Jin K. Kim, Sandra N. Summer, Randy L. Howard, Robert W. Schrier – 1 January 1993 – Impaired ability to excrete a water load occurs in a substantial number of patients with advanced cirrhosis and in animals with experimental cirrhosis. The nonosmotic stimulation of arginine vasopressin release from the pituitary has been implicated as an important factor in the abnormal water excretion in patients and animals with cirrhosis. In this study, arginine vasopressin hypothalamic gene expression was studied in cirrhotic rats.

David A. Brenner – 1 January 1993 – Since many lines of evidence suggest that expression of the transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1) gene may be regulated post‐transcriptionally, we examined the effect of the 5′‐untranslated region (UTR) of this gene on TGF‐β1 expression. For this purpose, fragments of the 840‐nucleotide highly GC‐rich TGF‐β1 5′‐UTR were inserted into the 5′‐UTR of the structural gene for human growth hormone driven by the simian virus 40 early promoter.

Ikko Higaki, Isao Matsui‐yuasa, Masanobu Terakura, Shuzo Otani, Hiroaki Kinoshita – 1 January 1993 – The effect of hepatocyte growth factor on ornithine decarboxylase activity was studied in primary cultured adult rat hepatocytes. Ornithine decarboxylase activity was increased 3 hr after the addition of hepatocyte growth factor and remained at a high level until 12 hr; thereafter it decreased, and it returned to the control level by 24 hr. Enzyme activity began to increase with 1 ng/ml hepatocyte growth factor and reached its maximum with 5 ng/ml hepatocyte growth factor.

Josep Llach, Pere Ginès, Vicente Arroyo, Joan Manuel Salmerón, Angels Ginès, Joan Rodés, Wladimiro Jiménez, Joan Gaya, Francisca Rivera – 1 January 1993 – Adenosine is a potent endogenous renal vasoconstrictor. To investigate the sensitivity of the renal circulation to adenosine in cirrhosis, we evaluated kidney function and vasoactive hormones in 20 patients with cirrhosis before and after administration of dipyridamole (0.4 mg/kg, intravenously), a drug that increases extracellular levels of adenosine.

Shujiro Takase, Mikihiro Tsutsumi, Hiromu Kawahara, Nobuo Takada, Akira Takada – 1 January 1993 – Progression of alcoholic liver disease is closely related to drinking habits. However, prognosis of alcoholic liver disease is not determined just by drinking habits, but also by other factors. In this study, the roles of alcohol‐altered liver membrane antibody and hepatitis C virus infection were analyzed in alcoholic patients who were followed up for various lengths of time.

Diane C. Marsh, Paul K. Vreugdenhil, Vivian E. Mack, Folkert O. Belzer, James H. Southard – 1 January 1993 – Isolated hepatocytes, suspended in an organ preservation solution, can be preserved at 4°C for up to 6 days. After preservation, normothermic‐normoxic incubation causes loss of hepatocyte viability. The addition of 3 mmol/L glycine to the rewarming medium prevents the loss of viability. In this study we investigated the cytoprotective effects of glycine under many conditions known to cause hepatocellular injury to understand the mechanism of cold‐induced injury in the liver.

Harold O. Conn – 1 January 1993

Stefan G. Hubscher, Matthew A. Lumley, Elwyn Elias – 1 January 1993 – A syndrome of idiopathic intrahepatic cholestasis occurs in some patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma. The underlying mechanism is poorly understood. In this paper we describe three patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma in whom severe intrahepatic cholestasis of unknown pathogenesis developed. In two cases jaundice was the presenting symptom; all three patients died with intractable liver damage.

Masaru Harada, Shotaro Sakisaka, Masao Yoshitake, Satoshi Shakadoh, Kazuhisa Gondoh, Michio Sata, Kyuichi Tanikawa – 1 January 1993 – Biliary copper excretion was examined in rats with acute, continuous and chronic copper loads. Copper was excreted into bile, and the concentration peaked 40 min after a venous injection of copper sulfate (127 ng/gm body weight). The excretion was significantly inhibited by colchicine. Therefore some copper may be transported in hepatocytes by a vesicular pathway and excreted into bile.

Nancy Bach, Henry C. Bodenheimer – 1 December 1992 – Serum samples from eight pregnant women and their offspring were studied by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA to evaluate mother‐to‐child transmission of this virus. The mothers were all infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); none showed symptoms of HCV infection. Anti‐HCV antibodies were tested for by recombinant immunoblot assay. HCV viral sequences were found in five of the mothers and four of eight children, three of them at birth.