Jaap Kwekkeboom, Hans M. G. Princen, Eline M. van Voorthuizen, Herman Jan M. Kempen – 1 November 1990 – Feedback regulation of bile acid synthesis by its end products was studied in cultured hepatocytes of young weaned pigs. We previously showed that conversion of exogenous [14C] cholesterol into bile acids was suppressed by addition of bile acids to the culture medium. In the present study, the effects of bile acids on bile acid mass production and cholesterol 7α‐hydroxylase activity were examined.

Anna Mae Diehl, Suzan Abdo, Nesbitt Brown – 1 October 1990 – Biosynthesis of the polyamines, putrescine, spermidine and spermine, is required for DNA synthesis and liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy. Chronic ethanol consumption impairs polyamine synthesis during the prereplicative phase after partial hepatectomy. To determine whether this delay in polyamine synthesis contributes to ethanol's inhibition of liver regeneration, the ability of supplemental putrescine to improve regeneration in ethanol‐fed rats was tested.

Pere Ginés, Antoni Rimola, Ramón Planas, Victor Vargas, Francesc Marco, Manuel Almela, Montserrat Forne, Maria Luisa Miranda, Josep Llach, Joan Manuel Salmerón, Maria Esteve, Josep Maria Marques, Maria Teresa Jiménez de Anta, Vicente Arroyo, Joan Rodés – 1 October 1990 – Eighty cirrhotic patients who had recovered from an episode of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis were included in a multicenter, double‐blind trial aimed at comparing long‐term norfloxacin administration (400 mg/day; 40 patients) vs. placebo (40 patients) in the prevention of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis recurrence.

Gloria Taliani, Carlo Clementi, Rosina Lecce, Franca Grimaldi, Carlo de Bac, Giorgio Saracco, Mario Rizzetto – 1 October 1990

Motoko Sasaki, Yasuni Nakanuma, Tadashi Terada, Masahiro Hoso, Katsuhiko Saito, Morimoto Hayashi, Hiroshi Kurumaya – 1 October 1990 – Amyloid deposition in the hepatic parenchyma and portal tracts in the liver is well known in systemic amyloidosis. We recently experienced an autopsy case of systemic amyloidosis presenting the amyloid deposits in the intrahepatic biliary tree. This experience prompted us to survey 19 autopsy cases of systemic amyloidosis.

Kathleen B. Schwarz, Tara J. Moore, Rodney E. Willoughby, Siok‐Bi Wee, Steven L. Vonderfecht, Robert H. Yolken – 1 October 1990 – Recent observations in children with rotavirus gastroenteritis and in infant mice given rotavirus vaccine by oral administration suggest that this well‐known gastrointestinal pathogen may infect the liver. To examine this possibility, the susceptibility of Hep G2 cells to infection with a variety of rotavirus strains was tested. These cells were used because they are considered to be well differentiated and exhibit many liver‐specific functions.

Shie‐Pon Tzung, Katherine C. Gaines, Peter Lance, M. Jane Ehrke, Stefan A. Cohen – 1 October 1990 – Murine lymphokine‐activated‐killer cell activity was readily induced by culturing spleen cells with 10 U/ml of interleukin‐2 for 4 days. In contrast, very little activity was generated under the same culture conditions when nonparenchymal liver cells were used as the responding cells.

Mark G. Davies, Michael J. Rowan, Padraig Macmathuna, P. W. Napoleon Keeling, Donald G. Weir, John Feely – 1 October 1990 – Recently many variants of electroencephalogramevoked responses have been studied as potential diagnostic aids in the detection and evaluation of hepatic encephalopathy. This study assesses the value of the auditory P300 event—related potential — a slow component of the auditory evoked response — as a tool in this field. Twenty‐one nonencephalopathic and 12 encephalopathic (grade 1/2) cirrhotic patients and 26 controls were assessed clinically and psychometrically.

Wim G. V. Quint, Inge de Bruijn, Hans Kruining, Rudolf A. Heijtink – 1 October 1990 – Serum samples from 62 women, inadvertently infected with hepatitis B virus in an in vitro fertilization program, were tested for the presence of hepatitis B virus‐DNA using the polymerase chain reaction. Under conditions of a strict spatial separation of DNA extraction, amplification and product analysis, we succeeded in detection of as few as 360 hepatitis B virus particles per milliliter.

Juan Antonio Quiroga, Inmaculada Castillo, Juan Carlos Porres, Santos Casado, Federico Sáez, María Gracia Martínez, Mariano Gómez, Luis Inglada, Luis Sánchez‐Sicilia, Adela Mora, Fernando Galiana, Guillermina Barril, Vicente Carreño – 1 October 1990 – Patients undergoing long‐term hemodialysis are at high risk of acquiring hepatitis B yet tend to have poor rates of response to hepatitis B vaccine.