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.

Manuel Alejandro Fernández‐Rojo, Christina Restall, Charles Ferguson, Nick Martel, Sally Martin, Marta Bosch, Adam Kassan, Gary M. Leong, Sheree D. Martin, Sean L. McGee, George E.O. Muscat, Robin L. Anderson, Carlos Enrich, Albert Pol, Robert G. Parton – 22 November 2011 – Caveolin‐1 (CAV1) is a structural protein of caveolae involved in lipid homeostasis and endocytosis.

Sumeet K. Asrani, Nicholas F. LaRusso – 22 November 2011

Richard D. Johnston, Grace E. Dolman, Guruprasad Aithal – 16 November 2011

Virginia Knight, Jorge Tchongue, Dinushka Lourensz, Peter Tipping, William Sievert – 16 November 2011 – Protease‐activated receptor (PAR) 2 is a G‐protein–coupled receptor that is activated after proteolytic cleavage by serine proteases, including mast cell tryptase and activated coagulation factors. PAR‐2 activation augments inflammatory and profibrotic pathways through the induction of genes encoding proinflammatory cytokines and extracellular matrix proteins. Thus, PAR‐2 represents an important interface linking coagulation and inflammation.

Korosh Khalili, Morris Sherman – 16 November 2011

Vered Molho‐Pessach, Jonathan J. Rios, Chao Xing, Kenneth D.R. Setchell, Jonathan C. Cohen, Helen H. Hobbs – 16 November 2011 – The most common inborn error of bile acid metabolism is 3β‐hydroxy‐Δ5‐C27‐steroid oxidoreductase (3β‐HSD) deficiency, a disorder that usually presents in early childhood with hepatic dysfunction. Timely diagnosis of this disorder is crucial because it can be effectively treated with primary bile acid replacement. Here we describe a 24‐year‐old woman from Iran with cirrhosis of unknown etiology.