John W. Ward, Anna S.F. Lok, David L. Thomas, Hashem B. El‐Serag, W. Ray Kim – 22 November 2011 – The 2010 Institute of Medicine report on “Hepatitis and Liver Cancer” indicated that lack of knowledge and awareness about chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and C virus (HCV) infections and insufficient understanding about the extent and seriousness of this public health problem impeded current efforts to prevent and control hepatitis B and C.

Nataliya Rohr‐Udilova, Wolfgang Sieghart, Robert Eferl, Dagmar Stoiber, Linda Björkhem‐Bergman, Lennart C. Eriksson, Klaus Stolze, Hubert Hayden, Bernhard Keppler, Sandra Sagmeister, Bettina Grasl‐Kraupp, Rolf Schulte‐Hermann, Markus Peck‐Radosavljevic – 22 November 2011 – Activation of the activator protein 1 (AP‐1) transcription factor as well as increased serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and interleukin (IL)‐8 predict poor prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs).

Sumeet K. Asrani, Nicholas F. LaRusso – 22 November 2011

Aditya Ambade, Donna Catalano, Arlene Lim, Pranoti Mandrekar – 22 November 2011 – Endotoxin‐mediated proinflammatory cytokines play a significant role in the pathogenesis of acute and chronic liver diseases. Heat shock protein 90 (molecular weight, 90 kDa) (hsp90) functions as an important chaperone of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) signaling and is required for the production of proinflammatory cytokines. We hypothesized that inhibition of hsp90 would prevent LPS‐induced liver injury by decreasing proinflammatory cytokines.

Soo Mi Kim, Sun‐Hee Leem, In‐Sun Chu, Yun‐Yong Park, Sang Cheol Kim, Sang‐Bae Kim, Eun Sung Park, Jae Yun Lim, Jeonghoon Heo, Yoon Jun Kim, Dae‐Ghon Kim, Ahmed Kaseb, Young Nyun Park, Xin Wei Wang, Snorri S. Thorgeirsson, Ju‐Seog Lee – 22 November 2011 – Clinical application of the prognostic gene expression signature has been delayed due to the large number of genes and complexity of prediction algorithms. In the current study we aimed to develop an easy‐to‐use risk score with a limited number of genes that can robustly predict prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Saifeng Wang, Lipeng Qiu, Xiaoli Yan, Wensong Jin, Yanzhong Wang, Lizhao Chen, Erjie Wu, Xin Ye, George F. Gao, Fusheng Wang, Yu Chen, Zhongping Duan, Songdong Meng – 22 November 2011 – Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes chronic infection in about 350 million people worldwide. Given the important role of the most abundant liver‐specific microRNA, miR‐122, in hepatic function and liver pathology, here we investigated the potential role and mechanism of miR‐122 in regulating HBV replication.

Kris V. Kowdley, Chia C. Wang, Sue Welch, Henry Roberts, Carol L. Brosgart – 22 November 2011 – Estimates of the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in the United States differ significantly, and the contribution of foreign‐born (FB) persons has not been adequately described. The aim of this study was to estimate the number of FB persons in the United States living with CHB by their country of origin. We performed a systematic review for reports of HBsAg seroprevalence rates in 102 countries (covering PubMed from 1980 to July 2010).

Sumeet K. Asrani, Nicholas F. LaRusso – 22 November 2011

Manuel Alejandro Fernández‐Rojo, Christina Restall, Charles Ferguson, Nick Martel, Sally Martin, Marta Bosch, Adam Kassan, Gary M. Leong, Sheree D. Martin, Sean L. McGee, George E.O. Muscat, Robin L. Anderson, Carlos Enrich, Albert Pol, Robert G. Parton – 22 November 2011 – Caveolin‐1 (CAV1) is a structural protein of caveolae involved in lipid homeostasis and endocytosis.

Hiromitsu Hayashi, Keiko Sakai, Hideo Baba, Takao Sakai – 22 November 2011 – The matricellular protein, thrombospondin‐1 (TSP‐1), is prominently expressed during tissue repair. TSP‐1 binds to matrix components, proteases, cytokines, and growth factors and activates intracellular signals through its multiple domains. TSP‐1 converts latent transforming growth factor‐beta1 (TGF‐β1) complexes into their biologically active form. TGF‐β plays significant roles in cell‐cycle regulation, modulation of differentiation, and induction of apoptosis.