Andreas Sieg, Adolf Stiehl, Karel P. M. Heirwegh, Johan Fevery, Richard Raedsch, Burkhard Kommerell – 1 July 1989 – The rate‐limiting step in the overall plasma‐to‐bile transport of a saturating load of bilirubin is still a matter of controversy. We reassessed the apparent maximal biliary bilirubin excretion following i.v. infusion of unconjugated bilirubin and—for the first time—of highly purified bilirubin diglucuronide in the rat. The bilirubin diglucuronide preparation could be kept in a stable form at −20°C for at least 2 months after addition of 3 mM sodium ascorbate.

P. Labrune, M. Odièvre, D. Alagille, Fayez K. Ghishan – 1 July 1989

Tejas Godiwala – 1 July 1989

Imad Abou Hashieh, Lionel Rémy, Sylvie Mathieu, André Gérolami – 1 July 1989 – A kinetic study of horseradish peroxidase transport was carried out on short‐term cultured adult rat hepatocytes. After 4 hr of plating, cells were preincubated with monensin (1 μM) for 1 hr before their incubation with horseradish peroxidase for different times. Monensin treatment resulted in the dilatation of the Golgi apparatus and caused the appearance of numerous intracellular lumina lined with microvilli in associated as well as isolated hepatocytes but did not modify newly formed bile canaliculi.

Sugantha Govindarajan, Sanjeev Gupta, Boontar Valinluck, Allan G. Redeker – 1 July 1989 – One hundred forty‐four serum samples from 52 patients with chronic hepatitis D virus infection were analyzed for hepatitis D virus RNA by dot‐blot hybridization using hepatitis D virus cDNA probe labeled with 32p. The results were correlated with the presence of serum IgM anti‐hepatitis D virus and hepatitis D antigen in liver biopsy specimens when available.

Shuhei Nishiguchi, Tetsuo Kuroki, Shuzo Otani, Tadashi Takeda, Satoshi Hirota, Yutaka Shimizu, Shinya Nakajima, Shinobu Saito, Susumu Shiomi, Kenzo Kobayashi – 1 July 1989 – Two years or more after 35 patients (29 men and six women) with chronic hepatitis B were treated by interferon, we studied relationships of age, ALT activity, activity of serum DNA polymerase associated with the hepatitis B virus, serum levels of hepatitis B e antigen and activity of 2′, 5′‐oligoadenylate synthetase in peripheral blood mononuclear cells when treatment started in comparison with treatment results.

Basil Rigas – 1 July 1989 – Amiodarone is believed to have caused acute hepatitis 24 hours after intravenous administration in two patients in whom no other alternative cause of hepatitis was found.

Charles L. Witte, Marlys H. Witte – 1 July 1989 – Plasma immunoreactive alpha‐human atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) was measured in six cirrhotic patients with massive refractory ascites, under strict metabolic conditions, while they were receiving a 20‐meq sodium diet, both before and at two‐hour intervals for eight hours following peritoneovenous shunting (PVS). The mean preoperative level of ANP was 75±18pg/ml, which was found to be significantly higher than the normal range for this laboratory *8 to 24pg/ml) (p<0.05).

Justine Meehan Carr – 1 July 1989 – Hemorrhagic sequelae of liver disease were recognized and described over a century ago (1). Bleeding has been a common complication and a leading cause of death in patients with cirrhosis (2, 3). The coincidence of low clotting factor levels, hypofibrinogenemia and thrombo‐cytopenia has prompted many investigators to ask whether disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) plays a role in the pathogenesis of hemorrhage in these patients (4–16).

Caroline A. Riely – 1 July 1989