Fredrick L. Weber, Brenda S. Bagby, Lucilla Licate, Steven G. Kelsen – 1 June 1990 – This study was conducted to determine whether an amino acid solution enriched with branched‐chain amino acids altered protein catabolic rates and plasma ammonia in patients with cirrhosis. Nine stable subjects were given two peripheral intravenous infusions: a standard amino acid solution (solution A) and a branched‐chain‐enriched solution containing 97% more leucine (solution B). Each solution was given for separate 9‐day (group 1, n = 6) or 3‐day (group 2, n = 3) periods.

Philip B. Hylemon, Patricia M. Bohdan, Alphonse E. Sirica, Douglas M. Heuman, Z. Reno Vlahcevic – 1 June 1990 – The role of hepatocytes in bile acid and cholesterol metabolism has been extensively studied. By contrast, nothing is known about the role of bile ductular epithelial cells in cholesterol and bile acid metabolism. The purpose of the current studies was to establish whether bile ductular epithelial cells synthesize cholesterol, bile acids or both and to determine whether these cells are capable of metabolizing (hydroxylating, conjugating) bile acids.

Patrizia Bagnarelli, Giulia Devescovi, Aldo Manzin, Italo Bearzi, Patrizia Bonazzi, Guido Carloni, Massimo Clementi – 1 June 1990 – The establishment of a new, differentiated, hepatitis B virus DNA‐negative, human hepatoma cell line (named PLC/AN/2) is described. Neoplastic liver tissue was obtained during hepatectomy in an HBsAg‐negative man. The established cell line is negative for α‐fetoprotein and carcinoembryonic antigen; it has retained in vitro some of the differentiated functions of normal hepatocytes.

Riccardo Utili, Marie F. Tripodi, Luigi E. Adinolfi, Giovanni B. Gaeta, Charles O. Abernathy, Hyman J. Zimmerman – 1 May 1990 – This study was designed to test the hypothesis that increasing the infusion rate of bile salts could overcome drug‐induced cholestasis. Cholestasis was induced by administration of 17.5 μmol/L estradiol‐17β‐D‐glucuronide during the infusion of taurocholate, tauroursodeoxycholate or dehydrocholate at 20 nmol/min/gm liver. After 30 min, a bolus of 10 μmol of the bile salts was added to the perfusate, and the infusion rate of each bile salt was increased.

Georg Wensing, Ramzi Sabra, Robert A. Branch – 1 May 1990 – Although sodium retention is a common coplication in advanced liver disease, the relationship between liver and kidney function in cirrhosis has not been well established. The objective of this study was to investigate this relationship in an experimental model of cirrhosis induced in phenobarbital‐treated rats by weekly intragatric adminstration of carbon terachloride. Liver function, measured by the aminopyrine breath test, and urinary sodium excretion on a constant salt diet, were measured weekly.

Antonello Pietrangelo, Emilio Rocchi, Luisa Schiaffonati, Ezio Ventura, Gaetano Cairo – 1 May 1990 – To clarify the pathogenesis of hepatic iron toxicity, we investigated the effect of chronic dietary iron overload on the expression of several genes in rat liver. After 10 wk of iron treatment, when only minor histological features of liver damage were appreciable, the level of pro‐α2(I)‐collagen mRNA was already higher than in control liver and increased further at 30 wk of treatment.

Henry N. Claman – 1 May 1990 – We quantitated numbers of mast cells in the sclerotic skin noted on the dorsa of the hands of 10 patients with porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT), and compared them with those of diffuse scleroderma and healthy controls. Mast cell counts in scleroderma and healthy controls. Mast cell counts in sclerodermoid skin of PCT patients were significantly greater than those in involved skin of 9 patients with diffuse scleroderma in its late stage and also greater than those in normal skin of 8 controls.

1 May 1990

Christopher C. Baker – 1 May 1990 – To further define the computed tomographic (CT) criteria on which to guide the nonsurgical treatment of adult patients with blunt hepatic injury, the authors retrospectively reviewed abdominal CT scans obtained before surgery during a 35‐month period. Blunt hepatic injury was diagnosed in 187 patients, and review revealed 37 patients in whom the liver was the site of sole or principal intraabdominal injury detected with the help of CT before surgery.

Veerapol Kukongviriyapan, Neill H. Stacey – 1 May 1990 – Isolated rat hepatocytes have been advocated as a model to study aspects of mechanism of chemicalinduced interference with biliary excretory function. Some technical problems do exist in studying efflux, such as the reuptake of the previously excreted substrate. Another concern is the loss of liver‐specific functions in hepatocytes with continuing time in culture. It is important to address such technical aspects and to determine whether the process of efflux is compromised in primary cultures of hepatocytes.