Y Zhang, M Kanzaki, H Mashima, T Mine, I Kojima – 1 February 1996 – Activin A, an autocrine factor produced by hepatocytes, inhibits mitogen‐stimulated DNA synthesis and induces apoptotic death of cultured rat hepatocytes. Several lines of evidence indicate that norepinephrine (NE), as a comitogenic growth factor, alters the balance between growth stimulation and inhibition and acts as a trigger for the initiation of hepatocyte proliferation. In the present study, we examined whether NE modulated the effects of activin A on rat hepatocytes in primary culture.

T Tomiya, K Fujiwara – 1 February 1996 – Transforming growth factor α (TGF α) is supposed to act as a mitogen for hepatocytes in an autocrine manner in vitro and in vivo. Retarded liver regeneration is a possible reason for poor prognosis of fulminant hepatitis (FH). We analyzed serum TGF α levels in patients with FH and patients with acute nonfulminant hepatitis (AH). Also, the relation of those levels to serum hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) levels and their changes after glucagon‐insulin (G‐I) therapy were studied.

1 February 1996

1 February 1996

J Kountouras, I Magoula, G Tsapas, I Liatsis – 1 February 1996 – No evidence is available on the transport of biliary urate and the possible role of choleretic agents in the regulation of biliary urate elimination in humans.

Y K Shimizu, S M Feinstone, M Kohara, R H Purcell, H Yoshikura – 1 February 1996 – We previously demonstrated that a human T‐cell line, HPBMa10‐2 derived from HPBALL, was capable of supporting a productive infection of hepatitis C virus (HCV). We subsequently found Daudi cells, a human B‐cell line, to be susceptible to HCV infection. Employing these cell lines infected with HCV as well as liver obtained during the acute phase of hepatitis C from a chimpanzee, we observed intracellular HCV particles by electron microscopy (EM).

A D Branch – 1 February 1996

T Imamura, T Tanahashi – 1 February 1996 – Although fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF‐1) (formerly known as acidic FGF) but not FGF‐2 (or basic FGF), has been suggested to play a pathophysiological role in liver regeneration, its clinical application has been restricted by its limited mitogenecity and heparin dependence. We report here that a chimeric human FGF protein, FGF‐C(1211), is a heparin‐independent potent mitogen for liver parenchymal cells both in vitro and in vivo.

K V Kowdley, A S Tavill – 1 February 1996

T Matsuda, H Morita, H Hosomi, M Okada – 1 February 1996 – Hepatic sensory systems are thought to play an important role in the response of renal nerve activity and natriuresis to oral NaCl load. In this study, responses of renal nerve activity and urinary Na+ and Cl− excretions to a high‐NaCl food intake (20 g/kg boiled rice containing 0.4 g/kg NaCl) were examined in sham‐operated dogs (n = 12) and dogs with chronic bile duct ligation (CBDL; n = 10).