Frédéric P. Lemaigre – 8 August 2013

Andreas L. Birkenfeld, Gerald I. Shulman – 8 August 2013 – Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), hepatic insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes are all strongly associated and are all reaching epidemic proportions. Whether there is a causal link between NAFLD and hepatic insulin resistance is controversial.

Christopher R. Bolen, Siyuan Ding, Michael D. Robek, Steven H. Kleinstein – 8 August 2013 – Despite activating similar signaling cascades, the type I and type III interferons (IFNs) differ in their ability to antagonize virus replication. However, it is not clear whether these cytokines induce unique antiviral states, particularly in the liver, where the clinically important hepatitis B and C viruses cause persistent infection.

Kenichi Morikawa, Jérôme Gouttenoire, Céline Hernandez, Viet Loan Dao Thi, Huong T.L. Tran, Christian M. Lange, Michael T. Dill, Markus H. Heim, Olivier Donzé, François Penin, Manfredo Quadroni, Darius Moradpour – 8 August 2013 – The hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3‐4A protease is not only an essential component of the viral replication complex and a prime target for antiviral intervention but also a key player in the persistence and pathogenesis of HCV.

Edoardo G. Giannini, Vincenzo Savarino – 8 August 2013

Long Xu, Wenwei Yin, Rui Sun, Haiming Wei, Zhigang Tian – 8 August 2013 – The liver is considered as a unique lymphoid organ favoring the induction of immune tolerance, rather than immunity. Biologists and clinicians alike have a long‐standing interest in how the liver induces systemic immune tolerance, but the mechanism has not yet been well elucidated.

Qing Deng, Kun‐Yu Li, Hui Chen, Ji‐Hong Dai, Yang‐Yang Zhai, Qun Wang, Niu Li, Yu‐Ping Wang, Ze‐Guang Han – 8 August 2013 – Cancer/testis (CT) antigens have been considered therapeutic targets for treating cancers. However, a central question is whether their expression contributes to tumorigenesis or if they are functionally irrelevant by‐products derived from the process of cellular transformation. In any case, these CT antigens are essential for cancer cell survival and may serve as potential therapeutic targets.

Vikash Reebye, Pål Sætrom, Paul J. Mintz, Kai‐Wen Huang, Piotr Swiderski, Ling Peng, Cheng Liu, Xiaoxuan Liu, Steen Lindkær‐Jensen, Dimitris Zacharoulis, Nikolaos Kostomitsopoulos, Noriyuki Kasahara, Joanna P. Nicholls, Long R. Jiao, Madhava Pai, Duncan R. Spalding, Malkhaz Mizandari, Tinatin Chikovani, Mohamed M. Emara, Abdelali Haoudi, Donald A. Tomalia, John J. Rossi, Nagy A. Habib – 8 August 2013 – Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurs predominantly in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Lulu Liu, Yongdong Dai, Jinna Chen, Tingting Zeng, Yan Li, Leilei Chen, Ying‐Hui Zhu, Jiangchao Li, Yan Li, Stephanie Ma, Dan Xie, Yun‐Fei Yuan, Xin‐Yuan Guan – 8 August 2013 – Amplification of 1q is one of the most frequent chromosomal alterations in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study we identified and characterized a novel oncogene, Maelstrom (MAEL), at 1q24. Amplification and overexpression of MAEL was frequently detected in HCCs and significantly associated with HCC recurrence (P = 0.031) and poor outcome (P = 0.001).

Claudia A. Couto, Paulo L. Bittencourt, Gilda Porta, Clarice P. Abrantes‐Lemos, Flair J. Carrilho, Bianca D. Guardia, Eduardo L.R. Cançado – 8 August 2013 – Reactivity and titers of autoantibodies vary during the course of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), and some autoantibodies have been associated with disease activity and adverse outcomes after treatment. The aim of this study was to assess the autoantibody behavior in AIH and its significance as predictors of biochemical and histological remission.