The aim of this study was to identify and to classify anatomical hepatic artery (HA) variations concerning 932 HA dissections in liver transplantation (LT). Normal HA distribution was found in 68.1%. Variations of HA were detected in 31.9% and were divided into three groups describing 48 common hepatic artery (CHA) anomalies, 236 left or right hepatic artery (RHA) anomalies and 13 rare variations including one case of RHA stemmed from the inferior mesenteric artery and one case of normal CHA passed behind the portal vein. The authors propose a modified classification for HA anomalies which are based on the origin of the hepatic arterial supply (either by the CHA as the only source of the arterial vascularization or by additional or replaced right and left arteries) in order to improve management of liver disease thus as in LT.

No abstract

No abstract

A clinical study conducted in Canada compared two methods of estimating exposure to cigarette smoke in 192 volunteer subjects: 43 smokers of 4-6 mg, 49 of 8-12 mg and 50 of 14-15 mg ISO tar yield cigarettes and 50 non-smokers. Estimates of mouth level exposure (MLE) to nicotine, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), pyrene and acrolein were obtained by chemical analysis of spent cigarette filters. Estimates of smoke constituent uptake were achieved by analysis of urinary biomarkers for total nicotine equivalents (nicotine, cotinine, trans-3'-hydroxycotinine plus their glucuronide conjugates), NNK (total 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL) plus glucuronide), pyrene (1-hydroxy pyrene plus glucuronide) and acrolein (3-hydroxylpropyl-mercapturic acid) plus the nicotine metabolite cotinine in plasma and saliva. The objective of our study was to confirm the correlations between measures of human exposure obtained by filter analysis and biomarkers. Significant correlations (p<0.001) were found between MLE and the relevant biomarker for each smoke constituent. The adjusted values of the Pearson correlation coefficients (r) were 0.80 (nicotine), 0.77 (acrolein) and 0.44 (pyrene). NNK correlations could not be obtained because of the low NNK yield of Canadian cigarettes. Unexpectedly high levels of acrolein biomarker found in non-smokers urine on one of the two days sampled emphasised the need for more than one sampling occasion per period and an awareness of non-tobacco sources of smoke constituents under investigation. No consistent dose response, in line with ISO tar yield smoked, of MLE estimates was found for nicotine, pyrene and acrolein and respective biomarkers. The influence of demographics on our results has also been examined.

M. RACINE, J. DUMONT, C.P. CHAMPAGNE AND A. MORIN. 1991. The effects of lactose, ammonium and phosphate on the production of extracellular polysaccharide from Propionibacterium acidi‐propionici VM‐25 were studied in whey‐based media. The polysaccharide was composed of a water‐soluble fraction (15% w/w), a water‐insoluble fraction (27% w/w) and ca 65% (w/w) of ash. Up to 15 g/l of polysaccharide was produced during growth on partially deproteinated whey, supplemented with lactose, NH4 Cl and KH2 PO4, after incubation at pH 7.0 and 25.C for 90 h. The final viscosity of the medium remained under 20 centipoises at the end of the fermentation (100–140 h). The fermentation of whey enabled a reduction of the lactose content up to 50%. The polysaccharide‐containing fractions were composed of glucose, galactose, mannose, rhamnose and fucose and had M, < 5800. The polysaccharide may have applications as a low viscosity stabilizing agent.