Pascal Lapierre, Kathie Béland, Roland Yang, Fernando Alvarez – 22 August 2012 – Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is characterized by a loss of immunological tolerance to hepatocytes. Patients respond well to immunosuppression but progression to endstage liver disease occurs in 10%‐20% of cases, leading to liver transplantation. Using a murine model of type 2 AIH, we identified susceptibility factors for autoimmune hepatitis and attempted to restore immunological tolerance to liver autoantigens.

Michele De Palma, George Coukos, David Semela – 22 August 2012

Evaggelia Liaskou, Henning W. Zimmermann, Ka‐Kit Li, Ye H. Oo, Shankar Suresh, Zania Stamataki, Omar Qureshi, Patricia F. Lalor, Jean Shaw, Wing‐kin Syn, Stuart M. Curbishley, David H. Adams – 22 August 2012 – Liver fibrosis is a wound healing response to chronic liver injury and inflammation in which macrophages and infiltrating monocytes participate in both the development and resolution phase. In humans, three monocyte subsets have been identified: the classical CD14++CD16−, intermediate CD14++CD16+, and nonclassical CD14+CD16++ monocytes.

Philip Lee, Waifook Leong, Trish Tan, Miangkee Lim, Weiping Han, George K. Radda – 22 August 2012 – The pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes is characterized by impaired insulin action and increased hepatic glucose production (HGP). Despite the importance of hepatic metabolic aberrations in diabetes development, there is currently no molecular probe that allows measurement of hepatic gluconeogenic pathways in vivo and in a noninvasive manner.

Nikolaus Jilg, Raymond T. Chung – 22 August 2012

Joo‐Won Park, Woo‐Jae Park, Yael Kuperman, Sigalit Boura‐Halfon, Yael Pewzner‐Jung, Anthony H. Futerman – 22 August 2012 – Sphingolipids are important structural components of cell membranes and act as critical regulators of cell function by modulating intracellular signaling pathways.

Alexander Pedroza‐Gonzalez, Cornelis Verhoef, Jan N. M. Ijzermans, Maikel P. Peppelenbosch, Jaap Kwekkeboom, Joanne Verheij, Harry L. A. Janssen, Dave Sprengers – 22 August 2012 – The mechanisms that enable liver cancer to escape elimination by the immune system remain unclear, but their elucidation may provide novel therapeutic interventions.

Wei‐Dong Chen, Donna Yu, Barry M. Forman, Wendong Huang, Yan‐Dong Wang – 22 August 2012 – Gpbar1 (TGR5), a membrane‐bound bile acid receptor, is well known for its roles in regulation of energy homeostasis and glucose metabolism. TGR5 activation also inhibits nuclear factor κB (NF‐κB)‐mediated inflammation. Here we show that TGR5 deficiency enhances chemically induced liver carcinogenesis, and that TGR5 is a negative regulator of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling.

Vincenzo Mazzaferro, Carlo Sposito, Sherrie Bhoori, Raffaele Romito, Carlo Chiesa, Carlo Morosi, Marco Maccauro, Alfonso Marchianò, Marco Bongini, Rodolfo Lanocita, Enrico Civelli, Emilio Bombardieri, Tiziana Camerini, Carlo Spreafico – 22 August 2012 – Yttrium‐90 radioembolization (Y90RE) is a novel approach to radiation therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), never tested in phase 2 studies. Fifty‐two patients with intermediate (n.17) to advanced (n.35) HCC were prospectively recruited to assess, as the primary endpoint, efficacy of Y90RE on time‐to‐progression (TTP).

Sayuri Nitta, Naoya Sakamoto, Mina Nakagawa, Sei Kakinuma, Kako Mishima, Akiko Kusano‐Kitazume, Kei Kiyohashi, Miyako Murakawa, Yuki Nishimura‐Sakurai, Seishin Azuma, Megumi Tasaka‐Fujita, Yasuhiro Asahina, Mitsutoshi Yoneyama, Takashi Fujita, Mamoru Watanabe – 22 August 2012 – Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection blocks cellular interferon (IFN)‐mediated antiviral signaling through cleavage of Cardif by HCV‐NS3/4A serine protease.