Mark G. Swain, John Vergalla, E. Anthony Jones – 1 September 1993 – Endopeptidase 24.11 (enkephalinase), an enzyme known to be present in plasma and liver, is capable of metabolizing a substantial number of bioactive peptides. We measured plasma endopeptidase 24.11 activity in normal subjects and in patients with chronic hepatocellular disease or chronic cholestatic liver disease. The mean level of plasma endopeptidase 24.11 activity was 13 times higher in cholestatic patients than in controls or patients with hepatocellular disease (p < 0.01).

1 September 1993

Mark E. Mailliard – 1 September 1993 – Transport of L‐cysteine and a cysteine S‐conjugate, S‐(1,2‐dichlorovinyl)‐L‐cysteine (DCVC) was investigated in rat liver canalicular plasma membrane (cLPM) vesicles. Cysteine uptake into an osmotically active intravesicular space was temperature sensitive and further enhanced by an inwardly directed Na+ gradient.

Phillip Gorden, Donald F. Cyphers, Carol Feld – 1 September 1993

Z. Reno Vlahcevic, William M. Pandak, Philip B. Hylemon, Douglas M. Heuman – 1 September 1993 – Cholesterol 7αhydroxylase, the rate‐limiting enzyme in the bile acid biosynthetic pathway, is thought to be regulated by hydrophobic bile acids through negative feedback control. The role of cholesterol in the regulation of cholesterol 7αhydroxylase is more controversial, in part because of incomplete understanding of the relationship between the pathways of cholesterol synthesis and degradation.

Oliver Esch, Claudio D. Schteingart, Dirk Pappert, Diane Kirby, Rita Streich, Alan F. Hofman – 1 August 1993 – We performed experiments in anesthetized piglets with two cholesterol gallstone solvents, methyl tertbutyl ether and ethyl propionate, to determine whether blood levels of either solvent would increase during gallbladder instillation of these solvents under conditions simulating gallstone dissolution.

Ralph H. Schwall, Kim Robbins, Paula Jardieu, Ling Chang, Cora La, Timothy G. Terrel – 1 August 1993 – While studying endocrine responses to activin in female rats, we discovered that activin caused a marked reduction in liver mass. The regressed livers exhibited no gross signs of necrosis or infarction, but histopathological evaluation revealed extensive cell death in the centrilobular regions. The dying cells appeared to fragment into structures resembling apoptotic bodies.

Pei‐Yun Shu, Chungming Chang, Lih‐Hwa Hwan, Cheng‐Po Hu – 1 August 1993 – The characterization of immune responses to hepatitis B virus is crucial for the understanding of hepatitis B virus–caused liver disease. However, lack of a suitable autologous effector–target cell system makes a precise study of the pathogenesis of hepatitis B difficult. In this study we established a model system by using autologous HBcAg‐expressing Epstein‐Barr virus–immortalized lymphoblastoid cell lines as stimulator/target cells.

Peter E. Ballmer, Dominic Walshe, Margaret A. McNurlan, Heather Watson, Peter W. Brunt, Peter J. Garlic – 1 August 1993 – Albumin‐synthesis rates were measured in nine patients with stable cirrhosis and compared with those of eight healthy volunteers by means of a new technique using stable isotopes. Four grams of L‐[1‐13C]leucine was injected over 10 min, and blood samples were drawn at intervals.

Christophe Chesné, Claire Guyomard, Alain Fautrel, Marie‐gwenaëlle Poullain, Benjamin Frémond, Hendrik de Jong, André Guillouz – 1 August 1993 – Cryopreserved hepatocytes from various animal species and human beings were tested for their ability to survive and function in primary culture. The freeze/thaw protocol primarily designed for rat hepatocytes was used with slight modifications for the cells of all other species; it consisted of suspending parenchymal cells in the Leibovitz L15 medium containing 10% fetal calf serum and 10% to 16% dimethyl sulfoxide.