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).

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).

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.

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).

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.

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

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).

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.

Jin Chai, Yu He, Shi‐Ying Cai, Zhongyong Jiang, Huaizhi Wang, Qiong Li, Lei Chen, Zhihong Peng, Xiaochong He, Xiaoping Wu, Tianli Xiao, Rongquan Wang, James L. Boyer, Wensheng Chen – 22 November 2011 – Multidrug resistance‐associated protein 3 (MRP3, ABC subfamily C [ABCC]3) plays an important role in protecting hepatocytes and other tissues by excreting an array of toxic organic anion conjugates, including bile salts. MRP3/ABCC3 expression is increased in the liver of some cholestatic patients, but the molecular mechanism of this up‐regulation remains elusive.

Noémie Calland, Anna Albecka, Sandrine Belouzard, Czeslaw Wychowski, Gilles Duverlie, Véronique Descamps, Didier Hober, Jean Dubuisson, Yves Rouillé, Karin Séron – 22 November 2011 – Here, we identify (−)‐epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate (EGCG) as a new inhibitor of hepatitis C virus (HCV) entry. EGCG is a flavonoid present in green tea extract belonging to the subclass of catechins, which has many properties. Particularly, EGCG possesses antiviral activity and impairs cellular lipid metabolism.