Jesse Berlin, Thomas C. Chalmers – 1 May 1988 – This paper examines eight published reviews each reporting results from several related trials. Each review pools the results from the relevant trials in order to evaluate the efficacy of a certain treatment for a specified medical condition. These reviews lack consistent assessment of homogeneity of treatment effect before pooling. We discuss a random effects approach to combining evidence from a series of experiments comparing two treatments.

Bruce A. Runyon – 1 May 1988 – To assess the risk of development of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in relation to ascitic fluid opsonic activity, routine admission abdominal paracentesis was performed on 119 patients during 141 hospitalizations. Paracentesis was repeated if evidence of peritonitis developed during the hospitalization.

Kurt Zatloukal, Ruth Sohar, Elisabeth Lackinger, Helmut Denk – 1 May 1988 – Freshly isolated mouse hepatocytes were tested with respect to the induction of heat shock (stress) proteins by elevated temperature, sodium arsenite and ethanol treatment. With heat, arsenite and ethanol treatments, the synthesis of a protein with a molecular weight of 68 kD (heat shock protein 68) was predominantly elevated; arsenite and ethanol exerted their effects on heat shock protein synthesis in a dose‐dependent manner.

Bruno H. Ch. Stricker, A. P. Roeland Blok, Frans H. J. Claas, Geert E. Van Parys, Valeer J. Desmet – 1 May 1988 – Fifty cases of nitrofurantoin‐associated hepatic injury and two cases of nifurtoinol (hydroxymethylnitro‐furantoin)‐associated hepatic injury reported to the Netherlands Centre for Monitoring of Adverse Reactions to Drugs were analyzed in detail. In 38 cases, a causal relationship was considered likely [i.e., “highly probable” (n = 4), “probable” (n = 23) or “possible” (n = 11)].

Wanjin Hong, Anh Van Le, Darrell Doyle – 1 May 1988 – The asialoglycoprotein receptor, the hepatic binding lectin for galactose‐terminated glycoproteins, has been isolated and characterized from human, rabbit and rat liver. Several recent studies have shown the existence of the same receptor in murine liver. However, the biochemical structure of the receptor in murine liver has not been resolved. In this paper, we describe the identification and purification of the receptor for asialoglycoproteins from murine liver.

Tomasz I. Michalak, Norma D. Churchill – 1 May 1988 – The extent of association between woodchuck hepatitis virus surface antigen and host hepatocyte plasma membrane in chronic hepatitis was studied. Purified membranes containing the antigen were treated with various agents which perturb plasma membrane constituents to elute woodchuck hepatitis virus surface antigen. The products from disrupted membranes were analyzed by sedimentation in sucrose gradients and tested to identify the antigen reactivity.

Santiago J. Munoz, Steven B. Nagelberg, Paul J. Green, John D. Angstadt, Shuin L. Yang, Bruce E. Jarrell, Willis C. Maddrey – 1 May 1988 – We observed ectopic soft tissue calcification affecting seven patients following orthotopic liver transplantation. The cause of such calcification is unknown, but potential pathogenetic factors include hyperparathyroidism, calcium administered during and following surgery, renal failure, acid‐base changes and citrate in fresh frozen plasma.

Alessandra Franco, Vincenzo Barnaba, Piergiorgio Natali, Clara Balsano, Antonino Musca, Francesco Balsano – 1 May 1988 – We analyzed whether normal human hepatocytes, which normally do not display Class II major histocompatibility complex antigens, can be induced to express them in vitro, and whether this induction has an in vivo counterpart in chronic liver diseases. While both α‐ and γ‐interferon induced expression of Class I antigens, only γ‐interferon induced expression of Class II antigens on hepatocytes in vitro.

William C. Duane, Ingemar Björkhem, Jan Neal Hamilton, Susan M. Mueller – 1 May 1988 – During biosynthesis of bile acid, carbons 25–26–27 are removed from the cholesterol side chain. Side‐chain oxidation begins either with hydroxylation at the 26‐position, in which case the three‐carbon fragment is released as propionic acid, or with hydroxylation at the 25‐position, in which case the three‐carbon fragment is released as acetone.

Yi‐Ming Chen, Cheng‐Po Hu, Pao‐Huei Chen, Ming‐Huey H. Chu, Yang‐Te Tsai, Shou‐Dong Lee, Chungming Chang – 1 May 1988 – In order to study hepatocellular carcinoma‐associated antigens, screening of sera and ascites was done from hepatocellular carcinoma patients having antibodies reactive with three hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines (PLC/PRF/5, Hep 3B and HA22T/VGH). The indirect immunofluorescent antibody test was used.