Ekapot Bhunchet, Kenjiro Wake – 30 December 2003 – We re‐evaluated three schemes of liver organization: the classic lobule, the portal lobule, and Rappaport's liver acinus. The lobular angioarchitecture of normal rat liver and the three‐dimensional structure of pseudolubules found in rat livers with fibrosis induced by swine serum were compared with the classic lobule of the pig. Normal and fibrotic rat livers and pig livers were perfused, injected with either India ink or 0.75% OsO4 through the portal and/or hepatic vein, and immersionfixed.

Humberto E. Soriano, Dong C. Kang, Milton J. Finegold, M. John Hicks, Nai‐Dy Wang, Wilbur Harrison, Gretchen J. Darlington – 30 December 2003 – The CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α (C/EBPα) binds to specific promoter sequences and directs transcription of many genes expressed in the liver. Overexpression of C/EBPα in established cell lines inhibits cell proliferation. Primary hepatocytes from newborn C/EBPα(−/−) mice and normal littermates were used to determine whether the absence of C/EBPα increased proliferation and/or transformation of these cells in vitro.

Cristina Bernadich, Juan‐Carlos Bandi, Per Melin, Jaime Bosch – 30 December 2003 – The present study is aimed at characterizing the portal, splanchnic, and systemic circulatory effects of F‐180, a new long‐acting analog of vasopressin (VP) with selective effect on the vascular (V1 ) receptor, both in normal rats and in portal‐hypertensive animals. In preliminary vasopressor tests, F‐180 was 18 times more potent than terlipressin (TP) (164 ± 10 IU × mmol−1 vs. 9.2 ± 1.2 IU × mmol−1) and four times less potent than arginine VP (614 ± 25 IU × mmol−1).

Michael M. Lai – 30 December 2003

Vijay Shah, Guillermo García‐Cardeña, William C. Sessa, Roberto J. Groszmann – 30 December 2003

Jane Collier, Morris Sherman – 30 December 2003

Bill S. Sun, Xianhua Zhu, Marcy M. Clayton, Jingbo Pan, Mark A. Feitelson – 30 December 2003 – Hepatitis B virus–encoded X antigen contributes to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Given that X antigen functions by binding to other proteins, additional X‐binding proteins were sought from an adult human liver cDNA library in a yeast two‐hybrid system. The results yielded a clone encoding a 55‐kd protein that is associated with replicative senescence (p55sen). Binding of p55sen to X antigen was confirmed in vitro by immunoprecipitation and affinity chromatography.

Motoyoshi Suzuki, Ravi N. Singh, Ronald G. Crystal – 30 December 2003 – Using the adenovirus vector AdCF126(CRE8).Luc to deliver an expression cassette containing multiple cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) response elements driving the luciferase reporter gene, this study is directed toward evaluating the possibility of controlling genes transferred to the liver using pharmacological agents that raise hepatocyte cAMP levels. Infection of primary rat hepatocytes with AdCF126(CRE8).Luc yielded a low level of luciferase activity that was enhanced 16‐fold by the addition of forskolin.

Michel Niederberger, Pere Ginès, Pierre‐Yves Martin, Judy St. John, Paul Woytaszek, Lieming Xu, Phoebe Tsai, Raphael A. Nemenoff, Robert W. Schrier – 30 December 2003 – Indirect evidence suggests that the renal and vascular production of prostaglandins is increased in cirrhosis with ascites. However, the activity of the enzymes regulating the prostaglandin pathway has not been investigated in cirrhosis.

D. Montgomery Bissell – 30 December 2003