Aijun Qiao, Jichao Liang, Yaojun Ke, Chenghong Li, Ying Cui, Lian Shen, Huabing Zhang, Anfang Cui, Xiaojun Liu, Changzheng Liu, Yong Chen, Yi Zhu, Youfei Guan, Fude Fang, Yongsheng Chang – 5 May 2011 – Human patatin‐like phospholipase domain‐containing 3 (PNPLA3) is associated with increased liver fat content and liver injury. Here, we show that nutritional status regulates PNPLA3 gene expression in the mouse liver. Sterol response element binding protein‐1 (SREBP‐1) activated PNPLA3 gene transcription via sterol regulatory elements (SREs) mapped to the promoter region.

Ting‐Jung Wu, Divya Dahiya, Ching‐Sung Lee, Chen‐Fang Lee, Hong‐Shiue Chou, Kun‐Ming Chan, Wei‐Chen Lee – 3 May 2011 – The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of portal hemodynamics on indices of liver function and graft regeneration in patients after adult right lobe living donor liver transplantation (R‐LDLT). Sixty‐four patients who underwent R‐LDLT and had an uneventful postoperative course were enrolled in this study. The contribution of portal flow was greater to the recipient grafts versus the donor livers (90.74% versus 69.12%, P < 0.0001).

Ken Shirabe, Masanori Yoshimatsu, Takashi Motomura, Kazuki Takeishi, Takeo Toshima, Jun Muto, Rumi Matono, Akinobu Taketomi, Hideaki Uchiyama, Yoshihiko Maehara – 3 May 2011 – The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of preoperative oral supplementation with branched‐chain amino acids (BCAAs) on postoperative bacteremia after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for chronic liver failure. Two hundred thirty‐six patients who underwent adult‐to‐adult LDLT were evaluated in this retrospective study.

Christopher O. C. Bellamy – 3 May 2011

Ji‐Hua Shi, Henrik S. Huitfeldt, Zhen‐He Suo, Pål‐Dag Line – 3 May 2011 – Liver resection and liver transplantation are the treatment modalities with the greatest potential for curing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Tumor recurrence after resection for HCC is, however, a major problem, and an increased rate of recurrence after living donor transplantation versus cadaveric whole liver transplantation has been suggested. Factors involved in liver regeneration may stimulate the growth of occult tumors.

Ekaterina Y. Shishova, Janis M. Stoll, Baran A. Ersoy, Sudeep Shrestha, Erez F. Scapa, Yingxia Li, Michele W. Niepel, Ya Su, Linda A. Jelicks, Gregory L. Stahl, Marcie A. Glicksman, Roger Gutierrez‐Juarez, Gregory D. Cuny, David E. Cohen – 29 April 2011 – Phosphatidylcholine transfer protein (PC‐TP, synonym StARD2) is a highly specific intracellular lipid binding protein that is enriched in liver. Coding region polymorphisms in both humans and mice appear to confer protection against measures of insulin resistance.

Sonya V. Iverson, Kristin M. Comstock, Jean A. Kundert, Edward E. Schmidt – 29 April 2011 – The contributions that de novo differentiation of new hepatocyte lineages makes to normal liver physiology are unknown. In this study, a system that uniquely marks cells during a finite period following primary activation of a serum albumin gene promoter/enhancer‐driven Cre recombinase (albCre) transgene was used to investigate birthrates of new hepatocyte lineages from albumin (Alb)‐naive precursors in mice.

Ayca Cinaroglu, Chuan Gao, Dru Imrie, Kirsten C. Sadler – 29 April 2011 – Many etiologies of fatty liver disease (FLD) are associated with the hyperactivation of one of the three pathways composing the unfolded protein response (UPR), which is a harbinger of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. The UPR is mediated by pathways initiated by PRKR‐like endoplasmic reticulum kinase, inositol‐requiring 1A/X box binding protein 1, and activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6), and each of these pathways has been implicated to have a protective or pathological role in FLD.

Lisa Franceschini, Stefano Realdon, Moira Marcolongo, Silvia Mirandola, Gladis Bortoletto, Alfredo Alberti – 29 April 2011 – Insulin resistance (IR) is common in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and associates with reduced virological response to pegylated‐interferon (PEG‐IFN)/ribavirin therapy, but the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. We have previously shown that, in CHC patients, insulin plasma levels are inversely related to antiviral effect induced by PEG‐IFN.

Mohsan Saeed, Masaaki Shiina, Tomoko Date, Daisuke Akazawa, Noriyuki Watanabe, Asako Murayama, Tetsuro Suzuki, Haruo Watanabe, Nobuhiko Hiraga, Michio Imamura, Kazuaki Chayama, Youkyung Choi, Krzysztof Krawczynski, T. Jake Liang, Takaji Wakita, Takanobu Kato – 29 April 2011 – Hepatitis C virus (HCV) employs various strategies to establish persistent infection that can cause chronic liver disease.