Lithocholic acid disrupts phospholipid and sphingolipid homeostasis leading to cholestasis in mice

Tsutomu Matsubara, Naoki Tanaka, Andrew D. Patterson, Joo‐Youn Cho, Kristopher W. Krausz, Frank J. Gonzalez – 14 February 2011 – Lithocholic acid (LCA) is an endogenous compound associated with hepatic toxicity during cholestasis. LCA exposure in mice resulted in decreased serum lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and sphingomyelin levels due to elevated lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase (LPCAT) and sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase (SMPD) expression.

Randomized trial of lamivudine versus entecavir in entecavir‐treated patients with undetectable hepatitis B virus DNA: Outcome at 2 Years

James Fung, Ching‐Lung Lai, John Yuen, Charles Cheng, Ringo Wu, Danny Ka‐Ho Wong, Wai‐Kay Seto, Ivan Fan‐Ngai Hung, Man‐Fung Yuen – 14 February 2011 – We aimed to determine the 2‐year outcomes of entecavir followed by lamivudine in patients with undetectable viral load (<12 IU/mL) and normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) after initial entecavir treatment for at least 6 months. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to continue with entecavir or switch to lamivudine. Liver biochemistry and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA were determined at weeks 0, 4, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 96.

Interaction between Toll‐like receptors and natural killer cells in the destruction of bile ducts in primary biliary cirrhosis

Shinji Shimoda, Kenichi Harada, Hiroaki Niiro, Ken Shirabe, Akinobu Taketomi, Yoshihiko Maehara, Koichi Tsuneyama, Yasuni Nakanuma, Patrick Leung, Aftab A. Ansari, M. Eric Gershwin, Koichi Akashi – 14 February 2011 – Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is characterized by chronic nonsuppurative destructive cholangitis (CNSDC) associated with destruction of small bile ducts.

Modulation of hepatitis B virus replication and hepatocyte differentiation by MicroRNA‐1

Xiaoyong Zhang, Ejuan Zhang, Zhiyong Ma, Rongjuan Pei, Min Jiang, Joerg F. Schlaak, Michael Roggendorf, Mengji Lu – 14 February 2011 – MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are highly conserved small noncoding RNAs participating in regulation of various cellular processes. Viruses have been shown to utilize cellular miRNAs to increase their replication in host cells. Until now, the role of miRNAs in hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication has remained largely unknown. In this study, a number of miRNA mimics were transfected into hepatoma cell lines with HBV replication.

Ron receptor regulates Kupffer cell‐dependent cytokine production and hepatocyte survival following endotoxin exposure in mice

William D. Stuart, Rishikesh M. Kulkarni, Jerilyn K. Gray, Juozas Vasiliauskas, Mike A. Leonis, Susan E. Waltz – 11 February 2011 – Previous studies demonstrated that targeted deletion of the Ron receptor tyrosine kinase (TK) domain in mice leads to marked hepatocyte protection in a well‐characterized model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced acute liver failure in D‐galactosamine (GalN)‐sensitized mice. Hepatocyte protection in TK−/− mice was observed despite paradoxically elevated serum levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α).

New staging system and a registry for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma

Michelle L. DeOliveira, Richard D. Schulick, Yuji Nimura, Charles Rosen, Gregory Gores, Peter Neuhaus, Pierre‐Alain Clavien – 11 February 2011 – Perihilar cholangiocarcinoma is one of the most challenging diseases with poor overall survival. The major problem for anyone trying to convincingly compare studies among centers or over time is the lack of a reliable staging system. The most commonly used system is the Bismuth‐Corlette classification of bile duct involvement, which, however, does not include crucial information such as vascular encasement and distant metastases.

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