Andrea Crosignani, Pier Maria Battezzati, Kenneth D. R. Setchell, Maurizia Camisasca, Emanuela Bertolini, Aldo Roda, Massimo Zuin, Mauro Podda – 1 February 1991 – The effect of ursodeoxycholic acid administration on liver function tests and on bile acid metabolism was investigated in 18 patients with chronic active hepatitis. Three different doses of ursodeoxycholic acid—250 mg, 500 mg and 750 mg—were administered daily to each patient for consecutive 2‐mo periods. The order of doses was randomly assigned according to a replicated Latin‐square design.

Susan L. Saidman, Rene J. Duquesnoy, Adriana Zeevi, John J. Fung, Thomas E. Starzl, A. Jake Demetris – 1 February 1991 – We have developed an in vitro system to study the interactions between biliary epithelium and lymphocytes using cultured human biliary epithelial cells. No class II antigens were detected by immunoperoxidase staining of the normal biliary epithelial cells, but alloactivated lymphocyte culture supernatants were able to induce class II expression. The activity of the supernatants was blocked with an anti‐γ‐interferon monoclonal antibody.

Zoltan Spolarics, Abraham P. Bautista, John J. Spitzer – 1 February 1991 – This study elucidates the in vivo metabolic response of different liver cells after a single phagocytic challenge. In vivo glucose uptake of different tissues and isolated liver cells was determined by a sequential double labeling version of the 2‐deoxyglucose technique. After latex administration, glucose uptake more than doubled in the liver, increased by about 50% in the spleen and lung and was not changed in muscle and testis.

Tilo Andus, Joachim Bauer, Wolfgang Gerok – 1 February 1991

Andres T. Blei – 1 February 1991

1 February 1991

Takayuki Nagasaki, Michael A. Lieberman – 1 January 1991 – The presence of heparin‐binding growth factors in liver was investigated by measuring the DNA synthesis stimulatory activity of liver extracts using quiescent fibroblasts as target cells. It was found that cytosolic fractions of mouse, rat and human liver, as well as isolated rat hepatocytes, contain a large amount of growth stimulatory activity.

Toshihiro Mitaka, Carol A. Sattler, Gerald L. Sattler, Linda M. Sargent, Henry C. Pitot – 1 January 1991 – Multiple rounds of cell division were induced in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes in serum‐free medium containing 10 mmol/L nicotinamide and 10 ng epidermal growth factor/ml. Cells per culture almost doubled between day 1 and day 5. The proliferating cells were predominantly mononucleate. The time course of DNA synthesis in cultured hepatocytes showed that peaks of the incorporation of 3Hthymidine were observed at 60 hr and 82 hr after plating.

Namita Roy Chowdhury, Mohamed A. Saber, Pulak Lahiri, Peter I. Mackenzie, Phyllis M. Novikoff, Frederick F. Becker, Jayanta Roy Chowdhury – 1 January 1991 – The expression of specific UDP‐glucuronosyltransferase isoforms in 2‐acetylaminofluorane—induced rat liver preneoplastic nodules was studied; livers from pair‐fed littermates were used as controls. For comparison, liver and kidney from 3‐methylcholanthrene—treated or untreated (control) rats were used.

Srikant Dash, Kanury V. S. Rao, Beenu Joshi, Nabeen C. Nayak, Subrat K. Panda – 1 January 1991 – Lack of information regarding the presence of native albumin polymer in serum and its structural similarity to the one produced by glutaraldehyde treatment casts doubt on the postulate that hepatitis B virus attachment to hepatocytes is mediated through polymerized albumin.