Biliary apotopes and anti‐mitochondrial antibodies activate innate immune responses in primary biliary cirrhosis

Ana Lleo, Christopher L. Bowlus, Guo‐Xiang Yang, Pietro Invernizzi, Mauro Podda, Judy Van de Water, Aftab A. Ansari, Ross L. Coppel, Howard J. Worman, Gregory J. Gores, M. Eric Gershwin – 26 August 2010 – Our understanding of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) has been significantly enhanced by the rigorous dissection of the multilineage T and B cell response against the immunodominant mitochondrial autoantigen, the E2 component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC‐E2). PDC‐E2 is a ubiquitous protein present in mitochondria of nucleated cells.

Liver enzymes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and incident cardiovascular disease: A narrative review and clinical perspective of prospective data

Nazim Ghouri, David Preiss, Naveed Sattar – 26 August 2010 – In recent years, a strong link has been established between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The potential role of NAFLD in cardiovascular disease (CVD) has also attracted interest. Published studies have tended to use biochemical and imaging surrogate markers of NAFLD, such as elevated gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and fatty liver on ultrasound, when investigating associations with incident CVD events.

Long‐term entecavir therapy results in the reversal of fibrosis/cirrhosis and continued histological improvement in patients with chronic hepatitis B

Ting‐Tsung Chang, Yun‐Fan Liaw, Shun‐Sheng Wu, Eugene Schiff, Kwang‐Hyub Han, Ching‐Lung Lai, Rifaat Safadi, Samuel S. Lee, Waldemar Halota, Zachary Goodman, Yun‐Chan Chi, Hui Zhang, Robert Hindes, Uchenna Iloeje, Suzanne Beebe, Bruce Kreter – 26 August 2010 – One year of treatment with entecavir (0.5 mg daily) in nucleoside‐naive patients with hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)‐positive or HBeAg‐negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB) resulted in significantly improved liver histology and virological and biochemical endpoints in comparison with lamivudine.

Acute liver failure is associated with elevated liver stiffness and hepatic stellate cell activation

Alexander Dechêne, Jan‐Peter Sowa, Robert K. Gieseler, Christoph Jochum, Lars P. Bechmann, Amr El Fouly, Martin Schlattjan, Fuat Saner, Hideo A. Baba, Andreas Paul, Volker Dries, Margarethe Odenthal, Guido Gerken, Scott L. Friedman, Ali Canbay – 26 August 2010 – Acute liver failure (ALF) is associated with massive short‐term cell death, whereas chronic liver injury is accompanied by continuous cell death. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) contribute to tissue repair and liver fibrosis in chronic liver injury, although their role in ALF remains unexplained.

The immunoregulatory role of CD244 in chronic hepatitis B infection and its inhibitory potential on virus‐specific CD8+ T‐cell function

Bijan Raziorrouh, Winfried Schraut, Tilman Gerlach, Daniela Nowack, Norbert H. Grüner, Axel Ulsenheimer, Reinhart Zachoval, Martin Wächtler, Michael Spannagl, Jürgen Haas, Helmut M. Diepolder, Maria‐Christina Jung – 25 August 2010 – Multiple inhibitory receptors may play a role in the weak or absent CD8+ T‐cell response in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Yet few receptors have been characterized in detail and little is known about their complex regulation.

A protective role for CD154 in hepatic steatosis in mice

Julien Villeneuve, Sébastien Lepreux, Audrey Mulot, Annie M. Bérard, Arisa Higa‐Nishiyama, Pierre Costet, Victor De Ledinghen, Paulette Bioulac‐Sage, Charles Balabaud, Alan T. Nurden, Jean Rosenbaum, Eric Chevet, Jean Ripoche – 25 August 2010 – Inflammation and lipid metabolism pathways are linked, and deregulation of this interface may be critical in hepatic steatosis. The importance of the dialog between inflammatory signaling pathways and the unfolded protein response (UPR) in metabolism has been underlined.

Treatment of children with chronic hepatitis B virus infection in the United States: Patient selection and therapeutic options

Maureen M. Jonas, Joan M. Block, Barbara A. Haber, Saul J. Karpen, W. Thomas London, Karen F. Murray, Michael R. Narkewicz, Philip Rosenthal, Kathleen B. Schwarz, Brian J. McMahon – 25 August 2010 – Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in children presents a therapeutic challenge for the practitioner. Decisions regarding selection of patients who may benefit from treatment, appropriate timing of treatment, and the choice of antiviral therapy are complex and are compounded by the limited number of drugs that have been studied in children.

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