An alpaca nanobody inhibits hepatitis C virus entry and cell‐to‐cell transmission

Alexander W. Tarr, Pierre Lafaye, Luke Meredith, Laurence Damier‐Piolle, Richard A. Urbanowicz, Annalisa Meola, Jean‐Luc Jestin, Richard J. P. Brown, Jane A. McKeating, Felix A. Rey, Jonathan K. Ball, Thomas Krey – 28 March 2013 – Severe liver disease caused by chronic hepatitis C virus is the major indication for liver transplantation. Despite recent advances in antiviral therapy, drug toxicity and unwanted side effects render effective treatment in liver‐transplanted patients a challenging task.

Serum alpha‐fetoprotein level independently predicts posttransplant survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Kristin Berry, George N. Ioannou – 27 March 2013 – We aimed to determine whether combining serum alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP) level with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumor burden would allow better stratification of posttransplant survival for patients with HCC undergoing liver transplantation. Adjusting for donor and recipient characteristics, we calculated the risk of posttransplant mortality associated with serum AFP level or HCC tumor burden for all first‐time adult liver transplants performed in the United States between 2002 and 2011 (n = 45,267).

Regulation of cholesterol and bile acid homeostasis by the cholesterol 7α‐hydroxylase/steroid response element‐binding protein 2/microRNA‐33a axis in mice

Tiangang Li, Jessica M. Francl, Shannon Boehme, John Y. L. Chiang – 27 March 2013 – Bile acid synthesis not only produces physiological detergents required for intestinal nutrient absorption, but also plays a critical role in regulating hepatic and whole‐body metabolic homeostasis. We recently reported that overexpression of cholesterol 7α‐hydroxylase (CYP7A1) in the liver resulted in improved metabolic homeostasis in Cyp7a1 transgenic (Cyp7a1‐tg) mice. This study further investigated the molecular links between bile acid metabolism and lipid homeostasis.

Discovery of naturally occurring transmissible chronic hepatitis B virus infection among Macaca fascicularis from mauritius island

Tatiana Dupinay, Tarik Gheit, Pierre Roques, Lucyna Cova, Philippe Chevallier‐Queyron, Shin‐i Tasahsu, Roger Grand, François Simon, Geneviève Cordier, Lahcen Wakrim, Soumaya Benjelloun, Christian Trépo, Isabelle Chemin – 27 March 2013 – Despite a high prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in endangered apes, no HBV infection has been reported in small, old‐world monkeys. In search for a small, nonhuman primate model, we investigated the prevalence of HBV infection in 260 macaque (Cercopithecidae) sera of various geographical origins (i.e., Morocco, Mauritius Island, and Asia).

Expression of SLC22A1 variants may affect the response of hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma to sorafenib

Elisa Herraez, Elisa Lozano, Rocio I.R. Macias, Javier Vaquero, Luis Bujanda, Jesus M. Banales, Jose J.G. Marin, Oscar Briz – 26 March 2013 – Reduced drug uptake is an important mechanism of chemoresistance. Down‐regulation of SLC22A1 encoding the organic cation transporter‐1 (OCT1) may affect the response of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CGC) to sorafenib, a cationic drug. Here we investigated whether SLC22A1 variants may contribute to sorafenib chemoresistance.

Chronic plus binge ethanol feeding synergistically induces neutrophil infiltration and liver injury in mice: A critical role for E‐selectin

Adeline Bertola, Ogyi Park, Bin Gao – 26 March 2013 – Chronic plus binge ethanol feeding acts synergistically to induce liver injury in mice, but the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain unclear. Here, we show that chronic plus binge ethanol feeding synergistically up‐regulated the hepatic expression of interleukin‐1β and tumor necrosis factor alpha and induced neutrophil accumulation in the liver, compared with chronic or binge feeding alone.

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