Henry C. Bodenheimer, Fenton Schaffner, Irmin Sternlieb, Franklin M. Klion, Salvatore Vernace, John Pezzullo – 1 November 1985 – We conducted a prospective clinical trial to assess the relative efficacy and safety of high‐ vs. low‐dose D‐penicillamine in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis. Following clinical tests and liver biopsy diagnostic of primary biliary cirrhosis, 56 patients were randomized to receive either 250 or 750 mg D‐penicillamine daily. Patients were monitored with clinical tests and annual liver biopsy.

Ashok K. Batta, Gerald Salen, Sarah Shefer – 1 November 1985 – We have examined the mechanism for the bacterial transformation of chenodeoxycholic acid and lithocholic acid into the corresponding 3β‐hydroxy epimers with the use of 3α‐ and 3β‐tritiated bile acids. The 3‐oxo bile acids were transformed into the 3α‐ (85%) and 3β‐ (15%) hydroxy bile acids after 20‐hr incubation with Clostridium perfringens.

Eduardo A. Porta, Nalani Markell, Russell D. Dorado – 1 November 1985 – To determine whether the chronic consumption of ethanol was capable of enhancing the hepatocarcinogenic activity of diethylnitrosamine per se, or through the accentuation of a methyl deficiency, two groups (A and B) of Sprague‐Dawley female rats were fed for 10 months either a 20% casein basal diet marginally deficient in methyl, or the same diet supplemented with choline (1 gm per 100 gm) and folic acid (0.54 mg per 100 gm).

Robert H. Purcell, John L. Gerin, Hans Popper, William T. London, John Cicmanec, Jorg W. Eichberg, Jack Newman, Michael E. Hrinda – 1 November 1985 – Lyophilized plasma derivatives are more stable to heat than when they are in the liquid state. Commercial Factor VIII (antihemophilic factor) was seeded with a measured quantity of hepatitis B virus. The contaminated material was then lyophilized and subjected to heat of 60°c for 30 hr. Chimpanzees were inoculated with the heat‐treated antihemophilic factor or sham‐treated antihemophilic factor that had been held at 4°c.

Rita De Vos, Chris De Wolf‐Peeters, Joost J. Den Van Oord, Valeer Desmet – 1 November 1985 – Major histocompatibility complex products Class I (HLA Class I) antigens are not expressed on the surface of normal human hepatocytes but become so in pathological conditions. The purpose of this study was to specify the ultrastructural topography of HLA Class I antigens expression.

Kenichi Kobayashi, Tatsuho Sugimoto, Hiroshi Makino, Mikio Kumagai, Masashi Unoura, Nobuyoshi Tanaka, Yasuhiro Kato, Nobu Hattori – 1 November 1985 – The value of various screening methods in the detection of early hepatocellular carcinoma was investigated in 95 patients with cirrhosis. Infusion hepatic angiography and computed tomography with angiography were performed yearly, ultrasound every 3 months, and determination of serum α‐fetoprotein levels every 2 months. “Space‐occupying lesions” suspicious for hepatocellular carcinoma were found in 13 of the 95 cases (13.7%).

E. Lee Forker, Bruce A. Luxon – 1 November 1985

Denis J. Morgan, D. Brian Jones, Richard A. Smallwood – 1 November 1985

Fumio Nomura, Kunihiko Ohnishi, Hirofumi Koen, Shinji Iida, Yuichi Tanabe, Hitoshi Hatano, Kunio Okuda – 1 November 1985 – To evaluate the effects of anaerobic conditions and inducers for the mixed‐function oxidase system on the metabolism of mitomycin C, a bioreductive alkylating agent widely used for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, experiments so designed were performed in rats and mice.

Olivier Amédée‐Manesme, Harold C. Furr, Fernando Alvarez, Michelle Hadchouel, Daniel Alagille, James Allen Olson – 1 November 1985 – Biochemical indicators of vitamin A status were measured in 24 children (1 month to 6 years old) with severe cholestasis starting early in life and in 21 children (3 months to 13 years old) with liver disease but without cholestasis. Liver vitamin A concentrations, expressed as micrograms of retinol per gram of liver (mean ± S.D.), were 6.3 ± 7.1 (range: 0.14 to 28) and 143 ± 108 (range: 18 to 424), respectively, in cholestatic and noncholestatic children.