Thierry Poynard – 1 May 1990 – The serum apolipoprotein A (Apo A) and α‐fetoprotein (AFP) were evaluated in histologically verified 30* cases of alcoholic cirrhosis and 18 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The latter were also divided into subgroups depending on the presence or absence of associated cirrhosis. Serum Apo A levels were found to be significantly decreased in cirrhotics (p < 0.001) compared to controls and non‐cirrhotic HCC patients.

Maski Nakayama, Yasuyki Okamoto, Tomofumi Morita, Makoto Matsumoto, Hiroshi Fukui, Hiroshi Nakano, Tadasu Tsujii – 1 May 1990 – Hypercitrullinemia (adult type), believed to be one of the hereditary urea cycle disorders, is known to be complicated by hepatocellular carcinoma at a high incidence (approximately 14%). Weinvestigated the relationship between this hypercitrullinemia and he‐patocarcinogenesis. After the addition of citrulline, incorporation of tritiated thymidine into primary cultured hepatocytes of adult rat increased in a dose‐dependent fashion in the range of 0.1 to 5 mmol/L.

Hernan Speisky, Nick Shackel, George Varghese, Denis Wade, Yedy Israel – 1 May 1990 – The role of hepatic γ‐glutamyltransferase in the breakdown of circulating glutathione was studied in the perfused guinea pig liver. Hepatic γ‐glutamyltransferase activity in the guinea pig is sevenfold higher than in the rat and is comparable to its activity in man. Guinea pig livers were found to remove, in a single pass, 50% to 90% of glutathione ( 10 to 50 μmol/L) added to the portal perfusate.

Joel Lavoie, Gilles Pomier Layrargues, Roger F. Butterworth – 1 May 1990 – Peripheral‐type benzodiazepine receptors were evaluated using the specific ligand [3H]‐PK 11195 in brain homogenates from nine cirrhotic patients who died in hepatic coma and from an equal number of age‐matched control subjects. Histopathological studies showed evidence of severe Alzheimer type II astrocytosis in the brains of all cirrhotic patients. Saturation‐binding assays revealed a single saturable binding site for [3H]‐PK 11195 in brain, with affinities in the 2‐ to 3‐nmol/L range.

Ted F. Bader – 1 May 1990

Jerome D. Waye – 1 May 1990

Kurt Zatloukal, Gerlinde Spurej, Ingrid Rainer, Elisabeth Lackinger, Helmut Denk – 1 April 1990 – Mallory bodies are characteristic morphological features of alcoholic hepatitis in man and can be produced in the mouse by chronic griseofulvin intoxication. The appearance of Mallory bodies in hepatocytes is associated with derangement of the cytokeratin intermediate filament cytoskeleton, at least as revealed by immunofluorescence and suggested by immunoelectron microscopy.

Dale C. Snover – 1 April 1990 – The present study documents major histocompatibility complex (MHC) Class I and II expression during early acute rejection of human liver grafts. Serial graft biopsies (pretransplant, time zero, and 1 week) were studied. Ten patients received azathioprine (AZA) and prednisone; the other six patients were treated with quadruple therapy (azathioprine, cyclosporine A, prednisone, and cyclophosphamide). To study the specificity of changes in MHC antigen expression, biopsies of six patients with minor or no morphologic abnormalities served as controls.

Anna Lok, P. Marcellin – 1 April 1990

Nigel R. Swanson, William D. Reed, Linda J. Yarred, Keith B. Shilkin, Richard A. Joske – 1 April 1990 – The fine specificity of autoantibodies to human hepatocyte plasma membranes in autoimmune chronic active hepatitis was determined by one‐dimensional immunoblotting. Sera from 12 patients with “classical” autoimmune chronic active hepatitis contained autoantibodies recognizing many human hepatocyte plasma membrane polypeptides in the 15 to 220 kD range.