Interleukin 2 receptor antagonists for liver transplant recipients: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of controlled studies

Armin D. Goralczyk, Nicola Hauke, Narin Bari, Tung Y. Tsui, Thomas Lorf, Aiman Obed – 21 April 2011 – Interleukin 2 receptor antagonists (IL‐2Ra) are frequently used as induction therapy in liver transplant recipients to decrease the risk of acute rejection while allowing the reduction of concomitant immunosuppression. We conducted a systematic review of prospective, controlled studies to test the hypothesis that the use of IL‐2Ra is associated with a decrease in acute rejection and/or a decrease in the side effects of concomitant medication.

Endpoints and clinical trial design for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

Arun J. Sanyal, Elizabeth M. Brunt, David E. Kleiner, Kris V. Kowdley, Naga Chalasani, Joel E. Lavine, Vlad Ratziu, Arthur McCullough – 21 April 2011 – Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a common cause of chronic liver disease in the general population. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the aggressive form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, is associated with an increased risk of liver‐related mortality and cardiovascular disease. At present, a liver biopsy is the only generally acceptable method for the diagnosis of NASH and assessment of its progression toward cirrhosis.

Mitochondria‐targeted ubiquinone (MitoQ) decreases ethanol‐dependent micro and macro hepatosteatosis

Balu K. Chacko, Anup Srivastava, Michelle S. Johnson, Gloria A. Benavides, Mi Jung Chang, Yaozu Ye, Nirag Jhala, Michael P. Murphy, Balaraman Kalyanaraman, Victor M. Darley‐Usmar – 21 April 2011 – Chronic alcohol‐induced liver disease results in inflammation, steatosis, and increased oxidative and nitrosative damage to the mitochondrion. We hypothesized that targeting an antioxidant to the mitochondria would prevent oxidative damage and attenuate the steatosis associated with alcoholic liver disease.

Ubiquitination is associated with lysosomal degradation of cell surface‐resident ATP‐binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) through the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) pathway

Tadahaya Mizuno, Hisamitsu Hayashi, Sotaro Naoi, Yuichi Sugiyama – 21 April 2011 – ATP‐binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) plays an essential role in the biogenesis of high‐density lipoprotein in liver and in the prevention of foam cell formation in macrophages by mediating the efflux of cellular cholesterol and phospholipids to apolipoprotein A‐I (apoA‐I). Our current study investigated the mechanism of degradation of cell surface‐resident ABCA1, focusing on ubiquitination.

A prospective study of the rate of progression in compensated, histologically advanced chronic hepatitis C

Jules L. Dienstag, Marc G. Ghany, Timothy R. Morgan, Adrian M. Di Bisceglie, Herbert L. Bonkovsky, Hae‐Young Kim, Leonard B. Seeff, Gyongyi Szabo, Elizabeth C. Wright, Richard K. Sterling, Gregory T. Everson, Karen L. Lindsay, William M. Lee, Anna S. Lok, Chihiro Morishima, Anne M. Stoddard, James E. Everhart, for the HALT‐C Trial Group – 21 April 2011 – The incidence of liver disease progression among subjects with histologically advanced but compensated chronic hepatitis C is incomplete.

Hepatic stellate cells: Partners in crime for liver metastases?

Ningling Kang, Gregory J. Gores, Vijay H. Shah – 21 April 2011 – Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were recently postulated as a component of the prometastatic liver microenvironment, because they can transdifferentiate into highly proliferative and motile myofibroblasts that are implicated in the desmoplastic reaction and metastatic growth. This review focuses on bidirectional interactions between tumor cells and HSCs in the liver microenvironment and discusses mechanisms whereby tumor‐derived factors activate HSCs, and in turn, activated HSCs promote metastatic growth.

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