Hepatitis B virus X protein stimulates gene expression selectively from extrachromosomal DNA templates

Pieter C. van Breugel, Eva I. Robert, Henrik Mueller, Adrien Decorsière, Fabien Zoulim, Olivier Hantz, Michel Strubin – 28 June 2012 – Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major risk factor for liver cancer development. HBV encodes the hepatitis B virus X (HBx) protein that promotes transcription of the viral episomal DNA genome by the host cell RNA polymerase II. Here we provide evidence that HBx accomplishes this task by a conserved and unusual mechanism.

Evolution of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease recurrence after liver transplantation

Deepa T. Patil, Lisa M. Yerian – 27 June 2012 – Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is the progressive form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and is the fourth most common indication for liver transplantation. Risk factors for NAFLD can persist and even worsen after liver transplantation. However, the risk and significance of NAFLD recurrence remain unclear. Reported posttransplant NAFLD and NASH recurrence rates vary widely across studies.

ImmuKnow as a diagnostic tool for predicting infection and acute rejection in adult liver transplant recipients: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Emilio Rodrigo, Marcos López‐Hoyos, Mario Corral, Emilio Fábrega, Gema Fernández‐Fresnedo, David San Segundo, Celestino Piñera, Manuel Arias – 27 June 2012 – Immune status monitoring of transplant recipients could identify patients at risk of acute rejection, infection, and cancer, which are important sources of morbidity and mortality in these patients. The ImmuKnow assay provides an objective assessment of the cellular immune function of immunosuppressed patients.

Severe muscle depletion in patients on the liver transplant wait list: Its prevalence and independent prognostic value

Puneeta Tandon, Michael Ney, Ivana Irwin, Mang M. Ma, Leah Gramlich, Vincent G. Bain, Nina Esfandiari, Vickie Baracos, Aldo J. Montano‐Loza, Robert P. Myers – 27 June 2012 – As detected by cross‐sectional imaging, severe muscle depletion, which is termed sarcopenia, holds promise for prognostication in patients with cirrhosis. Our aims were to describe the prevalence and predictors of sarcopenia in patients with cirrhosis listed for liver transplantation (LT) and to determine its independent prognostic significance for the prediction of waiting‐list mortality.

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