M J Monte, A I Morales, M Arevalo, I Alvaro, R I Macias, J J Marin – 1 May 1996 – The effect of total blockage of maternal biliary excretion during the last third of the pregnancy on the maturation of hepatobiliary function was investigated in neonatal rats. Extrahepatic obstruction of the common bile duct on day 14 of pregnancy induced a marked enhancement in serum bilirubin–mainly conjugated bilirubin–and bile acid concentrations as compared with sham‐operated pregnant rats.

F Salerno, G Borroni, E Lorenzano, D Solenghi, M Cazzaniga, F Bissoli, R Ceriani, R deFranchis – 1 May 1996 – Isosorbide‐5‐mononitrate (Is‐5‐Mn), alone or combined with β‐ blockers, has been proposed for prophylaxis of variceal bleeding in cirrhosis. However, renal insufficiency, might be an important undesirable effect of this therapy, especially in patients with ascites. We assessed the changes in renal function induced in 26 cirrhotic patients by acute or chronic administration of Is‐5‐Mn.

S Moller, U Becker, A Juul, N E Skakkebaek, E Christensen – 1 May 1996 – Insulinlike growth factor I (IGF‐I) is a single‐polypeptide chain with important anabolic and endocrine activities. The liver is the major source of IGF‐I and its binding protein, IGFBP‐3. Circulating concentrations of IGF‐I and IGFBP‐3 are decreased in patients with chronic liver disease and correlate with the severity. The aim of this study was to assess the additional prognostic value of IGF‐I and IGFBP‐3 in patients entered in a large multicenter study (EMALD).

P Harrison, J Wendon, R Williams – 1 May 1996 – Patients with fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) have a severe microcirculatory disturbance causing tissue hypoxia. Infusion of acetylcysteine improves survival and reduces the incidence of multiorgan failure by enhancing tissue oxygenation. Because the observed circulatory effects of acetylcysteine in FHF are similar to and synergistic with those produced by the microcirculatory vasodilator prostacyclin, we postulated that acetylcysteine might potentiate an endogenous vasodilator.

U Becker, A Deis, T I Sorensen, M Gronbaek, K Borch‐Johnsen, C F Muller, P Schnohr, G Jensen – 1 May 1996 – The association between self‐reported alcohol intake and the risk of future liver disease was studied in a large population‐based prospective cohort with 12‐year follow‐up. Alcohol intake was assessed in 13,285 men and women aged 30 to 79 years by a self‐administered questionnaire.

1 May 1996

M S De Mitri, T Iervese, E Pisi, G Morsica, A Lazzarin – 1 May 1996

C C Sieber, F Lee, R J Groszmann – 1 May 1996 – Chronically portal‐hypertensive rats show in vitro vascular hyporeactivity in large part mediated by the endothelium‐derived vasodilator nitric oxide. We tested whether long‐term octreotide treatment (15 micrograms/kg subcutaneously in 5% D/W, 8‐hourly) corrects the in vitro vascular hyporeactivity.

S S Lee, M Huang, Z Ma, O Rorstad – 1 May 1996 – Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) blood levels in cirrhosis are elevated, but its hemodynamic and receptor characteristics remain unclarified. We aimed to quantify VIP receptor characteristics in mesenteric arteries, plasma VIP concentration by radioimmunoassay (RIA), and the hemodynamic effects of VIP infusion in bile duct‐ligated (BDL) cirrhotic and sham‐operated control rats. Mesenteric arterial membranes were prepared by ultracentrifugation, and receptor characteristics were studied using 125I‐labeled VIP as a radioligand.

Yaron Ilan, Eitan Galuns, Arnon Nagler, Yaakov Baruch, Nelli Livni, Ran Tur‐Kaspa – 1 May 1996 – Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reinfection after liver transplantation is a major problem. HBV is mainly a hepatotrophic virus but replicates in many extrahepatic tissues. We present here two cases of infected patients who underwent liver transplantation. Both underwent bone marrow (BM) and liver biopsies after transplantation. Biopsy specimens were stained for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and bone marrow aspirates and were separated for all subsets of cells.