujiro Takase, Nobuo Takada, Akira Takada – 1 June 1991 – To clarify the pathogenetic role of acetaldehyde in the development of alcoholic liver disease, genotyping of aldehyde dehydrogenase‐2 genes was performed and the clinical features of the alcoholic liver disease patients with different genotypes were compared. Genotyping of aldehyde dehydrogenase‐2 was performed in 47 patients with alcoholic liver disease using the polymerase chain reaction and slot‐blot hybridization.

Takuya Ikeda, Yoichi Kurebayashi – 1 June 1991 – Acute massive hepatic injury was induced in rats by a monoclonal antibody against a rat liver–specific membrane antigen, and its histological characteristics were investigated. A single intravenous injection of murine ascites containing a monoclonal antibody produced numerous hemorrhagic foci of degenerated and necrotic liver cells predominantly in zones 1 (the periportal area) and 2 (the area of transition between the periportal zone and the perivenular zone) of the liver lobule within 10 min.

Sheri Zidenberg‐Cherr, Katherine L. Olin, Jesus Villanueva, Anna Tang, Stephen D. Phinney, Charles H. Halsted, Carl L. Keen – 1 June 1991 – In the miniature pig, ethanol consumption has been reported to induce alterations in hepatic antioxidant defense capacity, which could result in increased risk of peroxidative damage. However, ethanol may also induce changes in membrane fatty acid composition, which could reduce the risk of peroxidative damage.

James Yarbrough, Michael Cunningham, Hirofumi Yamanaka, Ronald Thurman, Mostafa Badr – 1 June 1991 – Liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy is accompanied by altered hepatic intermediary metabolism. Because the organochlorine compound mirex also causes liver cell growth, the purpose of this study was to investigate hepatic carbohydrate and oxygen metabolism in perfused livers from mirex‐treated rats and to localize cell proliferation in this model.