Flavio G. Rocha, Hwajeong Lee, Nora Katabi, Ronald P. DeMatteo, Yuman Fong, Michael I. D'Angelica, Peter J. Allen, David S. Klimstra, William R. Jarnagin – 13 April 2012 – Intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct (IPNB) is a variant of bile duct carcinoma characterized by intraductal growth and better outcome compared with the more common nodular‐sclerosing type. IPNB is a recognized precursor of invasive carcinoma, but its pathogenesis and natural history are ill‐defined. This study examines the clinicopathologic features and outcomes of IPNB.

Yan Liang, Zaixing Yang, Renqian Zhong – 13 April 2012 – Several studies have indicated that primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) may be associated with increased risk of some cancers, but the results are controversial. We conducted a systematic review of studies to examine the association of PBC with cancer risk by meta‐analysis. We searched the PubMed and EMBASE databases for English‐language studies published before November 2011. Studies were included if they reported relative risk estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) or related data for the association between PBC and cancer risk.

Lucy Golden‐Mason, Amy E.L. Stone, Kiran M. Bambha, Linling Cheng, Hugo R. Rosen – 13 April 2012 – Major racial and gender differences have been documented in the natural history and treatment responses of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection; however, distinct mechanisms have remained enigmatic. We hypothesized that racial‐ and gender‐related differences in natural killer (NK) cell populations may explain altered natural history and treatment responses.

Daisuke Kawai, Akinobu Takaki, Atsuko Nakatsuka, Jun Wada, Naofumi Tamaki, Tetsuya Yasunaka, Kazuko Koike, Ryuichiro Tsuzaki, Kazuyuki Matsumoto, Yasuhiro Miyake, Hidenori Shiraha, Manabu Morita, Hirofumi Makino, Kazuhide Yamamoto – 13 April 2012 – Oxidative stress is a strong contributor to the progression from simple fatty liver to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Molecular hydrogen is an effective antioxidant that reduces cytotoxic reactive oxygen species.

Silvia Sookoian, Gustavo O. Castaño, Carlos J. Pirola – 13 April 2012

Yuko Kageyama, Hitoshi Ikeda, Naoko Watanabe, Masakazu Nagamine, Yoshika Kusumoto, Mitsuru Yashiro, Yumiko Satoh, Tatsuo Shimosawa, Koji Shinozaki, Tomoaki Tomiya, Yukiko Inoue, Takako Nishikawa, Natsuko Ohtomo, Yasushi Tanoue, Hiromitsu Yokota, Takatoshi Koyama, Kazuhiro Ishimaru, Yasuo Okamoto, Yoh Takuwa, Kazuhiko Koike, Yutaka Yatomi – 13 April 2012 – Sinusoidal vasoconstriction, in which hepatic stellate cells operate as contractile machinery, has been suggested to play a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of portal hypertension.

Hang Li, Ke Wu, Kaixiong Tao, Libo Chen, Qichang Zheng, Xiaoming Lu, Jun Liu, Liang Shi, Chuanqiao Liu, Guobin Wang, Weiping Zou – 13 April 2012 – The interaction between T cell immunoglobulin‐ and mucin‐domain‐containing molecule (Tim‐3) expressed on T helper 1 (Th1) cells, and its ligand, galectin‐9, negatively regulates Th1‐mediated immune responses. However, it is poorly understood if and how the Tim‐3/galectin‐9 signaling pathway is involved in immune escape in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Rohit Loomba, Maria Abraham, Aynur Unalp, Laura Wilson, Joel Lavine, Ed Doo, Nathan M. Bass, the Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network – 13 April 2012 – Previous studies have shown familial aggregation of insulin resistance and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Therefore, we aimed to examine whether family history of diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and fibrosis in patients with NAFLD.

Theresa C. Hemsworth‐Peterson – 13 April 2012

John P. Rice, David Burnett, Helena Tsotsis, Mary J. Lindstrom, Daniel D. Cornett, Patricia Voermans, Jill Sawyer, Rob Striker, Michael R. Lucey – 13 April 2012 – The prevalence of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among incarcerated individuals in the United States is estimated to be between 12% and 31%. HCV treatment during incarceration is an attractive option because of improved access to health care and directly observed therapy.