The helicase genes and hypervariable regions (HVRs) of three avian hepatitis E viruses (HEVs) detected at three different farms were sequenced and characterized. Two isolates (DW-L and GI-B2) were classified as genotype 2 and one isolate (GR-B) was classified as genotype 1. A phylogenetic tree, based on the helicase gene and HVR nucleotide sequences, revealed the newly detected viruses and other avian HEVs were classified similarly. Unlike previously reported avian HEVs, the DW-L isolate detected in broiler breeders with characteristic lesions of avian HEV had no prolinerich motif in its HVR, suggesting that the proline-rich motif is non-essential for viral replication and infection.

The purposes of this study were to set up the method of the natural killer(NK) cell activity assay using the flow cytometer and to examine the characteristics and distribution of the NK cell during rat hepatocarcinogenesis. Forty five male 6 week-old specific pathogen free(SPF) Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups. Group I was the non-treated control and given normal diet and water. Group II was treated with diethylnitrosamine(DEN, 200mg/kg, i.p.) and partial hepatectomy. Group III was treated with DEN, partial hepatectomy and 0.05% phenobarbital sodium in water from 3 to 16 weeks. All animals were examined the morphology of the large granular lymphocyte(LGL), the LGL percent of the total lymphocytes and the LGL conjugation rate with YAC-1 cell in peripheral blood, spleen and liver. Moreover, activity of the LGL isolated from peripheral blood lymphocytes was determined using the flow cytometer. As results, LGL were observed in the peripheral blood, spleen and liver. LGL were observed the relatively faintly staining basophilic cytoplasm with granules, and eccentric, often kidney-shpaed nuclei in Giemsa stain. Its size was 11~13 micro meter. LGL percentage of the isolated lymphocytes in peripheral blood, spleen and liver were 1.8~2.3%, 1.3~1.4% and 0.87~0.99%, respectively. LGL conjugation rate with YAC-1 cell was shown to be peripheral blood(9.3~10.3%) spleen(7.7%~8.7%)liver(5.6~7.0%). The activity of the LGL isolated from peripheral blood lymphocytes in Group I, II and III was 33.7%, 30.5% and 35.4%, respectively. However, all values were not sighificantly between groups.

The aim of this study was to establish selective hepatic artery catheterization technique through percutaneous femoral artery puncture and to offer digital subtraction angiography(DSA) of hepatic artery in beagle dogs. Percutaneous femoral artery puncture was performed with Sheldinger's method. Microferret TM- 18 Infusion catheter(William, Cook, Europe) was introduced into abdominal aorta. Then, under fluoroscopy, iopamidol 370(Bracco, Italy) was injected to identify celiac artery and `J' shpaed guide wire was introduced into celiac artery. Catheter could be introduced into celiac artery through guide wire. In this manner, catheter was located at the insertion of hepatic artery and DSA was performed. In DSA of beagle dogs, hepatic artery which was divided into lateral branch, right-medial branch, right-lateral branch of hepatic artery, cystic artery and gastroduodenal artery was opacified without superimposition of any other body structure and so was the parenchyme of liver afterward. In autopsy angiographic finding of resected liver, cystic artery, caudate branch, lateral branch, right-medial branch, right-lateral branch and quadrate branch of hepatic artery were identifed. It was concluded that selective hepatic artery catheterization technique was a minimally invasive method that facillitated the approach of hepatic artery and DSA was an excellent tool to visualize the vessle of liver in dogs.

A new sudden death in rabbits appeared in China and Korea in 1984 and 1985, respectively, and was recognized to be an acute infectious disease caused by a virus. The disease was reported as a "new viral disease", and thereafter, a tentative name of "viral hemorrhagic disease", "hemorrhagic pneumonia" or "viral hemorrhagic pneumonia" has been described in the case reports. But authors had called the viral disease "rabbit viral hepatitis" due to picornavirus infection, because the principal lesion of the disease was an acute hepatitis. The purpose of this report is to describe the electron microscopic findings on the livers in experimentally infected rabbits. All the livers of the affected rabbits were shown to have degenerative changes of a type that is characteristic of acute hepatitis. In the liver cells, there were dilation of rER and mitochondria, vacuole formation of various sizes, and appearances of many virus-like particles in the vicinity of rER, granular bodies and crystalline arrays of viral particles in the cytoplasm with necrotic changes of the nucleus. Clusters of virus-like particles and viral crystals appeared in the cytoplasm of sinusoid endothelial cells and Kupffer's cells with morphological changes of organelles. Also viral crystals were demonstrated in the cytoplasm of macrophages among the liver cells. On the whole, the liver cells had many virus-like particles and a few crystalline arrays of viral particles. Therefore, this implies that the liver cells are the main site of the viral replication in inducing the viremia. It was concluded that the liver was the primary target organ of this viral disease, and the pathological and the ultrastructural evidence suggest that the virus may belong to genus enterovirus