Role of the oestrogen receptor in liver regeneration in the male rat.

Partial hepatectomy in male rats results in raised serum oestrogen levels, nuclear binding of oestrogen receptor (ER) and feminization of certain aspects of hepatic metabolism. It has been proposed that these changes may have an important role in liver regeneration. The present study was performed to ascertain the effects of the oestrogen agonist diethylstilbestrol (DES), 2 mg/kg, and the oestrogen antagonist tamoxifen (TAM), 2 mg/kg, on liver regeneration induced by partial hepatectomy in the male rat.

Selectivity and sensitivity of changes in serum bile acids during induction of cirrhosis in rats.

Because some patients with cirrhosis have serum transaminase levels within the normal range, a prospective study was undertaken to determine whether the concentration of individual serum bile acids would be a sensitive indicator of development of cirrhosis. The choline-deficient rat has been used as a model for study of these changes. Using high-performance liquid chromatography, we measured the concentrations of individual serum bile acids at 3, 6, 10, 20 and 30 wk of dietary intake.

Portal vein thrombosis associated with prolonged ingestion of oral contraceptive steroids.

The case is described of a 38 year old woman who developed severe right upper quadrant abdominal pain that was associated with partial portal vein occlusion, as confirmed by flow Doppler ultrasonography and dynamic contrast computed tomography. The patient was a cigarette smoker and had taken combined oestrogen/progestagen oral contraceptive steroids (OCS) continuously for 24 years. There were no other risk factors for portal vein thrombosis or for thromboembolic disease.

Eicosanoids released following inhibition of the endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pump stimulate Ca2+ efflux in the perfused rat liver.

In the isolated perfused rat liver 2,5-di(tert-butyl)hydroquinone (tBuHQ), a selective inhibitor of the endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pump, induces a prolonged glucose output and stimulates Ca2+ efflux. The present study shows that tBuHQ depleted the hormone-sensitive Ca2+ pool in the perfused liver, abolishing the vasopressin- or phenylephrine-induced Ca2+ efflux. The effects of tBuHQ were reversible, since the response to these agonists gradually returned within 1 hr of perfusion, and protein synthesis was not required for this recovery.

Alpha-interferon 2b in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C: interim report of the first multicentre Australian trial.

Interferon has been shown to be effective in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C but the optimal treatment regime has not yet been defined. Studies using 3 million units (MU) of interferon thrice weekly (tiw) for 6 months have shown normalization of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in about 50% of patients, but relapse occurs in at least 50% of responders after interferon is stopped. The aims of this study were to determine whether 5 MU of interferon tiw produces a higher response rate than 3 MU tiw and to examine if the higher dose results in more sustained remissions.

Induction of cytochrome P450 2B1 in rat liver by the aromatase inhibitor aminoglutethimide.

Aminoglutethimide (AG) is an inhibitor of P450 aromatase and is in clinical use for the treatment of estrogen-dependent breast cancer in postmenopausal women. AG produces adrenal insufficiency by inhibition of the adrenal P450 cholesterol side chain cleavage enzyme, but a number of serious pharmacokinetic interactions have been reported between AG and coadministered drugs. The present study was undertaken in the rat to assess the modulatory capacity of AG toward P450 enzyme activities in vitro and in vivo and to identify the P450 subject to such effects.

Interferon suppresses erythromycin metabolism in rats and human subjects.

Interferon down-regulates expression of cytochrome P-450 3A in male rats. This study explored the hypothesis that interferon therefore decreases the metabolism of drugs catalyzed by cytochrome P-450 3A. Initial experiments in male rats used microsomal erythromycin N-demethylase activity as a probe for cytochrome P-450 3A catalytic activity.

The effect of posture on three objective audiological measures.

This study examines the effect of posture on click evoked otoacoustic emissions, tympanic membrane displacement, and travelling wave velocity obtained using the auditory brainstem response. Statistically significant changes with posture were observed for each technique. The changes in evoked emission and tympanic membrane displacement measurements were comparable with those reported by previous experiments.

Hepatotoxicity from paracetamol self-poisoning in western Sydney: a continuing challenge.

Objective: To determine the annual incidence of admissions for paracetamol overdosage in the years 1985 to 1990, morbidity and mortality rates, predictors of poor prognosis and the most appropriate use of N-acetylcysteine (NAC).

Design: A retrospective review of case records of all patients with a discharge diagnosis of paracetamol overdosage.

Setting: A 900-bed tertiary referral teaching hospital in western Sydney with a busy accident and emergency department.

Hepatitis C as the cause of chronic non-A, non-B hepatitis: high sensitivity of simultaneous measurement of core and non-structural antibodies.

