Cell regeneration is the universal repairing process of the tissue against damages. Incorporation of tritiated thymidine into the nuclei has been shown to be the most reliable indicator of this process. In the present investigation, Leevy's in vitro autoradiography technique was used to study the liver biopsy specimens of the patients with various liver diseases. Seven subjects operated for abdominal disease and one hundred three patients with various liver diseases were studied. The results were as follows:
1. In healthy livers, the number of labelled cells per 10, 000 hepatic cells was 3 for hepatic cell, 5 for Kupffer cell, but usually 0 for lymphocyte, fibrocyte and vascular endotherial cell.
2. In livers from the patients in the convalescent stage of acute hepatitis, labelling of hepatic cells increased to 3.2 times that of healthy livers. A slight increase in the number of labelled cells was observed in Kupffer cell, lymphocyte, cholangiole and fibrocyte. A causal relationship between spotty necrosis and labelled hepatic cells was not observed.
3. In livers from patients with chronic hepatitis, a marked increase in the number of labelled cells was observed in Kupffer cell, hepatic cell, lymphocyte, cholangiole, fibrocyte, epithelial cell of interlobular bile duct and vascular endotherial cell in decreasing order. Labelling into hepatic cell, cholangiole, lymphocyte and fibrocyte in the active form of chronic hepatitis was more frequent than in those of the inactive form. Labelled lymphocytes in the portal areas were mostly medium in size.
4. In livers from the patients with liver cirrhosis, labelled cells were more numerous than healthy livers, but no such difference was observed between liver cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis. In most cirrhotic cases, the number of labelled hepatic cell was less than that of acute hepatitis. The characteristic feature was the increased labelling into cholangiole and fibrocyte. This phenomenon was more apparent in the cirrhotic liver of type A' than type B.
5. In livers from the patients with subacute hepatitis, an increased number of labelled cells was observed in Kupffer cell, lymphocyte, cholangiole and fibrocyte. Labelled hepatic cells were fewer than in those of the patients in the convalescent stage of acute hepatitis.
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