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

Richard S. Aycock, Jerome M. Seyer – 1 March 1986

Tetsuo Yamamoto, Takeaki Suou, Chisato Hirayama – 1 March 1986 – Of 143 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis receiving isoniazid therapy, 52 (36%) had a transient elevation in serum aminotransferases. Among 74 patients taking isoniazid, rifampicin and streptomycin, 35 (47%) had such an increase, while of 69 patients taking isoniazid, amino‐salicylic acid and streptomycin, 17 (24%) did; this difference was significant. Isoniazid therapy could be continued in all patients with the abnormal test results.

Bruno Clement, Jean‐Alexis Grimaud, Jean‐Pierre Campion, Yves Deugnier, Andre Guillouzo – 1 March 1986 – Three collagen types (I, III and IV) and fibronectin were localized in normal and alcoholic human liver by light and electron microscopy using the indirect immunoperoxidase technique. In normal liver, most of the bundles of collagen fibers stained for type pro‐III collagen while only a few reacted for type I. Basement membranes stainedfor type IV collagen which formed discontinuous discrete deposits in sinusoids.

Tomohiko Nishihira, Junji Tanaka, Kastuhide Nishikawa, Akira Jikko, Yoshiro Taki, Taisuke Morimoto, Kenji Koizumi, Yasuo Kamiyama, Kazue Ozawa, Takayoshi Tobe – 1 March 1986 – Liver mitochondrial membrane potential was assessed during regeneration following partial hepatectomy in rabbits. Absorbance change of safranine O per milligram of mitochondrial protein was used to evaluate mitochondrial membrane potential. Absorbance change was calibrated to the membrane potential in millivolts produced by valinomycin‐induced potassium diffusion potential.