Piet C. De Groen, Gail M. Kephart, Gerald J. Gleich, Jurgen Ludwig – 1 September 1994 – Objective: To evaluate the role of the eosinophil granulocyte during hepatic allograft rejection. Design: (a) A retrospective case‐control study and (b) a prospective study of consecutive liver transplant recipients. Patients: In the retrospective study, eight patients with severe rejection in the first month after liver transplantation were compared with six patients without rejection.

Johnson Y. N. Lau – 1 September 1994 – Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of posttransfusion and community‐acquired hepatitis, and a majority of individuals infected with this virus will subsequently develop chronic hepatitis. Characterization of the host immune response to this infection is an important first step that should facilitate the development of immunomodulatory agents and vaccines. Cellular immune responses, especially those mediated by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), are important in the control of many viral diseases.

Rolf Gebhardt, Jürg Reichen – 1 September 1994 – Cirrhosis induced in rats by carbon tetrachloride was used to study alterations in the activities and lobular distribution of carbamoylphosphate synthetase and glutamine synthetase. Specific activity of carbamoylphosphate synthetase in cirrhotic subjects was decreased to 70% of controls. Staining was homogeneous within micronodular areas, but varied from area to area and generally showed a decreased intensity.

Susumu Takano, Yoshimi Ito, Osamu Yokosuka, Masao Ohto, Katsuo Uchiumi, Katsutaro Hirota, Masao Omata – 1 September 1994 – The effect of ursodeoxycholic acid on liver function tests and on bile acid metabolism was investigated in a multi‐center randomized controlled dose study for chronic hepatitis C. Twenty, 18 and 19 patients were administered 150, 600 and 900 mg/day, respectively of ursodeoxycholic acid every day for 16 wk. Serum liver parameters and bile acid composition in the treatment groups were compared with 17 control patients.

1 September 1994

Antonio Francavilla, Michio Hagiya, Kendrick A. Porter, Lorenzo Polimeno, Izumi Ihara, Thomas E. Starzl – 1 September 1994

Mark G. Swain – 1 September 1994 – Endogenous opioids, including methionine enkephalin, have been implicated in the control of adrenocorticotrophic hormone release by acting through mu‐opiate receptors in the hypothalamus. Recently, alterations in the central opioid system have been postulated to occur in cholestasis.

Hiroyuki Yamashita, Kenneth D. R. Setchell – 1 September 1994 – Significant amounts of oxo and sulfated bile acids are excreted in the urine of patients with cholestatic liver diseases, but these bile acid species are found only in traces in bile. Several possible explanations for this finding include poor canalicular secretion, rapid biotransformation by oxidoreduction and extrahepatic sulfation of oxo bile acids.

Frank Iber – 1 September 1994

T. Jake Liang, M. Sawkat Anwer – 1 September 1994 – A high incidence of community‐acquired hepatitis C virus infection that can lead to the progressive development of chronic active hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and primary hepatocellular carcinoma occurs throughout the world. A vaccine to control the spread of this agent that represents a major cause of chronic liver disease is therefore needed.