Mark J. Czaja, Francis R. Weiner, Shizuko Takahashi, Marie‐Adele Giambrone, Peter H. Der Van Meide, Huub Schellekens, Luis Biempica, Mark A. Zern – 1 November 1989 – Since interferons have been shown to affect the synthesis of matrix proteins such as collagen in several in vitro systems, the potential role of γ‐interferon in inhibiting hepatic fibrosis was investigated. Hepatic cells, consisting primarily of hepatocytes, were treated with recombinant γ‐interferon for 24 hr.

Francisco Guarner, John L. Wallace, Wallace K. Macnaughton, Geoffrey C. Ibbotson, Vicente Arroyo, Joan Rodés – 1 November 1989 – Systemic endotoxemia has been observed in patients with acute and chronic liver failure, and bacterial endotoxin is known to increase vascular permeability. We investigated in the normal rat the effects of intraportal endotoxin administration and the possible mediation of these effects by platelet‐activating factor.

Zhuhui Cai, Zhiqing Shi, Morris Sherman, Anthony M. Sun – 1 November 1989 – To determine the in vitro function of microencapsulated hepatocytes, viable hepatocytes were isolated from rats and encapsulated within biocompatible alginatepolylysine membranes for in vitro studies. Urea formation, prothrombin and cholinesterase activity, the incorporation of tritiated leucine into intracellular proteins and the immunolocation of synthesized albumin were monitored in culture.

Mary J. Ruwart, Karen F. Wilkinson, Bob D. Rush, Thomas J. Vidmar, Kenneth M. Peters, Keith S. Henley, Henry D. Appelman, Kiyoung Y. Kim, Detlef Schuppan, Eckert G. Hahn – 1 November 1989 – To determine whether a serum parameter of collagen metabolism, serum procollagen type III peptide, correlated with hepatic collagen in a model of diet‐induced fibrosis, rats were fed a control or cirrhogenic diet for 6 months and treated with either subcutaneous vehicle or the hepatoprotective prostaglandin 16,16‐dimethyl prostaglandin E2 (100 μg per kg) twice daily.

1 November 1989

James P. Nolan – 1 November 1989

Mogens Vyberg – 1 November 1989 – Liver needle biopsies from patients with non‐A, non‐B chronic active hepatitis and so‐called abnormal bile duct epithelium were studied with a three‐dimensional method. Photographs of bile duct structures in serial sections were transferred to acrylic plates. Five bile duct lesions of a not previously described diverticular type were revealed. The diverticuli were of varying shape with a diameter of 30 to 110 μ and a length of 75 to 150μm budding from small (12 to 25μm), slightly ectatic bile ducts. The diverticular epithelium was disordered.

M. Gary Brook, Peter Karayiannis, Howard C. Thomas – 1 November 1989 – Twenty‐one pretreatment variables were assessed for their significance in response prediction using data from 114 patients given α‐interferon for chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

Kiyoshi Yamazaki, Nicholas F. Larusso – 1 November 1989

Tadashi Terada, Yasuni Nakanuma – 1 November 1989 – Recently, macroregenerative nodules in cirrhotic livers have been suspected to be among the putative precancerous lesions in human hepatocarcinogenesis. We examined the morphologies of 99 macroregenerative nodules in 44 cirrhotic livers with special emphasis on stainable iron. In 26 macroregenerative nodules (26%), stainable iron selectively accumulated within the macroregenerative nodules themselves, and little or no iron was found in the surrounding regenerative nodules.