Gerda Rudolph, Richard Endele, Martin Senn, Adolf Stiehl – 1 June 1993 – Treatment of patients with cholestatic liver diseases with ursodeoxycholic acid has been shown to have beneficial effects that may be related to a shift in the balance between hydrophilic and hydrophobic bile acids in favor of hydrophilic bile acids. During treatment of patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis with ursodeoxycholic acid, plasma concentrations of some endogenous bile acids decrease.

Pierpaolo Coni, Gabriella Simbula, Alessandra Carcereri de Prati, Marta Menegazzi, Hisanori Suzuki, Dittakavi S. R. Sarma, Giovanna M. Ledda‐Columbano, Amedeo Columbano – 1 June 1993 – The steady‐state levels of c‐fos, c‐jun and c‐myc messenger RNA were investigated in rat liver tissue after proliferative stimuli of different nature‐namely, compensatory regeneration induced by partial hepatectomy or carbon tetrachloride administration ‐ and direct hyperplasia induced by four different hepatomitogens: lead nitrate, ethylene dibromide, cyproterone acetate and nafenopin.

Darrell H. G. Crawford, June W. Halliday, Kim M. Summers, Michael J. Bourke, Lawrie W. Powell – 1 May 1993 – Phenotypic concordance between siblings has been demonstrated in some inherited conditions, and such data provide strong evidence that the severity of disease is affected by genetic factors. We assessed the concordance of liver iron stores between siblings in 22 sibling pairs (15 same‐sex pairs and 7 opposite‐sex pairs) with genetic hemochromatosis.

Albert Maroto, Pere Ginés, Vicente Arroyo, Angels Ginés, Joan Saló, Joan Clária, Wladimiro Jiménez, Concepció Bru, Francisca Rivera, Joan Rodés – 1 May 1993 – Brachial artery and common femoral artery blood flows and cardiac output were measured with duplex‐Doppler ultrasonography in 12 normal subjects, 12 patients with compensated cirrhosis and 35 patients with cirrhosis and ascites (8 with functional kidney failure). The aim of this study was to investigate whether arteriolar vasodilation in these vascular territories contributes to hyperdynamic circulation in cirrhosis.

Nicole Domingo, Huguette Lafont, Zamir Halpern, Yohanan Peled, Jean Grosclaude, Tuvia Gilat – 1 May 1993 – With the demonstration of pronucleating and antinucleating proteins, the role of biliary proteins became of considerable research interest. Anionic polypeptide fraction is the third most abundant biliary protein; it is found in association with biliary lipids, has antinucleating properties for calcium and is found in gallstones. Its levels in various human biles have not been studied as of this writing.

John D. Lutton, Margaret O. Griffin, Miki Nishimura, Richard D. Levere, Attallah Kappas, Nader G. Abraham, Shigeki Shibahara – 1 May 1993 – Exposure of Hep3B cells to metalloporphyrins (tinprotoporphyrin and heme) or cobalt chloride resulted in the production of a significant number of heme oxygenase transcripts, erythropoietin transcripts or both, as indicated by in situ hybridization.

Thomas Judge – 1 May 1993 – We have previously reported data from clinical and laboratory animal observations which suggest that organ tolerance after transplantation depends on a state of balanced lymphodendritic cell chimerism between the host and donor graft. We have sought further evidence to support this hypothesis by investigating HLA‐mismatched liver allograft recipients.

Krzysztof Krawczynski – 1 May 1993

Wei Liao, Claes‐Henrik Florén – 1 May 1993 – Tumor necrosis factor mediates most biological activities of endotoxin and also, in part, mediates endotoxin‐induced disturbances in lipid metabolism. In this study, the effect of tumor necrosis factor on low‐density lipoprotein receptor activity was investigated in cells of HepG2, a well‐differentiated human hepatoma cell line. Pretreatment of the cells with tumor necrosis factor leads to enhanced binding, uptake and degradation of 125I‐labeled low‐density lipoprotein. This effect of tumor necrosis factor was dose and time dependent.

Joan M. Salmerón, Luis Ruiz Del Arbol, Angels Ginès, Joan C. García‐Pagán, Pere Ginés, Faust Feu, Joan Claria, Francisca Rivera, Jaume Bosch, Vicente Arroyo, Joan Rodés – 1 May 1993 – The aim of this study was to assess the effects of an oral dose (20 mg) of isosorbide‐5‐mononitrate on systemic hemodynamics, kidney function, plasma renin activity and plasma aldosterone and atrial natriuretic peptide concentrations in 16 nonazotemic cirrhotic patients.