First generation serologic tests (ELISA-1) for hepatitis C virus infection measure antibodies directed against a short non-structural segment of the virus (anti-c100-3). A major disadvantage of this test is that it lacks sensitivity in the identification of hepatitis C virus among patients at risk of infection. Thus, only 70-90% of chronic non-A, non-B cases are ELISA-1 positive.

Liver function tests in persons receiving anticonvulsant medications.

Liver function tests were carried out in 206 adults and children taking anticonvulsants to ascertain the prevalence of biochemical abnormalities in asymptomatic patients. It was observed that serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase was elevated in 74.6% of patients, alkaline phosphatase in 29.

Aggression: therapeutic response to verbal abuse.

Increasing numbers of nurses in a variety of settings have to deal with physical and verbal aggression meted out by their patients. This article concentrates on suitable therapeutic responses to verbal abuse, and urges the nurse to consider aggression in a wider context, looking at the predisposing factors and methods to defuse potentially violent situations. The author stresses that self-evaluation is crucial if skills are to be learned and applied to subsequent episodes.

Impaired expression of microsomal cytochrome P450 2C11 in choline-deficient rat liver during the development of cirrhosis.

The microsomal content and activity of the principal male-specific cytochrome P450 2C11 are reduced in cirrhotic rat liver. In order to define the pathophysiological mechanism for such changes, the present study was undertaken to determine the time course of impaired P450 2C11 expression in relation to the development of cirrhosis during intake of a choline-deficient diet. Fatty infiltration of the liver was evident after 6 weeks of intake but hepatic fibrosis was not present until 10 weeks, when fine fibrotic bands in a perisinusoidal distribution were observed.

The effects of partial hepatectomy on serum sex steroids in humans.

In both rats and humans, partial hepatectomy results in a substantial increase in serum estradiol concentrations. Because mammalian liver of both sexes contains estrogen receptor, it has been suggested that this surge in serum estrogen concentration may initiate or facilitate liver regeneration. We have reexamined the potential role of sex steroids in human liver regeneration by measuring serum estradiol and testosterone concentrations in men and postmenopausal women before and after hepatic resection.

Interferon suppresses the isoform-specific activities of hepatic cytochrome P450 in female rats.

The results from the present study indicate that rat IFN-gamma decreases hepatic P450 levels and catalytic activities in female rats. The magnitude of the down-regulation of P450 is similar to that found in male rats. Furthermore, the activities of specific P450 isoforms (P4502A1 and P4502C6 and possibly P4502C12, and P4502B1 and 2) are decreased by IFN.

Borrelia burgdorferi: another cause of foodborne illness?

Borrelia burgdorferi was identified as the etiological agent of Lyme disease in 1982. This Gram-negative spirochete is classified in the order Spirochaetales and the family Spirochaetaceae. The pathogen is fastidious, microaerophilic, mesophilic and metabolises glucose through the Embden-Meyerhof pathway.

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis: impaired antipyrine metabolism and hypertriglyceridaemia may be clues to its pathogenesis.

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis resembles alcoholic liver disease in hepatic morphology but appears to have a different natural history. We sought to assess the nature of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis by a prospective study of its clinical progression and the relationship of biochemical abnormalities to changes in serum lipids among 15 patients with this disorder. In addition, antipyrine clearance (Cl-AP), which reflects hepatic microsomal oxidative capacity, was measured serially.

How accurately do nurses perceive patients' needs? A comparison of general and psychiatric settings.

This paper examines to what extent nurses' perceptions of patients' needs correspond to the patients' views of their own needs. A questionnaire was designed to assess patients' emotional and physical needs in general medical wards and in acute psychiatric wards. Sixty patients, 30 psychiatric and 30 general, together with their 'key' nurses, took part in the study.

Isochronic mapping: a preliminary report of a new technique.

A new technique which we have named 'isochronic mapping' is described. The conventional technique of plotting isopotential maps shows little or no contrast for far-field potentials such as the auditory brainstem response (ABR). However, by modifications to the mapping software, the latency values of a peak can be plotted and lines of equal time or isochronic maps can be produced.

Survival of Borrelia burgdorferi in Whole Milk, Low Fat Milk, and Skim Milk at 34°C and in Skim Milk at 5°C.

Autoclaved whole milk, low-fat milk, protein-fortified skim milk and regular skim milk were inoculated to contain ca. 10 to 10 Borrelia burgdorferi strains 35210, 35211, or EBNI/ml and stored at 34°C for 16 d. Similarly inoculated skim milk also was held at 5°C for 46 d.