M Zoli, C Merkel, D Magalotti, G Marchesini, A Gatta, E Pisi – 1 November 1996 – The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate the usefulness of the Italian Liver Cirrhosis Project (ILCP) classification of esophageal varices, together with the gastric features of portal hypertension, in predicting the first upper gastrointestinal bleeding in cirrhosis. The efficiency of these endoscopic parameters in predicting bleeding was also compared with the efficiency of the North Italian Endoscopic Club (NIEC) index.

S Fargion, F Bissoli, A L Fracanzani, E Suigo, C Sergi, E Taioli, R Ceriani, V Dimasi, A Piperno, M Sampietro, G Fiorelli – 1 November 1996 – Genetic hemochromatosis and α1‐antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency are frequent in white populations. Conflicting data on the association of the two conditions and on the severity of the disease in those in whom these disorders coexist have emerged from analyses of small numbers of patients.

S M Lee, B C Portmann, G P Margison – 1 November 1996 – The expression of O6‐alkylguanine‐DNA‐alkyltransferase (ATase), which is responsible for repair of the promutagenic and cytotoxic DNA lesion O6‐alkylguanine, was examined by immunostaining in a series of liver sections from normal and hepatitis‐B cirrhosis patients using a polyclonal anti‐human ATase antiserum. In 10 normal liver sections, the ATase staining was predominantly nuclear and very intense in the majority of the hepatocytes with a panacinar distribution.

1 November 1996

J Shi, H Fujieda, Y Kokubo, K Wake – 1 November 1996 – The fate of neutrophils in the peripheral circulation is poorly understood. In this study, the role of Kupffer cells in eliminating aged and apoptotic neutrophils was investigated. Liver, spleen, lung, and blood samples from Wistar rats were examined by light and electron microscopy, the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate‐biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) method, and immunohistochemistry after the intravenous injection of OK‐432, a streptococcal preparation.

M J Mayo, B Combes, R N Jenkins – 1 November 1996 – Semiquantitative reverse‐transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT‐ PCR) was used to study the T‐cell receptor (TCR) β‐chain variable (Vβ) region gene families expressed by T cells in 28 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), 20 normal controls, and 9 patients with other chronic inflammatory hepatic diseases. We hypothesized that activation and clonal proliferation of T cells would lead to biases in the T‐cell repertoire of patients with PBC.

L Spahr, R F Butterworth, S Fontaine, L Bui, G Therrien, P C Milette, L H Lebrun, J Zayed, A Leblanc, G Pomier‐Layrargues – 1 November 1996 – Increasing evidence suggests that manganese deposition is responsible for the T1‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signal hyperintensity consistently observed in pallidum of cirrhotic patients. However, the relationship between blood manganese and the etiology or severity of liver disease, as well as the neurological symptomatology in these patients, has not been well established.

M Shindo, K Hamada, S Koya, K Arai, Y Sokawa, T Okuno – 1 November 1996 – We examined changes in the hypervariable region 1 of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA that occurred with interferon therapy in 33 patients with chronic hepatitis C to assess the clinical significance of this region. The 33 patients had HCV genotype 1b and were classified into three groups based on serum aminotransferase levels during and after therapy with α interferon; long‐term responders (n = 9), short‐term responders (n = 11), and nonresponders (n = 13).

P Scaglioni, M Melegari, M Takahashi, J R Chowdhury, J Wands – 1 November 1996 – Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major cause of acute and chronic liver diseases. We have recently described HBV and woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) dominant negative (DN) core mutants that were capable of inhibiting wild‐type viral replication by 95%.

S Zeuzem, A Franke, J Lee, G Herrmann, B Rüster, W K Roth – 1 November 1996 – Nucleotide sequence analysis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) strains showed substantial variability leading to a classification into several genotypes and subtypes. The data correlating HCV genotypes and subtypes with hepatitis C viremia levels, demographic characteristics of patients (age, mode of transmission, duration of infection), and severity of liver disease are conflicting.