Ikuo Shoji, Tetsuro Suzuki, Shinya Chieda, Mitsuru Sato, Takashi Harada, Tsutomu Chiba, Yoshiharu Matsuura, Tatsuo Miyamura – 1 December 1995 – The serine proteinase of hepatitis C virus (HCV) nonstructural protein NS3 was efficiently expressed in an active form as a fused protein with oligohistidine in Escherichia coli. The recombinant fusion protein was purified to near homogeneity by affinity chromatography on a metal chelation column. Trans‐cleavage activity of this protein was investigated by using the substrate NS5 protein expressed in insect cells.

Cesar Roncero, Isabel Fabregat, Manuel Benito – 1 December 1995 – Fetal rat hepatocytes incubated in the absence of hormonal signals, or under proliferative (presence of epidermal growth factor [EGF]) or differentiative (presence of dexamethasone) culture conditions, showed responsiveness to interleukin‐6 (IL‐6). Northern blotting analysis for some typical acute phase genes such as haptoglobin and other proteins not previously identified as acute‐phase reactants, such as α‐fetoprotein, β2‐microglobulin, and fibronectin, showed a positive modulation by IL‐6, in a dose‐dependent manner.

Jaw‐Ching Wu, Chuan‐Mu Chen, I‐Jane Sheen, Shou‐Dong Lee, Huey‐Miin Tzeng, Kong‐Bung Choo – 1 December 1995 – To study sexual transmission of hepatitis D virus (HDV), 52 spouses of 56 index patients were observed and HDV genomes from antibody to HDV (anti‐HDV)‐positive couples were sequenced. Of the spouses, 11 (21%) were serum HBsAg positive, 3 (27%) of whom were also anti‐HDV positive. The HDV sequences between spouses were found to be nearly identical (98% to 98.8%) in the region analyzed (nt 911 to nt 1260). Only one couple showed an identity >90% with the genotype I HDV strains.

Flavia Bortolotti, Raffaella Giacchino, Pietro Vajro, Cristiana Barbera, Carlo Crivellaro, Alfredo Alberti, Gabriella Nebbia, Lucia Zancan, Lorena de Moliner, Adalberto Bertolini, Fiorella Balli, Francesco Callea – 1 December 1995 – The efficacy of recombinant interferon‐alfa therapy in children with chronic hepatitis C has been evaluated in a randomized, controlled pilot study including 27 patients, aged 2 to 14 years, without underlying systemic diseases.

Chandan Guha, Jayanta Roy Chowdhury – 1 December 1995 – We have established a system of efficient gene transfer to liver grafts using adenovirus vectors. The purpose of this study was to examine variables affecting gene transfer to rat liver grafts during cold preservation. Our results demonstrate that gene transfer efficiency was directly correlated with the ratio of vector to hepatic cells (multiplicity of infection [MOI]) and the length of exposure to the vector. At MOls of 101 and 501, the hepatic cell transduction rate was 25‐30% and 10%, respectively.

Chandan Guha, Jayanta Roy Chowdhury – 1 December 1995 – Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), a member of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family, was identified as a specific keratinocyte mitogen after isolation from a lung fibroblast line. Recently, recombinant (r)KGF was found to influence proliferation and differentiation patterns of multiple epithelial cell lineages within skin, lung, and the reproductive tract.

Seiya Momosaki, Hirohisa Yano, Sachiko Ogasawara, Koichi Higaki, Tohru Hisaka, Masamichi Kojiro – 1 December 1995 – We investigated the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM‐1) in ex vivo human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells and in vitro in eight liver cancer cell lines, including six HCC cell lines and two combined hepatocholangiocarcinoma (CHC) cell lines. Immunohistochemistry showed the expression of ICAM‐1 on the HCC cell surface with honeycomblike appearance in most cases (96.2%).

Rosina T. Lis – 1 December 1995

Raymond S. Koff, Leonard B. Seeff – 1 December 1995

Ines Bohlinger, Marcel Leist, Johannes Barsig, Tefan Uhlig, Gisa Tiegs, Albrecht Wendel – 1 December 1995 – Mice sensitized with D‐galactosamine (GalN) and challenged with recombinant murine tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) developed severe apoptotic and secondary necrotic liver injury as assessed by histology, measurement of cytosolic DNA fragments, and determination of liver specific enzymes in plasma. Pretreatment with recombinant human interleukin‐1β (IL‐1) rendered mice insensitive to this TNFα toxicity.