Assessment of hepatic steatosis by transplant surgeon and expert pathologist: A prospective, double‐blind evaluation of 201 donor livers

Hasan Yersiz, Coney Lee, Fady M. Kaldas, Johnny C. Hong, Abbas Rana, Gabriel T. Schnickel, Jason A. Wertheim, Ali Zarrinpar, Vatche G. Agopian, Jeffrey Gornbein, Bita V. Naini, Charles R. Lassman, Ronald W. Busuttil, Henrik Petrowsky – 13 February 2013 – An accurate clinical assessment of hepatic steatosis before transplantation is critical for successful outcomes after liver transplantation, especially if a pathologist is not available at the time of procurement.

Increased morbidity in overweight and obese liver transplant recipients: A single‐center experience of 1325 patients from the United Kingdom

Abdul R. Hakeem, Andrew J. Cockbain, Syed S. Raza, Stephen G. Pollard, Giles J. Toogood, Magdy A. Attia, Niaz Ahmad, Ernest L. Hidalgo, K. Raj Prasad, Krishna V. Menon – 13 February 2013 – Obesity levels in the United Kingdom have risen over the years. Studies from the United States and elsewhere have reported variable outcomes for obese liver transplant recipients in terms of post–liver transplant morbidity, mortality, and graft survival. This study was designed to analyze the impact of the body mass index (BMI) on outcomes following adult liver transplantation.

Early biochemical response to ursodeoxycholic acid and long‐term prognosis of primary biliary cirrhosis: Results of a 14‐year cohort study

Li‐Na Zhang, Tian‐Yan Shi, Xu‐Hua Shi, Li Wang, Yun‐Jiao Yang, Bin Liu, Li‐Xia Gao, Zong‐Wen Shuai, Fang Kong, Hua Chen, Wei Han, Shao‐Mei Han, Yun‐Yun Fei, Quan‐Cai Cui, Qian Wang, Min Shen, Dong Xu, Wen‐Jie Zheng, Yong‐Zhe Li, Wen Zhang, Xuan Zhang, Feng‐Chun Zhang – 13 February 2013 – The biochemical response to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in primary biliary cirrhosis is a strong predictor of long‐term outcome and thus facilitates the rapid identification of patients needing new therapeutic approaches.

The mTOR pathway in hepatic malignancies

Mamatha Bhat, Nahum Sonenberg, Gregory J. Gores – 13 February 2013 – The mechanistic/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway plays a critical role in cellular metabolism, growth, and proliferation and has been evaluated as a target for therapy in various malignancies. The mTOR pathway is a major tumor‐initiating pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma, with up‐regulation seen in up to 50% of tumors. Metformin, which represses mTOR signaling by activating adenosine monophosphate–activated protein kinase, has been shown to decrease liver carcinogenesis in population studies.

Hemodynamic response to propranolol in patients with recurrent hepatitis C virus–related cirrhosis after liver transplantation: A case‐control study

Filippo Schepis, Ranka Vukotic, Annalisa Berzigotti, José A. Carrión, Xavier Forns, Juan G. Abraldes, Juan‐Carlos García‐Valdecasas, Miguel Navasa, Juan‐Carlos García‐Pagán, Jaime Bosch – 13 February 2013 – Cirrhosis recurrence is frequent after orthotopic liver transplantation for hepatitis C virus (HCV). Because transplantation causes liver denervation, we hypothesized that the response to propranolol might differ in transplant patients versus nontransplant patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension.

Sorafenib delays recurrence and metastasis after liver transplantation in a rat model of hepatocellular carcinoma with high expression of phosphorylated extracellular signal‐regulated kinase

Jun Yan, Changjun Tan, Fangming Gu, Jiahao Jiang, Min Xu, Xiuzhen Huang, Zhi Dai, Zheng Wang, Jia Fan, Jian Zhou – 13 February 2013 – Liver transplantation (LT) is one of the curative treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, cancer recurrence and metastasis after LT are common in some HCC patients with high‐risk factors (even in those within the Milan criteria). It remains unclear whether adjuvant therapy with sorafenib inhibits HCC recurrence and metastasis after LT. Therefore, we performed orthotopic LT in an August Irish Copenhagen (ACI) rat model of HCC.

Deficiency of intestinal mucin‐2 ameliorates experimental alcoholic liver disease in mice

Phillipp Hartmann, Peng Chen, Hui J. Wang, Lirui Wang, Declan F. McCole, Katharina Brandl, Peter Stärkel, Clara Belzer, Claus Hellerbrand, Hidekazu Tsukamoto, Samuel B. Ho, Bernd Schnabl – 13 February 2013 – The intestinal mucus layer protects the epithelium from noxious agents, viruses, and pathogenic bacteria present in the gastrointestinal tract. It is composed of mucins, predominantly mucin (Muc) 2, secreted by goblet cells of the intestine.

Prospective Evaluation of Single‐Operator Peroral Cholangioscopy in Liver Transplant Recipients Requiring an Evaluation of the Biliary Tract

Domingo Balderramo, Oriol Sendino, Rosa Miquel, Cristina Rodriguez de Miguel, Josep M. Bordas, Graciela Martinez‐Palli, Maria L. Leoz, Antoni Rimola, Miguel Navasa, Josep Llach, Andrés Cardenas – 12 February 2013 – In this descriptive study, we examined the role of single‐operator cholangioscopy (SOC) in the evaluation of biliary complications after liver transplantation (LT). We prospectively included adult recipients of deceased donor LT who were referred for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography between June 2009 and July 2011.

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