Interferon and chronic non‐A, non‐B hepatitis: Whom are we treating?

Harold O. Conn, Ronald L. Koretz – 1 September 1990 – Chronic hepatitis C (non‐A, non‐B hepatitis) is a common and often progressive viral liver disease. To assess the efficacy of therapy with the antiviral agent interferon alfa, we randomly assigned 166 patients with chronic hepatitis C to treatment with either 3 million or 1 million units of recombinant interferon alfa three times weekly for 24 weeks, or to no treatment.

Acetaldehyde selectively stimulates collagen production in cultured rat liver fat‐storing cells but not in hepatocytes

Han Moshage, Alessandro Casini, Charles S. Lieber – 1 September 1990 – Hepatocytes and fat‐storing cells have been implicated in the production of collagen, under both normal and pathological conditions. In this study, short‐term primary cultures of rat hepatocytes, maintained in a serum‐free, hormonally defined medium without dexamethasone and cultured on a fibronectin‐collagen type IV substratum, were used. Primary and passage 1 and 2 cultures of fat‐storing cells maintained on tissue culture plastic were also studied.

Ursodeoxycholate reduces hepatotoxicity of bile salts in primary human hepatocytes

Peter R. Galle, Lorenz Theilmann, Richard Raedsch, Gerd Otto, Adolf Stiehl – 1 September 1990 – Primary human hepatocytes were used to study bile salt hepatotoxicity and the hepatoprotective potential of ursodeoxycholate in vitro. Hepatocytes were obtained by collagenase perfusion of healthy human liver tissue and were treated with glycochenodeoxycholate for 24 hr 1 day after plating. Clear signs of cytotoxicity were observed at concentrations of about 100 μmol/L glycochenodeoxycholate.

Effects of propranolol on gastric microcirculation and acid secretion in portal hypertensive rats

Josep M. Piqué, Pilar Pizcueta, ROSA M. Pérez Ayuso, Jaime Bosch – 1 September 1990 – Rats with chronic portal hypertension have an increased gastric mucosal blood flow and an impaired acid secretory response to pentagastrin stimulation. This study investigated the effects of propranolol, a drug widely used in the treatment of portal hypertension, on gastric mucosal blood flow and acid secretion in portal hypertensive rats with partial portal vein occlusion.

Clinical course of spontaneous reactivation of hepatitis B virus infection in patients with chronic hepatitis B

Philippe Levy, Patrick Marcellin, Michèle Martinot‐Peignoux, Claude Degott, Joëlle Nataf, Jean‐Pierre Benhamou – 1 September 1990 – The purposes of this study were (a) to describe the clinical and biochemical manifestations associated with spontaneous reactivation of hepatitis B virus as defined by the reappearance of hepatitis B virus DNA in serum using dot‐blot hybridization and (b) to determine whether the clinical and biochemical manifestations associated with hepatitis B virus reactivation were different in patients with and without human immunodeficiency virus‐1 infection.

Both macrophages and endothelial cells of the human hepatic sinusoid express the CD4 molecule, a receptor for the human immunodeficiency virus

Jean‐Yves Scoazec, Gérard Feldmann – 1 September 1990 – Hepatic sinusoidal lesions, including peliosis hepatis and sinusoidal dilatation, are frequently observed during human immunodeficiency virus infection. It has been proposed that human immunodeficiency virus itself plays a role in their pathogenesis. To test this hypothesis, we attempted to determine whether liver sinusoidal cells express the CD4 molecule, which behaves as a membrane receptor mediating the binding of human immunodeficiency virus to its target cells.

Natriuretic hormone activity in the urine of cirrhotic patients

Giorgio La Villa, Mónica Asbert, Wladimiro Jiménez, Pere Ginés, Joan Claria, Clara Lopez, Ramon Planas, Josep Llach, Joan Gaya, Francisca Rivera, Paolo Gentilini, Vicente Arroyo, Joan Rodés – 1 September 1990 – The ability of urine extracts to inhibit sodium and potassium–activated ATPase, cross‐react with antidigoxin antibodies and induce natriuresis in rats was investigated in 10 healthy subjects, 10 cirrhotic patients without ascites (compensated cirrhotics), 27 nonazotemic cirrhotic patients with ascites and 10 cirrhotic patients with ascites and functional renal failure to assess wheth

Histological features and clinical course of large regenerative nodules: Evaluation of their precancerous potentiality

Fukuo Kondo, Masaaki Ebara, Nobuyuki Sugiura, Katsunori Wada, Kazuhiko Kita, Noboru Hirooka, Yoshinobu Nagato, Yoichiro Kondo, Masao Ohto, Kunio Okuda – 1 September 1990 – Seventeen patients with cirrhosis and histologically defined, ultrasonically detected, large regenerative nodules of the liver were followed without treatment for more than 1 yr (range = 13 to 51 mo). During the follow‐up period, none of the nodules were demonstrated sonographically to have enlarged.

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