Lars Berglund, Bo Angelin, Rolf Blomstrand, George Drummond, Attallah Kappas – 1 May 1988 – Sn‐protoporphyrin, a potent competitive inhibitor of heme oxygenase, the rate‐limiting enzyme in the degradation of heme to bile pigment, was administered to 10 normal volunteers: 8 males and 2 females. A significant decrease in the levels of serum (mean decrease; 38%) and biliary bilirubin (mean decrease: 47%) was demonstrated in all 10 subjects. The decrease in these parameters lasted for a minimum of 4 days after administration of the metalloporphyrin.

Christian Gluud, Jens H. Henriksen, The Copenhagen Study Group for Liver Diseases – 1 March 1988 – The relationships between portal pressure, liver function and clinical variables on one hand and development of variceal hemorrhage and death on the other were investigated in 58 men with newly diagnosed alcoholic cirrhosis. Portal pressure was determined during hepatic vein catheterization as wedged minus free hepatic vein pressure, and median pressure was 14 mm Hg (range = 3 to 26 mm Hg).

Douglas M. Heuman, Carmen R. Hernandez, Philip B. Hylemon, William M. Kubaska, Constance Hartman, Z. Reno Vlahcevic – 1 March 1988 – Bile acid synthesis is thought to be regulated by a negative feedback mechanism which is presumably dependent upon the flux of bile acids in the enterohepatic circulation.

Arieh Bomzon, Samuel S. Lee, Dieter Häussinger, Wolfgang Gerok – 1 March 1988

1 March 1988

1 March 1988

Jose Chianale, Leyna Mulholland, Peter G. Traber, Jorge J. Gumucio – 1 March 1988 – Phenobarbital induces liver cytochrome P‐450 b,e proteins mainly by increasing the rate of transcription of these genes. The mechanism responsible for the phenobarbital increment in the rate of transcription of cytochrome P‐450 b,e genes is unknown. The objective of this study was to assess whether active protein synthesis was needed for phenobarbital to induce the liver cytochrome P‐450 b,e genes.

Stephen P. James – 1 March 1988 – Considerable numbers of large granular lymphocytes (LGL) were isolated from rat liver by a simple method consisting of sinusoidal lavage at elevated (50 cm water column) perfusion pressure. This method gave a yield comparable with the enzymatic dissociation method commonly used for the isolation of nonparenchymal liver cells, but was shorter in time and had the advantage of avoiding the potentially harmful effects of the dissociating enzymes.

1 March 1988 – Men with liver disease are hypogonadal and feminised. European workers consider the liver disease itself to be the major factor but American workers blame alcohol consumption. We studied sexual dysfunction and sex hormones in three matched groups of men; controls (n = 22), those with alcoholic liver disease (n = 21), and those with non‐alcoholic liver disease (n = 21). Men with alcoholic liver disease had more sexual dysfunction.

Marc I. Lorber – 1 March 1988 – Seven patients with hepatitis delta virus (HDV) cirrhosis underwent liver transplantation. In every case the HDV infection was florid but accompanied by an inactive hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The patients were given anti‐HB surface antigen (HBsAg) serum globulins and HBV vaccine. Two patients cleared the HBsAg and the HDV, and are alive and well 14 and 15 months, respectively, after transplantation.