Massimo Levrero, Marietta Stemler, Claudio Pasquinelli, Alfredo Alberti, Olivier Jean‐Jean, Alessandra Franco, Clara Balsano, Dialo Diop, Christian Brechot, Margherita Melegari, Erica Villa, Vincenzo Barnaba, Michel Perricaudet, Hans Will – 1 January 1991 – Serological responses to hepatitis B virus–X determinants have been noted in human sera, but conflicting findings concerning the correlation of anti‐HBx antibodies with different stages of hepatitis B virus infection or pathological sequelae have been reported.

Srikant Dash, Kanury V. S. Rao, Beenu Joshi, Nabeen C. Nayak, Subrat K. Panda – 1 January 1991 – Lack of information regarding the presence of native albumin polymer in serum and its structural similarity to the one produced by glutaraldehyde treatment casts doubt on the postulate that hepatitis B virus attachment to hepatocytes is mediated through polymerized albumin.

Namita Roy Chowdhury, Mohamed A. Saber, Pulak Lahiri, Peter I. Mackenzie, Phyllis M. Novikoff, Frederick F. Becker, Jayanta Roy Chowdhury – 1 January 1991 – The expression of specific UDP‐glucuronosyltransferase isoforms in 2‐acetylaminofluorane—induced rat liver preneoplastic nodules was studied; livers from pair‐fed littermates were used as controls. For comparison, liver and kidney from 3‐methylcholanthrene—treated or untreated (control) rats were used.

Toshihiro Mitaka, Carol A. Sattler, Gerald L. Sattler, Linda M. Sargent, Henry C. Pitot – 1 January 1991 – Multiple rounds of cell division were induced in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes in serum‐free medium containing 10 mmol/L nicotinamide and 10 ng epidermal growth factor/ml. Cells per culture almost doubled between day 1 and day 5. The proliferating cells were predominantly mononucleate. The time course of DNA synthesis in cultured hepatocytes showed that peaks of the incorporation of 3Hthymidine were observed at 60 hr and 82 hr after plating.

Takayuki Nagasaki, Michael A. Lieberman – 1 January 1991 – The presence of heparin‐binding growth factors in liver was investigated by measuring the DNA synthesis stimulatory activity of liver extracts using quiescent fibroblasts as target cells. It was found that cytosolic fractions of mouse, rat and human liver, as well as isolated rat hepatocytes, contain a large amount of growth stimulatory activity.

Peter A. Ward – 1 December 1990

Toni Andreani, Reneé E. Poupon, Beverley J. Balkau, Jean‐Claude Trinchet, Jean‐Didier Grange, Nicolas Peigney, Michel Beaugrand, Raoul Poupon – 1 December 1990 – Propranolol and endoscopic sclerosis of esophageal varices are the two approaches currently used in prophylaxis of the first gastrointestinal hemorrhage in the cirrhotic patient. One hundred twenty‐six cirrhotic patients with esophageal varices and no histories of bleeding were included in the trial regardless of the gravity of the cirrhosis or the size of the esophageal varices.

De Feng Wu, Liviu Clejan, Barry Potter, Arthur I. Cederbaum – 1 December 1990 – Studies were conducted to evaluate the possible induction or the maintenance of cytochrome P‐450IIE1 in primary hepatocyte cultures by the inducing agent 4‐methylpyrazole. Hepatocytes were isolated from control (noninduced) rats and from rats treated in vivo with either pyrazole or 4‐methylpyrazole to induce P‐450IIE1. The content of P‐450IIE1 was determined by Western blots with antipyrazole P‐450 IgG, and catalytic activity was assessed by assays of dimethyl‐nitrosamine demethylase activity.

Philippe Mavier, Jean Rosenbaum, Anne‐Marie Preaux, Ariane Mallat, Daniel Dhumeaux – 1 December 1990 – We have recently demonstrated that polymorphonuclear neutrophils were toxic to hepatocytes through a protease‐mediated mechanism. Since synthesis of antiproteases is markedly increased during acute inflammatory reaction, the aim of this work was to investigate the toxicity of neutrophils against normal vs. inflammatory rat hepatocytes. Acute inflammatory reaction was induced by subcutaneous injection of turpentine 24 hr before the experiments.

Ruben Kier – 1 December 1990 – The diagnostic efficacy of magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomography (CT) for detection and quantification of hepatic iron was assessed in a series of patients under investigation for clinical or biochemical evidence of hepatic iron overload. Thirty patients underwent MR imaging (SE 30,60/1000 or SE 30,60/2000) at 0.5 Tesla with calculation of hepatic T2 and liver to paraspinous muscles signal intensity ratios. Twenty‐nine patients also had measurement of hepatic attenuation on noncontrast CT images.