Toshiji Saibara, Saburo Onishi, Hiroshi Sakaeda, Yasutake Yamamoto – 1 March 1989 – Lymphokine‐activated killer activity and natural killer activity in hepatocellular carcinoma patients were assessed. Maximum lymphokine‐activated killer activity was induced at 3 to 5 days of incubation, and lymphokine‐activated killer activity tended to increase in a manner dose dependent of recombinant interleukin‐2. However, the maximum increase of lymphokine‐activated killer activity in hepatocellular carcinoma was not as high as that of normal subjects or liver cirrhosis patients.

Philip J. Snodgrass – 1 March 1989 – We produced moderately severe, inactive micronodular cirrhosis in rats using CCl4 and measured the urea cycle enzyme activities in liver after feeding a 15% casein diet for 1 week and again after a 60% casein diet for 1 week. There was no deficiency of any of the five urea cycle enzymes in cirrhotic livers of rats pair‐fed the 15% casein diet. Argininosuccinate synthetase and carbamyl phosphate synthetase activities were lower than in non‐pair‐fed controls by some baselines.

Peter F. Whitington, Beat H. Kehrer, Susan H. Whitington, Benjamin Shneider, Dennis D. Black – 1 March 1989 – A major factor in poor bioavailability of cyclosporine in children undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation appears to be poor absorption of the drug. Our hypothesis is that the Roux‐en‐Y choledochojejunostomy used for biliary drainage in these children causes cyclosporine malabsorption by reducing the length of bowel available for absorption and by distally displacing the entry of bile into the intestine.

J. Marc Shabot – 1 March 1989 – Chlamydia trachomatis as an etiological agent in the Fitz‐Hugh‐Curtis syndrome has recently been reported; however, the condition has not been typically associated with ascites. We report a case of Chlamydia trachomatis perihepatitis in a young woman who had exudative ascites as a predominant clinical feature of her disease. Laparoscopy revealed characteristic “violin string” adhesions which were also identified on abdominal computerized scan.

James P. Knochel – 1 March 1989 – This is the first record of hypophosphataemia in acute liver failure induced by paracetamol; it occurred in most of the patients and was severe (<0.3 mmol/l) in more than one third. At this level hypophosphataemia produces impaired oxygen transport and tissue hypoxia, abnormal leucocyte function, depressed platelet numbers and function, generalised muscle weakness, and disorder of the central nervous system; these are frequent complications of acute liver failure.

John Colman – 1 March 1989

Wan Chen, Jean‐Louis Gendrault, Anne‐Marie Steffan, Eric Jeandidier, André Kirn – 1 March 1989 – Fat‐storing cells were isolated from 15‐day‐old mouse sinusoidal cell cultures (Kupffer or endothelial cells), where they had multiplied abundantly; they were then purified by a negative selection method based on the fact that they do not possess Fc receptors, as do both other types of cells.

Fujio Katsumoto, Kohji Miyazaki, Fumio Nakayama – 1 March 1989 – The role of Kupffer cells during reparative regeneration of rat liver was investigated with an in vitro experimental model. Conditioned media from primary cultures of Kupffer cells isolated from intact and regenerating liver were added to primary cultures of hepatocytes, and [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA was studied. Kupffer cell‐conditioned media from intact liver and regenerating remnant liver significantly stimulated DNA synthesis in hepatocytes as compared with control media (p<0.05).

Paul Calès, Max Pierre‐Nicolas, Antonio Guell, Jean‐Louis Mauroux, Anne Franco‐Sempe, Jean‐Pierre Vinel, Gilles Geraud, Jean‐Pierre Pascal – 1 March 1989 – Since it has been suggested that propranolol could lead to hepatic encephalopathy, we undertook a study to assess the effects of propranolol on cerebral blood flow and cerebral functions. Sixteen patients with alcoholic cirrhosis and large esophageal varices and without major hepatic dysfunction (Child‐Pugh score <14) or previous hepatic encephalopathy were randomized to receive either propranolol or placebo.

Chia‐Ming Chu, Yun‐Fan Liaw, Chia C. Pao, Miau‐Ju Huang – 1 March 1989 – To study the etiology of acute hepatitis superimposed upon previously unrecognized asymptomatic HBsAg carriers, paired sera were collected in acute and convalescence phases for measurement of HBeAg, anti‐HBe, hepatitis B virus DNA and anti‐delta from 76 adult patients with acute hepatitis who were HBsAg positive but IgM anti‐HBc negative or positive only at low titer. None of them were IgM anti‐hepatitis A virus positive on admission.