Anastasios A. Mihas – 1 December 1990

Chia‐Ming Chu, Yun‐Fan Liaw – 1 December 1990 – The precore and core proteins of hepatitis B virus have identical deduced amino acid sequences other than a 29‐residue amino‐terminal extension (precore region) on the precore protein. The first 19 of these residues serve as a signal sequence to direct the precore protein to the endoplasmic reticulum, where they are cleaved off with formation of precore protein derivative P22 for secretion. In this report, we show that P22 can alternatively be transported into the nucleus following signal peptide cleavage.

Takeshi Seki, Kendo Kiyosawa, Hidetoshi Inoko, Masao Ota – 1 December 1990 – Human leukocyte antigen‐D region—related alleles (human leukocyte antigen DR and DQ) and human leukocyte antigen class I alleles were typed serologically in 31 Japanese patients with autoimmune hepatitis. These patients had increased serum levels of AST and IgG, high titers of autoantibodies, no history of blood transfusion and were negative for HBsAg and antibodies to HBc. Three hundred eighty‐six healthy subjects and 30 patients with cryptogenic chronic hepatitis served as control groups.

Shinya Nakajima, Tetsuo Kuroki, Machiko Shintani, Osamu Kurai, Tadashi Takeda, Shuhei Nishiguchi, Susumu Shiomi, Shuichi Seki, Kenzo Kobayashi – 1 December 1990 – We studied the binding of 125I‐labeled human interferon‐α to peripheral blood mononuclear cells and the activity of 2′,5′‐oligoadenylate synthetase in peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from 21 patients with chronic hepatitis B who were treated with human interferon‐α or interferon‐β. Fourteen patients were given interferon daily for 4 wk.

Robert Wondergem – 1 December 1990 – In hepatocytes from fasted rats, several amino acids are known to stimulate glycogen synthesis via activation of glycogen synthase. The hypothesis that an increase in cell volume resulting from amino acid uptake may be involved in the stimulation of glycogen synthesis is supported by the following observations.

Luc Bouwens, Andreas Marinelli, Peter J. K. Kuppen, Alex M. M. Eggermont, Cornelis J. H. van de Velde, Eddie Wisse – 1 December 1990 – Treatment schedules were investigated for in vivo induction of lymphokine‐activated killer cells in the rat liver. Treatment of rats with continuous systemic or regional infusion of recombinant human interleukin‐2 with a dose of 4 to 8 × 104 U/day during 7 days, resulted in an increase in number of large granular lymphocytes or pit cells in the liver up to 43 times normal.

Kiyoshi Takeda, Yoshihiro Akahane, Hiroshi Suzuki, Hiroaki Okamoto, Fumio Tsuda, Yuzo Miyakawa, Makoto Mayumi – 1 December 1990 – Hepatitis B virus DNA clones were propagated from sera of six patients with chronic hepatitis B who seroconverted from HBeAg to antibody to HBeAg either spontaneously or after administration of α‐interferon. Defects in the precore region blocking synthesis and secretion of HBeAg were detected in all 46 hepatitis B virus DNA clones from three patients who remained positive for antibody to HBeAg and in whom hepatitis resolved.

1 December 1990

Hector Orrego, Laurence M. Blendis, Yedy Israel – 1 December 1990

Fredric Regenstein – 1 December 1990