Potential role for Interleukin‐28B genotype in treatment decision‐making in recent hepatitis C virus infection

Jason Grebely, Kathy Petoumenos, Margaret Hellard, Gail V. Matthews, Vijayaprakash Suppiah, Tanya Applegate, Barbara Yeung, Phillipa Marks, William Rawlinson, Andrew R. Lloyd, David Booth, John M. Kaldor, Jacob George, Gregory J. Dore, for the ATAHC Study Group – 29 July 2010 – Polymorphisms in the IL28B (interleukin‐28B) gene region are important in predicting outcome following therapy for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We evaluated the role of IL28B in spontaneous and treatment‐induced clearance following recent HCV infection.

Prediction of sustained response to peginterferon alfa‐2b for hepatitis B e antigen–positive chronic hepatitis B using on‐treatment hepatitis B surface antigen decline

Milan J. Sonneveld, Vincent Rijckborst, Charles A. B. Boucher, Bettina E. Hansen, Harry L. A. Janssen – 29 July 2010 – Serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) levels may reflect the immunomodulatory efficacy of pegylated interferon (PEG‐IFN). We investigated within a large randomized trial whether quantitative HBsAg levels predict response to PEG‐IFN in patients with hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)‐positive chronic hepatitis B.

Programmed death‐1/B7‐H1 negative costimulation protects mouse liver against ischemia and reperfusion injury

Haofeng Ji, Xiuda Shen, Feng Gao, Bibo Ke, Maria Cecilia S. Freitas, Yoichiro Uchida, Ronald W. Busuttil, Yuan Zhai, Jerzy W. Kupiec‐Weglinski – 29 July 2010 – Programmed death‐1 (PD‐1)/B7‐H1 costimulation acts as a negative regulator of host alloimmune responses. Although CD4 T cells mediate innate immunity‐dominated ischemia and reperfusion injury (IRI) in the liver, the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. This study focused on the role of PD‐1/B7‐H1 negative signaling in liver IRI.

Type 1 T Helper Cells Induce the Accumulation of Myeloid‐Derived Suppressor Cells in the Inflamed Tgfb1 Knockout Mouse Liver

James G. Cripps, Jing Wang, Ann Maria, Ian Blumenthal, James D. Gorham – 29 July 2010 – Immune‐mediated liver injury in hepatitis is due to activated T cells producing interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ). It is important to identify negative feedback immune mechanisms that can regulate T cell activity.

Activation of interleukin‐6–induced glycoprotein 130/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 pathway in mesenchymal stem cells enhances hepatic differentiation, proliferation, and liver regeneration

Shuk Pik Lam, John M. Luk, Kwan Man, Kevin T. P. Ng, Cindy K. Cheung, Stefan Rose‐John, Chung Mau Lo – 29 July 2010 – Adult bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) exist in all living species and are capable of differentiating into different types of specific cells. In this study, we demonstrate the therapeutic effectiveness of rat MSC transplantation in D‐galactosamine (GalN)‐induced acute liver injury and identified the novel pathways which are involved in hepatic differentiation of MSCs.

Portal vein thrombosis and liver transplant survival benefit

Michael J. Englesbe, Douglas E. Schaubel, Shijie Cai, Mary K. Guidinger, Robert M. Merion – 27 July 2010 – Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) complicates the liver transplant operation and potentially affects waiting list survival. The implications on calculations of survival benefit, which balance both waiting list and posttransplant survival effects of PVT, have not been determined. The objective of this study is to describe the effect of PVT on the survival benefit of liver transplantation.

Analysis of liver transplant outcomes for United Network for Organ Sharing recipients 60 years old or older identifies multiple model for end‐stage liver disease–independent prognostic factors

Thomas A. Aloia, Richard Knight, A. Osama Gaber, R. Mark Ghobrial, John A. Goss – 27 July 2010 – Older recipient age is associated with worse posttransplant survival. Although the median age of liver disease patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) continues to rise, prognostic factors for posttransplant survival specific to older patients have not been defined.

Factors affecting hepatocyte isolation, engraftment, and replication in an in vivo model

Toshiyasu Kawahara, Christian Toso, Donna N. Douglas, Mahra Nourbakhsh, Jamie T. Lewis, David Lorne Tyrrell, Garry A. Lund, Thomas A. Churchill, Norman M. Kneteman – 27 July 2010 – Human hepatocyte transplantation is an alternative treatment for acute liver failure and liver diseases involving enzyme deficiencies. Although it has been successfully applied in selected recipients, both isolation and transplantation outcomes have the potential to be improved by better donor selection.

Six score systems to evaluate candidates with advanced cirrhosis for orthotopic liver transplant: Which is the winner?

Maurizio Biselli, Stefano Gitto, Annagiulia Gramenzi, Roberto Di Donato, Lucia Brodosi, Matteo Ravaioli, Gian Luca Grazi, Antonio Daniele Pinna, Pietro Andreone, Mauro Bernardi – 27 July 2010 – Many prognostic systems have been devised to predict the outcome of liver transplantation (LT) candidates. Today, the Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease (MELD) is widely used for organ allocation, but it has shown some limitations. The aim of this study was to investigate the performance of MELD compared to 5 different score models.

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