M Geissler, A Gesien, J R Wands – 30 December 2003 – Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is common in alcoholics and may result in chronic infection. Persistence of HBV infection could be partially caused by the effects of ethanol on the cellular and humoral immune response to viral structural proteins. The DNA‐based immunization approach was used to experimentally assess the effects of chronic ethanol feeding on immune responses directed against the middle envelope protein (MHBs) of HBV.

G F Barnard, M Mori – 30 December 2003

Manabu Nishikawa, Eisuke F. Sato, Misato Kashiba, Tetsuo Kuroki, Kozo Utsumi, Masayasu Inoue – 30 December 2003 – Previous studies in this laboratory revealed that nitric oxide (NO) reversibly inhibits the respiration of isolated mitochondria and ascites hepatoma (AH‐130) cells by an oxygen concentration–dependent mechanism. The inhibitory effect of NO on the respiration of AH‐130 cells was enhanced by treating with digitonin that selectively permeabilized plasma membranes and released cytosolic low‐molecular‐weight compounds.

Howard J. Grossman, Virginia L. Grossman, Prithi S. Bhathal – 30 December 2003 – The influence of hepatocyte enlargement on intrahepatic hemodynamics was assessed in the isolated perfused rat liver preparation (IPRL) using two experimental models: hypotonic liver cell swelling and phenobarbitone‐induced hepatocyte hypertrophy.

30 December 2003

Lena C. E. Ohlson, Lena Koroxenidou, Inger Porsch Hällström – 30 December 2003 – The effects of dietary 2‐acetylaminofluorene (2‐AAF) on cell cycle‐related proteins was studied in regenerating livers from male Wistar rats. The levels of cyclins, cyclin dependent kinases (cdks), and related proteins were studied at different times during the first cell cycle after partial hepatectomy (PH).

Philippe Mathurin, Joseph Moussalli, Jean‐François Cadranel, Vincent Thibault, Frédéric Charlotte, Patrice Dumouchel, Alain Cazier, Jean‐Marie Huraux, Bruno Devergie, Michel Vidaud, Pierre Opolon, Thierry Poynard – 30 December 2003 – In hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients with persistently normal alanine transaminase (ALT), the progression rate of fibrosis is unknown.

Giovanni Corrao, Sarino Aricò – 30 December 2003 – Although alcohol intake and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are the major determinants of liver cirrhosis (LC) in Western countries, the joint effect of these two factors on LC risk has not yet been adequately studied. We used data from two hospital‐based case‐control studies performed in Italy. Cases were 285 cirrhotic patients admitted for the first time to district hospitals for liver decompensation.

Sheng‐Li Zhou, Ronald E. Gordon, Michael Bradbury, Decherd Stump, Chih‐Li Kiang, Paul D. Berk – 30 December 2003 – To explain the increased plasma mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase (mAspAT) observed in alcoholics, we cultured HepG2 hepatoma cells in ethanol. Acute (24 hour) exposure to 0, 20, 40, or 80 mmol/L ethanol produced a dose‐dependent (r = .98) increase in mAspAT messenger RNA (mRNA) of ≤ thirteen‐fold, with no significant change in the cellular content of mAspAT or of several other enzymes.

Arno Kalkuhl, Jacob Troppmair, Albrecht Buchmann, Stefan Stinchcombe, Christoph Lars Buenemann, Ulf R. Rapp, Klaus Kaestner, Michael Schwarz – 30 December 2003 – Mouse liver tumors frequently harbor activating ras gene mutations. Downstream effector molecules of p21Ras include Raf‐1 kinase which mediates external signals via kinase signaling pathways to nuclear transcription factors including c‐Fos and c‐Jun. Mouse liver tumors with differing ras‐mutational status were analyzed for alterations in Ras/Raf‐1 signal transduction.