Notices
1 January 1983
Hepatic Sinusoidal Cells: New Insights and Controversies
E. Anthony Jones – 1 January 1983
Differential Effects of Oral Contraceptive Steroids on the Metabolism of Benzodiazepines
Rashmi V. Patwardhan, Mack C. Mitchell, Raymond F. Johnson, Steven Schenker – 1 January 1983 – The effects of oral contraceptive steroids (OCS) on the disposition and elimination of lorazepam, oxazepam, and chlordiazepoxide were examined. Lorazepam and oxazepam are metabolized via glucuronidation while chlordiazepoxide is metabolized by oxidation in the liver. The disposition and elimination of lorazepam, oxazepam, and chlordiazepoxide was studied in females not taking OCS and females taking OCS (norethindrone acetate, 1 mg; ethinyl estradiol, 50 m̈g) for 6 months or more.
Changes in IgA Following Varying Degrees of Biliary Obstruction in the Rat
Jeffrey Rank, I. Dodd Wilson – 1 January 1983 – Polymeric IgA is rapidly transported from blood to bile by the rat liver. The effect of varying degrees of biliary obstruction on this transport process was studied. IgA concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay. Serum IgA concentrations increased progressively, and IgA output in bile declined with increasing bile duct obstruction. The decline in bile IgA output was explained by both diminished bile flow and decreased concentrations of IgA in bile. Very little polymeric IgA was present in normal rat serum.
The Amount of Ferritin and Hemosiderin in the Livers of Patients with Iron‐Loading Diseases
Floris M. J. Zuyderhoudt, Jan W. Sindram, Joannes J. M. Marx, George G. A. Jorning, Jacobus Van Gool – 1 January 1983 – Depot iron, ferritin iron, and ferritin protein were measured in 34 liver needle biopsy specimens obtained from patients with primary and secondary iron‐loading diseases.
Serodiagnosis of Recent Hepatitis B Infection by IgM Class Anti‐HBc
Kurt H. Chau, Martha P. Hargie, Richard H. Decker, Isa K. Mushahwarand, Lacy R. Overby – 1 January 1983 – time sequence, relative reactivity, and persistence of anti‐HBc IgM were assessed in patients with HBsAg‐positive viral hepatitis. A solid‐phase immunoassay was developed using the IgM capture procedure with anti‐m̈ated polystyrene beads. HBcAg was purified from serum Dane particles and used as a probe with 125I‐labeled anti‐HBc IgG. This immunoassay exhibited a pronounced prozoning phenomenon, and relative titers of sera differed widely depending upon the dilution of serum tested.
The Misuse of Cimetidine in Patients with Cirrhosis
Norman D. Grace – 1 January 1983
A Controlled Clinical Trial of Cimetidine in the Recurrence of Variceal Hemorrhage: Implications about the Pathogenesis of Hemorrhage
Brian R. D. Macdougall, Roger Williams – 1 January 1983 – In a prospective randomized double‐blind controlled trial, 51 patients, 16 with cirrhosis and 35 with extrahepatic portal hypertension all of whom presented with variceal bleeding, were given either long‐term cimetidine in a dosage of 1.6 gm daily (24 patients) or placebo tablets (27 patients). Thirty‐eight patients completed 2 years of treatment. For 16 patients with cirrhosis, there was no significant difference in the frequency of rebleeding between the cimetidine (62.5%) and placebo (75.0%) groups.
Effect of Chronic Ethanol Feeding on Hepatic Collagen in the Monkey
Esteban Mezey, James J. Potter, Samuel W. French, Tsunenobu Tamura, Charles H. Halsted – 1 January 1983 – The effect of chronic ethanol feeding was determined on parameters of hepatic collagen metabolism in the monkey. Four monkeys of the species Macaca radiata received a nutritionally adequate diet containing 50% of the calories as ethanol, while four others were pair‐fed a diet in which ethanol was isocalorically substituted by carbohydrate. Liver biopsies were obtained at 3, 12, and 24 months, and the animals were killed between 40 and 48 months after initiation of the diets.