Effect of the Oral Administration of Branched Chain Amino Acids on Hepatic Encephalopathy in the Rat

Christian Beaubernard, Marie‐Louise Delorme, Pierre Opolon, Mlchele Boschat, Joelle Morin, Marie‐Plerre Oryszcyn, Dominique Franco – 1 March 1984 – The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of oral administration of branched‐chain amino acid (BCAA)‐enriched diets after portacaval shunt (PCS) in rats. Fifty‐one Sprague‐Dawley male rats (200 gm) underwent PCS and 55 a sham operation. Half of the animals received BCAA 142 mg per day through a gastric tube; the other half underwent a sham procedure.

Importance of Local Proliferation in the Expanding Kupffer Cell Population of Rat Liver After Zymosan Stimulation and Partial Hepatectomy

Luc Bouwens, Marijke Baekeland, Eddie Wisse – 1 March 1984 – Partial hepatectomy and a single intravenous injection of zymosan were used to provoke expansion of the Kupffer cell population in rat liver. The number of Kupffer cells per microscopic field increased exponentially for 4 to 5 days after either stimulation. During this exponential growth phase, high mitotic activity of Kupffer cells was observed.

Effects of Chenodeoxycholic and Ursodeoxycholic Acids on Lipid Metabolism and Gallstone Formation in the Prairie Dog

Bertram I. Cohen, Anil K. Singhal, Richard J. Stenger, Patricia May‐Donath, Judith Finver‐Sadowsky, Charles K. Mcsherry, Erwin H. Mosbach – 1 March 1984 – The prevention of cholesterol cholelithiasis by dietary chenodeoxycholic and ursodeoxycholic acids was studied in the male prairie dog (Cynotttys ludovicianus). Gallstones were induced by administration of a semisynthetic diet containing 0.4% cholesterol for a period of 8 weeks. Groups of 5 or 6 animals received the lithogenic diet with added chenodeoxycholic or ursodeoxycholic acid (0.03% “low dose” or 0.06% “high dose”).

Glomerular Tubular Reflux‐A Morphologic Renal Lesion Associated with the Hepatorenal Syndrome

Gary C. Kanel, Robert L. Peters – 1 March 1984 – The hepatorenal syndrome, a primary cause of death from acute and chronic liver disease, consists of a functional renal failure whereby examination of the kidney has previously shown no distinct or specific morphologic change. We describe an unusual renal lesion consisting of the reflux of proximal convoluted tubular epithelium into Bowman's space. An autopsy series shows this glomerular change to be present in 71.4% of cases with the hepatorenal syndrome, while only present in 0 to 27.3% in other autopsy categories (p < 0.001).

Identification of an Acceptor System for γ‐Aminobutyric Acid on Isolated Rat Hepatocytes

Gerald Y. Minuk, John Vergalla, Peter Ferenci, E. Anthony Jones – 1 March 1984 – γ‐Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a potent inhibitory neurotransmitter which is synthesized by the enteric bacterial flora and delivered into portal venous blood. To determine whether the liver is likely to play an important role in regulating serum GABA levels, the uptake and metabolism of [3H]GABA by three populations of cells isolated from rat liver were studied. GABA was specifically taken up by hepatocytes but not by endothelial or Kupffer cells.

The Specificity of Human Liver Membrane Lipoprotein: Studies with Monoclonal Antibodies

Hiroshi Murakami, Junsuke Kuriki, Shinichi Kakumu, Kazuhiko Fukui, Nobuo Sakamoto – 1 March 1984 – Hybrid cell lines which secreted antibodies to liver‐specific membrane lipoprotein (LSP) were obtained by immunizing SMA and BALB/c mice with human LSP and fusing their splenocytes with the myeloma cell line P 3‐NSI/l‐Ag 4‐l.

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