Rosendo Jardi, Maria Buti, Francisco Rodriguez‐Frias, Ana Garcia‐Lafuente, Maria H. Sjogren, Rafael Esteban, Jaime Guardia – 1 July 1991 – Separation of 7–8 S and 19 S forms of serum IgM antibodies to the hepatitis delta virus by rate‐zonal centrifugation was carried out on serum from 24 patients with hepatitis delta virus infection: 4 patients with acute, self‐limited hepatitis; 5 patients with hepatitis delta virus superinfection progressing to chronicity; and 15 patients with chronic hepatitis delta virus.

Raymond S. Koff – 1 July 1991

Sanjeev Gupta, Emma Aragona, Ravikumar P. Vemuru, Kuldeep K. Bhargava, Robert D. Burk, Jayanta Roy Chowdhury – 1 July 1991 – To examine the distribution of intrasplenically transplanted hepatocytes, we used HBsAg‐producing G7 HBV transgenic hepatocytes or cells labeled with 111In. Most hepatocytes translocated to the liver (55% ± 7%; mean ± S.D.); the spleen retained a smaller fraction (15% ± 3%); and some transplanted cells localized in lungs (3%) or pancreas (1%). Transplanted hepatocytes were rapidly assimilated into the liver lobule.

Gilles Pelletier, Gilles Lesur, Olivier Ink, Hervé Hagege, Pierre Attali, Catherine Buffet, Jean‐Pierre Etienne – 1 July 1991 – Asymptomatic bacterascites is defined as the presence of bacteria in ascitic fluid without clinical features of peritonitis or increased ascitic fluid polymorphonuclear cells. Asymptomatic bacterascites is a controversial entity, and little information is available regarding its spontaneous evolution.

Harold O. Conn – 1 July 1991 – Nine thousand two hundred twelve liver biopsies were performed according to a defined protocol, and data were prospectively recorded to identify risk factors for major bleeding. There were 10 fatal and 22 nonfatal hemorrhages (0.11% and 0.24%, respectively). By comparison with a control group that did not hemorrhage, malignancy, age, sex, and the number of passes were the only predictable risk factors. The risk of fatal hemorrhage in patients with malignancy is estimated to be 0.4%; for nonfatal hemorrhage, 0.57%.

Rebecca W. van Dyke – 1 July 1991 – We have used retrovirus‐mediated gene transfer to demonstrate complementation of the cystic fibrosis (CF) defect in vitro. Amphotropic retroviruses were used to transduce a functional cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) cDNA into CFPAC‐1, a pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell line derived from a patient with CF that stably expresses the chloride transport abnormalities characteristic of CF.

Emilio Barberá‐Guillem, Marian Rocha, Antonia Alvarez, Fernando Vidal‐Vanaclocha – 1 July 1991 – We have studied the distribution patterns of carbohydrate terminals on the endothelial surface of the mouse liver microvasculature. For this purpose, a wide battery of FITC lectins specific to glucose, mannose, galactose, fucose, N‐acetyl‐neuraminic acid, N‐acetylgalactosamine and N‐acetyl‐glucosamine residues were incubated on liver cryostat sections or intraportally perfused under physiological conditions.

Bertram I. Cohen, Nariman Ayyad, Erwin H. Mosbach, Charles K. McSherry, Naoyuki Matoba, Alan F. Hofmann, Huong‐Thu Ton‐Nu, Ying Peng, Claudio D. Schteingart, Richard J. Stenger – 1 July 1991 – The effect of two hydrophilic bile acids, murideoxycholic acid (3α,6β‐dihydroxy‐5β‐cholanoic acid) and ursodeoxycholic acid, on cholesterol and bile acid metabolism and hepatic pathology and gallstone composition was studied in the prairie dog. Cholesterol gallstones were induced by feeding a diet containing 1.2% cholesterol for 75 days.

Miguel Yebra, Felix Lacoma, María Paz Queipo de Llano, María E. Moreno – 1 June 1991

Takuro Hayata, Yoshiyuki Nakano, Kaname Yoshizawa, Takeshi Sodeyama, Kendo Kiyosawa – 1 June 1991 – We investigated the effects of interferon therapy on hepatocyte human leukocyte antigen class I and class II antigen expression and intrahepatic lymphocyte subsets in patients with chronic viral hepatitis B (n = 11) and C (n = 10). Interferon‐α was administered intramuscularly in doses ranging from 3 to 18 million international units daily for 4 wk.