Chang Han, William C. Bowen, Guiying Li, Anthony J. Demetris, George K. Michalopoulos, Tong Wu – 23 July 2010 – Hepatocellular carcinoma often develops in the setting of abnormal hepatocyte growth associated with chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis. Transforming growth factor β (TGF‐β) is a multifunctional cytokine pivotal in the regulation of hepatic cell growth, differentiation, migration, extracellular matrix production, stem cell homeostasis, and hepatocarcinogenesis. However, the mechanisms by which TGF‐β influences hepatic cell functions remain incompletely defined.

Keigo Machida, Hidekazu Tsukamoto, Jian‐Chang Liu, Yuan‐Ping Han, Sugantha Govindarajan, Michael M. C. Lai, Shizuo Akira, Jing‐hsiung James Ou – 23 July 2010 – Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurs in a significant number of patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. HCV causes double‐strand DNA breaks and enhances the mutation frequency of proto‐oncogenes and tumor suppressors. However, the underlying mechanisms for these oncogenic events are still elusive.

Jannes Woudenberg, Krzysztof P. Rembacz, Mark Hoekstra, Antonella Pellicoro, Fiona A. J. van den Heuvel, Janette Heegsma, Sven C. D. van IJzendoorn, Andreas Holzinger, Tsuneo Imanaka, Han Moshage, Klaas Nico Faber – 23 July 2010 – Peroxisomes are particularly abundant in the liver and are involved in bile salt synthesis and fatty acid metabolism.

Susie A. Lee, Sara Ladu, Matthias Evert, Frank Dombrowski, Valentina De Murtas, Xin Chen, Diego F. Calvisi – 23 July 2010 – Sprouty2 (Spry2), a negative feedback regulator of the Ras/mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, is frequently down‐regulated in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We tested the hypothesis that loss of Spry2 cooperates with unconstrained activation of the c‐Met protooncogene to induce hepatocarcinogenesis via in vitro and in vivo approaches.

Björn Lindkvist, Maria Benito de Valle, Bo Gullberg, Einar Björnsson – 23 July 2010 – Population‐based studies on the epidemiology of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) are sparse. The aim of the present study was to investigate prevalence and temporal trends in the incidence of PSC 1992‐2005 in an adult population in Västra Götaland, a region in southern Sweden with a defined population of about 1.5 million. Patients with PSC aged 18 years or above were identified through a computerized search for diagnostic codes.

Robert J. Fontana, Leonard B. Seeff, Raúl J. Andrade, Einar Björnsson, Christopher P. Day, Jose Serrano, Jay H. Hoofnagle – 23 July 2010 – Idiosyncratic drug‐induced liver injury (DILI) is an important but relatively infrequent cause of potentially severe acute and chronic liver injury. The aim of this clinical research workshop was to review and attempt to standardize the current nomenclature and terminology used in DILI research.

Paul A. Sharp – 23 July 2010

Jun Su, Richard A. Brook, Nathan L. Kleinman, Patricia Corey‐Lisle – 23 July 2010 – Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is generally considered an asymptomatic disease. However, studies have shown that HCV has a substantial negative impact on patients' quality of life and functioning. This study was designed to compare absenteeism, productivity, and health cost between employees with and without HCV infection in the United States.

Tiangang Li, Erika Owsley, Michelle Matozel, Peter Hsu, Colleen M. Novak, John Y. L. Chiang – 23 July 2010 – Cholesterol 7α‐hydroxylase (CYP7A1) is the rate‐limiting enzyme in the bile acid biosynthetic pathway that converts cholesterol into bile acids in the liver. Recent studies have shown that bile acids may play an important role in maintaining lipid, glucose, and energy homeostasis. However, the role of CYP7A1 in the development of obesity and diabetes is currently unclear.

Riccardo Lencioni – 23 July 2010 – Loco‐regional treatments play a key role in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Image‐guided tumor ablation is recommended in patients with early‐stage HCC when surgical options are precluded. Radiofrequency ablation has shown superior anticancer effects and greater survival benefit with respect to the seminal percutaneous technique, ethanol injection, in meta‐analyses of randomized controlled trials, and is currently established as the standard method for local tumor treatment.