Alexander R. Moschen, Romana Gerner, Andrea Schroll, Teresa Fritz, Arthur Kaser, Herbert Tilg – 12 May 2011 – Pre–B cell colony–enhancing factor (PBEF), also known as nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase or visfatin, plays an important role in metabolic, inflammatory, and malignant diseases. Recent evidence suggests that blocking its enzymatic activity using a specific small‐molecule inhibitor (FK866) might be beneficial in acute experimental inflammation. We investigated the role of PBEF in human liver disease and experimental hepatitis.

Dominique Thabut, Chittaranjan Routray, Gwen Lomberk, Uday Shergill, Kevin Glaser, Robert Huebert, Leena Patel, Tetyana Masyuk, Boris Blechacz, Andrew Vercnocke, Erik Ritman, Richard Ehman, Raul Urrutia, Vijay Shah – 12 May 2011 – Paracrine signaling between hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and liver endothelial cells (LECs) modulates fibrogenesis, angiogenesis, and portal hypertension. However, mechanisms regulating these processes are not fully defined.

Feng Ren, Zhongping Duan, Qiao Cheng, Xiuda Shen, Feng Gao, Li Bai, Jun Liu, Ronald W. Busuttil, Jerzy W. Kupiec‐Weglinski, Yuan Zhai – 12 May 2011 – The ubiquitous serine/threonine kinase glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (Gsk3β) differentially regulates macrophage Toll‐like receptor (TLR)‐triggered pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory cytokine programs. This study was designed to determine the in vivo role and therapeutic potential of Gsk3β modulation in tissue inflammation and injury in a murine model of liver partial warm ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI).

Tatsuki Mizuochi, Akihiko Kimura, Mitsuyoshi Suzuki, Isao Ueki, Hajime Takei, Hiroshi Nittono, Toshihiko Kakiuchi, Takanobu Shigeta, Seisuke Sakamoto, Akinari Fukuda, Atsuko Nakazawa, Toshiaki Shimizu, Takao Kurosawa, Mureo Kasahara – 12 May 2011 – Only 2 patients with an oxysterol 7α‐hydroxylase deficiency caused by mutations of the cytochrome P450 7B1 (CYP7B1) gene have been reported; for both, the outcome was fatal. We describe the clinical and laboratory features, the hepatic and renal histological findings, and the results of bile acid and CYP7B1 gene analyses for a third patient.

Kai Breuhahn, Gregory Gores, Peter Schirmacher – 12 May 2011

Michael R. Lucey – 12 May 2011 – Although alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is one of the most common indications for liver transplantation (LT), there are still unresolved controversies about the goals of treatment, the referral, evaluation, and selection of patients with ALD for LT, and their care after LT. It is uncertain whether there is a large unmet need for LT among patients with ALD because of the unmeasured effects of recent drinking, relapse, and recovery with abstinence in this population.

Rachel A. Lindor, Keith D. Lindor – 12 May 2011

Ji Zhang, Diane E. Handy, Yufang Wang, Guylaine Bouchard, Jacob Selhub, Joseph Loscalzo, Martin C. Carey – 12 May 2011 – Because hyperhomocysteinemia can occur in cholesterol gallstone disease, we hypothesized that this may result from trimethylation of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), which partakes in biliary phosphatidylcholine (PC) hypersecretion during cholesterol cholelithogenesis.

Annalisa Berzigotti, Guadalupe Garcia‐Tsao, Jaime Bosch, Norman D. Grace, Andrew K. Burroughs, Rosa Morillas, Angels Escorsell, Juan Carlos Garcia‐Pagan, David Patch, Daniel S. Matloff, Roberto J. Groszmann, the Portal Hypertension Collaborative Group – 12 May 2011 – Obesity is associated with an aggressive course in chronic viral hepatitis; however, its impact in the development of clinical decompensation (CD) in patients with established cirrhosis is uncertain.

Justin D. Ellett, Carl Atkinson, Zachary P. Evans, Zainab Amani, Edward Balish, Michael G. Schmidt, Rick G. Schnellmann, Kenneth D. Chavin – 11 May 2011 – Kupffer cells (KCs) have been shown to be critical mediators of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in the murine liver. Using liposomal clodronate (LC), we found that KCs were protective in models of total hepatic ischemia with bowel congestion. We investigated the role of toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4) in the damage that occurs after I/R in KC‐depleted livers.