Masao Yamada, William S. Blaner, Dianne Robert Soprano, Joseph L. Dixon, Hild M. Kjeldbye, Dewitt S. Goodman – 1 November 1987 – Hepatic stellate cells play a quantitatively important role in hepatic retinoid metabolism and storage in rats maintained under normal nutritional conditions. Studies were conducted to further explore the biochemical characteristics of hepatic stellate cells. Stellate cells were isolated in high purity and yield from the livers of normal rats.

Marsha Y. Morgan, Katherine E. Hawley – 1 November 1987 – Lactitol (β‐galactosido‐sorbitol) is a nonabsorbable disaccharide available as a powder which, in open comparison, is as effective as lactulose in the treatment of chronic hepatic encephalopathy, but is better tolerated. Twenty‐five cirrhotic patients experiencing 28 episodes of acute hepatic encephalopathy were randomized blindly to treatment with either lactitol (n = 15) or lactulose (n = 13).

Haim Matzkin – 1 November 1987 – Large‐scale epidemics of non‐B (HBsAg‐negative) hepatitis have occurred in the Israel Defense Forces prior to post‐ and preexposure immune serum globulin administration. Presently, hepatitis morbidity rates have stabilized around 1 to 2 per 1,000. Several years after vaccine initiation, a comparison of epidemiological features was made in order to redefine risk groups.

Jean‐Pierre Villeneuve, Claire Infante‐Rivard, Serge Erlinger, Didier Lebrec – 1 November 1987

Marshall J. Orloff – 1 November 1987 – Nine patients with Budd‐Chiari syndrome (BCS) were treated by a portal systemic shunt. One had thrombosis of the superior mesenteric vein (SMV) and another had complete obstruction of the retrohepatic inferior vena cava (IVC). All other patients had a marked stenosis of the retrohepatic IVC with caval pressure ranging from 12 to 24 mmHg (mean: 17 mmHg). Seven patients had an interprosition mesocaval shunt using an autologous jugular vein. The patient with a thrombosed SMV had a portoartial shunt.

Oliver E. Owen – 1 November 1987 – The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of interleukin 1 (IL 1) on glucocorticoid‐regulated hepatic metabolism. Steroid binding in liver cytosol, plasma glucose, plasma corticoster‐one, and phosphenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) activity were assayed in C3H/HeJ mice after IL 1 administration. Mice received 5 pyrogenic U (PU) of rabbit IL 1 i.p. and were sacrificed 4 hr later.

Thomas D. Boyer, Donald A. Vessey – 1 September 1987 – Inhibition of a major hepatic form of human cationic glutathione S‐transferase by bilirubin, biliverdin, indocyanine green and chenodeoxycholic acid was investigated as a function of pH (range = 6.5 to 9.1). Changes in pH had little effect on the extent of inhibition by indocyanine green. However, inhibition by bilirubin, biliverdin and chenodeoxycholic acid was found to be pH‐dependent, with markedly less inhibition at the high values of pH.

Gregory J. Anderson, June W. Halliday, Lawrie W. Powell – 1 September 1987

Joseph Alcorn, Mario Chojkier – 1 September 1987 – Immunolocalization of type III collagen and procollagen in cirrhotic human liver was studied using monoclonal antibody specific for the helical determinant of type III collagen extracted from human placenta. Deparaffinized, trypsin‐treated cirrhotic liver sections from 8 autopsy cases were examined by the unlabeled peroxidase‐antiperoxidase and immunofluorescence techniques.

Peter F. Malet, Y. Peled – 1 September 1987