1 January 1991

J. C. Kolars, D. K. Turgeon, P. B. Watkins – 1 January 1991 – Diaz and colleagues have carefully studied the effects of omeprazole on the expression of cytochrome P‐450 in primary cultures of human hepatocytes. When omeprazole was added to the culture medium in varying concentrations, there was an increase in P‐450IA2 protein and mRNA concentrations, an increase in de novo synthesis of P‐450IA2 protein, and an increase in microsomal catalytic activities characteristic of P‐450IA2 (phenacetin deethylase and acetanilide hydroxylase).

Paul D. Berk – 1 January 1991

Antoine Hadengue, Richard Moreau, Yannick Bacq, Christophe Gaudin, Alain Braillon, Didier Lebrec – 1 January 1991 – We studied the effects of fenoldopam, a selective dopamine DA1 agonist on systemic and splanchnic hemodynamics, renal blood flow and sodium excretion in 12 patients with alcoholic cirrhosis and ascites. Hepatic, azygos and renal veins were catheterized before and after intravenous administration of fenoldopam, 0.05 μg/kg/min for 1 hr and increased to 0.1 μg/kg/min for another hour.

Staffan Sahlin, Per Thyberg, Jon Ahlberg, Bo Angelin, Kurt Einarsson – 1 January 1991 – The present study aimed at determining the relative distribution of cholesterol between the vesicular and micellar phases in gallbladder bile of gallstone patients (n = 23) and gallstone‐free subjects (n = 7). Nine of the gallstone patients were treated with chenodeoxycholic acid and seven were treated with ursodeoxycholic acid, 15 mg/kg/day, for 3 wk before cholecystectomy.

Massimo Levrero, Marietta Stemler, Claudio Pasquinelli, Alfredo Alberti, Olivier Jean‐Jean, Alessandra Franco, Clara Balsano, Dialo Diop, Christian Brechot, Margherita Melegari, Erica Villa, Vincenzo Barnaba, Michel Perricaudet, Hans Will – 1 January 1991 – Serological responses to hepatitis B virus–X determinants have been noted in human sera, but conflicting findings concerning the correlation of anti‐HBx antibodies with different stages of hepatitis B virus infection or pathological sequelae have been reported.

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.

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.

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.

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.