Gregory T. Everson – 1 January 1993

Kazunori Fukuda, Masamichi Kojiro, Jen‐Fu Chiu – 1 January 1993 – We investigated transglutaminase‐induced crosslinking of cytokeratin polypeptides in liver and hepatoma cells. To overcome the difficulties in the biochemical analysis of highly cross‐linked polymers and aggregates of cytokeratins, cross‐linked cytokeratin dimers were analyzed by immunoblotting to evaluate the degree of cross‐linking of cytokeratins. Covalently cross‐linked cytokeratin dimers were not detectable in normal rat liver cells.

Fa‐Yauh Lee, Luis A. Colombato, Agustin Albillos, Roberto J. Groszmann – 1 January 1993 – In portal hypertensive states, peripheral vasodilation leads to sodium retention and plasma volume expansion. Nω‐nitro‐L‐arginine, a specific biosynthesis inhibitor of the vasodilator nitric oxide, has been shown to acutely reverse peripheral vasodilation and the vascular hyporesponsiveness to endogenous and exogenous vasoconstrictors observed in portal hypertensive rats.

Elizabeth J. Smanik, Anthony S. Tavill, Gretta H. Jacobs, Irwin A. Schafer, Lou Farquhar, Fredrick L. Weber, James T. Mayes, James A. Schulak, Mary Petrelli, Gregory C. Zirzow, Katharine L. Oliver, STEPHEN P. F. Miller, Roscoe O. Brady – 1 January 1993 – Two adults were seen with cirrhosis caused by different lipid storage diseases. A 42‐yr‐old woman with Niemann‐Pick disease type B had marked hepatomegaly, ascites and recent variceal bleeding.

Shian‐Yang Peng, Hey‐Chi Hsu, Po‐Lin Lai, Po‐Tah Tsung, Juan‐Shiu Chu, Po‐Huang Lee, Ding‐Shin Chen – 1 January 1993 – The messenger RNA and DNA methylation of the α‐fetoprotein gene were studied in 101 resected primary hepatocellular carcinomas, of which 93 were unicentric and 8 were multicentric. Fifty‐five were 5 cm or less in diameter (small) and 46 were more than 5 cm in diameter (large).

Hirokazu Yokoyama, Hiromasa Ishii, Shigeyuki Nagata, Shinzo Kato, Kiyotaka Kamegaya, Masaharu Tsuchiya – 1 January 1993 – We produced hepatitis in guinea pigs by immunization with acetaldehyde adducts and ethanol treatment. Human hemoglobin‐acetaldehyde adducts were prepared without any reducing agents and affinity purified with polyclonal antibodies against acetaldehyde adducts. Female guinea pigs were immunized with the adducts and were simultaneously given ethanol for 40 days. These treatments induced hepatic necrosis with infiltration of mononuclear cells in the hepatic lobules.

Vicente Valdivieso, Carmen Covarrubias, Freddy Siegel, Francisco Cruz – 1 January 1993 – Several recent reports have indicated an increased prevalence of gallstones in association with pregnancy. If these reports are true, the early puerperium should be a favorable time to detect the disease in its initial stages and follow its natural course. Accordingly, the gallbladder was examined by ultrasound in 980 women during the immediate postpartum period and in 150 nulliparous, age‐matched healthy volunteers.

Tetsuhiro Kasai, Hisataka Moriwaki, Masataka Okuno, Satoshi Numaguchi, Nobuo Murakami, Mitsuru Seishima, Hiroo Ohnishi, Yoshihiro Shidoji, Yasutoshi Muto – 1 January 1993 – Effects of carbon tetrachloride treatment and portacaval shunt surgery on exogenous chylomicron retinyl ester clearance from rat plasma were analyzed assuming three‐compartment model kinetics. In rats with cirrhosis and in those with Eck fistulas, the relative pool size of compartment 2 decreased (0.20 and 0.36, respectively) compared with controls (0.82).

Yutaka Aoyagi, Atsushi Saitoh, Yasufumi Suzuki, Kentarou Igarashi, Makoto Oguro, Tsuyoshi Yokota, Shigeki Mori, Takeshi Suda, Hitoshi Asakura, Mamoru Isemura – 1 January 1993 – We report here on three patients with cirrhosis for whom an early recognition of hepatocellular carcinoma was made possible by the measurement of the degree of fucosylation (fucosylation index) of α‐fetoprotein.

1 January 1993