Ieharu Hishinuma, Jun‐Ichi Nagakawa, Kazuo Hirota, Kaname Miyamoto, Kazuo Tsukidate, Takashi Yamanaka, Kou‐Ichi Katayama, Isao Yamatsu – 1 November 1990 – Intravenous injection of lipopolysaccharide and D‐galactosamine, at doses of 0.2 μg/kg and 800 mg/kg, respectively, elicited massive hepatic necrosis within 24 hr in C3H/HeN mice. The plasma L‐alanine aminotransferase (ALT, E.C. 2.6.1.2) or L‐aspartate aminotransferase (AST, E.C. 2.6.1.1) activities at this point reached more than 2,000 IU/L.

Philippe Marteau, Olivier Chazouiléres, Anne Myara, Raymond Jian, Jean‐Claude Rambaud, Raoul Poupon – 1 November 1990 – The effect of long‐term administration of ursodeoxycholic acid on the ileal absorption of endogenous bile acids was determined using the tauro 23 (75Se) selena‐25 homotaurocholic acid test in a controlled double‐blind study involving healthy subjects (n = 15). Subjects received placebo or 13 to 15 mg/kg/day ursodeoxycholic acid for 5 wk.

Ian R. Wanless, John S. Lentz – 1 November 1990 – Steatohepatitis (fatty liver hepatitis), histologically identical to alcoholic disease, occurs in some obese patients after jejunoileal bypass. A similar lesion occurs rarely in obese patients without bypass surgery, but the risk factors are poorly understood. Hepatic steatosis, steatohepatitis and fibrosis were sought in 351 apparently nonalcoholic patients at autopsy and various risk factors were evaluated. Incidence of steatosis and steatohepatitis correlated with the degree of obesity.

Peter Karayiannis, John Saldanha, John Monjardino, Robert Goldin, Janice Main, Shashi Luther, Mark Easton, Antonio Ponzetto, Howard C. Thomas – 1 November 1990 – To assess the role of immunization against hepatitis delta antigen in the prevention of hepatitis delta virus infection, woodchuck carriers of woodchuck hepatitis virus were immunized with a 64 amino acid portion of hepatitis delta antigen from its N‐terminal region. The protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and contained a major immunogenic epitope.

Ian R. Wanless, Powers Peterson, Asha Das, John K. Boitnott, G. William Moore, Vincent Bernier – 1 November 1990 – The pathogenesis of portal hypertension arising in patients with myeloproliferative disorders has been difficult to understand because liver biopsy findings often show minimal changes. It has been suggested that increased splenic blood flow, hepatic infiltration with hematopoietic cells or sinusoidal fibrosis may be important.

V. J. Desmet, Peter van Eyken, Raf Sciot – 1 November 1990 – Immunohistochemistry with monoclonal anti‐cytokeratin antibodies has revealed the presence of cytokeratin 19 in embryonic and early fetal hepatocytes. With the differentiation of bile ducts at about the 10th week, cytokeratin 19 disappears from liver cells but remains in bile duct cells. This marks an important step in the organogenesis of the liver.

Christian Müller, Christoph C. Zielinski – 1 November 1990 – We investigated lipopolysaccharide‐induced tumor necrosis factor production in vitro by peripheral blood monocytes from patients with various liver diseases.

Antonio Francavilla, Carmine Panella, Lorenzo Polimeno, Antonio Giangaspero, Vincenzo Mazzaferro, Chen‐En Pan, David H. Van Thiel, Thomas E. Starzl – 1 November 1990 – Thirteen patients who underwent 40% to 80% removal of their livers had blood samples drawn initially and daily on postoperative days 1 to 7. The enzyme marker of heightened polyamine metabolism, ornithine decarboxylase, and the indicator of DNA synthesis, thymidine kinase, were measured.

Józefa Wȩsierska‐Ga̧dek, Edward Penner, Eva Hitchman, Georg Sauermann – 1 November 1990 – Sera of patients with chronic hepatitis delta virus infection stained the nuclear periphery in indirect immunofluorescence. Using proteins of isolated nuclei, isolated nuclear matrices, the nuclear pore complexlamina fraction and purified lamins A and C as antigen source in immunoblotting experiments, nuclear lamin C was identified as the reactive antigen. Most sera tested (8 of 10) recognized nuclear lamin C exclusively, but not the nuclear lamins A and B.

Irmin Sternlieb – 1 November 1990