Charles Vanderpool, Erin E. Sparks, Kari A. Huppert, Maureen Gannon, Anna L. Means, Stacey S. Huppert – 24 August 2011 – Notch signaling and hepatocyte nuclear factor‐6 (HNF‐6) are two genetic factors known to affect lineage commitment in the bipotential hepatoblast progenitor cell (BHPC) population. A genetic interaction involving Notch signaling and HNF‐6 in mice has been inferred through separate experiments showing that both affect BHPC specification and bile duct morphogenesis.

Robert P. Myers, Gilles Pomier‐Layrargues, Richard Kirsch, Aaron Pollett, Andres Duarte‐Rojo, David Wong, Melanie Beaton, Mark Levstik, Pam Crotty, Magdy Elkashab – 24 August 2011 – Failure of liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by transient elastography (TE, FibroScan) and unreliable results occur in ≈5% and 15% of patients, respectively, mainly due to obesity.

Marianna Hösel, Mathias Broxtermann, Hanna Janicki, Knud Esser, Silke Arzberger, Pia Hartmann, Sonja Gillen, Jörg Kleeff, Dirk Stabenow, Margarete Odenthal, Percy Knolle, Michael Hallek, Ulrike Protzer, Hildegard Büning – 24 August 2011 – Adeno‐associated viral vectors (rAAV) are frequently used in gene therapy trials. Although rAAV vectors are of low immunogenicity, humoral as well as T cell responses may be induced. While the former limits vector reapplication, the expansion of cytotoxic T cells correlates with liver inflammation and loss of transduced hepatocytes.

Yoshufumi Wakata, Naoki Nakashima, Akinobu Taketomi, Ken Shirabe, Yoshihiko Maehara, Akihito Hagihara – 24 August 2011 – Deceased donor liver transplantation has been an established surgical procedure since the 1960s. More recently, the technique of living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) was introduced, and it is being performed with increasing frequency. However, there is a paucity of information on the clinical outcomes of donor patients.

James M. Prentis, Derek M. D. Manas, Michael I. Trenell, Mark Hudson, David J. Jones, Chris P. Snowden – 24 August 2011 – Liver transplantation has a significant early postoperative mortality rate. An accurate preoperative assessment is essential for minimizing mortality and optimizing limited donor organ resources. This study assessed the feasibility of preoperative submaximal cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) for determining the cardiopulmonary reserve in patients being assessed for liver transplantation and its potential for predicting 90‐day posttransplant survival.

AL Mindikoglu, A Regev, SL Seliger, LS Magder – 22 August 2011

Sung Joong Kim, Young Chul Kim – 19 August 2011

Tai‐Chung Tseng, Chun‐Jen Liu, Hung‐Chih Yang, Tung‐Hung Su, Chia‐Chi Wang, Chi‐Ling Chen, Stephanie Fang‐Tzu Kuo, Chen‐Hua Liu, Pei‐Jer Chen, Ding‐Shinn Chen, Jia‐Horng Kao – 19 August 2011 – Loss of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) usually indicates the cure of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. In spontaneous hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconverters, lower serum HBsAg and HBV DNA levels have been shown to be associated with HBsAg loss over time. However, little is known about their impacts on HBsAg loss in HBeAg‐negative patients with limited viral replication.

Donna L. White, Shariar Tavakoli‐Tabasi, Jill Kuzniarek, Rhia Pascua, David J. Ramsey, Hashem B. El‐Serag – 19 August 2011 – Males have strikingly increased risk of advanced liver disease. However, the association between testosterone and risk of hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐related advanced liver disease is unknown. We performed a cross‐sectional study in male veterans with chronic HCV. Blood samples were obtained to measure total serum testosterone and perform the FibroSURE‐ActiTest.

Mina O. Rakoski, Ryan J. McCammon, John D. Piette, Theodore J. Iwashyna, Jorge A. Marrero, Anna S. Lok, Kenneth M. Langa, Michael L. Volk – 19 August 2011 – Prevalence of cirrhosis among older adults is expected to increase; therefore, we studied the health status, functional disability, and need for supportive care in a large national sample of individuals with cirrhosis. A prospective cohort of individuals with cirrhosis was identified within the longitudinal, nationally representative Health and Retirement Study.