Gary C. Kanel, William Cassidy, Louis Shuster, Telfer B. Reynolds – 1 April 1990 – Although investigative research of animal models in cocaine metabolism and associated liver cell injury has been fairly extensive during the past 10 yr, little evidence of hepatotoxicity has been documented in man. We report a case of fulminant hepatic failure and acute rhabdomyolysis resulting from cocaine use.

Eric Fort, Denis Sautereau, Christine Silvain, Pierre Ingrand, Bernard Pillegand, Michel Beauchant – 1 April 1990 – A randomized trial was undertaken to determine the efficacy of nitroglycerin in addition to terlipressin infusion to improve the control of acute variceal hemorrhage compared with balloon tamponade. Fortyseven bleeding episodes in 34 cirrhotic patients were included, with terlipressin plus sublingual nitroglycerin in 23 episodes (group I) and balloon tamponade in 24 episodes (group II).

Richard H. Moseley – 1 April 1990 – The relationships between extracellular pH (pHo), intracellular pH (pHi), and loss of cell viability were evaluated in cultured rat hepatocytes after ATP depletion by metabolic inhibition with KCN and iodoacetate (chemical hypoxia). pHi was measured in single cells by ratio imaging of 2′, 7′ ‐biscarboxy‐ethyl‐5, 6‐carboxyfluorescein (BCECF) fluorescence using multiparameter digitized video microscopy. During chemical hypoxia at pHo of 7.4, pHi decreased from 7.36 to 6.33 within 10 min. pHi remained at 6.1–6.5 for 30–40 min. (plateau phase).

John E. Coe, Kamal G. Ishak, Mary Jane Ross – 1 April 1990 – Liver tumors were found in most Armenian hamsters (Cricetulus migratorius) injected with on 15‐mg pellet of diethylstilbestrol. The tumors were detectable as early as 1.5 mo after diethylstilbestrol administration and were usually present as multiple nodules that progressively increased in size. Histologically, the multicentric neoplasms were all hepatocellular carcinomas of varied degrees of differentiation and frequently (42.8%) contained Mallory bodies; preneoplastic lesions were not observed.

Paloma Maganto, Peter G. Traber, Christopher Rusnell, William O. Dobbins Iii, David Keren, Jorge J. Gumucio – 1 April 1990 – Hepatocytes isolated from livers of Fischer 344 rats and transplanted into the spleens of rats from the same strain survived for at least 15 mo in the absence of immunosuppressive drugs. Hepatocytes attached themselves only in the red pulp of the spleen, most commonly in clumps without a discernible structure.

Marios Z. Panos, Kevin Moore, Panayiotis Vlavianos, John B. Chambers, John V. Anderson, Alexander E. S. Gimson, Jeremy D. H. Slater, Lesley H. Rees, David Westaby, Roger Williams – 1 April 1990 – Hemodynamic changes induced by a single, total paracentesis were evaluated in 21 patients with tense ascites from whom 4 to 16 L of ascites were drained over 2 to 8 hr with no serious complications.

Salvatore Badalamenti, Pere Gines, Vicente Arroyo, Josep Llach, Carlos Piera, Antoni Rimola, Wladimiro Jimenez, Joan Gaya, Roser Casamitjana, Francisca Rivera, Joan Rodes – 1 March 1990 – Acute intravenous amino acid infusion or a highprotein diet increases renal plasma flow and the glomerular filtration rate in healthy subjects. Conversely, a low‐protein diet reduces renal plasma flow and glomerular filtration rate. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of intravenous amino acid infusion and dietary proteins on kidney function in cirrhosis.

Hidefumi Higashi, Katsuhiko Yanaga, J. Wallis Marsh, Andreas Tzakis, Saduro Kakizoe, Thomas E. Starzi – 1 March 1990 – Between February 26, 1981, and July 30, 1987, 36 patients underwent orthotopic liver transplantation for primary sclerosing cholangitis associated with ulcerative colitis. Three of the 36 recipients died within 3 mo because of graft nonfunction or surgical complications. The other 33 (92%) lived for at least 1 yr. Two of the 33 died after 12 and 14 mo, respectively, of recurrent cholangiocarcinoma that was not diagnosed before transplantation.

1 March 1990

Flemming Bendtsen, Lene Theil Skovgaard, Thorkild I. A. Sørensen, Peter Matzen – 1 March 1990 – The interobserver variation in diagnosis and grading of esophageal varices may be ascribed by characteristics of the observers as well as to the patients. Assessment of this variation therefore requires the contributions of multiple observers and patients. Twenty‐eight patients with cirrhosis without previous bleeding or known presence of varices were subjected to upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Each endoscopy was videotaped and shown to 22 endoscopists.