Determinants of spontaneous surface antigen loss in hepatitis B e antigen–negative patients with a low viral load

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.

Higher serum testosterone is associated with increased risk of advanced hepatitis C–related liver disease in males

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.

Burden of cirrhosis on older Americans and their families: Analysis of the health and retirement study

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.

Hepatic blood flow plays an important role in ischemia‐reperfusion injury

Dympna M. Kelly, Hiroaki Shiba, Shunichi Nakagawa, Samuel Irefin, Bijan Eghtesad, Cristiano Quintini, Federico Aucejo, Koji Hashimoto, John J. Fung, Charles Miller – 19 August 2011 – Severe ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury is associated with poor hepatic microperfusion. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of hepatic artery flow (HAF) and portal vein flow (PVF) in IR injury. From January 2004 to June 2008, 566 patients underwent orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). The data were retrospectively reviewed via the transplant database.

Carbon monoxide induces hypothermia tolerance in Kupffer cells and attenuates liver ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats

Lung‐Yi Lee, Takashi Kaizu, Hideyoshi Toyokawa, Matthew Zhang, Mark Ross, Donna B. Stolz, Chao Huang, Chandrashekhar Gandhi, David A. Geller, Noriko Murase – 17 August 2011 – Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in liver grafts, which is initiated by cold preservation and is augmented by reperfusion, is a major problem that complicates graft quality, posttransplant patient care, and outcomes of liver transplantation (LT). Kupffer cells (KCs) play important roles in I/R injury; however, little is known about their changes during cold preservation.

Living donor hepatectomy: The importance of the residual liver volume

Trevor W. Reichman, Charbel Sandroussi, Solomon M. Azouz, Lesley Adcock, Mark S. Cattral, Ian D. McGilvray, Paul D. Greig, Anand Ghanekar, Markus Selzner, Gary Levy, David R. Grant – 17 August 2011 – Living liver donation is a successful treatment for patients with end‐stage liver disease. Most adults are provided with a right lobe graft to ensure a generous recipient liver volume. Some centers are re‐exploring the use of smaller left lobe grafts to potentially reduce the donor risk.

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