Eric R. Kallwitz, Veronica Loy, Praveen Mettu, Natasha Roenn, Jamie Berkes, Scott J. Cotler – 25 July 2013 – There is a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome in liver transplant recipients, a population that tends to be physically inactive. The aim of this study was to characterize physical activity and evaluate the relationship between physical activity and metabolic syndrome after liver transplantation. A cross‐sectional analysis was performed in patients more than 3 months after transplantation.

Jessica Howell, Rohit Sawhney, Adam Testro, Narelle Skinner, Paul Gow, Peter Angus, Dilip Ratnam, Kumar Visvanathan – 25 July 2013 – Toll‐like receptors (TLRs) play a key role in transplantation biology. The effect of immunosuppression on TLR function after liver transplantation is unknown. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 113 post–liver transplant patients and 13 healthy controls were stimulated with TLR‐specific ligands [lipopolysaccharide (TLR4), pan‐3‐cys (P3C) (TLR2), Poly (I:C) (PIC) (TLR3), R848 (TLR7/8), and CpG (TLR9)] for 24 hours.

Antonio J. Carcas‐Sansuán, Loreto Hierro, Gonzalo N. Almeida‐Paulo, Esteban Frauca, Hoi Yan Tong, Carmen Díaz, Enrique Piñana, Jesús Frías‐Iniesta, Paloma Jara – 25 July 2013 – The recommended dose of Advagraf for conversion from Prograf is considered to be 1:1 on a milligram basis. However, the long‐term equivalence of Prograf and Advagraf has been questioned.

Alan Wigg, Kenneth Hon, Leigh Mosel, Nicole Sladden, Kevin Palumbo – 25 July 2013 – Despite the widespread use of locoregional therapies [radiofrequency ablation and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE)], there is currently a lack of high‐quality evidence supporting their use for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients on the liver transplantation (LT) waiting list or requiring down‐staging. Radiotherapy has rarely been used in this setting and has usually been in the form of more complex and less accessible techniques such as proton‐beam and stereotactic body radiation therapy.

Anne Frentzen, Anggakusuma, Engin Gürlevik, Kathrin Hueging, Sarah Knocke, Corinne Ginkel, Richard J.P. Brown, Markus Heim, Michael T. Dill, Andrea Kröger, Ulrich Kalinke, Lars Kaderali, Florian Kuehnel, Thomas Pietschmann – 19 July 2013 – Only humans and chimpanzees are susceptible to chronic infection by hepatitis C virus (HCV). The restricted species tropism of HCV is determined by distinct host factor requirements at different steps of the viral life cycle. In addition, effective innate immune targeting precludes efficient propagation of HCV in nonhuman cells.

Behnam Saberi, Maria D. Ybanez, Heather S. Johnson, William A. Gaarde, Derick Han, Neil Kaplowitz – 19 July 2013 – This study examines the role of protein kinase C (PKC) and AMP‐activated kinase (AMPK) in acetaminophen (APAP) hepatotoxicity. Treatment of primary mouse hepatocytes with broad‐spectrum PKC inhibitors (Ro‐31‐8245, Go6983), protected against APAP cytotoxicity despite sustained c‐jun‐N‐terminal kinase (JNK) activation. Broad‐spectrum PKC inhibitor treatment enhanced p‐AMPK levels and AMPK regulated survival‐energy pathways including autophagy.

Alexandru I. Musat, Courtney M. Pigott, Thomas M. Ellis, Rashmi M. Agni, Glen E. Leverson, Amy J. Powell, Katelyn R. Richards, Anthony M. D'Alessandro, Michael R. Lucey – 19 July 2013 – The significance of preexisting donor‐specific HLA antibodies (HLA‐DSAs) for liver allograft function is unclear. Our previous studies have shown that humoral alloreactivity frequently accompanies acute cellular rejection (ACR).

Brian L. Pearlman, Carole Ehleben – 19 July 2013 – The new standard of care for treatment‐naïve patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 includes triple therapy with peginterferon, ribavirin, and a protease inhibitor. However, patients who achieve a rapid virologic response after 4 weeks of peginterferon and ribavirin therapy are likely to achieve a sustained virologic response (SVR), and we hypothesized that protease inhibitor therapy may be unnecessary in these patients.

Jonathan A. Fallowfield, Annette L. Hayden, Victoria K. Snowdon, Rebecca L. Aucott, Ben M. Stutchfield, Damian J. Mole, Antonella Pellicoro, Timothy T. Gordon‐Walker, Alexander Henke, Joerg Schrader, Palak J. Trivedi, Marc Princivalle, Stuart J. Forbes, Jane E. Collins, John P. Iredale – 19 July 2013 – Active myofibroblast (MF) contraction contributes significantly to the increased intrahepatic vascular resistance that is the primary cause of portal hypertension (PHT) in cirrhosis.

Rodrigo Liberal, Yoh Zen, Giorgina Mieli‐Vergani, Diego Vergani – 19 July 2013 – Liver transplantation (LT) is an effective treatment for patients with end‐stage autoimmune liver diseases such as primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and autoimmune hepatitis. Indications for LT for these diseases do not differ substantially from those used for other acute or chronic liver diseases. Despite the good outcomes reported, the recurrence of autoimmune liver disease is relatively common in the allograft.