Michael A. Marletta – 1 January 1985

F. Jeffrey Field, John S. Boydstun, Douglas R. Labrecque – 1 January 1985 – Two groups of rats were pair‐fed diets in which 36% of the calories were provided by either ethanol or dextrimaltose. After 60 days on these liquid diets, rats fed ethanol were significantly smaller than control rats fed dextrimaltose. Serum cholesterol levels in ethanol‐fed animals were 20% higher than control rats. Cholestasis was not observed histologically, and serum alkaline phosphatase and bilirubin levels were the same in both groups.

Antonio Ponzetto, Leonard B. Seeff, Zelma Buskell‐Bales, Kamal G. Ishak, Jay H. Hoofnagle, Hyman J. Zimmerman, Robert H. Purcell, John L. Gerin – 1 November 1984 – Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis delta virus co‐infection in drug addicts has been well described in Europe, the latter agent appearing to have been introduced there in the mid‐1970's. Currently, similar data are scanty among United States addicts.

Alan M. Leichtner, Monty Krieger, Alan L. Schwartz – 1 November 1984 – Low density lipoprotein (LDL) processing was investigated in a human hepatoma‐derived cell line, Hep G2. Hep G2 cells bound, internalized and degraded LDL via a saturable, high affinity (Kd ∼ 2 x 10−8M) pathway similar to that present in other mammalian cells. Although 80% of the uptake and degradation of 125I‐LDL was inhibited by 40‐fold excess native LDL, the same concentration of methylated LDL, which cannot bind to LDL receptors, had virtually no effect on processing.

Charles S. Lieber – 1 November 1984

Dale C. Snover, Richard K. Sibley, Deborah K. Freese, Harvey L. Sharp, Joseph R. Bloomer, John S. Najarian, Nancy L. Ascher – 1 November 1984 – The histopathological features of orthotopic liver transplants were evaluated in 63 serial biopsy specimens from 17 patients. Biopsies were taken at the time of insertion of the liver (six biopsies), at the time of development of liver function abnormalities (11 biopsies) and as follow‐up to previously abnormal biopsies (46 biopsies).

Robert E. Kane Iii, Lee J. Chen, M. Michael Thaler – 1 November 1984 – We studied the regulation of hepatic bile salt sulfotransferase activity by gonadal hormones and the effect of gonadal hormones on two bile salt sulfotransferase isoenzymes. Bile salt sulfotransferase enzyme activity was three times greater in the female than in the male rats. Oophorectomy significantly decreased bile salt sulfotransferase activity in the female, but orchidectomy had no effect on bile salt sulfotransferase activity in the male.

Yutaka Sasaki, Takenobu Kamada, Norio Hayashi, Nobuhiro Sato, Akinori Kasahara, Hideyuki Fusamoto, Sadao Shiosaka, Masaya Tohyama, Yahe Shiotani – 1 November 1984 – The distribution of immunoreactive glucagon, substance P (SP) and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)‐like structures was investigated in the rat liver, with special reference to the hepatic vasculature by means of the indirect immunofluorescence method. Immunoreactive structures of glucagon were seen in the walls of the portal vein, hepatic artery and hepatic vein, but not in the central vein.

G. Richard Granneman, Shyh‐Ing Wang, James W. Kesterson, Joseph M. Machinist – 1 November 1984 – The role of metabolites in valproic acid (VPA)‐associated hepatotoxicity was studied in rats. The most steatogenic mono‐unsaturated metabolite, 4‐en‐VPA, caused the greatest changes in indicators of β‐oxidation inhibition (dicarboxylic aciduria, β‐hydroxybutyrate reduction); however, the biochemical effects were much less pronounced than those reported for hypoglycin. Steatosis in VPA‐treated rats occurred only at nearly lethal doses.

Esteban Celis, Tse Wen Chang – 1 November 1984 – HBsAg from plasma of chronic hepatitis B carriers was purified by affinity chomatography using a mouse monoclonal antibody specific for HBsAg. Elution with buffer at two different pH values separated HBsAg into two fractions: one contained high amounts of immune complexes associated with HBsAg; the other contained larger quantities of the HBsAg polypeptides P24 and GP27 and only small amounts of immunoglobulin.