Sugantha Govindarajan, Mary Ashcavai, Robert L. Peters – 1 November 1981 – α‐1‐Antitrypsin deficiency due to homozygous Pi ZZ state is reported to be associated with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, the role of heterozygous Pi Z state is not definitively known. In order to investigate the possible association, we studied the phenotypic distribution of α‐1‐antitrypsin variants (Pi) in 124 cases of HCC. Two thousand ten normal American Red Cross blood donors were studied as controls.

Jurgen Ludwig, Steven S. Barham, Nicholas F. Larusso, Lila R. Elveback, Russell H. Wiesner, John T. McCall – 1 November 1981 – Histologic, ultrastructural, chemical, and statistical methods were used to study liver biopsy and autopsy specimens from 43 patients who had primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), with or without chronic ulcerative colitis (CUC), and from 19 patients who had CUC without PSC. In all study groups, essentially the same abnormalities were found in the hepatic parenchyma outside the major bile ducts, although nondiagnostic tissue samples were observed also.

Charles S. Davidson – 1 November 1981

Michael A. Dunn, Refaat Kamel – 1 November 1981

1 September 1981

Ferruccio Bonino, Bill Hoyer, Judith Nelson, Ronald Engle, Giorgio Verme, John Gerin – 1 September 1981 – Sera and liver biopsies from 30 Italian patients, carriers of HBsAg for at least 3 years, were examined for markers of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection by serological assays and immunofluorescence. Biopsies were analyzed for HBcAg, HBsAg, and δ antigen by immunofluorescence; sera were assayed for HBsAg/anti‐HBs, HBcAg/anti‐HBc, HBeAg/anti‐HBe, δ/anti‐δ, HBV‐specific DNA polymerase activity and the presence of HBV DNA.

Douglas R. LaBrecque, Arun K. Dhand – 1 September 1981 – The staff and patients in hemodialysis units have the greatest hospital risk of acquiring hepatitis B (HB) infection. We followed the patients of two dialysis nurses in two different dialysis units. One nurse dialyzed 19 patients a total of 50 times during the prodrome of acute HB. The second nurse was a known, asymptomatic carrier of HBsAg who was also HBeAg(+) and anti‐HBc(+). Over a 2‐year period, she dialyzed 30 patients a total of 742 times.

Hector Orrego, Yedy Israel, Ian R. Crossley, Adel A. F. Mahmoud, Pierre A. Peters, George Varghese, Ian R. Wanless – 1 September 1981 – In consideration of the vast prevalence of schistosomiasis and heavy alcohol consumption in many parts of the world, the possibility of an interaction between these two conditions inducing liver disease was studied in mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni. Alcohol consumption significantly reduced by 25% the mean granuloma diameter and by about 60% the extent of fibrous tissue deposition determined chemically as hydroxyproline.

Erry J. G. Bolt, Michael D. Sitrin, Murray J. Favus, Irwin H. Rosenberg – 1 September 1981 – Bone disease and low serum levels of 25‐hydroxyvitamin D are prevalent in cholestatic syndromes such as primary biliary cirrhosis and biliary atresia. Defective hydroxylation, along with malabsorption of vitamin D, could be a factor in 25‐hydroxyvitamin D depletion. To assess hepatic hydroxylation during experimental cholestasis, we studied vitamin D 25‐hydroxylase activity in liver homogenates of rats after 7, 14, and 21 days of bile duct ligation.

Wolf Szmuness, Cladd E. Stevens, Edith A. Zang, Edward J. Harley, Aaron Kellner – 1 September 1981 – A controlled, randomized, double‐blind trial in 1,083 homosexual men from New York confirmed that a highly purified, formalin‐inactivated vaccine against hepatitis B prepared from HBsAg positive plasma, is safe immunogenic, and highly efficacious. Over 95% of vaccinated subjects developed antibody against the surface antigen. Vaccine‐induced antibody persisted for the entire 24‐month follow‐up period.