Phospholipid transfer activity of microsomal triglyceride transfer protein produces apolipoprotein B and reduces hepatosteatosis while maintaining low plasma lipids in mice

Irani Khatun, Sebastian Zeissig, Jahangir Iqbal, Minghui Wang, David Curiel, Gregory S. Shelness, Richard S. Blumberg, M.Mahmood Hussain – 26 November 2011 – Microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP), essential for apolipoprotein B (apoB) biosynthesis, evolved as a phospholipid transfer protein and acquired triglyceride transfer activity during a transition from invertebrates to vertebrates. But it is unknown whether MTP directly transfers lipids onto apoB in vivo and, if it does, whether both neutral and polar lipid transfer activities of MTP are critical for lipoprotein assembly.

Toll‐like receptor 4–dependent Kupffer cell activation and liver injury in a novel mouse model of parenteral nutrition and intestinal injury

Karim C. El Kasmi, Aimee L. Anderson, Michael W. Devereaux, Sophie A. Fillon, J. Kirk Harris, Mark A. Lovell, Milton J. Finegold, Ronald J. Sokol – 26 November 2011 – Infants with intestinal failure who are parenteral nutrition (PN)‐dependent may develop cholestatic liver injury and cirrhosis (PN‐associated liver injury: PNALI). The pathogenesis of PNALI remains incompletely understood.

Hypoxia and hypoxia inducible factors: Diverse roles in liver diseases

Bharath Nath, Gyongyi Szabo – 26 November 2011 – Hypoxia has been shown to have a role in the pathogenesis of several forms of liver disease. The hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs) are a family of evolutionarily conserved transcriptional regulators that affect a homeostatic response to low oxygen tension and have been identified as key mediators of angiogenesis, inflammation, and metabolism. In this review we summarize the evidence for a role of HIFs across a range of hepatic pathophysiology.

The global burden of hepatitis E virus genotypes 1 and 2 in 2005

David B. Rein, Gretchen A. Stevens, Jordan Theaker, John S. Wittenborn, Steven T. Wiersma – 26 November 2011 – We estimated the global burden of hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotypes 1 and 2 in 2005. HEV is an emergent waterborne infection that causes source‐originated epidemics of acute disease with a case fatality rate thought to vary by age and pregnancy status.

Role of low‐density lipoprotein receptor in the hepatitis C virus life cycle

Anna Albecka, Sandrine Belouzard, Anne Op de Beeck, Véronique Descamps, Lucie Goueslain, Justine Bertrand‐Michel, François Tercé, Gilles Duverlie, Yves Rouillé, Jean Dubuisson – 26 November 2011 – Hepatitis C virus (HCV) particles are known to be in complex with lipoproteins. As a result of this interaction, the low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor (LDLR) has been proposed as a potential entry factor for HCV; however, its implication in virus entry remains unclear.

Hepatitis C and non‐Hodgkin lymphoma: The clinical perspective

Sidonie K. Hartridge‐Lambert, Eytan M. Stein, Arnold J. Markowitz, Carol S. Portlock – 26 November 2011 – Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a commonly transmitted infection that has both hepatic and extrahepatic repercussions. These range from the inflammatory to the oncologic with an undisputed link to hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Its role in the development of B cell non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (B‐NHL) is becoming better understood, leading to opportunities for research, therapy, and even prevention.

Quantitative histological‐hemodynamic correlations in cirrhosis

Supatsri Sethasine, Dhanpat Jain, Roberto J. Groszmann, Guadalupe Garcia‐Tsao – 23 November 2011 – We have previously shown, in a semiquantitative analysis of liver biopsies showing cirrhosis, that thickness of fibrous septa separating cirrhotic nodules and small size of cirrhotic nodules correlated independently with portal pressure (as determined by the hepatic venous pressure gradient; HVPG) and were independent predictors of the presence of clinically significant portal hypertension (PH).

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