Elji Miyoshi, Yoshito Ihara, Atsushi Nishikawa, Hiroyuki Saito, Naofumi Uozumi, Norio Hayashi, Hideyuki Fusamoto, Takenobu Kamada, Naoyuki Taniguchi – 1 December 1995 – N‐acetylglucosaminyltransferases III and V (GnT‐III and ‐V) are key enzymes in the synthesis of the branches of asparagine‐linked oligosaccharides. Although their messenger RNAs (mRNAs) are expressed in various rat tissues, they are not detected in normal rat liver. Expression of the GnT‐III and ‐V mRNAs, however, increased in regenerating liver after two‐thirds partial hepatectomy compared with sham‐operated rats.

Giorgio La Villa, Donato Riccardi, Chiara Lazzeri, Vincenzo Casini Raggi, Antonio Dello Sbarba, Cristina Tosti Guerra, Caterina Fronzaroli, Marco Foschi, Giacomo Laffi, Paolo Gentilini – 1 December 1995 – Patients with cirrhosis and ascites have high plasma levels of atrial (ANP) and brain (BNP) natriuretic peptides, two cardiac hormones released by the atria and ventricles, respectively.

Darius Moradpour, Béatrice Compagnon, Byron E. Wilson, Claude Nicolau, Jack R. Wands – 1 November 1995 – The monoclonal antibody AF‐20 was raised against the human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell line FOCUS and binds with high affinity to a rapidly internalized 180‐kd homodimeric glycoprotein that is abundantly expressed on the surface of human HCC and other human cancer cell lines. Immunoliposomes were produced by covalently coupling AF‐20 to liposomes containing carboxyfluorescein.

Byers W Shaw – 1 November 1995

David J. Bronster, Mika W. Lidov, David Wolfe, Myron E. Schwartz, Charles M. Miller – 1 November 1995 – Six weeks after liver transplantation, a 51‐year‐old man developed a slowly progressive hemiparesis with deteriorating mental status and seizures. Successive computed tomography (CT) scans of the brain revealed unilateral nonenhancing white matter lucencies that gradually coalesced and progressed to both hemispheres. Brain biopsy results were consistent with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML).

K. R. Reddy – 1 November 1995

Cornel C. Sieber – 1 November 1995 – Background/Aims: Because the vasodilator nitric oxide is overproduced in cirrhosis, this substance may decrease pressor responses to the vasoconstrictor endothelin 1. This study aimed to examine the effects of a NO synthesis inhibitor (NG‐nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester; L‐NAME) on vascular responsiveness to endothelin 1 in normal and cirrhotic rats. Methods: Pressor dose‐response curves to endothelin 1 (0.5, 1, 3, 6, and 10 μg/kg intravenously) were obtained in animals with or without pretreatment with L‐NAME.

Philip Rosenthal, Luis Podesta, Robert Grier, Jonathan W. Said, Linda Sher, Jose Cocjin, Frederick Watanabe, Eric Vasiliauskas, Robert Van De Velde, Leonard Makowka – 1 November 1995 – Orthotopic liver transplantation has been used to treat glycogen storage disease type IV. Most long‐term surviving patients who have undergone liver transplantation have been free of neuromuscular and cardiac morbidity, and regression of cardiac amylopectin infiltration has been reported after liver transplantation. Leukocyte inclusions in glycogen storage disease type IV have also been reported.

David H. van Thiel – 1 November 1995

Shinichi Kiso, Sumio Kawata, Shinji Tamura, Shigeki Higashiyama, Nobuyuki Ito, Hirofumi Tsushima, Naoyuki Taniguchi, Yuji Matsuzawa – 1 November 1995 – Several growth factors including hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) have been implicated in the regulation of liver regeneration. Recently, we reported that heparinbinding epidermal growth factor (EGF)‐like growth factor (HB‐EGF) has hepatotrophic effects in vitro. We investigated the role of HB‐EGF as a hepatotrophic factor in regenerating rat liver after 70% partial hepatectomy.