M Lindh, P Horal, A P Dhillon, Y Furuta, G Norkrans – 1 September 1996 – Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) is considered to be a major target for the immune response in chronic hepatitis B. The G → A mutation at nucleotide 1896 may mediate viral escape by creating a TAG stop codon in the precore region, thus preventing HBeAg production. This mutation frequently evolves during HBe seroconversion if thymine, but rarely if cytosine, is present in position 1858.

E Hildt, S Urban, C Eckerskorn, P H Hofschneider – 1 September 1996 – Carboxy‐terminally truncated hepatitis B virus (HBV) middle surface proteins (MHBst) show a transcriptional activator function. Two different subtypes of MHBst activators can be distinguished: an ER‐localized type, represented here by MHBst76 (truncated at amino acid 76), and a cytosol‐localized type, represented here by MHBst63.

Chandrashekhar R. Gandhi, Yoogoo Kang, Andre De Wolf, Juan Madariaga, Shushma Aggarwal, Victor Scott, John Fung – 1 September 1996 – The liver is a major site of synthesis, clearance, and actions of the powerful vasoactive peptide endothelin‐1 (ET‐1).

I Chemin, S Takahashi, C Belloc, M A Lang, K Ando, L G Guidotti, F V Chisari, C P Wild – 1 September 1996 – The objective of this work is to examine the possible modulation of carcinogen metabolism (activation by cytochrome P450s and detoxification by conjugation via glutathione S‐transferases [GST]) in relation to hepatitis B virus (HBV)‐associated liver injury.

J Cocjin, P Rosenthal, V Buslon, L Luk, L Barajas, S A Geller, B Ruebner, S French – 1 September 1996 – The cell of origin of intrahepatic bile ducts during fetal development remains a subject of controversy, although there has been recent evidence that they form from hepatocytes. However, the origin of neoductules and ducts in the setting of liver disease has not been extensively investigated in humans.

Michael Burt, Elizabeth Jazwinska, Stephen Lynch, Paul Kerlin, Devinder Gill, Charles Steadman, Julie Jonsson, Russell Strong, Elizabeth Powell – 1 September 1996 – The diagnosis of graft‐versus‐host disease following liver transplantation may be delayed because the clinical and pathological features are nonspecific. We report the use of microsatellites to support a diagnosis of GVHD in a patient who developed fever and a skin rash 28 days after liver transplantation.

J G DeLamatre, J T Schilleci, L H Hanson – 1 September 1996 – This study investigates the effects of either a high‐fat diet or endotoxin on peroxisome metabolism as assessed by measuring catalase activity, catalase mass, and peroxisomal β‐oxidation. Three mouse strains C3H/HeJ, BALB/c, and C57BL/6J were fed either a low‐fat or a high‐fat diet and injected intraperitoneally with 1 microg Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide. These parameters were not different in C3H/HeJ mice fed a high‐fat diet compared with controls fed a low‐fat diet.

J Chen, W Song, R N Redinger – 1 August 1996 – The effect of 2‐week 2% cholesterol vs. chow feeding on regulation of hepatic lipoprotein, lipids and apoprotein (Apo), and biliary lipids production was evaluated by the isolated perfused hamster liver model. Cholesterol feeding did not change very‐low‐density lipoprotein (VLDL), low‐density lipoprotein (LDL), and high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) particle size but significantly increased the hepatic production of VLDL‐cholesterol fourfold, VLDL‐triglyceride two and one‐half‐fold but not phospholipid in VLDL.

M A Dingemanse, W J De Jonge, P A J De Boer, M Mori, W H Lamers, A F Moorman – 1 August 1996 – Ammonia‐fixation in mammalian livers is, via the ornithine cycle and glutamine synthetase, strictly compartmentalized, occurring in a wide upstream periportal compartment and in the very last downstream pericentral hepatocytes, respectively. This conclusion is based on the well‐known distribution patterns of carbamoyl phosphate synthetase I (CPS) and glutamine synthetase in the developing and adult liver.

T Knittel, T Janneck, L Muller, P Fellmer, G Ramadori – 1 August 1996 – During liver fibrogenesis, Ito cells are regarded as the principal matrix synthesizing cells and transforming growth factor β 1 (TGF‐β 1) appears to be the main fibrogenic mediator. This study analyzed the effects of TGF‐β 1 on Ito cell activation, proliferation, and on the expression of a set of matrix proteins, antiproteases, and TGF‐β receptors both in “early cultured” and “culture‐activated” Ito cells.