Cornelis P. de Vries, Tien‐Chun Chang – 1 November 1990

Harold O. Conn – 1 November 1990 – After consuming comparable amounts of ethanol, women have higher blood ethanol concentrations than men, even with allowance for differences in size, and are more susceptible to alcoholic liver disease. Recently, we documented significant “first pass metabolism” of ethanol due to its oxidation by gastric tissue. We report a study of the possible contribution of this metabolism to the sex‐related difference in blood alcohol concentrations in 20 men and 23 women. Six in each group were alcoholics.

Misael Uribe, Octavio Campollo, Christiane Cote – 1 November 1990 – Short‐chain (C2C5) fatty acids account for 60%–70% of the anions in the colon. Acetate (C2) is nontoxic in contrast to C(3)4C5 fatty acids (propionate, butyrate, isobutyrate, valerate, and isovalerate), which induce coma in animals and may be important in the pathogenesis of hepatic coma in humans. An in‐vitro fecal incubation system was used to map out short‐chain fatty acid production in the presence of lactulose, amino acids, albumin, or blood. Albumin and blood increased production of all C2C5 fatty acids.

R. A. Willson – 1 November 1990 – 1.Patients with a history of alcohol abuse were studied by 31P n.m.r. spectroscopy of the liver in vivo, and the results were related to the pattern of disease assessed by standard biochemical and histological techniques.2.The ratios of metabolites measured from the 31P n.m.r. spectra were abnormal in patients with alcoholic hepatitis but not in those with fatty change or cirrhosis in the absence of hepatitis. In particular, the levels of phosphomonoesters were raised, with respect either to Pv, or to adenosine 5′‐triphosphate.

William R. Brown – 1 November 1990

Jose Such, Carlos Guarner, German Soriano, Montserrat Teixidó, José Barrios, Francisco Tena, Carmen Méndez, Jaime Enríquez, José Luis Rodríguez, Francisco Vilardell – 1 November 1990 – Selective intestinal decontamination for 7 days with norfloxacin was performed in 14 cirrhotic patients with ascites and low ascitic fluid total protein. Variations in serum and ascitic fluid of C3 and C4 and ascitic fluid total protein after therapy were compared with those of a control group of 14 untreated patients with similar characteristics.

Bo‐Göran Ericzon, Sharif Eusufzai, Keiichi Kubota, Kurt Einarsson, Bo Angelin – 1 November 1990 – Biliary lipid metabolism was studied after 10 liver transplantations with continuous drainage of bile. Within 3 wk after transplantation, the new liver produced bile with concentrations of biliary lipids in agreement with those reported for T‐tube bile in cholecystectolized nontransplanted subjects.

Martin J. Smit, Anneke M. Duursma, Jan Koudstaal, Machiel J. Hardonk, Joop M. W. Bouma – 1 November 1990 – In previous experiments in rats, we have shown that the rapid plasma clearance of a number of clinically important enzymes is due to receptor‐mediated endocytosis by Kupffer cells and other resident macrophages. Others have shown that infection of mice with lactate dehydrogenase—elevating virus, a virus that proliferates in macrophages, leads to reduced plasma elimination of these enzymes. This paper integrates these two sets of experiments.

José V. Castell, Maria José Gómez‐lechón, Martina David, Ricardo Fabra, Ramón Trullenque, Peter C. Heinrich – 1 November 1990 – Human hepatocytes in primary culture were used as a model system to investigate the mechanism(s) involved in the induction of the acute‐phase response in human liver. Hepatocytes were incubated with increasing amounts of recombinant human interleukin1β;, recombinant interleukin‐6 and tumor necrosis factor‐α. Synthesis of C‐reactive protein was studied at the mRNA and protein levels.

M. Sawkat Anwer – 1 November 1990 – The mechanism(s) and driving force(s) for hepatocellular uptake of the unconjugated bile acid cholate were investigated in isolated basolateral (sinusoidal) rat liver plasma membrane (blLPM) vesicles and in protein free liposomes. In blLPM vesicles both an inwardly directed Na+ gradient and a transmembrane pH difference (8.0 in/6.0 out) stimulated cholate uptake 2‐3‐fold above equilibrium uptake values (overshoot).