Eike Walter, Hubert E. Blum, Wolf‐Bernhard Offensperger, Christine Zeschnigk, Silke Offensperger, Wolfgang Gerok – 1 May 1987 – Factors determining the sensitivity and specificity of the spot‐blot hybridization technique for the detection of hepatitis B virus DNA in serum were systematically investigated. Methods for pretreatment of serum samples, mode of application of the samples to the transfer membranes, blot treatment and hybridization conditions were all found to affect the sensitivity of the assay.

J. Genesca, R. Jardi, M. Buti, L. Vives, S. Prat, J. I. Esteban, R. Esteban, J. Guardia – 1 May 1987 – To evaluate the effect of hepatitis delta virus on the level of replication of hepatitis B virus and to assess the clinical significance that such an effect might have on the final outcome of the infection, the serological profile of hepatitis B virus DNA was investigated in 153 patients with acute or chronic hepatitis B virus infection with or without associated delta infection.

Robert G. Knodell – 1 May 1987

M. Zamirul Hussain, John A. Watson, Rajendra S. Bhatnagar – 1 May 1987 – Primary monolayer cultures of rat hepatocytes at confluence were exposed to an exogenously added source of superoxide, and its influence on collagen synthesis was examined. Superoxide was generated by the addition of dihydroxyfumarate to the culture medium. Exposure of hepatocytes to dihydroxyfumarate greatly stimulated the activity of prolyl hydroxylase and the synthesis of collagen.

Harold O. Conn – 1 May 1987 – This paper reports the preliminary results of a prospective randomized trial comparing endoscopic variceal sclerosis and distal splenorenal shunt (DSRS) in the management of patients with cirrhosis and variceal bleeding. Seventy‐one patients have been entered; 36 have received sclerosis and 35 DSRS. Randomization of the study population was stratified on Child's A/B (56%) and Child's C (44%). Sixty‐one per cent had alcoholic and 39% nonalcoholic cirrhosis. No patients have been lost to follow‐up, which currently stands at a median of 26 months.

W. A. Shaver – 1 May 1987

Jurgen Ludwig, Russell H. Wiesner, Kenneth P. Batts, James D. Perkins, Ruud A. F. Krom – 1 May 1987 – The acute vanishing bile duct syndrome can be defined as an irreversible, rejection‐related condition that affects hepatic allografts within 100 days after orthotopic liver transplantation and whose presence requires retransplantation. We have observed the acute vanishing bile duct syndrome in 5 of 48 consecutive patients (approximately 10%) who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation.

Rene R. Peleman, Judith S. Gavaler, David H. Van Thiel, Carlos Esquivel, Robert Gordon, Shunzaburo Iwatsuki, Thomas E. Starzl – 1 May 1987 – The role of liver transplantation in 29 patients with fulminant and subacute hepatic failure due to a variety of different causes was examined by comparing the outcome and a variety of “hospitalization” variables. Transplanted patients (n = 13) were more likely to survive (p < 0.05), were younger (p < 0.05) and spent more time in the hospital (p < 0.025) than did those who were not transplanted (n = 16).

Gary D. Volentine, Kathleen A. Ogden, David K. Kortje, Dean J. Tuma, Michael F. Sorrell – 1 May 1987 – Ethanol administration inhibits hepatic protein and glycoprotein secretion. Previous studies have shown that the metabolism of ethanol is required for this effect. Experiments were designed to determine whether acetaldehyde, the first metabolite of ethanol oxidation, mediated the ethanol‐induced secretory defect in rats with normal and stimulated (inflammation‐induced) rates of hepatic protein secretion.

Helmut K. Seitz, Ulrich A. Simanowski, Felix T. Garzon, Timothy J. Peters – 1 May 1987