Federico Sáez‐royuela, Juan Carlos Porres, Alberto Moreno, Inmaculada Castillo, Gracia Martinez, Fernando Galiana, Vicente Carreño – 1 February 1991 – Chronic hepatitis C is often a progressive liver disease for which there is no satisfactory treatment. We studied the efficacy of recombinant α‐interferon or γ‐interferon in the treatment of this disease in comparison with a control group. Thirty patients were randomly assigned to three groups. Ten patients received 7.5 MU α‐interferon/m2 body surface three times weekly for 3 mo, then 5 MU/m2 for 3 mo and 2.5 MU/m2 for 6 mo.

Carol A. Casey, Sandra L. Kragskow, Michael F. Sorrell, Dean J. Tuma – 1 February 1991 – We have shown previously that ethanol‐induced defects in receptor‐mediated endocytosis of asialoorosomucoid occurred as early as 1 wk after ethanol feeding. This study was undertaken as an initial attempt to establish a possible role of defective receptormediated endocytosis in liver injury by investigating whether differences exist in the effects of ethanol on receptor‐mediated endocytosis in hepatocytes isolated from different regions of the liver.

Lyman E. Bilhartz – 1 February 1991 – The rate‐limiting step in bile acid biosynthesis is catalyzed by the microsomal cytochrome P‐450 cholesterol 7 α‐hydroxylase. The expression of this enzyme is subject to feedback regulation by sterols and is thought to be coordinately regulated with enzymes in the cholesterol supply pathways, including the low‐density lipoprotein receptor and 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methylglutarylcoenzyme A reductase and synthase. Here we report the purification of rat microsomal P‐450 cholesterol 7 α‐hydroxylase and the determination of a partial amino acid sequence.

Jorge J. Gumucio, Daryl Daugherty, Daryl Daugherty – 1 February 1991 – This study is part of an ongoing analysis of woodchuck hepatitis virus integration sites in the host genome of hepatocellular carcinomas. The study of woodchuck hepatitis virus‐DNA integration sites may shed light on the oncogenic mechanisms involved in cellular transformation and tumor formation. Viral integration enhancing cellular proto‐oncogene expression is one such mechanism and has been well documented for oncogenic retroviruses such as mouse mammary tumor virus and interleukin‐1.

Prasada Rao S. Kodavanti, Urmila P. Kodavanti, Harihara M. Mehendale – 1 February 1991 – Calmodulin, a low molecular weight Ca2 + binding protein, regulates a large number of cell activities including cell division. Previous studies from our laboratory indicated excessive accumulation of Ca2 + in hepatocytes succeeded by rapid glycogen breakdown and suppressed cell division in rats receiving CCl4 after previous dietary exposure to 10 ppm chlordecone.

Atsuhiko Naramoto, Shinichi Ohno, Kiyoshi Furuta, Nobuo Itoh, Koh Nakazawa, Masayuki Nakano, Hidekazu Shigematsu – 1 February 1991 – We observed hepatocyte cytoskeletons in phalloidintreated rats by the quick‐freezing and deep‐etching method in three dimensions and compared them with the ultrastructural findings on conventional ultrathin sections. The numbers of microvilli in dilated bile canaliculi were decreased in the rats treated with phalloidin for 1 wk.

CAROLYN N. d'arville, Kayhan T. Nouri‐Aria, Philip Johnson, Roger Williams – 1 February 1991 – In this study we investigated the regulation of insulin‐like growth factor II gene expression to explain a role for this growth factor in concert with hepatitis B virus involvement in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma from cirrhosis.

Raymond S. Koff, Richard G. Masson – 1 February 1991

You‐Chen Chao, Chuan‐Mo Lee, Hung‐Shang Tang, Sugantha Govindarajan, Michael M. C. Lai – 1 February 1991 – The genomic RNA of an Asian isolate of hepatitis delta virus was cloned from a Chinese patient from Taiwan, using the polymerase chain reaction to amplify cDNA for cloning and sequencing. The sequence of this hepatitis delta virus isolate shares an 86% to 88% similarity with the three published hepatitis delta virus RNA sequences, suggesting heterogeneity of hepatitis delta viruses from different geographical areas. Four highly conserved, long stretches of sequence were found.

Theodorus Akerboom, Ingo Schneider, Stephan vom Dahl, Helmut Sies – 1 February 1991 – Chlorpromazine (10 μmol/L) causes a marked increase in portal pressure in perfused rat liver. Simultaneously, oxygen consumption, hepatic clearance of taurocholate and bile flow are diminished. These effects are prevented by the cyclooxygenase inhibitors indomethacin (15 μmol/L), acetylsalicylate (3 mmol/L) or ibuprofen (200 μmol/L). On addition of chlorpromazine the liver releases increased amounts of prostaglandin D2; this increase does not occur in the presence of indomethacin.