Association of host pharmacodynamic effects with virologic response to pegylated interferon alfa‐2a/ribavirin in chronic hepatitis C

Raymond T. Chung, Fred F. Poordad, Tarek Hassanein, Xiaolei Zhou, Ellen Lentz, Avinash Prabhakar, Adrian M. Di Bisceglie – 31 August 2010 – Patients receiving therapy for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection frequently experience cytopenias and weight loss. We retrospectively assessed the pharmacodynamic effects of pegylated interferon (PEG‐IFN) alfa‐2a and ribavirin by evaluating the relationship between changes in hematologic parameters, body weight, and virologic response.

Incidental intracardiac thromboemboli during liver transplantation: Incidence, risk factors, and management

Victor W. Xia, Jonathan K. Ho, Hamid Nourmand, Christopher Wray, Ronald W. Busuttil, Randolph H. Steadman – 31 August 2010 – Even though numerous cases of massive thromboemboli have been reported in the literature, intracardiac thromboemboli (ICTs) incidentally found during orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) have not been examined. In this study, we retrospectively examined the incidence, risk factors, and management of incidental ICTs during OLT.

Alemtuzumab induction in non‐hepatitis C positive liver transplant recipients

Josh Levitsky, Kavitha Thudi, Michael G. Ison, Edward Wang, Michael Abecassis – 31 August 2010 – Limited data exist for the use of alemtuzumab (AL) induction in liver transplantation (LT) recipients. We compared the outcomes of hepatitis C virus–negative LT recipients who received AL induction followed by tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil without steroids to cohort who received no AL induction, tacrolimus, and a steroid taper. Fifty‐five AL‐induced recipients were compared to 85 non–AL‐induced recipients with similar characteristics.

Down‐regulation of tumor suppressor a kinase anchor protein 12 in human hepatocarcinogenesis by epigenetic mechanisms

Benjamin Goeppert, Peter Schmezer, Céline Dutruel, Christopher Oakes, Marcus Renner, Marco Breinig, Arne Warth, Monika Nadja Vogel, Michel Mittelbronn, Arianeb Mehrabi, Georg Gdynia, Roland Penzel, Thomas Longerich, Kai Breuhahn, Odilia Popanda, Christoph Plass, Peter Schirmacher, Michael André Kern – 31 August 2010 – The A kinase anchor protein 12 (AKAP12) is a central mediator of protein kinase A and protein kinase C signaling.

Thrombin is a therapeutic target for metastatic osteopontin‐positive hepatocellular carcinoma

Yu‐Hua Xue, Xiao‐Fei Zhang, Qiong‐Zhu Dong, Jian Sun, Chun Dai, Hai‐Jun Zhou, Ning Ren, Hu‐Liang Jia, Qin‐Hai Ye, Lun‐Xiu Qin – 31 August 2010 – We previously identified osteopontin (OPN) as a promoter and thus a potential therapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasis. The serine protease thrombin interacts with OPN and can modify its biological activity.

Rosiglitazone attenuates age‐ and diet‐associated nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in male low‐density lipoprotein receptor knockout mice

Anisha A. Gupte, Joey Z. Liu, Yuelan Ren, Laurie J. Minze, Jessica R. Wiles, Alan R. Collins, Christopher J. Lyon, Domenico Pratico, Milton J. Finegold, Stephen T. Wong, Paul Webb, John D. Baxter, David D. Moore, Willa A. Hsueh – 31 August 2010 – Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common complication of obesity that can progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a serious liver pathology that can advance to cirrhosis. The mechanisms responsible for NAFLD progression to NASH remain unclear.

Mmp23b promotes liver development and hepatocyte proliferation through the tumor necrosis factor pathway in zebrafish

Fei Qi, Jianbo Song, Hanshuo Yang, Wei Gao, Ning‐ai Liu, Bo Zhang, Shuo Lin – 31 August 2010 – The matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family of proteins degrades extracellular matrix (ECM) components as well as processes cytokines and growth factors. MMPs are involved in regulating ECM homeostasis in both normal physiology and disease pathophysiology. Here we report the critical roles of mmp23b in normal zebrafish liver development.

Radioembolization with yttrium‐90 glass microspheres in hepatocellular carcinoma: European experience on safety and long‐term survival

Philip Hilgard, Monia Hamami, Amr El Fouly, André Scherag, Stefan Müller, Judith Ertle, Till Heusner, Vito R. Cicinnati, Andreas Paul, Andreas Bockisch, Guido Gerken, Gerald Antoch – 31 August 2010 – Radioembolization has been demonstrated to allow locoregional therapy of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma not eligible for transarterial chemoembolization or other local therapies. The aim of this study was to validate evidence of the safety and efficacy of this treatment in a European sample of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

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