L K Schluger, P A Sheiner, S N Thung, J Y Lau, A Min, D C Wolf, I Fiel, D Zhang, M A Gerber, C M Miller, H C Bodenheimer – 1 May 1996 – Recurrent infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is almost universal following orthotopic liver transplantation although clinical severity varies. Data on 135 patients who underwent transplantation for hepatitis C cirrhosis were reviewed. We describe a progressive, severe cholestatic form of hepatitis occurring in a subgroup of patients with recurrent hepatitis C.

S Mondro – 1 April 1996

H P Friedman, J D Goldberg – 1 April 1996

S Langouet, F Morel, D J Meyer, O Fardel, L Corcos, B Ketterer, A Guillouzo – 1 April 1996 – Recently, we used human hepatocytes in primary culture to study the effects of inducers of glutathione‐S‐transferases (GSTs) in the expectation that information obtained can be used to predict the value of particular inducers for use in the chemoprevention of cancer and other toxicities. However, in vitro human studies cannot readily be confirmed by studies in vivo. This problem does not arise in experimental animals.

I Sakaida, Y Matsumura, M Kubota, K Kayano, K Takenaka, K Okita – 1 April 1996 – No effective therapy has yet developed for liver fibrosis by directory inhibiting the accumulation of extracellular matrix. The effect of a newly synthesized prolyl4‐hydroxylase (PH) inhibitor, HOE 077 (pyridine‐ 2, 4‐di‐carboxylic‐di(2‐methoxyethyl)amide), was examined using the model of choline‐deficient L‐amino acid (CDAA) defined diet‐induced liver fibrosis in 16‐week‐old male Wistar rats.

K E Sherman, C Andreatta, J O'Brien, A Gutierrez, R Harris – 1 April 1996 – Patients coinfected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) were studied with regard to nucleotide sequence variability in the E2/NS1 first hypervariable region of the HCV genome. The nucleotide variability within individual patients was compared to patients infected only with HCV. The proportion of predicted synonymous and nonsynonymous amino acid changes, and the relationship to putative high‐antigenicity sites, were evaluated in the hypervariable envelope domain.

X Xiol, J Ariza – 1 April 1996

M Peters – 1 April 1996

H Tashiro, Y Fukuda, A Kimura, S Hoshino, H Ito, K Dohi – 1 April 1996 – Mixed chimerism has been demonstrated in organ transplant recipients surviving over a long period. However, little is known about the fate and movements of donor cells following liver transplantation. In this study, using rat male‐to‐female liver transplantation, we assessed microchimerism by semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A PCR specific for the Y‐chromosome (sex‐determining region Y [Sry]) allowed the distinction of small amounts of male cells in a large excess of female cells.

T G Sarphie, N B D'Souza, I V Deaciuc – 1 April 1996 – Scanning and transmission electron‐microscopic examination of the rat liver sinusoid was performed in this study after in vivo treatment of rats with gram‐negative bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 1 mg/Kg(‐1) body weight), with or without pretreatment with gadolinium chloride (GdCl3 10 mg/Kg−1 body weight).