Daniel Seidel, Ira Eickmeier, Anja A. Kühl, Alf Hamann, Christoph Loddenkemper, Eckart Schott – 26 August 2013 – The pathogenesis of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) remains poorly understood. Since PSC predominantly occurs in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmunity triggered by activated T cells migrating from the gut to the liver is a possible mechanism. We hypothesized that T cells primed in the gut‐associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) by a specific antigen migrate to the liver and cause cholangitis when they recognize the same antigen on cholangiocytes.

Andrea Lisotti, Francesco Azzaroli, Federica Buonfiglioli, Marco Montagnani, Paolo Cecinato, Laura Turco, Claudio Calvanese, Patrizia Simoni, Massimo Guardigli, Rosario Arena, Alessandro Cucchetti, Antonio Colecchia, Davide Festi, Rita Golfieri, Giuseppe Mazzella – 26 August 2013 – Noninvasive markers would be useful for the assessment of portal hypertension (PH) and esophageal varices (EV) in patients with cirrhosis.

Yen‐Po Yeh, Tsung‐Hui Hu, Po‐Yuan Cho, Hsiu‐Hsi Chen, Amy Ming‐Fang Yen, Sam Li‐Sheng Chen, Sherry Yueh‐Hsia Chiu, Jean Ching‐Yuan Fann, Wei‐Wen Su, Yi‐Jen Fang, Shih‐Tien Chen, Hsiao‐Ching San, Hung‐Pin Chen, Chao‐Sheng Liao, Changhua Community‐Based Abdominal Ultrasonography Screening Group – 26 August 2013 – Mass screening with abdominal ultrasonography (AUS) has been suggested as a tool to control adult hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in individuals, but its efficacy in reducing HCC mortality has never been demonstrated.

Claire Francoz, Mitra K. Nadim, Aurore Baron, Dominique Prié, Corinne Antoine, Jacques Belghiti, Dominique Valla, Richard Moreau, François Durand – 26 August 2013 – Simultaneous liver and kidney transplantation (SLKT) remains the procedure of choice for patients with both endstage liver disease and kidney failure. Stringent guidelines are needed to avoid unnecessary kidney transplantation. A recent consensus meeting proposed criteria based on the Modified Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD)‐6 equation to estimate glomerular filtration rate (GFR).

Janina E.E. Tirnitz‐Parker, John K. Olynyk, Grant A. Ramm – 26 August 2013

Marnie J. Wood, Victoria L. Gadd, Lawrie W. Powell, Grant A. Ramm, Andrew D. Clouston – 26 August 2013 – The development of portal fibrosis following the iron loading of hepatocytes is the first stage of fibrogenesis in hereditary hemochromatosis. In other chronic liver diseases it has been shown that a ductular reaction (DR) appears early, correlates with fibrosis progression, and is a consequence of activation of an alternative pathway of hepatocyte replication. This study was designed to investigate the presence of the DR in hemochromatosis and describe its associations.

Nizar N. Zein, Ibrahim A. Hanouneh, Paul D. Bishop, Maggie Samaan, Bijan Eghtesad, Cristiano Quintini, Charles Miller, Lisa Yerian, Ryan Klatte – 20 August 2013 – The growing demand for liver transplantation and the concomitant scarcity of cadaveric livers have increased the need for living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Ensuring the safety of donors and recipients is critical.

Andrea DiMartini, Ruy J. Cruz, Mary Amanda Dew, Larissa Myaskovsky, Bret Goodpaster, Kristen Fox, Kevin H. Kim, Paulo Fontes – 20 August 2013 – For patients with end‐stage liver disease, commonly used indices of nutritional status (ie, body weight and body mass index) are often inflated because of fluid overload (ie, ascites and peripheral edema), and this results in an underdiagnosis of malnutrition. Because muscle is the largest protein reservoir in the body, an estimate of the muscle mass may be a more reliable and valid estimate of nutritional status.

Kymberly D. Watt – 20 August 2013

Lisa Renee Miller, Daniel Paulson, Anne Eshelman, Mary Bugenski, Kimberly A. Brown, Dilip Moonka, Marwan Abouljoud – 20 August 2013 – There has been little research examining the effects of mental health before liver transplantation on quality of life (QOL) and recovery after transplantation. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to examine how pretransplant depression and anxiety affect mental health, QOL, and recovery after transplantation. Eighty‐two transplant recipients provided data when they were listed for transplantation and 6 months after transplantation.