Maria H. Sjogren, Jay H. Hoofnagle, Jeanne G. Waggoner – 1 May 1987 – Serum levels of antibody to hepatitis B core antigen and IgM antibody to hepatitis B core antigen were tested in 15 patients who participated in a randomized, placebo‐controlled trial of a 28‐day course of prednisolone therapy. During treatment, serum levels of antibody to hepatitis B core antigen and IgM antibody to hepatitis B core antigen decreased in all 10 treated patients, but in none of five controls (p < 0.05).

Esteban Celis, Katalin G. Abraham, Richard W. Miller – 1 May 1987 – Antibodies to HBsAg of IgG class enhanced the helper activity of a human T cell clone to promote the in vitro synthesis of immunoglobulins by autologous B lymphocytes. Using two different assay systems, the effect of antigen‐specific antibodies on the helper function of a HBsAg‐reactive T cell clone was studied. The monoclonal antibody to HBsAg A5C3 (IgG) increased significantly the T cell‐dependent production of immunoglobulins by Staphyloccocus aureus‐stimulated autologous B lymphocytes.

Gretchen M. Hill, George J. Brewer, Ananda S. Prasad, Connie R. Hydrick, Deborah E. Hartmann – 1 May 1987 – The standard therapy for preventing copper accumulation in Wilson's disease, D‐penicillamine, has been a life‐saving drug, but it has many side effects and some patients are completely intolerant. We have been using oral zinc as another approach to the therapy for Wilson's disease, with copper balance studies as the key initial assessment of the adequacy of a given dose or regimen of zinc therapy.

Osamu Nishida, Fuminori Moriyasu, Takefumi Nakamura, Nobuyuki Ban, Kensuke Miura, Masahiko Sakai, Haruto Uchino, Takeo Miyake – 1 May 1987 – We examined the hemodynamic changes induced by transient splenic arterial occlusion using a balloon catheter to investigate the hemodynamic effect of transcatheter splenic arterial embolization—a procedure that has been used since its introduction in 1973 as therapy for hypersplenism and more recently for portal hypertension.

Richard A. Willson, K. J. Clayson, S. Leon – 1 May 1987

Jay H. Hoofnagle – 1 May 1987 – A double‐blind, randomized, controlled trial has been undertaken to evaluate treatment of chronic hepatitis type B with levamisole. Ten patients received levamisole (150 mg/day, 3 days/wk) and 10 received placebo until seroconversion to antibody to hepatitis B e antigen eventually occurred, or for a maximum of 18 mo.

David J. Callans, Laura S. Wacker, Mack C. Mitchell – 1 May 1987 – Chronic ethanol feeding increases hepatic turnover and sinusoidal efflux of glutathione in rats. The present study was performed to determine whether the observed increase in glutathione efflux was due to increased extrahepatic requirements for glutathione. The concentration and disposition of plasma glutathione were determined in rats fed liquid diets containing 36% of calories as ethanol or pair‐fed an isocaloric mixture with carbohydrate replacing ethanol calories for 5 to 8 weeks.

1 May 1987

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).

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.