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

Henry Y. Mok – 1 May 1987

Hans Popper – 1 May 1987

Joseph R. Bove, Harold O. Conn – 1 May 1987 – Six hundred seventy‐one first, second and third orthotopic liver allografts in 520 patients were reviewed to determine the effect of donor‐recipient mismatches or incompatibilities for the ABO blood groups on graft survival. A significant advantage for ABO donor‐recipient identity was found, especially in adults for first grafts. However, a surprisingly large number of ABO incompatible grafts were successful.

Richard D. Aach – 1 May 1987 – A total of 481 recipients of blood transfusions who had received 6,295 units of blood were followed for 6–9 months in order to evaluate the relationship between posttransfusion hepatitis (PTH) and transfusion of blood that is positive for antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti‐HBc). The incidence of non‐A, non‐B PTH (NANB‐PTH) was 11.9% among the 193 recipients who received one or more units of anti‐HBc‐positive blood compared to only 3.2% of the 288 recipients of only anti‐HBc‐negative blood (p < 0.001).

John Polio – 1 May 1987 – An endoscopic pressure sensor has been evaluated in the measurement of oesophageal variceal pressure and its response to drug ingestion. The variceal pressure showed a highly significant correlation with the splenic pulp pressure (r = 0.97) in six patients with liver disease of diverse aetiology and with hepatic venous wedge pressure (r = 0.92) in eight alcoholic cirrhotic men. Intraduodenal infusion of isosorbide dinitrate in the cirrhotics produced no change in wedge pressure or endoscopic variceal pressure despite profound falls in arterial systolic pressure.

John Terblanche, Kenneth E. F. Hobbs – 1 May 1987 – To compare the efficacy and safety of one week versus three weeks interval treatment schedules of endoscopic sclerotherapy, injections were carried out in a prospective manner in 96 patients with variceal bleeding; 47 on a one week and 49 on a three week treatment schedule. Weekly endoscopic sclerotherapy eradicated oesophageal varices significantly (p < 0.01) earlier (mean ± SD 7.1 ± 2.43 weeks) as compared with the three week regimen (mean ± SD 14.86 ± 4.86 weeks).

1 May 1987