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This study assessed the utility of CT perfusion for quantitative assessment of liver function and fibrosis. Tissue blood flow (TBF), tissue blood volume (TBV), mean transit time (MTT) and hepatic arterial fraction (HAF) were measured with CT perfusion using the deconvolution algorithm in 38 patients with chronic liver diseases and 10 patients without liver disease. Using Child-Pugh classification, 21 patients were classified as Child A, 10 as Child B, and 7 as Child C. In 20 patients, the degree of fibrosis was quantitated in surgicallyresected specimens and compared with the perfusion parameters. The mean TBF, TBV, MTT and HAF of patients without liver disease were 103.9±18 ml/min/100 g, 12.5±2.0 ml/ 100 g, 11.1±1.6 sec and 18.4±5.6%, respectively (±SD). The mean TBF of patients with Child A, B and C were 95.1±24, 86.7±29 and 75.5±6.5 ml/min/100 g, respectively. TBF tended to decrease with the severity of chronic liver disease. The mean HAF of patients with Child A, B and C were 18.6±8.3, 29.8±11.2 and 40.2±11.1%, respectively. HAF of patients without liver disease was significantly different from those of Child B and C (p<0.05, each). However, there were no significant differences in TBV and MTT between each groups. HAF correlated significantly with the degree of fibrosis (R 2 =0.588, p<0.05). Our results showed that parameters of CT perfusion correlated significantly with the severity of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. Quantitative measurement of hepatic tissue blood flow by CT perfusion is useful for evaluation of the severity of disease and fibrotic change.

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Chitin and chitosan were found to exhibit a protective effect on mice administered these polysaccharides intraperitoneally against infection of the viable cells of Candida albicans NIH A‐207 strain. A significant difference was observed between the protective effects of chitin and chitosan, i.e., chitin was much more effective than chitosan when the C. albicans cells were challenged via the intravenous route. In intraperitoneal inoculations of C. albicans cells, however, chitosan provided stronger resistance for mice than chitin.It has also been revealed that the number of polymorphonuclear leukocytes from circulating blood of chitin‐administered mice increased remarkably compared with that of untreated and chitosan‐treated mice, and that the increase of active oxygen‐generating phagocytic cells was significant. On the other hand, the number of peritoneal exudate cells (PEC) and the amounts of active oxygen generated from these cells in chitosan‐treated mice were larger than those of chitin‐treated mice. However, candidacidal activities of PEC per fixed cell number in mice treated with chitin or with chitosan were almost the same and greater than those of untreated mice.

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Ring‐opening polyaddition of a saccharic acid dilactone prepared from D‐glucose, D‐glucaro‐1,4 : 6,3‐dilactone, with several alkylenediamines proceeded at room temperature with no catalyst. The resulting new polyamides carrying many pendant hydroxyl groups, poly(alkylene D‐glucaramide)s, were more amorphous and hydrophilic than the corresponding nylons having no hydroxyl groups, and were hydrolyzed more easily than the latter in an acidic condition. The ring‐opening ability of D‐mannaro‐1,4:6,3‐dilactone, which was another saccharic acid dilactone obtained from D‐mannitol, was found to be lower than that of the D‐glucaric analogue. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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