Sizing up portal hypertension: Better noninvasive methods are needed

Milog Sovak – 1 July 1987 – The “congestion index” is used to mean the ratio between the cross‐sectional area (cm2) and the blood flow velocity (cm/sec) of the portal vein, as determined by a duplex Doppler system. The indices as determined in normal subjects and patients with liver disease were as follows: normal subjects (n = 85), 0.070 ± 0.029 cm × sec; acute hepatitis (n = 11), 0.071 ± 0.014 cm × sec; chronic active hepatitis (n = 42), 0.119 ± 0.084 cm × sec; cirrhosis (n = 72), 0.171 ± 0.075 cm × sec; and idiopathic portal hypertension (n = 11), 0.180 ± 0.107 cm × sec.

Beneficial hemodynamic effects of ketanserin in patients with cirrhosis: Possible role of serotonergic mechanisms in portal hypertension

Antoine Hadengue, Samuel S. Lee, Richard Moreau, Alain Braillon, Didier Lebrec – 1 July 1987 – We studied the acute effects of ketanserin, a serotonin S2 antagonist, on systemic and splanchnic hemodynamics in 11 patients with cirrhosis. Mean arterial pressure decreased moderately but significantly after ketanserin. This effect was maximal at 5 min and correlated to the severity of cirrhosis. Cardiac index and systemic vascular resistance were not significantly changed.

Spontaneous reactivation of hepatitis B in Chinese patients with Hbsag‐positive chronic active hepatitis

Myron J. Tong, Richard E. Sampliner, Sugantha Govindarajan, Ruth L. Co – 1 July 1987 – Eleven patients of Chinese origin experienced spontaneous reactivation of chronic active hepatitis B. Eight HBsAg‐positive patients were followed for an average of 15 months prior to, while three others presented during reactivation. Fatigue, hepatomegaly and jaundice were frequent findings. Elevation of both serum ALT (average = 1,212 units per liter) and hepatitis B virus DNA levels were noted in all patients, and reactivation lasted an average of 4.4 months.

Diminished responsiveness of male homosexual chronic hepatitis B virus carriers with HTLV‐III antibodies to recombinant α‐interferon

J. A. McDonald, L. Caruso, P. Karayiannis, L. J. Scully, J. R. W. Harris, G. E. Forster, H. C. Thomas – 1 July 1987 – In a randomized controlled trial, 41 chronic hepatitis B virus carriers were allocated, by opening numbered computerized randomization envelopes, to receive recombinant interferon‐α2A at three different doses: 2.5; 5.0, and 10.0 mU per m2. Thirty‐two patients received treatment (6 for 3 months, 26 for 6 months), and 9 patients were controls (received no treatment). Ninety‐three per cent of our patients were homosexual, and 41% had anti‐HTLV‐III in their serum

Rat liver endothelial cells have a greater capacity than kupffer cells to endocytose N‐acetylglucosamine‐ and mannose‐terminated glycoproteins

Danielle P. Praaning‐Van Dalen, A. Margreet De Leeuw, A. Brouwer, Dick L. Knook – 1 July 1987 – The capacity of rat liver Kupffer and endothelial cells to endocytose glycoproteins with N‐acetylglucosamine‐or mannose‐terminated oligosaccharide chains was studied. For this purpose, agalactoorosomucoid, ahexo‐saminoorosomucoid and horseradish peroxidase were used as ligands. A reliable determination of the amount of ligand endocytosed in vivo or in vitro was made possible by using the recently developed cold pronase method for the isolation and purification of Kupffer and endothelial cells.

Subscribe to