Äke Danielsson, Lennart Boqvist, Per Uddenfeldt – 1 March 1990 – The northern part of Sweden is sparsely populated and must be regarded as a rural region. An investigation into the incidence and prevalence of primary biliary cirhosis was conducted and the course of the disease was followed. In total, 111 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis were identified for the 10‐yr period 1973 to 1982 in the northern health region of Sweden. The mean annual incidence amounted to 13.3 per million and the point prevalence was 151 per million, which is the highest reported so far.

Raouf E. Nakhleh, Sarah J. Schwarzenberg, Joseph Bloomer, William Payne, Dale C. Snover – 1 March 1990 – Although prolonged survival after liver transplantation is now common, the condition of allografts after prolonged survival has not been widely discussed. We reviewed 86 biopsy samples from 38 patients. The samples were obtained between 366 and 1,622 days after transplant. Thirteen patients' biopsy samples were normal or showed minor changes. Six patients' samples showed rejection. Four patients, including two with rejection, demonstrated ischemic change.

Bengt Jeppsson – 1 March 1990 – A simple, inexpensive alternative method of blunt dissection for dividing liver parenchyma utilizing a suction knife is presented. The device, made from an ordinary suction tube, has been used successfully in six patients. Details of the device and method are discussed herein.

D. Montgomery Bissell, Scott L. Friedman, Jacquelyn J. Maher, F. Joseph Roll – 1 March 1990

Peter F. Kohler – 1 March 1990

Roger F. Butterworth, Gilles Pomier Layrargues – 1 March 1990

Marcos Rojking – 1 March 1990 – It has not yet been established whether serum proline and blood lactate levels are increased in alcoholic liver disease. We measured serum proline and blood lactate in controls and in patients with different stages of alcoholic liver disease in the absence of hepatic failure. Samplings were done in both abstinent and drinking alcoholics. Compared to controls, there was a striking increase in serum proline levels in 52 abstinent alcoholics with little or no hepatic fibrosis by histological assessment (0.10 ± 0.01 vs. 0.155 ± 0.008; p < 0.005).

1 March 1990

Sergio H. Gammal, Anthony S. Basile, David Geller, Phil Skolnick, E. Anthony Jones – 1 March 1990 – Behavioral and electrophysiological evidence implicating the GABA‐benzodiazepine receptor complex in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy was obtained using an improved rat model of hepatic encephalopathy caused by thioacetamide‐induced fulminant hepatic failure. After the administration of thioacetamide together with supportive therapy, acute hepatocellular failure developed in rats as a result of massive hepatocellular necrosis without evidence of renal failure or hypoglycemia.

Prakash N. Rao, Thomas R. Walsh, Leonard Makowka, Randy S. Rubin, Thomas Weber, James T. Snyder, Thomas E. Starzl – 1 February 1990 – The effect of ischemia and reperfusion on purine nucleoside phosphorylase was studied in an isolated perfused rat liver model. This enzyme is localized primarily in the cytoplasm of the endothelial and Kupffer cells; some activity is associated with the parenchymal cells. Levels of this enzyme accurately predicted the extent of ischemia and reperfusion damage to the microvascular endothelial cell of the liver.