Therapeutic effect of (+)-cyanidanol-3 in toxic alcoholic liver disease and in chronic active hepatitis.

(+)-Cyanidanol-3 is considered to have cytoprotective effect in toxic liver injury. A randomized clinical trial was carried out in alcoholic precirrhotic patients and in chronic active hepatitis with (+)-cyanidanol-3 versus placebo. The daily dose of the drug was 1.

Changes in glucose tolerance after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.

Changes in oral glucose-tolerance have been studied in patients subjected to endoscopic retrograde pancreatography. Glucose tolerance is impaired 72 hours after ductography, and significant changes can still be seen even after one month; glucose tolerance returns to normal six to 12 months after pancreatography. In an attempt to discover the mechanism underlying impaired tolerance serial measurements were made of plasma insulin and glucagon levels.

Effects of ammonia intoxication and liver injury on rat brain glutamate-dehydrogenase and glutaminase activity.

Glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and glutaminase activity in the rat brain was altered by chronic ammonia intoxication, subacute liver injury induced by CCl4 or digalactosamine, and the combination of them. GDH activity was found to increase considerably in ammonia intoxication without liver damage, probably as a result of enzyme induction. GDH activity failed to increase, while glutaminase was appreciably elevated.