Swan N. Thung, Michael A. Gerber – 1 November 1991

Juan Armendariz‐Borunda, Jerome M. Seyer, Arnold E. Postlethwaite, Andrew H. Kang – 1 November 1991 – Conditioned media from cultured Kupffer and mononuclear macrophagic cells obtained 48 hr after CCl4 administration to rats contains chemotactic factors for human skin fibroblasts and human monocytes. The chemotactic mediator for fibroblasts was approximately 17 kD and was more prominent at early stages of culture. It induced a dose‐dependent chemotactic response in fibroblasts.

Henry H. Hsu, Teresa L. Wright, Daniel Luba, Mary Martin, Stephen M. Feinstone, Gabriel Garcia, Harry B. Greenberg – 1 November 1991 – Although hepatitis C infection has been clearly demonstrated to be transmitted through blood products or blood contamination, most cases of sporadic hepatitis C infection are unassociated with parenteral risk factors, and it is unclear how infection might be acquired by nonparenteral means. One potential mode of nonparenteral transmission is through body secretions.

Gary L.

Stephan Krahenbuhl, Eric P. Brass – 1 November 1991 – Energy metabolism is abnormal in patients and experimental animals with liver cirrhosis. To help better understand the abnormalities, fuel homeostasis and carnitine metabolism were studied in fed and 24‐hr‐starved rats with secondary biliary cirrhosis induced by bile duct ligation for 4 wk. Plasma ketone body concentrations were decreased by 67% in starved, bile duct–ligated rats compared with control rats.

Sumiko Nagoshi, Tomoaki Tomiya, Yuzuru Sato, Yuji Oka, Itsuro Ogata, Kenji Fujiwara – 1 November 1991 – When epidermal growth factor was given to rats after partial hepatectomy, hepatic putrescine content was significantly increased at 4, 6 and 10 hr compared with control rats. Ornithine decarboxylase activity was also increased.

Christopher B. O'brien, John R. Senior, Renu Arora‐Mirchandani, Ashok K. Batta, Gerald Salen – 1 November 1991 – We investigated the effects of once‐daily oral administration of 10 mg/kg ursodeoxycholic acid (generic name, ursodiol) on elevated serum enzyme activities, bilirubin, cholesterol, bile acids and symptoms in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis.

Andrew S. Klein, Scott Savader, James F. Burdick, Jeffrey Fair, Mack Mitchell, Paul Colombani, Bruce Perler, Floyd Osterman, G. Melville Williams – 1 November 1991 – Over a 4‐yr period that began October 1, 1986, 103 orthotopic liver transplants were performed on 91 patients at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Biliary reconstruction at the time of transplantation was performed in standard fashion by an appropriately trained member of the surgical team.

Mario Angelico, Claudia Gandin, Pietro Canuzzi, Serenella Bertasi, Alfredo Cantafora, Adriano de Santis, Serena Quattrucci, Mariano Antonelli – 1 November 1991 – Radiolucent gallstones are common in young adults with cystic fibrosis. In the mid‐1970s, it was suggested that gallstones are made of cholesterol, but this hypothesis has never been tested. Several recent studies have shown that the detection of cholesterol monohydrate crystals in bile has high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of cholesterol gallstones.

Anna S. F. Lok, Oliver C. K. Ma, Tak‐Mao Chan, Ching‐Lung Lai, Hau‐Tim Chung, Clara P. L. Ng, Jenny S. C. Lam – 1 November 1991 – Serum samples (1,428) from 1,149 patients with chronic liver diseases and polytransfused subjects were tested for antibody to hepatitis C virus by first‐generation enzyme immunoassays.