Bruce A. Runyon – 1 October 1990 – Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis is diagnosed when (a) the ascitic fluid culture is positive, (b) the ascitic fluid neutrophil count is ≥ 250 cells/mm3 and (c) there is no evident intraabdominal surgically treatable source for infection. Few details are available regarding the variant of ascitic fluid infection in which the culture grows bacteria (pure growth of a single type of organism), but the neutrophil count is <250 cells/mm3.

Douglas B. McGill – 1 October 1990

Wouter H. Lamers, Willem Been, Robert Charles, Antoon F. M. Moorman – 1 October 1990 – Urea cycle enzymes and glutamine synthetase are essential for NH3 detoxification and systemic pH homeostasis in mammals. Carbamoylphosphate synthetase, the first and flux‐determining enzyme of the cycle, is found only in a large periportal compartment, and glutamine synthetase is found only in a small, complementary pericentral compartment.

1 October 1990

Fergus D. Davison, Elizabeth A. Fagan, Bernard Portmann, Roger Williams – 1 October 1990 – One patient with the fibrolamellar variant of hepatocellular carcinoma was found to be seropositive for HBsAg and anti‐HBe. DNA from tumor and nontumor areas of the liver was examined by molecular hybridization for hepatitis B virus DNA sequences. Undigested DNA from the tumor gave a high‐molecular‐weight smear, and restriction‐enzyme analysis indicated a single instance of integration. Nontumor liver tissue was analyzed from three separate areas.

Cihan Yurdaydin, Heide Hörtnagl, Petra Steindl, Christof Zimmermann, Christian Pifl, Ernst A. Singer, Erich Roth, Peter Ferenci – 1 October 1990 – Functional changes of various neurotransmitter systems have been implicated in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy. In this study the role of brain monoaminergic neurotransmitter systems in hepatic encephalopathy was investigated in rats with thioacetamide‐induced acute liver failure.

William G. Rector, Frederick Lewis, Alastair D. Robertson, Gregory T. Everson – 1 September 1990 – The aim of this study was to determine whether liver function and portosystemic shunting are related to renal sodium retention in alcoholic liver disease. Twenty‐three studies were performed; 10 patients had ascites. Liver function was assessed from the plasma elimination rates of antipyrine, caffeine and stable isotopes of cholic acid, the latter administered both orally [2,2,4,4‐2H] and intravenously [24‐13C].

Gearld Y. Minuk, Tony Gauthier, Abraham Benarroch – 1 September 1990 – Polyamines have been reported to play an important role in stimulating hepatic regeneration after partial hepatectomy. To determine whether changes in systemic or hepatic polyamine concentrations correlate with the extent of the regenerative stimulus, serum and tissue putrescine, spermidine and spermine concentrations were determined in groups of adult male rats (n = 6 to 12/group) 0, 24, 48, and 72 hr after 30%, 70% or 90% partial hepatectomy.

Douglas Simon, Lawrence J. Brandt – 1 September 1990 – Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) was performed in twenty‐six AIDS patients to evaluate either abdominal pain suggestive of biliary tract disease, fever, serum alkaline phosphatase elevation, or a combination of these findings. Twenty patients (77%) had abnormal cholangiograms and four distinct patterns were identified: (1) papillary stenosis (n = 3); (2) sclerosing cholangitis (n = 4); (3) sclerosing cholangitis with papillary stenosis (n = 10); and (4) long extrahepatic bile duct strictures (n = 3).

1 September 1990