Angelina Mouralidarane, Junpei Soeda, Clara Visconti‐Pugmire, Anne‐Maj Samuelsson, Joaquim Pombo, Xanthi Maragkoudaki, Adil Butt, Ruma Saraswati, Marco Novelli, Guiseppe Fusai, Lucilla Poston, Paul D. Taylor, Jude A. Oben – 12 January 2013 – The global prevalence of obesity‐induced liver disease (nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; NAFLD) is rising. Suggested causes include a role for in utero influences of maternal obesity compounded by the availability of energy‐dense foods throughout postnatal life.

Chad Walesky, Genea Edwards, Prachi Borude, Sumedha Gunewardena, Maura O'Neil, Byunggil Yoo, Udayan Apte – 12 January 2013 – Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4α), the master regulator of hepatocyte differentiation, has been recently shown to inhibit hepatocyte proliferation by way of unknown mechanisms. We investigated the mechanisms of HNF4α‐induced inhibition of hepatocyte proliferation using a novel tamoxifen (TAM)‐inducible, hepatocyte‐specific HNF4α knockdown mouse model.

Christopher E. McGowan, Ali Monis, Bruce R. Bacon, Josep Mallolas, Fernando L. Goncales, Ioannis Goulis, Fred Poordad, Nezam Afdhal, Stefan Zeuzem, Teerha Piratvisuth, Patrick Marcellin, Michael W. Fried – 12 January 2013 – Chronic infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality. Although recent advances in antiviral therapy have led to significant improvements in treatment response rates, only a minority of infected patients are treated. Multiple barriers may impede the delivery of HCV therapy.

Alina Pascale, Olivier Chazouillères, Lawrence Serfaty – 12 January 2013

Xin‐Long Yan, Ya‐Li Jia, Lin Chen, Quan Zeng, Jun‐Nian Zhou, Chun‐Jiang Fu, Hai‐Xu Chen, Hong‐Feng Yuan, Zhi‐Wei Li, Lei Shi, Ying‐Chen Xu, Jing‐Xue Wang, Xiao‐Mei Zhang, Li‐Juan He, Chao Zhai, Wen Yue, Xue‐Tao Pei – 12 January 2013 – Cancer‐associated mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) play a pivotal role in modulating tumor progression. However, the interactions between liver cancer‐associated MSCs (LC‐MSCs) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unreported. Here, we identified the presence of MSCs in HCC tissues.

Kerrilynn Carney, Sameer Dhalla, Ayse Aytaman, Craig T. Tenner, Fritz Francois – 12 January 2013 – Although injection drug use (IDU) and blood transfusions prior to 1992 are well‐accepted risk factors for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, many studies that evaluated tattooing as a risk factor for HCV infection did not control for a history of IDU or transfusion prior to 1992.

Petia Jeliazkova, Simone Jörs, Marcel Lee, Ursula Zimber‐Strobl, Jorge Ferrer, Roland M. Schmid, Jens T. Siveke, Fabian Geisler – 12 January 2013 – Notch signaling through the Notch2 receptor is essential for normal biliary tubulogenesis during liver development. However, the signaling events downstream of Notch2 critical for this process are less well defined. Furthermore, whether Notch signaling also underlies adult hepatic cell fate decisions is largely unknown.

Xiang‐Dan Cui, Mi‐Jin Lee, Jong‐Hyun Kim, Pei‐Pei Hao, Lan Liu, Goung‐Ran Yu, Dae‐Ghon Kim – 11 January 2013 – Eph receptor 2 (EphA2) overexpression is frequently accompanied by the loss of its cognate ligand during tumor progression. However, the molecular mechanism of this ligand‐independent promotion of tumor by EphA2 remains unclear in highly malignant and fatal cholangiocarcinoma (CC). We examined the biological role of EphA2 in tumor growth and metastasis in CC tissues and cells according to the degree of differentiation and we explored the downstream signaling pathways of EphA2.

Ruben Terg – 8 January 2013

Karima Begriche, Julie Massart, Marie‐Anne Robin, Fabrice Bonnet, Bernard Fromenty – 8 January 2013 – The worldwide epidemic of obesity and insulin resistance favors nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Insulin resistance (IR) in the adipose tissue increases lipolysis and the entry of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFAs) in the liver, whereas IR‐associated hyperinsulinemia promotes hepatic de novo lipogenesis. However, several hormonal and metabolic adaptations are set up in order to restrain hepatic fat accumulation, such as increased mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation (mtFAO).