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).

Luc Bouwens, Eddie Wisse – 1 January 1988 – The numbers of Kupffer cells (macrophages) and pit cells (large granular lymphocytes) were counted by light and electron microscopy in perfusion‐fixed liver sinusoids. After a single intravenous injection of the biological response modifiers zymosan, Propionibacterium acnes and OK‐432, a 4‐ to 6‐fold increase in the number of pit cells and a 2‐ to 4‐fold increase in the number of Kupffer cells were observed within a period of 4 to 7 days.

D. R. Triger – 1 January 1988 – Immunoglobulin deposition in alcoholic and non‐alcoholic liver disease was studied using an indirect immunoperoxidase technique. A continuous pattern of IgA deposition, with IgA outlining the sinusoids, was shown to be a specific and sensitive marker for liver disease caused by alcohol in both cirrhotic and non‐cirrhotic livers. The sensitivity was lowest in cases of alcoholic disease showing fatty change alone.

Anders Nyberg, Anna Engström‐Làurent, Lars Lööf – 1 January 1988 – To evaluate serum hyaluronate as a marker for progressive liver injury in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis, a longitudinal study including 48 patients was conducted with a mean follow‐up time of 40 months. The patients were examined every 6 months with a standardized set of conventional liver function tests, and a liver biopsy was performed every year.

Kenji Abe, Takeshi Kurata, Toshio Shikata – 1 January 1988 – Localization of woodchuck hepatitis virus in liver tissue from 10 infected woodchucks was investigated immunohistochemically and ultrastructurally. Woodchuck hepatitis virus surface antigen was detected by immunoperoxidase methods in the cytoplasm of hepato‐cytes with a fine granular and/or inclusion body appearance. Woodchuck hepatitis virus surface antigen positive hepatocytes were often found in the peripheral zone of hepatic lobules.

Antonio Martín Duce, Pablo Ortíz, Carmen Cabrero, José M. Mato – 1 January 1988 – We have measured the activity S‐adenosyl‐L‐methio‐nine synthetase in liver biopsies from a group of controls (n = 17) and in 26 cirrhotics (12 alcoholic and 14 posthepatitic). The activity of this enzyme was markedly reduced in the group of cirrhotics (285 ± 32 pmoles per min per mg protein) when compared with that observed in controls (505 ± 37 pmoles per min per mg protein). No differences in S‐adenosyl‐L‐methionine synthetase was observed between both groups of cirrhotics.

John H. Exton – 1 January 1988

Harold O. Conn – 1 January 1988

Peter B. Cotton – 1 January 1988 – One hundred and twenty patients with known common bile duct stones were entered into a prospective randomised study of preoperative endoscopic sphincterotomy and stone clearance (group 1) versus surgery alone (group 2). Five patients were incorrectly entered; the 55 patients randomised to group 1 and the 60 randomised to group 2 were well matched with respect to clinical features and biochemical and medical risk factors.

Anders Nyberg, Berit Berne, Hans Nordlinder, Christer Busch, Ulf Eriksson, Lars Lööf, Anders Vahlquist – 1 January 1988 – In 44 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis serum levels of vitamin A, retinol‐binding protein and transthyretin (prealbumin) were found to be significantly lower than in 25 sex‐ and age‐matched controls. Liver biopsies were available for chemical analyses in 28 of the patients.