Nataliya Rohr‐Udilova, Wolfgang Sieghart, Robert Eferl, Dagmar Stoiber, Linda Björkhem‐Bergman, Lennart C. Eriksson, Klaus Stolze, Hubert Hayden, Bernhard Keppler, Sandra Sagmeister, Bettina Grasl‐Kraupp, Rolf Schulte‐Hermann, Markus Peck‐Radosavljevic – 22 November 2011 – Activation of the activator protein 1 (AP‐1) transcription factor as well as increased serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and interleukin (IL)‐8 predict poor prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs).

John W. Ward, Anna S.F. Lok, David L. Thomas, Hashem B. El‐Serag, W. Ray Kim – 22 November 2011 – The 2010 Institute of Medicine report on “Hepatitis and Liver Cancer” indicated that lack of knowledge and awareness about chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and C virus (HCV) infections and insufficient understanding about the extent and seriousness of this public health problem impeded current efforts to prevent and control hepatitis B and C.

Jin Chai, Yu He, Shi‐Ying Cai, Zhongyong Jiang, Huaizhi Wang, Qiong Li, Lei Chen, Zhihong Peng, Xiaochong He, Xiaoping Wu, Tianli Xiao, Rongquan Wang, James L. Boyer, Wensheng Chen – 22 November 2011 – Multidrug resistance‐associated protein 3 (MRP3, ABC subfamily C [ABCC]3) plays an important role in protecting hepatocytes and other tissues by excreting an array of toxic organic anion conjugates, including bile salts. MRP3/ABCC3 expression is increased in the liver of some cholestatic patients, but the molecular mechanism of this up‐regulation remains elusive.

Noémie Calland, Anna Albecka, Sandrine Belouzard, Czeslaw Wychowski, Gilles Duverlie, Véronique Descamps, Didier Hober, Jean Dubuisson, Yves Rouillé, Karin Séron – 22 November 2011 – Here, we identify (−)‐epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate (EGCG) as a new inhibitor of hepatitis C virus (HCV) entry. EGCG is a flavonoid present in green tea extract belonging to the subclass of catechins, which has many properties. Particularly, EGCG possesses antiviral activity and impairs cellular lipid metabolism.

Wei‐Chu Chie, Jane M. Blazeby, Chin‐Fu Hsiao, Herng‐Chia Chiu, Ronnie T. Poon, Naoko Mikoshiba, Gillian Al‐Kadhimi, Nigel Heaton, Jozer Calara, Peter Collins, Katharine Caddick, Anna Costantini, Valerie Vilgrain, Ludovic Trinquart, Chieh Chiang, On behalf of the EORTC Quality of Life Group – 22 November 2011 – This international field validation study examined the psychometric properties and clinical validity of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) questionnaire module for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the EORTC quality‐of‐life questionnaire (QLQ)‐HCC18.

Stephen M. Brindley, Allison M. Lanham, Frederick M. Karrer, Rebecca M. Tucker, Andrew P. Fontenot, Cara L. Mack – 22 November 2011 – Biliary atresia (BA) is a progressive, inflammatory cholangiopathy that culminates in fibrosis of extrahepatic and intrahepatic bile ducts. A leading theory on the pathogenesis of BA is that the bile duct damage is initiated by a virus infection, followed by a bile duct‐targeted autoimmune response. One mechanism of autoimmunity entails a diminished number or function of regulatory T cells (Tregs).

Lingmin Hu, Xiangjun Zhai, Jibin Liu, Minjie Chu, Shandong Pan, Jie Jiang, Yixin Zhang, Hua Wang, Jianguo Chen, Hongbing Shen, Zhibin Hu – 22 November 2011 – Recent genome‐wide association studies showed that four single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‐DP (rs3077and rs9277535) and HLA‐DQ (rs2856718 and rs7453920) were associated with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Japanese populations. More than 75% of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients are attributable to persistent infection of hepatitis B virus (HBV), especially in China.

Nicola Santoro, Clarence K. Zhang, Hongyu Zhao, Andrew J. Pakstis, Grace Kim, Romy Kursawe, Daniel J. Dykas, Allen E. Bale, Cosimo Giannini, Bridget Pierpont, Melissa M. Shaw, Leif Groop, Sonia Caprio – 22 November 2011 – Recently, the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) identified as rs1260326, in the glucokinase regulatory protein (GCKR), was associated with hypertriglyceridemia in adults.

Denada Dibra, Jeffry Cutrera, Xueqing Xia, Bhaskar Kallakury, Lopa Mishra, Shulin Li – 22 November 2011 – The liver is the major metabolic organ and is subjected to constant attacks from chronic viral infection, uptake of therapeutic drugs, life behavior (alcoholic), and environmental contaminants, all of which result in chronic inflammation, fibrosis, and, ultimately, cancer. Therefore, there is an urgent need to discover effective therapeutic agents for the prevention and treatment of liver injury, the ideal drug being a naturally occurring biological inhibitor.

Hiromitsu Hayashi, Keiko Sakai, Hideo Baba, Takao Sakai – 22 November 2011 – The matricellular protein, thrombospondin‐1 (TSP‐1), is prominently expressed during tissue repair. TSP‐1 binds to matrix components, proteases, cytokines, and growth factors and activates intracellular signals through its multiple domains. TSP‐1 converts latent transforming growth factor‐beta1 (TGF‐β1) complexes into their biologically active form. TGF‐β plays significant roles in cell‐cycle regulation, modulation of differentiation, and induction of apoptosis.