Jeoffrey N.L. Schouten, Juan C. Garcia‐Pagan, Dominique C. Valla, Harry L.A. Janssen – 13 May 2011 – Idiopathic noncirrhotic portal hypertension (INCPH) is characterized by an increased portal venous pressure gradient in the absence of a known cause of liver disease and portal vein thrombosis. In contrast to the high prevalence of this disorder in India, INCPH is a rare disease in the Western world. The etiology of INCPH can be divided in five categories: chronic infections, exposure to medication or toxins, thrombophilia, immunological disorders, and genetic disorders.

Yanfei Chen, Fengling Yang, Haifeng Lu, Baohong Wang, Yunbo Chen, Dajiang Lei, Yuezhu Wang, Baoli Zhu, Lanjuan Li – 13 May 2011 – Liver cirrhosis is the pathologic end stage of chronic liver disease. Increasing evidence suggests that gut flora is implicated in the pathogenesis of liver cirrhosis complications. The aim of this study was to characterize the fecal microbial community in patients with liver cirrhosis in comparison with healthy individuals. We recruited 36 patients with liver cirrhosis and 24 healthy controls.

Javier Vaquero, Jean S. Campbell, Jamil Haque, Ryan S. McMahan, Kimberly J. Riehle, Renay L. Bauer, Nelson Fausto – 13 May 2011 – Partial hepatectomy (PH) consistently results in an early increase of circulating interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), which is thought to play a major role in liver regeneration. Activation of this cytokine after PH requires the adaptor protein, MyD88, but the specific MyD88‐related receptors involved remain unidentified. It is also unknown whether the magnitude of IL‐6 elevation determines the extent of subsequent hepatocyte proliferation.

Rachel A. Lindor, Keith D. Lindor – 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.

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

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.

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).

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.

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.