Grace Lai‐Hung Wong, Henry Lik‐Yuen Chan, Christy Wing‐Hin Mak, Stanley King‐Yeung Lee, Zoe Man‐Yi Ip, Andrew Ting‐Ho Lam, Henry Wing‐Hang Iu, Joyce May‐Sum Leung, Jennifer Wing‐Yan Lai, Angeline Oi‐Shan Lo, Hoi‐Yun Chan, Vincent Wai‐Sun Wong – 6 February 2013 – Entecavir is a potent antiviral agent with high genetic barrier to resistance, hence it is currently recommended as first‐line antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis B (CHB). The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of entecavir on clinical outcomes and deaths.

Daniel J. Antoine, James W. Dear, Philip Starkey Lewis, Vivien Platt, Judy Coyle, Moyra Masson, Ruben H. Thanacoody, Alasdair J. Gray, David J. Webb, Jonathan G. Moggs, D. Nicholas Bateman, Christopher E. Goldring, B. Kevin Park – 6 February 2013 – Acetaminophen overdose is a common reason for hospital admission and the most frequent cause of hepatotoxicity in the Western world. Early identification would facilitate patient‐individualized treatment strategies.

Miriam B. Vos, Joel E. Lavine – 6 February 2013 – Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in adults and children. A number of genetic and environmental factors are known to predispose individuals to NAFLD. Certain dietary sugars, particularly fructose, are suspected to contribute to the development of NAFLD and its progression. The increasing quantity of fructose in the diet comes from sugar additives (most commonly sucrose and high fructose corn syrup) in beverages and processed foods.

Shubham Shrivastava, Jessica Petrone, Robert Steele, Georg M. Lauer, Adrian M. Bisceglie, Ratna B. Ray – 6 February 2013 – Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the major causes of liver fibrosis and liver transplantation in the United States. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in the blood are emerging as biomarkers for pathological conditions. In the present study we performed a systematic screening approach to identify up‐regulated miRNAs in the plasma/serum of HCV‐infected patients with different stages of hepatic histological disease severity.

Xin Yang, Lei Liang, Xiao‐Fei Zhang, Hu‐Liang Jia, Yi Qin, Xu‐Chao Zhu, Xiao‐Mei Gao, Peng Qiao, Yan Zheng, Yuan‐Yuan Sheng, Jin‐Wang Wei, Hai‐Jun Zhou, Ning Ren, Qing‐Hai Ye, Qiong‐Zhu Dong, Lun‐Xiu Qin – 6 February 2013 – Down‐regulation of microRNA‐26a (miR‐26a) is associated with poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but its functional mechanism in HCC remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the roles of miR‐26a in tumor growth and metastasis of HCC and found that miR‐26a was frequently down‐regulated in HCC tissues.

Aurore Besnard, Boris Julien, Emmanuel Gonzales, Thierry Tordjmann – 6 February 2013

Neil Kaplowitz – 6 February 2013

Jiaxin Xie, Yuwei Zhang, Qi Zhang, Yifang Han, Jianhua Yin, Rui Pu, Qiuxia Shen, Wei Lu, Yan Du, Jun Zhao, Xue Han, Hongwei Zhang, Guangwen Cao – 5 February 2013 – Hepatitis B virus (HBV) mutations and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) activation are closely associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of STAT3 have not been implicated in HCC susceptibility. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of STAT3 SNPs and their interactions with HBV mutations on HCC risk.

Diego F. Calvisi – 5 February 2013

Kei Kiyohashi, Sei Kakinuma, Akihide Kamiya, Naoya Sakamoto, Sayuri Nitta, Hideto Yamanaka, Kouhei Yoshino, Junko Fujiki, Miyako Murakawa, Akiko Kusano‐Kitazume, Hiromichi Shimizu, Ryuichi Okamoto, Seishin Azuma, Mina Nakagawa, Yasuhiro Asahina, Naoki Tanimizu, Akira Kikuchi, Hiromitsu Nakauchi, Mamoru Watanabe – 5 February 2013 – The molecular mechanisms regulating differentiation of fetal hepatic stem/progenitor cells, called hepatoblasts, which play pivotal roles in liver development, remain obscure.