Toshihiro Mitaka, Michihide Mikami, Gerald L. Sattler, Henry C. Pitot, Yohichi Mochizuki – 1 August 1992 – Colonies of small hepatocytes appeared after the culture of primary adult rat hepatocytes for 4 days in serum‐free modified Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium containing 10 mmol/L nicotinamide and 10 ng/ml epidermal growth factor. Each colony consisted of cells that had a single nucleus and a higher nucleus/cytoplasm ratio than surrounding hepatocytes, and immunocytochemically these cells were stained with albumin and transferrin.

Takechika Fujii, Michimori Kohno, Chisato Hirayama – 1 August 1992 – Urinary 15N‐ammonia and 15N‐urea were measured by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry after the intravenous administration of 15N‐ammonia (0.2 μmol/kg/hr) to 6 volunteers and 11 patients with cirrhosis. Urinary 15N‐nitrogen excretion as ammonia and urea was measured during the 210‐min infusion period, and urea synthesis and ammonia conversion to amino acids were analyzed with a three‐compartment model using the nonlinear least‐squares method.

Beat Hornstein, Lukas Stammler, Leonardo Bianchi, Lukas Landmann – 1 July 1992 – Structural alterations of liver parenchyma caused by ethinylestradiol, a synthetic estrogen known to induce cholestasis and to act as a tumor promoter factor, were investigated. Male rats treated with 17α‐ethinylestradiol (5 mg/kg body weight for 5 days) were compared with controls (n = 5 each). After perfusion fixation and systematic random sampling, paraffin sections, semithin sections and thin sections were examined observing standard stereological techniques.

Thomas W. Mc Closkey, Jeanine A. Todaro, Debra L. Laskin – 1 July 1992 – Endothelial cells and macrophages are located within the hepatic sinusoids. These two cell types play an important role in the clearance of bacterially derived lipopolysaccharide from the portal circulation. Our laboratory has previously demonstrated that treatment of rats with lipopolysaccharide results in the accumulation of macrophages in the liver that display properties of activated mononuclear phagocytes. This study was designed to analyze the effects of lipopolysaccharide on hepatic endothelial cells.

S. Sushma, S. Dasarathy, Rakesh K. Tandon, Satish Jain, Surya Gupta, Mahender S. Bhist – 1 July 1992 – A prospective randomized double‐blind study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of sodium benzoate in the treatment of acute portal‐systemic encephalopathy. Seventy‐four consecutive patients with cirrhosis or surgical portasystemic anastamosis and hepatic encephalopathy of less than 7 days duration were randomized to receive lactulose (dose adjusted for 2 or 3 semiformed stools/day) or sodium benzoate (5 gm twice daily).

Luigi Barbara, Giovanna Benzi, Stefano Gaiani, Fabio Fusconi, Gianni Zironi, Sebastiano Siringo, Alessandra Rigamonti, Carlotta Barbara, Walter Grigioni, Alighieri Mazziotti, Luigi Bolondi – 1 July 1992 – We analyzed the growth pattern of tumor masses and the survival of 39 asymptomatic Italian patients with a total of 59 small (⩽ 5 cm in diameter) hepatocellular carcinomas arising from cirrhosis. The total length of the observation period ranged from 90 to 962 days, with an average of 364 ± 229 (mean ± S.D.).

Marios Z. Panos, John V. Anderson, Nadia Payne, Peter Langley, Jeremy D. H. Slater, Lesley Rees, Roger Williams – 1 July 1992 – Measurements of plasma atrial natriuretic peptide concentrations at 8 AM showed raised levels in 21 patients with cirrhosis and ascites (10.5 ± 0.8 pmol/L) compared with levels in 10 age‐matched controls (4.1 ± 0.64 pmol/L; p < 0.0001). In eight patients and 10 controls, atrial natriuretic peptide, plasma renin activity, plasma aldosterone and urinary sodium excretion were measured every 4 hr for 24 hr.

Marlies Otter, PETRA Žočková, Johan Kuiper, Theo J. C. Van Berkel, Marrie M. Barrett‐Bergshoeff, Dingeman C. Rijken – 1 July 1992 – Various studies have shown that mannose receptors rapidly eliminate glycoproteins and microorganisms bearing high mannose–type carbohydrate chains from the blood circulation. The purpose of this study was to characterize the mannose receptor in the liver, which in vivo is involved in the rapid clearance of tissue‐type plasminogen activator from the circulation.

Peter M. Price, Ranjit Banerjee, Alan M. Jeffrey, George Acs – 1 July 1992 – The carbocyclic analog of deoxyguanosine inhibits hepatitis B virus replication by greater than 95% in the hepatitis B virus‐producing cell line (2.2.15) as monitored by decreases of secreted hepatitis B virus DNA, hepatitis B virus polymerase activity and intracellular episomal hepatitis B virus DNA. Transcription of hepatitis B virus RNA from chromosomally integrated hepatitis B virus DNA was unaffected.

Steven D. Lidofsky, Nathan M. Bass, Marie C. Prager, Denna E. Washington, Alexandra E. Read, Teresa L. Wright, Nancy L. Ascher, John P. Roberts, Bruce F. Scharschmidt, John R. Lake – 1 July 1992 – Cerebral edema and intracranial hypertension, commonly present in fulminant hepatic failure, may lead to brainstem herniation and limit the survival of comatose patients awaiting liver transplantation before a donor organ becomes available. Also, they are likely responsible for postoperative neurological morbidity and mortality.