Yuji Hoshino, Nobuyuki Enomoto, Namiki Izumi, Masayuki Kurosaki, Fumiaki Marumo, Chifumi Sato – 1 July 1995 – To study the role of antigen‐specific T lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of autoimmune hepatitis, messenger RNA of T‐cell receptors (TCR) was analyzed in liver biopsy specimens from four patients with autoimmune hepatitis. Using the TCR β‐chain variable region family specific oligonucleotides, a remarkable bias for the usage of β‐chain variable region 3 was detected in all four patients.

Hiromasa Okamoto, Motoyasu Ishii, Yutaka Mano, Takehiko Igarashi, Yoshiyuki Ueno, Koju Kobayashi, Takayoshi Toyota – 1 July 1995 – The culture of fully differentiated intrahepatic bile duct epithelial cells (IBDECs) to use as a model for the in vivo intrahepatic biliary tract has not been established. IBDECs from normal rat livers were grown on a collagen‐coated permeable filter and formed a confluent monolayer 7 days after being plated. Positive reactions for cytokeratin‐19 and retained gamma‐glutamyl transpeptidase (GGTP) activity were shown.

J. Michael Millis, Paul Martin, Antoinette Gomes, Abraham Shaked, Steven D. Colquhoun, Oded Jurim, Leonard Goldstein, Ronald W. Busuttil – 1 July 1995 – This study was designed to evaluate the impact of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPS) on liver transplantation. Historically, the complications of portal hypertension have been temporized with sclerotherapy or surgical portosystemic shunts. In patients whose liver disease progressed, liver transplantation has been used as definitive treatment.

Nancy L. Ascher – 1 July 1995 – Background: Little information is available on the indications for, and the efficacy and timing of, liver transplantation in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). This issue is particularly relevant because prolonged survival has been reported in patients who do not undergo transplantation. Methods: Long‐term results of therapeutic interventions including liver transplantation were assessed in a representative series of 51 patients. Patient survival was compared with that expected from prognostic models.

Ulus S. Akarca, Anna S. F. Lok – 1 July 1995 – Mutations in the hepatitis B virus (HBV) core gene may influence disease activity by altering immune recognition sites or level of virus replication. Sera from 69 Chinese patients with chronic HBV infection were analyzed by direct sequencing of polymerase chain reaction amplification of HBV DNA to determine the frequency and location of naturally occurring HBV core gene mutations. All but one patient had nucleotide changes, and 44 (64%) patients had at least one amino acid change (mean, 3.7; range, 1‐13) when compared with published sequences.

Tadashi Terada, Yasuni Nakanuma – 1 July 1995 – Intrahepatic cholangiography of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is characterized by stricture with or without dilation of the biliary tree. To evaluate whether this cholangiographic appearance is present in non‐PSC livers as well as the histological features seen in non‐PSC livers with this cholangiographic appearance, we performed postmortem intrahepatic cholangiography in 154 liver autopsy specimens.

Isabel Cirera, Faust Feu, Angelo Luca, Joan C. García‐Pagan, Mercedes Fernández, Angels Escorsell, Jaime Bosch, Joan Rodés – 1 July 1995 – The present double‐blind study was aimed at investigating the hemodynamic and humoral effects of somatostatin or placebo in patients with cirrhosis.

Cheng Qian, Roberto Bilbao, Oscar Bruña, Jesús Prieto – 1 July 1995 – We have analyzed the ability of a recombinant replication‐defective adenovirus to transfer the thymidine kinase gene of herpes simplex virus (HSV‐tk) into hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells to confer sensitivity to ganciclovir. Three HCC cell lines (Hep3B, PLC/PRF/5, and HepG2) were efficiently infected in vitro by a recombinant adenovirus carrying lacZ reporter gene (Ad‐CMVlacZ).

Mario Pirisi, Carlo Fabris, Giorgio Soardo, Edmondo Falleti, Daniele Gasparini, Daniela Vitulli, Pierluigi Toniutto, Fabio Gonano, Ettore Bartoli – 1 July 1995 – It has been shown previously that erythropoietin expression in vitro by hepatoma cells increases in response to hypoxia. To verify whether hypoxia of the tumor might result in hepatic release of erythropoietin in vivo, serum erythropoietin concentrations were measured immunoenzymatically in 12 patients (5 women, 7 men) who underwent transarterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Michael Roden, Martin Prskavec, Clemens Fürnsinn, Ibrahim Elmadfa, Jürgen König, Barbara Schneider, Oswald Wagner, Werner Waldhäusl – 1 July 1995 – Selenium, an essential trace element, has been shown to decrease plasma glucose concentrations of diabetic rats. To study the short‐term effects of selenium on hepatic carbohydrate metabolism, isolated perfused livers of fed Sprague‐Dawley rats were continuously infused with sodium selenite for 90 minutes.