Francis R. Weiner, Marie‐Adele Giambrone, Mark J. Czaja, Anish Shah, Giorgio Annoni, Shizuko Takahashi, Mahboubeh Eghbali, Mark A. Zern – 1 January 1990 – Ito cells are perisinusoidal cells thought to be a major source of collagen in normal and fibrotic livers. These cells appear to have features similar to several cell types but when cultured assume a fibroblast‐like morphology. In this study we evaluated the phenotype of both freshly isolated and cultured Ito cells by examining their gene expression.

Samuel A. Ockner, Elizabeth M. Brunt, Steven M. Cohn, Elaine S. Krul, Douglas W. Hanto, Marion G. Peters – 1 January 1990 – A previously healthy 35‐year‐old woman was seen at 37 weeks' gestation with a 10‐day history of fever, vomiting, diarrhea and malaise. Serum laboratory findings included elevation of serum bilirubin and AST, prolongation of serum prothrombin time and a positive monospot. A tentative diagnosis of acute fatty liver of pregnancy was made, and a healthy male infant was delivered by emergency cesarean section because of fetal distress.

Tsung‐Sheng Su, Ting‐Fen Tsai, Chin‐Wen Chi, Shou‐Hwa Han, Chen‐Kung Chou – 1 January 1990 – Complementary DNA of a rat brain glucose transporter gene was used to examine the expression of glucose‐transporter messenger RNA in paired human hepatocellular carcinomas and adjacent nontumorous liver tissues, as well as in human hepatoma cell lines and human fetal liver samples. High expression of a major 2.8‐kilobase glucose‐transporter transcript was seen in all hepatoma cell lines and fetal liver samples examined, whereas a much lower level of expression was observed in liver tissues.

Paul Calabresi, Gregory Curt – 1 January 1990 – Fourteen patients received 5‐iodo‐2 ‐deoxyuridine (IdUrd) before surgery for placement of a hepatic arterial catheter. Biopsy specimens were obtained at the time of surgery and the incorporation of IdUrd into DNA in tumor and normal hepatic tissue was measured by high‐performance liquid chromatography and used as an index of drug selectivity. Over a 3‐day intravenous infusion of IdUrd at 1,000 mg/m2/day, substitution for thymidine in tumor DNA averaged 3.1%. Normal hepatic DNA contained <1% substitution by IdUrd.

Ranjit Banerjee, Saul Karpen, Miriam Siekevitz, Gabriella Lengyel, Joachim Bauer, George Acs – 1 December 1989 – Tumor necrosis factor‐α is an inducer of acute‐phase protein synthesis in liver cells. The mechanism by which tumor necrosis factor‐α alters gene expression in these cells is largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that tumor necrosis factor‐α stimulates human immunodeficiency virus‐1 long terminal repeat‐promoted gene expression in the human hepatoblastoma HepG2 cell line and increased binding of trans‐activating factors to kappa B (kB) DNA sequences.

John M. Amatruda, Arthur I. Salhanick – 1 December 1989 – Hepatic steatosis and steatonecrosis occur in non‐alcoholic individuals, usually in a setting of obesity, type II diabetes mellitus, and after jejunoileal bypass. We propose an hypothesis for the pathogenesis of these hepaic lesions based on an observation in peritoneal dialysis patients.

Franklin M. Klion – 1 December 1989

Gilles Pomier‐Layrargues, J.‐François Giguère, Joël Lavoie, Bernard Willems, Roger F. Butterworth – 1 December 1989 – Ro 15–1788, a benzodiazepine antagonist, has been advocated as a new treatment for hepatic encephalopathy. This drug is extensively metabolized by the liver in normal subjects. In the present study, we examined Ro 15–1788 disposition in eight healthy controls (Group I), eight cirrhotic patients with moderately impaired liver function (Pugh score >10, Group II) and eight patients with severe liver dysfunction (Pugh score > 10, Group III).

Elizabeth Knobler, Maureen B. Poh‐Fitzpatrick, Donna Kravetz, William R. Vincent, Ursula Muller‐Eberhard, Styliani H. Vicent – 1 December 1989 – Equilibrium constants for the binding of protoporphyrin to serum albumin and hemopexin and liver cytosolic fatty acid‐binding protein of the rat were determined fluorometrically. The experimental equilibrium constant [106M−1 (mean ± S. D.)] values were 8.4 ± 1.3, 10.0 ± 2.4 and 34.0 ± 3.0 for albumin, hemopexin and liver fatty acid‐binding protein, respectively.

David J. Stewart – 1 December 1989 – To investigate volume‐regulating processes in the hepatocyte, a rapid and precise method of measuring cell volume in isolated hepatocytes was devised which uses a Coulter Counter equipped with a Channelyzer. Isolated hepatocytes exhibit a volume‐decreasing mechanism (potassium channel) which is triggered by cell volume increases as small as 10%. Cell volume increases in the hepatocyte may be mediated by activity of the Na:H exchanger.