Basil Rigas – 1 July 1989 – Amiodarone is believed to have caused acute hepatitis 24 hours after intravenous administration in two patients in whom no other alternative cause of hepatitis was found.

Charles L. Witte, Marlys H. Witte – 1 July 1989 – Plasma immunoreactive alpha‐human atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) was measured in six cirrhotic patients with massive refractory ascites, under strict metabolic conditions, while they were receiving a 20‐meq sodium diet, both before and at two‐hour intervals for eight hours following peritoneovenous shunting (PVS). The mean preoperative level of ANP was 75±18pg/ml, which was found to be significantly higher than the normal range for this laboratory *8 to 24pg/ml) (p<0.05).

Justine Meehan Carr – 1 July 1989 – Hemorrhagic sequelae of liver disease were recognized and described over a century ago (1). Bleeding has been a common complication and a leading cause of death in patients with cirrhosis (2, 3). The coincidence of low clotting factor levels, hypofibrinogenemia and thrombo‐cytopenia has prompted many investigators to ask whether disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) plays a role in the pathogenesis of hemorrhage in these patients (4–16).

Caroline A. Riely – 1 July 1989

Wilfried Bursch, Hendryk S. Taper, Marie P. Somer, Stefan Meyer, Barbara Putz, Rolf Schulte‐Hermann – 1 June 1989 – In the present study, it was investigated whether the prostacyclin derivative Iloprost would protect hepatocytes against CCl4‐induced liver injury and which mechanism(s) of hepatocellular pathogenesis might be affected by it. Rats were treated with a single oral dose of CC14 (2 ml per kg); Iloprost was infused continuously from 2 to 4 hr before intoxication until killing. The following results were obtained.

Olivier Chazouillères, François Ballet, Yves Chrétien, Philippe Marteau, Colette Rey, Dominique Maillard, Raoul Poupon – 1 June 1989 – The effects of two vasodilators, papaverine and pentoxifylline (a methylxanthine derivative), on liver function after 19 hr hypothermic preservation were investigated. Hypothermic preservation was performed according to the standard technique, and liver hemodynamics and function were studied during 70 min immediately after reperfusion in an isolated perfused rat liver system. No significant changes occurred after hypothermic storage for 5 hr.

Richard A. Galbraith, Attallah Kappas – 1 June 1989 – Tin‐mesoporphyrin shares many of the properties of its parent compound, tin‐protoporphyrin. These include competitive inhibition of heme oxygenase, amelioration of jaundice and suppression of chemically induced hepatic porphyria. Tin‐mesoporphyrin is cleared from the plasma of normal subjects with dose‐dependent pharmacokinetics (T1/2 = 3.8 hr following i.v. administration of 1 μmole per kg body weight), and small amounts (<1% of administered dose) are excreted into the urine and feces.

Atilla Ertan – 1 June 1989

William G. M. Hardison, Philip J. Lowe, Miya Shanahan – 1 June 1989 – The permeability pathway into the biliary tree for small inert molecules exhibits a charge selectivity. Using a method which distinguishes trans‐ from paracellular access, we have examined the charge selectivity of biliary access pathways for the 40‐kD protein horseradish peroxidase (pI 7.5), which was derivatized to strongly anionic (pI < 3.5) and strongly cationic (pI > 9.5) isoenzymes.

Torben Jørgensen – 1 June 1989 – To date, it has never been established which symptoms are specifically caused by stones in the gallbladder. To examine this issue, the relationship between occurrence of gallstone disease diagnosed by ultrasonography and complaints about abdominal pain and discomfort was assessed in a random sample comprising 4,581 males and females, of whom 3,608 (79%) took part in the investigation.