Silja Kosola, Hanna Lampela, Hannu Jalanko, Heikki Mäkisalo, Jouko Lohi, Johanna Arola, Mikko P. Pakarinen – 29 October 2012 – Controversy remains about the role of protocol liver biopsy for symptom‐free recipients and about the long‐term use of low‐dose steroids after pediatric liver transplantation (LT). We conducted a national cross‐sectional study of pediatric recipients who underwent LT between 1987 and 2007.

Henrik Petrowsky, Fady Kaldas, Warwick Peacock, Dean Fisher, Johnny C. Hong, Charles Lassman, Ronald W. Busuttil – 19 October 2012

Jeffrey B. Halldorson, Harry J. Paarsch, Jennifer L. Dodge, Alberto M. Segre, Jennifer Lai, John Paul Roberts – 19 October 2012 – In the United States, livers for transplantation are distributed within donation service areas (DSAs). In DSAs with multiple transplant centers, competition among centers for organs and recipients may affect recipient selection and outcomes in comparison with DSAs with only 1 center. The objective of this study was to determine whether competition within a DSA is associated with posttransplant outcomes and variations in patients wait‐listed within the DSA.

Qiong‐Zhu Dong, Xiao‐Fei Zhang, Yue Zhao, Hu‐Liang Jia, Hai‐Jun Zhou, Chun Dai, Hai‐Jing Sun, Yi Qin, Wei‐De Zhang, Ning Ren, Qing‐Hai Ye, Lun‐Xiu Qin – 18 October 2012 – Osteopontin (OPN) plays a crucial role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasis. However, little is known about the impact of OPN polymorphisms on cancer progression. In this study, we first identified the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the OPN promoter region by direct sequencing in 30 HCCs, and then evaluated the prognostic values of the selected ones in two large cohorts of 826 HCC patients.

Ya‐Hui Chen, Mei‐Hwei Chang, Chin‐Sung Chien, Shang‐Hsin Wu, Chun‐Hsien Yu, Hui‐Ling Chen – 18 October 2012 – The potential lineage relationship between hepatic oval cells, small hepatocyte‐like progenitor cells (SHPCs), and hepatocytes in liver regeneration is debated. To test whether mature hepatocytes can give rise to SHPCs, rats with dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV) chimeric livers, which harbored endogenous DPPIV‐deficient hepatocytes and transplanted DPPIV‐positive hepatocytes, were subjected to retrorsine treatment followed by partial hepatectomy (PH).

Muhammad N. Zahid, Marine Turek, Fei Xiao, Viet Loan Dao Thi, Maryse Guérin, Isabel Fofana, Philippe Bachellier, John Thompson, Leen Delang, Johan Neyts, Dorothea Bankwitz, Thomas Pietschmann, Marlène Dreux, François‐Loïc Cosset, Fritz Grunert, Thomas F. Baumert, Mirjam B. Zeisel – 18 October 2012 – Scavenger receptor class B type I (SR‐BI) is a high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) receptor highly expressed in the liver and modulating HDL metabolism.

Bibo Ke, Xiu‐Da Shen, Naoko Kamo, Haofeng Ji, Shi Yue, Feng Gao, Ronald W. Busuttil, Jerzy W. Kupiec‐Weglinski – 18 October 2012 – Dendritic cells (DCs) are critical mediators of immune responses that integrate signals from the innate immune system to orchestrate adaptive host immunity. This study was designed to investigate the role and molecular mechanisms of STAT3‐induced β‐catenin in the regulation of DC function and inflammatory responses in vitro and in vivo.

Lei Zhao, Su Yin Lim, Alex N. Gordon‐Weeks, Thomas T. Tapmeier, Jae Hong Im, Yunhong Cao, John Beech, Danny Allen, Sean Smart, Ruth J. Muschel – 18 October 2012 – Liver metastasis from colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer mortality. Myeloid cells play pivotal roles in the metastatic process, but their prometastatic functions in liver metastasis remain incompletely understood. To investigate their role, we simulated liver metastasis in C57BL/6 mice through intrasplenic inoculation of MC38 colon carcinoma cells.

Maria J. Perugorria, Lindsay B. Murphy, Nicola Fullard, Jayashree B. Chakraborty, Dimitra Vyrla, Caroline L. Wilson, Fiona Oakley, Jelena Mann, Derek A. Mann – 18 October 2012 – Toll‐like receptors (TLRs) function as key regulators of liver fibrosis and are able to modulate the fibrogenic actions of nonparenchymal liver cells. The fibrogenic signaling events downstream of TLRs on Kupffer cells (KCs) and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are poorly defined.

Loïc Rolas, Nesrine Makhezer, Soumeya Hadjoudj, Jamel El‐Benna, Bahia Djerdjouri, Laure Elkrief, Richard Moreau, Axel Périanin – 18 October 2012 – Cirrhosis is commonly accompanied by impaired defense functions of polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNs), increased patient susceptibility to infections, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). PMN antimicrobial activity is dependent on a massive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) 2 (NADPH oxidase 2; NOX2), termed respiratory burst (RB).