Sherry S. Ansher, Walter Thompson – 1 October 1994 – Administration of whole‐cell diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and pertussis vaccine adsorbed (DTP vaccine) caused marked depression in the expression of mRNA for isozymes of cytochrome P‐450 in the livers of endotoxin‐responsive and nonresponsive mice. The levels of expression of mRNA for a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon–inducible (CYP 1A2) and an ethanol‐inducible (CYP2E1) form of P‐450 were reduced by 70% to 80% 8 to 12 hr after vaccination or Bordetella pertussis endotoxin administration.

Masahito Uemura, Ulrike Buchholz, Hideyuki Kojima, Andrea Keppler, Peter Hafkemeyer, Hiroshi Fukui, Tadasu Tsujii, Dietrich Keppler – 1 October 1994 – The significance of cysteinyl leukotrienes was investigated in patients with liver diseases by measurements of leukotriene E4 and N‐acetyl‐leukotriene E4 in urine.

Albert D. Min – 1 October 1994

Brian G. Harbrecht, Mauricio Di Silvio, A. J. Demetris, Richard L. Simmons, Timothy R. Billiar – 1 October 1994 – Tumor necrosis factor‐alpha is a principal mediator of the pathophysiological effects of endotoxemia and endotoxin shock. Tumor necrosis factor‐α also contributes to the stimulation of nitric oxide synthesis by the induction of the enzyme nitric oxide synthase in a variety of tissues.

Michelle J. Bingham, Harry J. McArdle – 1 October 1994 – We studied copper uptake from copper dihistidine complexes by plasma membrane vesicles isolated from rat liver and compared the data with those for uptake under the same conditions by hepatocytes cultured from rat liver to determine whether membrane vesicles can be used to study copper uptake. Marker enzyme analysis showed a 28‐fold increase in 5′‐nucleotidase activity, a slight increase in endoplasmic reticulum and no contamination with mitochondrial membranes.

Sanghoon Cha, Patrick S. C. Leung, Ross L. Coppel, Judy Van De Water, Aftab A. Ansari, M. Eric Gershwin – 1 September 1994 – The polyclonal nature of antimitochondrial autoantibodies and the limited success of generating human monoclonal antibodies have made analysis of fine specificity and antibody heterogeneity difficult to define. The major autoantigen of primary biliary cirrhosis is the E2 component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase pathway (PDC‐E2).

Cornelis J. F. Van Noorden, Ilse M. C. Vogels, Jan James – 1 September 1994 – To evaluate changes in metabolic heterogeneity in rat liver lobules after partial hepatectomy, we measured parameters of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism cytophotometrically in periportal and pericentral zones of livers of mature female and male rats. Glycogen content was shown to be always higher in pericentral zones than in periportal zones.

Ana M. García, M. Elena Martín, Alberto Alcázar, Juan L. Fando, A. M. Salinas – 1 September 1994 – We studied the decline in protein synthesis in the developing liver in suckling rats (4 to 10 days) and adult rats (2 mo). The rate of protein synthesis was measured with a cell‐free system and compared with the activity of two initiation factors, eukaryotic initiation factor‐2 and eukaryotic initiation factor‐2B, and with casein kinase II, which phosphorylates both factors in vitro.

Tsann‐Long Hwang, Ying‐Tung Lau, Shu‐Fang Huang, Miin‐Fu Chen, Maw‐Shung Liu – 1 September 1994 – We studied changes in α1‐adrenergic receptors in human liver plasma membranes during intraabdominal sepsis using [3H]prazosin as a radioligand. Human liver tissues were obtained from nonseptic patients undergoing elective abdominal surgery (control group) and from patients with sepsis requiring laparotomy as a therapeutic measure (septic group).

Agustin Albillos, Jose Luis Lledó, Rafael Bañares, Irma Rossi, Jerónimo Iborra, Jose Luis Calleja, Aurelio Garrido, Pedro Escartin, Jaime Bosch – 1 September 1994 – This study was aimed at investigating whether the blockade of α1‐adrenergic receptors could reduce portal pressure in cirrhosis. Splanchnic and systemic hemodynamics were measured in 12 cirrhotic patients with esophageal varices at baseline and 1 hr after oral administration of 2 mg of prazosin (acute study). Measurements were repeated in 10 of these 12 patients after a 3‐mo course of 5 mg/12 hr of prazosin (long‐term study).