Lower liver‐related death in African‐American women with human immunodeficiency virus/hepatitis C virus coinfection, compared to Caucasian and Hispanic women

Monika Sarkar, Peter Bacchetti, Audrey L. French, Phyllis Tien, Marshall J. Glesby, Marek Nowicki, Michael Plankey, Stephen Gange, Gerald Sharp, Howard Minkoff, Marion G. Peters, for the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) – 22 May 2012 – Among individuals with and without concurrent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), racial/ethnic differences in the natural history of hepatitis C virus (HCV) have been described. African Americans have lower spontaneous HCV clearance than Caucasians, yet slower rates of liver fibrosis once chronically infected.

Megakaryocytes promote hepatoepithelial liver cell development in E11.5 mouse embryos by cell‐to‐cell contact and by vascular endothelial growth factor A signaling

Natalia Serrano, Isabel Cortegano, Carolina Ruiz, Mario Alía, Belén de Andrés, María Teresa Rejas, Miguel A.R. Marcos, María Luisa Gaspar – 21 May 2012 – In the mouse embryo, hematopoietic progenitor cells migrate to the fetal liver (FL) between gestational days (E) 9.5 and 10.5, where they rapidly expand to form the main fetal reservoir of hematopoietic cells. The embryonic megakaryocyte progenitors (MKPs) in the E11.5 FL were identified as CD49fHCD41H (and c‐KitDKDR+CD42+CD9++CD31+) cells, expressing several hepato‐specific proteins.

Tracing hepatitis B virus to the 16th century in a Korean mummy

Gila Kahila Bar‐Gal, Myeung Ju Kim, Athalia Klein, Dong Hoon Shin, Chang Seok Oh, Jong Wan Kim, Tae‐Hyun Kim, Seok Bae Kim, Paul R. Grant, Orit Pappo, Mark Spigelman, Daniel Shouval – 21 May 2012 – A rare find of a mummified child from the 16th century AD, in Korea, with relatively preserved organs, enabled a search for ancient hepatitis B virus (aHBV) DNA sequences from laparoscopic‐derived liver biopsies.

Lower serum hepcidin and greater parenchymal iron in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease patients with C282Y HFE mutations

James E. Nelson, Elizabeth M. Brunt, Kris V. Kowdley, for the Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network – 21 May 2012 – Hepcidin regulation is linked to both iron and inflammatory signals and may influence iron loading in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The aim of this study was to examine the relationships among HFE genotype, serum hepcidin level, hepatic iron deposition, and histology in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

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