The Rome Group for Epidemiology and Prevention of Cholelithiasis (GREPCO) – 1 July 1988 – A population of male civil servants in Rome, Italy, was investigated to determine the prevalence of symptomatic and asymptomatic gallstone disease. Field activities started in December, 1982 and were concluded in July, 1984. Diagnosis was made using real‐time ultrasonography. Participation in the study was 71.5%.

M. Buti, R. Esteban, R. Jardi, H. Allende, J. Guardia, M. Roggendorf – 1 July 1988

Rolf Gebhardt, Hans‐Jörg Burger, Hans Heini, Karl‐Ludwig Schreiber, Dieter Mecke – 1 July 1988 – Glutamine synthetase shows a striking heterogeneous distribution in normal rat liver as consistently revealed by immunohistochemistry using a specific antiserum against the rat liver enzyme or a cross‐reacting antiserum. The effects of zonal liver injury induced by allylformate or CC14 on this distribution and on the activity of glutamine synthetase as well as of enzymes with different acinar distribution were investigated.

M. Sawkat Anwer, Larry R. Engelking, Kathleen Nolan, Dianne Sullivan, Peter Zimniak, Roger Lester – 1 July 1988 – Effects of bile acids on cystolic Ca++ activity and cell viability of isolated rat hepatocytes were studied to test the hypothesis that bile acids may produce hepatotoxicity by increasing cystolic Ca++ activity. Changes in cystolic Ca++ activity were calculated from time‐dependent changes in fluorescence of quin‐2 loaded hepatocytes. Release of lactate dehydrogenase and changes in propodium iodide fluorescence were used to assess cell viability.

R. Thomas Holzbach – 1 July 1988 – Biliary sludge is a collection of mucus, calcium bilirubinate, and cholesterol crystals that is usually recognized by characteristic echoes on ultrasonography. Its pathogenesis, clinical significance, and ultimate prognosis remain uncertain. We therefore studied the origin of biliary sludge ultrasonic echoes, using an ex vivo liver‐gallbladder preparation, and determined the outcome of a group of patients identified to have gallbladder sludge by ultrasonography.

Elisha Atkins – 1 July 1988

Cesare Cravetto, Gianpaolo Molino, Alan F. Hofmann, Gustavo Belforte, Basilio Bona – 1 July 1988 – The effect of three isolated defects in the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids on the size and distribution of the bile acid pool, plasma bile acid levels and bile acid secretion into the intestine was simulated using a linear multicompartmental physiological pharmacokinetic model previously used to simulate these aspects of bile acid metabolism in healthy man.

Esteban Mezey, Joseph E. Oesterling, James J. Potter – 1 July 1988 – The effect of a reduction in androgens on ethanol elimination was determined in man. Bilateral therapeutic orchiectomy in nine patients for prostatic carcinoma decreased mean plasma testosterone levels from 489.8 ± 31.2 (S.E.) ng per dl to 55.3 ± 3.8 ng per dl and resulted in an increase in the rate of ethanol elimination in seven patients, no change in one, and a decrease in one. The mean rate of ethanol elimination for all nine patients increased from 83.6 ± 4.0 to 100.4 ± 4.2 mg per kg body weight per hr (p < 0.02).

Yasushi Shiratori, Tateo Kawase, Shuichiro Shiina, Ken'Ichi Okano, Tsuneaki Sugimoto, Hitoshi Teraoka, Sunao Matano, Kazunori Matsumoto, Kazuo Kamii – 1 July 1988 – In an attempt to elucidate the role of hepatic macrophages in liver injury, we investigated galactosamine‐treated rats (500 mg per kg body weight). The rats received an i.v. injection of latex particles (2 × 109 particles per animal) prior to (latex‐galactosamine) or 12 to 16 hr subsequent to the galactosamine treatment (galactosamine‐latex).

Miquel Navasa, Jaime Bosch, Jürg Reichen, Conxita Bru, Ricardo Mastai, Thomas Zysset, Guillermo Silva, Jaime Chesta, Joan Rodés – 1 July 1988 – The effects of verapamil on hepatic and systemic hemodynamics and on liver function were investigated in 10 patients with portal hypertension due to advanced micronodular cirrhosis to verify whether, as it has been suggested, this calcium channel blocker may improve liver function and reduce portal pressure in these patients.