Hey‐Chi Hsu, Yon‐Ho Lin, Mei‐Hwei Chang, Ih‐Jen Su, Ding‐Shinn Chen – 1 March 1988 – The clinical, virologic and pathologic features of chronic hepatitis B virus infection were studied in 66 children, of whom 29 were symptomatic and 37 asymptomatic. The majority (79%) of symptomatic children had histologically aggressive diseases: 11 had chronic active hepatitis and 10 had cirrhosis. In contrast, most asymptomatic children had nonaggressive diseases (35 cases); only 2 had chronic active hepatitis.

Susumu Ito, Yasuhiro Tsuji, Naoyuki Kitagawa, Ishihara Akihiko, Jyoji Syundo, Yoshiyuki Tamura, Seiichiro Kishi, Hiroyoshi Mori – 1 March 1988 – We adopted an automated method for measuring guanase in donor blood and examined the incidence of posttransfusional non‐A, non‐B hepatitis when donor blood with high guanase activities was excluded. Sixty‐seven (2.4%) of 2,826 units were excluded from use in transfusion because they had guanase activities above 1.71 units per liter. Of 112 recipients, 8 (7%) developed posttransfusional non‐A, non‐B hepatitis.

Dominique Valla, Catherine Girod, Samuel S. Lee, Alain Braillon, Didier Lebrec – 1 January 1988 – Due to the marked effects of hemorrhage on cardiac output and splanchnic hemodynamics, the circulatory actions of vasopressin may differ during bleeding as opposed to stable conditions. We evaluated this hypothesis in conscious rats with portal hypertension due to chronic portal vein stenosis, by comparing the effects of a vasopressin infusion (0.02 IU per kg per min) to those of a control saline infusion, during and after a hypoten‐sive hemorrhage (25 ml per kg).

John Dich, Constance Vind, Niels Grunnet – 1 January 1988 – (i) Hepatocytes isolated from adult rats were cultured for 2 to 3 weeks on collagen in a modified, serum‐free Waymouth medium containing fatty acids and varying concentrations of glucocorticoid, insulin and glucagon. (ii) In the presence of all three hormones, it was possible to maintain the content of DNA, the activity of glucokinase, pyruvate kinase, hexokinase and lactate dehydrogenase at initial levels for 2 to 3 weeks. The activity of glucokinase and pyruvate kinase was affected by the concentration of insulin.

Mary J. Ruwart, Bob D. Rush, Karen F. Snyder, Ken M. Peters, Henry D. Appelman, Keith S. Henley – 1 January 1988 – Chronic nutritional injury was induced in rats by a high‐fat, lipotrope‐deficient diet. The hepatoprotective effect of 16,16‐dimethyl prostaglandin E2 on the deposition of collagen and fat was assessed by histological evaluation and measurement of hydroxyproline. Dose‐response studies established that optimal protection was achieved by the twice daily administration of 16,16‐dimethyl prostaglandin E2 at 100 μg per kg (subcutaneous) or 250 μg per kg (oral).

Shin Ohnishi, Hiromu Aoyama, Junji Shiga, Yuji Itai, Takashi Moriyama, Takashi Ishikawa, Nobuo Sasaki, Koshi Yamamoto, Kaoru Koshimizu, Shuichi Kaneko, Seishi Murakami, Nobu Hattori, Michio Imawari – 1 January 1988 – A new cell line derived from a woodchuck hepatitis surface antigen‐positive woodchuck hepatocellular carcinoma has been established and named T3‐HEP‐W1. This new cell line was established directly from a primary woodchuck hepatocellular carcinoma. Adaptation of the cells to the in vitro culture condition was completed after 3 months, with the doubling time of 24 hr.

Gudrun Lindh, Ola Weiland, Hans Glaumann – 1 January 1988 – A numerical scoring system was applied and compared with conventional histological classification to assess the histological outcome in 42 patients with chronic hepatitis B followed for 16 to 162 months (mean = 75 months). Four histological categories in the biopsies were assessed and scored: (i) piecemeal necrosis; (ii) lobular necrosis; (iii) portal inflammation, and (iv) fibrosis and cirrhosis.

Janna C. Collins, Allan W. Wolkoff, Anatol G. Morell, Richard J. Stockert – 1 January 1988 – Expression of three hepatocellular membrane proteins—the asialoglycoprotein receptor (hepatic binding protein) the insulin receptor and organic anion binding protein—have been studied in the HepG2 cell line. HepG2 grown in minimal essential medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum maximally expressed hepatic binding protein and insulin receptor only at confluence while organic anion binding protein appeared independent of the state of cellular proliferation.

Ursula Sommerer, Ellen R. Gordon, Carl A. Goresky – 1 January 1988 – Bilirubin monoglucuronide monoglucoside diester is one of the principal bilirubin conjugates in dog bile (and a lesser conjugate, in human bile), and bilirubin diglucoside is an occasional trace conjugate in dog bile whereas, in contrast, neither is detectable in rat bile.

Patricia S. Latham – 1 January 1988 – Reye's syndrome (RS) is generally considered a childhood disease. We report our experience with RS in adults in the metropolitan Milwaukee area. Reye's syndrome was diagnosed in seven 18‐ to 46‐year‐old adults.