Horng‐I Yeh, G. D. V. Van Rossum – 1 March 1991 – We have studied the mechanism by which liver Golgi apparatus maintains the acidity of its contents, using a subcellular fraction from rat liver highly enriched in Golgi marker enzymes. Proton accumulation (measured by quenching of acridine‐orange fluorescence) and anion‐dependent ATPase were characterized and compared. Maximal ATPase and proton accumulation required ATP; GTP and other nucleotides gave 10% to 30% of maximal activity. Among anions, Cl− and Br− approximately doubled the activities; others were much less effective.

Jorge J. Gumucio, Paul Calés – 1 March 1991 – Endoscopic sclerotherapy is widely employed for esophageal variceal hemorrhage. However it has side effects and can aggravate portal hypertension by suppression of portosystemic shunt. The purpose of the present investigation was to study the effect of variceal thrombosis on hepatic venous pressure gradient and azygos blood flow. Eight alcoholic cirrhotic patients with a first variceal hemorrhage were included. According to Child Pugh's classification, 4 patients were group A, 2 group B and 2 group C. At each session 40 to 60 ml of 1 p.

Linda M. Fletcher, Ian Kwoh‐Gain, Elizabeth E. Powell, Lawrie W. Powell, June W. Halliday – 1 March 1991 – We report here the use of the biochemical marker desialylated transferrin to aid in the diagnosis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Conventional biochemical tests used for the detection of chronic alcohol consumption fail to differentiate nonalcoholic steatohepatitis patients from alcoholic subjects.

Giampaolo Bianchi, Giulio Marchesini, Hendrik Vilstrup, Andrea Fabbri, Maria Stella De Mitri, Marco Zoli, Emilo Pisiél – 1 March 1991 – The functional hepatic nitrogen clearance during amino acid infusion is a measure of liver cell mass. The clinical feasibility of the test has so far been limited by methodological problems. A simplified procedure was used to measure the urea‐nitrogen synthesis rate and functional hepatic nitrogen clearance in nine subjects with normal liver function and in nine patients with cirrhosis.

Philip Carthew, Richard E. Edwards, Andrew G. Smith, Barbara Dorman, Jean E. Francis – 1 March 1991 – The parenteral administration of iron‐dextran complex to gerbils caused hepatic hemosiderosis and fibrosis after 6 wk. Type I and III collagen synthesis in the liver developed from perisinusoidal stellate cells that are often referred to as myofibroblasts. Immunohistologically these cells were shown to have large intracellular deposits of ferritin.

Patrick Marcellin, Nathalie Boyer, Emile Giostra, Claude Degott, Anne Marie Courouce, FrançOise Degos, Henri Coppere, Paul Cales, Patrice Couzigou, Jean‐Pierre Benhamou – 1 March 1991 – We have conducted a multicenter randomized controlled trial comparing two doses of recombinant human α‐interferon for efficacy in 60 patients with chronic non‐A, non‐B hepatitis. The source of infection appeared to be transfusion in 30 patients, intravenous drug abuse in 16 patients and was unknown in 14 patients.

Pietro Lampertico, James S. Malter, Michael A. Gerber – 1 March 1991 – The development of effective anti‐hepatitis B virus agents has been hampered by the lack of reliable in vitro systems for the screening of new therapeutics. In an effort to circumvent this problem, we have developed an in vitro system for screening antihepatitis B virus drugs using hepatitis B virus DNAtransfected Hep G2 cells. The cell line designated 2.2.15 produces replicative viral DNA intermediates, mature Dane particles and high levels of viral antigens.

Jorge J. Gumucio, J. Donald Ostrow – 1 March 1991 – The bile acids in brown pigment stones and gallbladder bile were fractionated into free acids, glycine and taurine conjugates, and sulfates, using diethylamino‐hydroxypropyl‐Sephadex LH‐20 (DEAPLH‐20) column chromatography, and were quantitated by gas chromatography. Twenty‐eight cases of brown pigment stones were studied and divided into two groups: those with and those without bacteria possessing bile acid‐deconjugating activity.

Raymond S. Koff – 1 March 1991

Antonina Smedile, Floriano Rosina, Giorgio Saracco, Elisabetta Chiaberge, Valter Lattore, Antonina Fabino, Maurizia R. Brunetto, Giorgio Verme, Mario Rizzetto, Ferruccio Bonino – 1 March 1991 – Hepatitis D virus and hepatitis B virus nucleic acids were detected by Northern and Southern blot hybridlzation in the sera and livers of 85 chronic carriers of HBsAg and anti‐hepatitis D followed up for a mean of 10 yr.