Frequency and significance of antibody to double‐stranded DNA in chronic active hepatitis

James R. Wood, Albert J. Czaja, Sandra J. Beaver, Stephen Hall, William W. Ginsburg, David K. Kaufman, Harold Markowitz – 1 September 1986 – To assess the frequency and significance of immunoglobulin G antibody to double‐stranded DNA in chronic active hepatitis, 99 patients with severe disease were tested for the antibody by an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay of established sensitivity and specificity. Antibody was detected in 56 patients (57%) and occurred with similar frequency in patients with autoimmune (64%), idiopathic (46%) and type B (43%) disease.

Interactions between liver allografts and lymphocytotoxic alloantibodies in inbred rats

Didier Houssin, Blanche Bellon, Marie‐Dominique Brunaud, Jean Gugenheim, Abdellatif Settaf, Francesco Meriggi, Jean Emond – 1 September 1986 – Several clinical and experimental findings suggest that liver allografts are less sensitive than other organ allografts to lymphocytotoxic antibodies. In this experimental study in hypersensitized inbred rat recipients, rejection of liver allografts was delayed compared to that of heart allografts. Furthermore, there was a marked decrease in the level of cytotoxic antibodies after liver allografting but not after heart allografting in these animals.

Emergency portacaval anastomosis (EPCA): The long‐awaited trial

Harold O. Conn – 1 September 1986 – A prospective randomized trial was conducted in all comers with cirrhosis and bleeding varices comparing 1) emergency portacaval shunt (EPCS) performed within 8 hr of admission, with 2) emergency medical therapy (EMT) followed in 2–6 wks by elective portacaval shunt in survivors. All patients received identical supportive therapy initially, and the EMT group received vasopressin in continuous infusion and, if necessary, esophageal balloon tamponade to control varix bleeding.

Testosterone treatment of men with alcoholic cirrhosis: A double‐blind study

Christian Gluud, The Copenhagen Study Group for Liver Diseases – 1 September 1986 – A double‐blind, placebo‐controlled multicenter trial was conducted to determine the efficacy of oral testosterone treatment (200 mg three times daily) in men with alcoholic cirrhosis. By skewed randomization (3:2), 134 patients received testosterone and 87 placebo. Patients were followed from 8 to 62 months (median = 28 months). In the testosterone group, 33 patients died (25%; 95% confidence limits = 18 to 33%) as compared to 18 (21%; 95% confidence limits = 13 to 31%) in the placebo group.

Morphological findings in the liver of children with cystic fibrosis: A light and electron microscopical study

Rolf Hultcrantz, Silwa Mengarelli, Birgitta Strandvik – 1 September 1986 – Liver tissue from five children with cystic fibrosis, obtained through percutaneous liver biopsies, have been investigated via light and electron microscopy. None of the patients had clinical evidence of liver disorder, and their blood chemistry was mainly normal.

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