Chi‐Kuan Chen, Ching‐Yao Yang, Kuo‐Tai Hua, Ming‐Chih Ho, Gunnar Johansson, Yung‐Ming Jeng, Chiung‐Nien Chen, Min‐Wei Chen, Wei‐Jiunn Lee, Jen‐Liang Su, Tsung‐Ching Lai, Chi‐Chi Chou, Bing‐Ching Ho, Chuan‐Fa Chang, Po‐Huang Lee, King‐Jen Chang, Michael Hsiao, Ming‐Tsan Lin, Min‐Liang Kuo – 1 October 2013 – Leukocyte cell‐derived chemotoxin 2 (LECT2) has been shown to act as a tumor suppressor in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the underlying mechanism has not yet been completely defined.

Tohru Itoh, Atsushi Miyajima – 1 October 2013 – The liver is renowned for its strong, robust regenerative capacity, employing different modes of regeneration according to type and extent of injury. The process of compensatory hypertrophy of the liver upon partial hepatectomy has been standing as a classical model for studying organ regeneration in mammals and a subject of exhaustive analyses. Meanwhile, in view of the physiological relevance for many of the human liver pathologies induced upon toxic insults or hepatitis, other injury models have recently drawn increasing attention.

1 October 2013

1 October 2013

Donald B. Smith, Jens Bukh, Carla Kuiken, A. Scott Muerhoff, Charles M. Rice, Jack T. Stapleton, Peter Simmonds – 1 October 2013 – The 2005 consensus proposal for the classification of hepatitis C virus (HCV) presented an agreed and uniform nomenclature for HCV variants and the criteria for their assignment into genotypes and subtypes. Since its publication, the available dataset of HCV sequences has vastly expanded through advancement in nucleotide sequencing technologies and an increasing focus on the role of HCV genetic variation in disease and treatment outcomes.

Eric Trépo, Pierre Nahon, Gianluca Bontempi, Luca Valenti, Edmondo Falleti, Hans‐Dieter Nischalke, Samia Hamza, Stefano Ginanni Corradini, Maria Antonella Burza, Erwan Guyot, Benedetta Donati, Ulrich Spengler, Patrick Hillon, Pierluigi Toniutto, Jean Henrion, Denis Franchimont, Jacques Devière, Philippe Mathurin, Christophe Moreno, Stefano Romeo, Pierre Deltenre – 1 October 2013 – The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is increasing in Western countries. Although several clinical factors have been identified, many individuals never develop HCC, suggesting a genetic susceptibility.

Ira J. Fox, Stephen A. Duncan – 1 October 2013

Antonio Sica, Pietro Invernizzi, Alberto Mantovani – 1 October 2013 – Resident and recruited macrophages are key players in the homeostatic function of the liver and in its response to tissue damage. In response to environmental signals, macrophages undergo polarized activation to M1 or M2 or M2‐like activation states. These are extremes of a spectrum in a universe of activation states. Progress has been made in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the polarized activation of mononuclear phagocytes.

Tingting Li, Shaomei Zhu, Lifang Shuai, Yuxia Xu, Sen Yin, Yixin Bian, Yuanzhan Wang, Bingfeng Zuo, Wenjing Wang, Shuoxian Zhao, Ling Zhang, Jingang Zhang, George F. Gao, Jean‐Pierre Allain, Chengyao Li – 1 October 2013 – The development of vaccination and novel therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been hampered by the lack of suitable small‐animal models. GB virus B (GBV‐B), closely related to HCV, causes viral hepatitis in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchue jacchus) and might represent an attractive surrogate model for HCV infection.

Xin‐An Wang, Ran Zhang, Zhi‐Gang She, Xiao‐Fei Zhang, Ding‐Sheng Jiang, Tao Wang, Lu Gao, Wei Deng, Shu‐Min Zhang, Li‐Hua Zhu, Sen Guo, Ke Chen, Xiao‐Dong Zhang, De‐Pei Liu, Hongliang Li – 1 October 2013 – Obesity and related metabolic diseases associated with chronic low‐grade inflammation greatly compromise human health. Previous observations on the roles of interferon regulatory factors (IRFs) in the regulation of metabolism prompted investigation of the involvement of a key family member, IRF3, in metabolic disorders.