Effect of the pretransplant serum sodium concentration on outcomes following liver transplantation

Michael D. Leise, Byung Cheol Yun, Joseph J. Larson, Joanne T. Benson, Ju Dong Yang, Terry M. Therneau, Charles B. Rosen, Julie K. Heimbach, Scott W. Biggins, W. Ray Kim – 25 February 2014 – Hyponatremia is associated with an increased risk of mortality on the liver transplantation (LT) waiting list. Although the incorporation of the serum sodium (Na) level into the Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease score may reduce wait‐list mortality, concerns remain about a potential association between pre‐LT hyponatremia and decreased post‐LT survival.

HCV genotype 3 is associated with an increased risk of cirrhosis and hepatocellular cancer in a national sample of U.S. Veterans with HCV

Fasiha Kanwal, Jennifer R. Kramer, Jawad Ilyas, Zhigang Duan, Hashem B. El‐Serag – 24 February 2014 – Data show that viral genotype 1 may increase the risk of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) compared to genotype 2 in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. However, the effect of HCV genotype 3 on cirrhosis and HCC risk is uncertain. We identified patients with active HCV infection, confirmed by positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and a known HCV genotype, from the VA HCV Clinical Case Registry between 2000 and 2009.

Progression of autoimmune hepatitis is mediated by IL‐18‐producing dendritic cells and hepatic CXCL9 expression in mice

Aki Ikeda, Nobuhiro Aoki, Masahiro Kido, Satoru Iwamoto, Hisayo Nishiura, Ryutaro Maruoka, Tsutomu Chiba, Norihiko Watanabe – 23 February 2014 – Clinical manifestations of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) range from mild chronic to acute, sometimes fulminant hepatitis. However, it is unknown how the progression to fatal hepatitis occurs. We developed a mouse model of fatal AIH by inducing a concurrent loss of forkhead box P3+ regulatory T cells and programmed cell death‐1 (PD‐1)‐mediated signaling.

Systemic protection through remote ischemic preconditioning is spread by platelet‐dependent signaling in mice

Christian E. Oberkofler, Perparim Limani, Jae‐Hwi Jang, Andreas Rickenbacher, Kuno Lehmann, Dimitri A. Raptis, Udo Ungethuem, Yinghua Tian, Kamile Grabliauskaite, Rok Humar, Rolf Graf, Bostjan Humar, Pierre‐Alain Clavien – 23 February 2014 – Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC), the repetitive transient mechanical obstruction of vessels at a limb remote to the operative site, is a novel strategy to mitigate distant organ injury associated with surgery.

Ribavirin improves the IFN‐γ response of natural killer cells to IFN‐based therapy of hepatitis C virus infection

Jens M. Werner, Elisavet Serti, Xenia Chepa‐Lotrea, Jonathan Stoltzfus, Golo Ahlenstiel, Mazen Noureddin, Jordan J. Feld, T. Jake Liang, Yaron Rotman, Barbara Rehermann – 23 February 2014 – Ribavirin (RBV) is an important component of interferon (IFN)‐based and direct antiviral treatment regimens for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Immunomodulation, in particular improvement of the host IFN response, has been proposed as RBV's mechanism of action.

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