Jasmohan S. Bajaj, Steven D. Pinkerton, Arun J. Sanyal, Douglas M. Heuman – 2 December 2011 – Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) in cirrhosis is associated with impaired driving skills and increased risk of motor vehicle accidents (MVAs). Detection and treatment of MHE has the potential to reduce costs and morbidity associated with MVAs. We conducted a cost‐effectiveness analysis to assess the benefits of different strategies of MHE diagnosis and treatment for reducing MVA‐related societal costs.

Chia‐Hsuin Chang, Jou‐Wei Lin, Li‐Chiu Wu, Mei‐Shu Lai, Lee‐Ming Chuang, K. Arnold Chan – 2 December 2011 – The objective of this nationwide case‐control study was to evaluate the risk of specific malignancy in diabetic patients who received thiazolidinediones (TZDs). A total of 606,583 type 2 diabetic patients, age 30 years and above, without a history of cancer were identified from the Taiwan National Health Insurance claims database during the period between January 1 2000 and December 31 2000.

Qinglong Jin, Yuki Moritoki, Ana Lleo, Koichi Tsuneyama, Pietro Invernizzi, Hitoshi Moritoki, Kentaro Kikuchi, Zhe‐Xiong Lian, Gideon M. Hirschfield, Aftab A. Ansari, Ross L. Coppel, M. Eric Gershwin, Junqi Niu – 2 December 2011 – Substantial evidence supports dysregulated B‐cell immune responses in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), including the presence of serum antimitochondrial antibodies (AMAs).

Neil Kaplowitz – 2 December 2011

Hossein Poustchi, Geoffrey C. Farrell, Simone I. Strasser, Alice U. Lee, Geoffrey W. McCaughan, Jacob George – 2 December 2011 – Screening for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is commonly practiced and recommended in published guidelines, but evidence for its efficacy has been controversial. We tested the feasibility of conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of HCC surveillance in patients with cirrhosis and followed up those offered screening to detect clinical outcomes. Participation was offered to patients with cirrhosis attending liver clinics at three university hospitals.

2 December 2011 – Retraction: The following editorial from HEPATOLOGY, “I148M PNPLA3 variant and progressive liver disease: A new paradigm in hepatology”, by Luca Valenti, Anna Alisi and Valerio Nobili, posted online on 2 December 2011 as an Accepted Article in Wiley Online Library (www.wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the authors, the AASLD, the journal Editor in Chief, Michael H. Nathanson, and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. The retraction has been agreed due to the fact that an incorrect version was posted online.

Pu Zhao, Wei Zhang, Shi‐Jie Wang, Xiao‐Ling Yu, Juan Tang, Wan Huang, Yong Li, Hong‐Yong Cui, Yun‐Shan Guo, Jan Tavernier, Si‐He Zhang, Jian‐Li Jiang, Zhi‐Nan Chen – 2 December 2011 – Tumor cells can move as individual cells in two interconvertible modes: mesenchymal mode and amoeboid mode. Cytoskeleton rearrangement plays an important role in the interconversion. Previously, we reported that HAb18G/CD147 and annexin II are interacting proteins involved in cytoskeleton rearrangement, yet the role of their interaction is unclear.

Ji‐hang Yuan, Fu Yang, Bi‐feng Chen, Zhi Lu, Xi‐song Huo, Wei‐ping Zhou, Fang Wang, Shu‐han Sun – 2 December 2011 – As an important epigenetic mechanism, histone acetylation modulates the transcription of many genes and plays important roles in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Aberrations in histone acetylation have been observed in HCC, but the factors that contribute to the aberrations have not been fully elucidated. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), which are noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression, are involved in important epigenetic mechanisms.

Emmanuel A. Tsochatzis, Giacomo Germani, Amar P. Dhillon, Andrew K. Burroughs – 2 December 2011

Svetlana Marukian, Linda Andrus, Timothy P. Sheahan, Christopher T. Jones, Edgar D. Charles, Alexander Ploss, Charles M. Rice, Lynn B. Dustin – 2 December 2011 – Hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication in primary liver cells is less robust than that in hepatoma cell lines, suggesting that innate antiviral mechanisms in primary cells may limit HCV replication or spread. Here we analyzed the expression of 47 genes associated with interferon (IFN) induction and signaling following HCV infection of primary human fetal liver cell (HFLC) cultures from 18 different donors.