Lorenz Theilmann, Mo‐Quen Klinkert, Karl Gmelin, Jochen Salfeld, Heinz Schaller, Eberhard Pfaff – 1 March 1986 – The presence of pre‐S1 proteins in serum and liver of individuals with acuteand chronic hepatitis B virus infection was investigated in Western blots using antibodies against a fusion protein, containing amino acids 20—120 of the pre‐S region. Pre‐S1 proteins were present in 20 of 38 HBsAg‐positive sera.

Harold O. Conn, L. Siw Eriksson – 1 March 1986 – Elevated plasma ammonia level in hepatic cirrhosis has been attributed to a lack ofconversion of enteric ammonia into urea or to its entry into systemic circulation via portasystemic shunting, or to both. It is exaggerated by excessive protein intake. Because hyperglucagonemia is well documented in cirrhosis and a protein meal is an effective glucagon secretogogue, plasma glucose, insulin, glucagon, and ammonia levels were determined in 50 cirrhotic patients after an overnight fast.

Teri J. Mauch, Terrence M. Donohue, Rowen K. Zetterman, Michael F. Sorrell, Dean J. Tuma – 1 March 1986 – Hepatic ethanol metabolism generates the reactive intermediate, acetaldehyde, whichbinds to proteins. The binding of acetaldehyde to purified enzymes was determined in order to ascertain whether such binding altered their catalytic functions. [14C]Acetaldehyde was incubated with alcohol dehydrogenase, glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase and RNase A, each at 37°C(pH 7.4).

Giovambattista Pinzello, Roberto Virdone, Francesca Lojacono, Maddalena Ciambra, Gabriella Dardanoni, Germana Fiorentino, Loredana Riccobono, Luigi Pagliaro – 1 March 1986 – Ascitic fluid pH and arterial‐ascitic fluid pH gradient were compared to ascitic fluid polymorphonuclear cell count in 84 patients with cirrhotic ascites and in 12 with malignant ascites to assess their role as diagnostic tests for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and to clarify the relationship between ascitic fluid pH and lactate.

Marek J. Nowicki, Myron J. Tong, Prem V. Nair, Douglas Stevenson – 1 March 1986 – In vitro synthesis of the anti‐HBc, anti‐HBs and polyclonal IgG and IgM classes of antibodies were determined from supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cells cultured in the presence of pokeweed mitogen. Thirty‐seven patients with chronic hepatitis B and 10 healthy control subjects whose sera were positive for anti‐HBs formed the study group. Twenty‐four of 37 patients showed histologic evidence of chronic active hepatitis B while the remaining 13 patients had chronic persistent hepatitis B.

Nelson Fausto – 1 March 1986

Sylvie Naveau, Gilles Pelletier, Thierry Poynard, Pierre Attali, Alain Poitrine, Catherine Buffet, Jean‐Pierre Etienne, Jean‐Claude Chaput – 1 March 1986 – Between March 1982 and September 1983, 40 inpatients (25 men and 15 women, mean age 53 years) with alcoholic cirrhosis and total serum bilirubin ⩾5 mg per dl were studied. Those with hepatocellular carcinoma, renal failure, hyponatremia, septicemia, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, gastrointestinal bleeding, and hepatic coma were excluded. Patients were studied for 28 days.

Douglas R. Labrecque, Joan M. Muhs, Larry I. Lutwick, Robert F. Woolson, Walter R. Hierholzer – 1 March 1986 – A prospective study was designed to determine the risk of hepatitis B transmission from health care deliverers to patients in the hospital setting. Six chronic carriers of hepatitis B were identified: 2 surgeons, 1 dialysis nurse, 1 pediatric ICU nurse, 1 pharmacist and 1 orderly. Three of the six were HBeAg‐positive. Two of the HBeAG‐positive chronic carriers also had circulating hepatitis B virus DNA and accounted for approximately two‐thirds of the total patient contacts.

Mark A. Feitelson – 1 March 1986 – The X region in hepatitis B virus DNA potentially encodes a polypeptide 154 amino acids in length. Two synthetic peptides spanning residues 100 to 115 (peptide 99) and 115 to 131 (peptide 100) in a hydrophilic domain within the carboxy terminal third of theproposed gene product were made and used to raise peptide antisera in rabbits.

1 March 1986