Massimo Pignatelli, Jenny Waters, Dave Brown, Andrew Lever, Sten Iwarson, Zsuzsa Schaff, Robert Gerety, Howard C. Thomas – 1 May 1986 – In a chimpanzee model of acute type B hepatitis, at the time of onset of hepatitis B virus replication and before the development of immunity to hepatitis B virus, interferon is present in the plasma. This is followed by an increase in the display of HLA class I, but not class II proteins, on the hepatocyte membrane.

Shakuntla Seetharam, Norman L. Sussman, Tsugikazu Komoda, David H. Alpers – 1 May 1986 – Alkaline phosphatase activity in the liver and intestine increases after bile duct ligation, reportedly by increased enzyme synthesis. To ascertain the mechanism of this increased synthesis in the absence of a cDNA clone encoding the enzyme, we have estimated the concentration of liver and intestinal alkaline phosphatase mRNA by translational analysis. Monospecific antiserum to rat placental alkaline phosphatase was raised.

Thierry Frébourg, Bertrand Delpech, Eric Bercoff, Jacques Senant, Philippe Bertrand, Yves Deugnier, Jacques Bourreille – 1 May 1986 – It has been suggested that glycosaminoglycans are involved in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis. Furthermore, recent studies have reported that one of them, hyaluronate, was mainly taken up and degraded by the liver. Using an enzymoimmunological assay, based on hyaluronate‐hyaluronectin interaction, serum levels of hyaluronate were measured in 113 patients with various liver diseases.

Mauro Bernardi, Rossana De Palma, Franco Trevisani, Costanza Santini, Daniela Patrono, Roberto Motta, Donatella Servadei, Govanni Gasbarrini – 1 May 1986 – Muzolimine is a loop diuretic with both the dosedepend increasing effectiveness of loop diurexctics and the long‐lasting effect of thiazides. This is a potential advantage in the treatment of ascites in advanced cirrhosis since these patients have a low tolerance to sudden reductions of blood volume.

Alexander E. S. Gimson, David Westaby, John Hegarty, Alastair Watson, Roger Williams – 1 May 1986 – A randomized trial was undertaken to determine efficacy of nitroglycerin when added to a vasopressin infusion in both reducing the complication rate and giving improved control of acute variceal hemorrhage. Seventy‐two bleeding episodes in 57 patients were included, with vasopressin beng used on 34 occasions and vasopressin plus nitroglycerin on 38 occasions, for an infusion period of 12 hr.

Chi‐Woon Kong, Chii‐Shyan Lay, Yang‐Te Tsai, Ching‐Lan Yeh, Kwok‐Hung Lai, Shou‐Dong Lee, Kwang‐Juei Lo, Benjamin N. Chiang – 1 May 1986 – Wedged hepatic venous pressure, free hepatic venous pressure and cardiac index were measured before and 1 hr after i.v. administration as well as 1 month and 3 months after chronic oral administration of verapamil in 10 patients with HBsAg‐positive cirrhosis.

J. Michael Henderson, Mark A. Codner, Bettye Hollins, Michael H. Kutner, Alfred H. Merrill – 1 May 1986 – This study established the fasting plasma and urine profiles of vitamin B6 in cirrhotics and assessed the response to an oral dose of pyridoxine. High‐performance liquid chromatography was used to measure all vitameric coenzymatic and degradatory forms.

Adrian Reuben – 1 May 1986

W. Graham, E. Cooksley, Robin A. Bradbear, William Robinson, Mark Harrison, June W. Halliday, Lawrie W. Powell, Han‐Seung Ng, Chen‐Siang Seah, Kunio Okuda, Peter J. Scheuer, Sheila Sherlock – 1 May 1986 – Sixty‐nine patients with chronic active hepatitis without cirrhosis were studied to define the prognostic implications of bridging necrosis of various types. There were 19 patients without bridging necrosis compared with 50 patients with bridging necrosis. The two groups did not differ significantly at presentation in age, sex, clinical or laboratory features.

Valentin Cuervas‐Mons, A. Julio Martinez, Andrew Dekker, Thomas E. Starzl, David H. Van Thiel – 1 May 1986 – One hundred twenty‐nine adult patients who received an orthotopic liver transplantation and survived at least 24 hr after surgery were evaluated. During the period of follow‐up, 48 of the 129 patients (37%) died. Only 40 of these 48 patients died at our institution and were included in this study.