Relevance of activated hepatic stellate cells in predicting the development of pediatric liver allograft fibrosis

Carla Venturi, Raymond Reding, Jorge Abarca Quinones, Etienne Sokal, Jacques Rahier, Javier Bueno, Christine Sempoux – 6 February 2016 – Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are the main collagen‐producing cells in liver fibrogenesis. With the purpose of analyzing their presence and relevance in predicting liver allograft fibrosis development, 162 liver biopsies of 54 pediatric liver transplantation (LT) recipients were assessed at 6 months, 3 years, and 7 years after LT.

Effect of diabetes and acute rejection on liver transplant outcomes: An analysis of the organ procurement and transplantation network/united network for organ sharing database

Hung‐Tien Kuo, Erik Lum, Paul Martin, Suphamai Bunnapradist – 6 February 2016 – The effects of diabetic status and acute rejection (AR) on liver transplant outcomes are largely unknown. We studied 13,736 liver recipients from the United Network for Organ Sharing/Organ Procurement Transplant Network database who underwent transplantation between 2004 and 2007 with a functioning graft for greater than 1 year.

Cancer Stem cells and their cellular origins in primary liver and biliary tract cancers

Tsunekazu Oikawa – 5 February 2016 – Liver and biliary tract cancers are highly aggressive, are heterogeneous in their phenotypic traits, and result in clinical outcomes that are difficult to manage. Cancers have subpopulations of cells termed “cancer stem cells” (CSCs) that share common intrinsic signaling pathways for self‐renewal and differentiation with normal stem cells. These CSCs likely have the potential to evolve over time and to give rise to new genetically and functionally diverse subclones by accumulating genetic mutations.

Development and validation of a noninvasive prediction model for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis resolution after lifestyle intervention

Eduardo Vilar‐Gomez, Ali Yasells‐Garcia, Yadina Martinez‐Perez, Luis Calzadilla‐Bertot, Ana Torres‐Gonzalez, Bienvenido Gra‐Oramas, Licet Gonzalez‐Fabian, Oscar Villa‐Jimenez, Scott L. Friedman, Moises Diago, Manuel Romero‐Gomez – 5 February 2016 – Liver biopsy is the gold standard method to assess nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) resolution after therapeutic interventions. We developed and validated a simple and noninvasive scoring system to predict NASH resolution without fibrosis worsening after 1 year of lifestyle intervention.

c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase mediates mouse liver injury through a novel Sab (SH3BP5)‐dependent pathway leading to inactivation of intramitochondrial Src

Sanda Win, Tin Aung Than, Robert Win Maw Min, Mariam Aghajan, Neil Kaplowitz – 4 February 2016 – Sustained c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) activation has been implicated in many models of cell death and tissue injury. Phosphorylated JNK (p‐JNK) interacts with the mitochondrial outer membrane SH3 homology associated BTK binding protein (Sab, or SH3BP5). Using knockdown or liver‐specific deletion of Sab, we aimed to elucidate the consequences of this interaction on mitochondrial function in isolated mitochondria and liver injury models in vivo.

Oncogenic driver genes and the inflammatory microenvironment dictate liver tumor phenotype

Matthias S. Matter, Jens U. Marquardt, Jesper B. Andersen, Cristina Quintavalle, Nikolay Korokhov, Jim K. Stauffer, Kosuke Kaji, Thomas Decaens, Luca Quagliata, Fathi Elloumi, Tanya Hoang, Alfredo Molinolo, Elizabeth A. Conner, Achim Weber, Mathias Heikenwalder, Valentina M. Factor, Snorri S. Thorgeirsson – 4 February 2016 – The majority of hepatocellular carcinoma develops in the background of chronic liver inflammation caused by viral hepatitis and alcoholic or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

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