Richard Moreau, Samuel S. Lee, Antoine Hadengue, Alain Braillon, Didier Lebrec – 1 January 1987 – A decrease in plasma noradrenaline—a reflection of sympathetic nervous system activity—by clonidine, a centrally acting α2‐agonist, could reduce the hyperdynamic circulation observed in cirrhosis and may thereby decrease portal hypertension. Plasma noradrenaline concentration and plasma renin activity as well as systemic and splanchnic hemodynamics were measured in 12 patients with cirrhosis and ascites before and after administration of either 150 μg of clonidine or placebo.

Albert Van De Wiel, Dominique L. Delacroix, Jan Van Hattum, Henk‐Jan Schuurman, Louis Kater – 1 January 1987 – Patients with alcoholic liver disease frequently reveal an increase in IgA serum concentration and IgA deposits in a continuous pattern along hepatic sinusoids. We investigated whether the hepatic IgA deposits are a passive reflection of changes in concentration or composition of IgA in the circulation, or represent a distinct effect of alcohol on the liver.

Frederick J. Carmichael, Victor Saldivia, Yedy Israel, John P. McKaigney, Hector Orrego – 1 January 1987 – While a number of studies show that acute oral administration of ethanol results in increases in liver blood flow, a large body of evidence has also been presented in which such an effect is not observed. To shed light on this discrepancy, we have studied in rats, a number of variables that might modulate or inhibit the effect of ethanol.

Arthur J. McCullough, William N. Stassen, Russell H. Wiesner, Albert J. Czaja – 1 January 1987 – To analyze the correlations between the presence of cirrhosis and hepatocellular inflammation and the serum concentrations of the amino‐terminal peptide of procollagen type III in chronic liver disease, we measured procollagen type III concentrations in paired serum samples from 46 patients (17 had cirrhosis) with severe chronic active hepatitis during a therapeutic treatment trial.

Ian H. Frazer, T. William Jordan, Elizabeth C. Collins, Paul Andrews, Ian R. Mackay – 1 January 1987 – The reactivity of sera was examined in patients with autoimmune chronic active hepatitis and other liver diseases by immunoblotting. Polypeptides and glycolipids of liver plasma membrane, liver‐specific lipoprotein and kidney membrane were separated and probed with sera from patients and from a rabbit immunized with mouse liver plasma membrane.

Yun‐Fan Liaw, Chia C. Pao, Chia‐Ming Chu, I‐Shyan Sheen, Miau‐Ju Huang – 1 January 1987 – Two types of clinical events, acute exacerbation and uneventful course, precede spontaneous HBeAg serocon‐version to its antibody (anti‐HBe) in chronic type B hepatitis. To examine the possible mechanism responsible for these two types of clinical events, serial serum specimens from 75 patients who underwent spontaneous HBeAg seroconversion were assayed for hepatitis B virus DNA by slot blot hybridization with 32P‐labeled cloned hepatitis B virus DNA as probe.

Peter L. M. Jansen, Geny M. M. Groothuis, Wilbert H. M. Peters, Dirk F. M. Meijer – 1 January 1987 – Mutant rats (TM rats) with abnormal hepatic excretory function were used to study biliary transport of dibromosulfophthalein, ouabain, tributylmethyl ammonium, cholate and taurocholate. In whole animals, dibromosulfophthalein and ouabain clearance is reduced to 7 and 37% of normal, respectively, due to severely impaired excretion from liver to bile. Initial uptake rates of these agents are relatively little affected.

Jürg Reichen, Catherine Hoilien, Mysan Le, Richard H. Jones – 1 January 1987 – To differentiate between the “intact” and “sick” cell hypothesis explaining decreased clearance of endo‐ and xenobiotics, we measured uptake of taurocholate and ouabain in hepatocytes isolated from cirrhotic rat liver. Cirrhosis was induced by chronic exposure of male Sprague‐Dawley rats to phenobarbital and carbon tetrachloride. Uptake of [14C]taurocholate and [3H]ouabain was measured by a rapid filtration technique.

Peter R. Mills, Peter J. Meier, Daniel J. Smith, Nazzareno Ballatori, James L. Boyer, Ellen R. Gordon – 1 January 1987 – The fluidity of basolateral and canalicular rat liver plasma membranes was compared with respect to their response to the membrane perturbants ethanol and calcium. The relation between membrane fluidity and taurocholate transport, a liver plasma membrane function mediated by carrier proteins, was also examined. Membrane fluidity was measured by fluorescence polarization using 1,6‐diphenyl‐1,3,5‐hexatriene as a probe.

Charles E. Rogler, Okio Hino, Chun‐Yeh Su – 1 January 1987