Ming‐Yang Lai, Pei‐Jer Chen, Pei‐Ming Yang, Jin‐Chuan Sheu, Juei‐Low Sung, Ding‐Shinn Chen – 1 September 1990 – To clarify the role of hepatitis B virus infection in HBsAg‐seronegative patients with chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma in Taiwan, we examined the hepatitis B virus DNA in liver biopsy tissues of 112 patients by Southern blot analysis. The patients studied included 43 patients with nonalcoholic chronic liver disease, 21 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and 48 control patients with other hepatobiiary and gastrointestinal diseases.

Anna S. F. Lok, Oliver C. K. Ma – 1 September 1990 – We studied the frequency of hepatitis B virus replication in Chinese patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatitis B e antigen and hepatitis B virus DNA could be detected in the sera of 28% and 47% of 116 HBsAg‐positive patients, but not in the sera of 15 HBsAg‐negative patients. Replicative forms of hepatitis B virus DNA were detected in the neoplastic and nonneoplastic liver tissues from 34% and 62% of 29 HBsAg‐positive patients and 0% and 20% of five HBsAg‐negative patients by Southern blot hybridization analysis.

Teresa L. Wright, John R. Lake – 1 September 1990 – Although most iron in plasma is bound to transferrin, recent evidence suggests that the nontransferrin‐bound fraction contributes to hepatic iron loading and toxicity seen in iron‐overload disorders. Our studies of isolated perfused rat liver previously demonstrated saturable uptake of nontransferrin‐bound iron that continues despite hepatic iron overload.

Samuel S. Lee, Jean Marty, Jean Mantz, Emmanuel Samain, Alain Braillon, Didier Lebrec – 1 September 1990 – Cardiac responses to catecholamines are known to be attenuated in chronic liver disease. To elucidate the role of β‐adrenergic receptor alteration in this phenomenon, we measured heart rate responsiveness to isoprenaline and myocardial β‐adrenergic receptor–binding characteristics in three groups of rats: those that were sham operated, those that had portal vein stenosis and those that were cirrhotic because of bile duct ligation.

Christine Silvain, Eric Fort, Pierre Ingrand, Michel Beauchant, Jorge E. Valenzuela, Timothy Schubert, James Posillico, Loren Laine – 1 September 1990

Hidekazu Tsukamoto, Karl Gaal, Samuel W. French – 1 September 1990

David H. Van Thiel, Rudolf E. Stauber, Judith S. Gavaler, Elaine Rosenblum – 1 September 1990 – Animals with end‐to‐side portacaval shunts and sham‐operated animals, wherein the body weight and liver weight of the animals varied spontaneously over a considerable range, were studied. The relationships between hepatic androgen‐ and estrogen‐receptor content, serum testosterone and estradiol levels and hepatic mass were characterized. Animals with portacaval shunts were smaller than those without shunts. Moreover, they had reduced serum levels of testosterone and estradiol.

Scott L. Friedman – 1 September 1990

David A. Gremse, Hassan H. A‐Kader, Timothy J. Schroeder, William F. Balistreri – 1 September 1990 – Lidocaine, an aminoethylamide, undergoes deethylation in the liver after intravenous injection, resulting in the formation of monoethylglycinexylidide. Serum monoethylglycinexylidide concentration can be measured by a simple, rapid fluorescent polarization immunoassay. We sought to determine whether lidocaine metabolism, as indicated by monoethylglycinexylidide formation, could be used as a quantitative index of hepatic function.

Telfer B. Reynolds – 1 September 1990 – Study Objective: To determine the efficacy of a corticosteroid in reducing the short‐term mortality of patients with 8evere alcoholic hepatitis.