Mark W. Russo, Christoph Wald – 23 January 2013 – Watch a video presentation of this article

Juan G. Abraldes, Enric Reverter, Annalisa Berzigotti – 21 January 2013

Maximilian Hatting, Gang Zhao, Fabienne Schumacher, Gernot Sellge, Malika Al Masaoudi, Nikolaus Gaβler, Mark Boekschoten, Michael Müller, Christian Liedtke, Francisco Javier Cubero, Christian Trautwein – 21 January 2013 – In human and murine models of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), increased hepatocyte apoptosis is a critical mechanism contributing to inflammation and fibrogenesis. Caspase 8 (Casp8) is essential for death‐receptor‐mediated apoptosis activity and therefore its modulation might be critical for the pathogenesis of NASH.

Hui Peng, Lily Dara, Tony W.H. Li, Yuhua Zheng, Heping Yang, Maria Lauda Tomasi, Ivan Tomasi, Pasquale Giordano, Jose M. Mato, Shelly C. Lu – 16 January 2013 – Methionine adenosyltransferase 2B (MAT2B) encodes for two variant proteins (V1 and V2) that promote cell growth. Using in‐solution proteomics, GIT1 (G Protein Coupled Receptor Kinase Interacting ArfGAP 1) was identified as a potential interacting partner of MAT2B. Here, we examined the functional significance of this interplay. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments examined protein interactions.

Chia‐Hsuin Chang, Jou‐Wei Lin, Mei‐Shu Lai, Lee‐Ming Chuang – 16 January 2013

Yi‐Ming Tao, Jin‐Lin Huang, Shan Zeng, Sai Zhang, Xue‐Gong Fan, Zhi‐Ming Wang, Hui‐Xiang Yang, Xiao‐Hua Yuan, Pu Wang, Fan Wu, Jia Luo, De‐Yu Zeng, Hong Shen – 16 January 2013 – Epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a critical step in the metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). BTB/POZ domain‐containing protein 7 (BTBD7) regulates EMT‐associated proteins implicated in HCC progression. However, the role(s) of BTBD7 in HCC have not been identified.

Su Mi Choi, Yonghak Kim, Joong Sup Shim, Joon Tae Park, Rui‐Hong Wang, Steven D. Leach, Jun O. Liu, Chuxia Deng, Zhaohui Ye, Yoon‐Young Jang – 16 January 2013 – Patient‐specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) represent a potential source for developing novel drug and cell therapies. Although increasing numbers of disease‐specific iPSCs have been generated, there has been limited progress in iPSC‐based drug screening/discovery for liver diseases, and the low gene‐targeting efficiency in human iPSCs warrants further improvement.

Boris Görg, Hans‐Jürgen Bidmon, Dieter Häussinger – 16 January 2013 – Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a frequent complication of liver cirrhosis and is seen as the clinical manifestation of a low‐grade cerebral edema associated with oxidative‐nitrosative stress. However, comprehensive data on HE‐associated molecular derangements in the human brain are lacking. In the present study, we used a whole human genome microarray approach for gene expression profiling in post mortem brain samples from patients with cirrhosis with or without HE and controls without cirrhosis.

Jason Grebely, Jordan J. Feld, Tanya Applegate, Gail V. Matthews, Margaret Hellard, Alana Sherker, Kathy Petoumenos, Geng Zang, Ineke Shaw, Barbara Yeung, Jacob George, Suzy Teutsch, John M. Kaldor, Vera Cherepanov, Julie Bruneau, Naglaa H. Shoukry, Andrew R. Lloyd, Gregory J. Dore – 16 January 2013 – Systemic levels of interferon‐gamma‐inducible protein‐10 (IP‐10) are predictive of treatment‐induced clearance in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV).

Kristin A. Moy, Li Jiao, Neal D. Freedman, Stephanie J. Weinstein, Rashmi Sinha, Jarmo Virtamo, Demetrius Albanes, Rachael Z. Stolzenberg‐Solomon – 16 January 2013 – Binding of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) to their receptor (RAGE) increases oxidative stress and inflammation and may be involved in liver injury and subsequent carcinogenesis. Soluble RAGE (sRAGE) may neutralize the effects mediated by the AGE/RAGE complex. Epidemiologic studies examining sRAGE or AGEs in association with liver cancer are lacking.