Willscott E. Naugler, Amnon Sonnenberg – 16 July 2010 – The aim of the present study is to compare the survival rates and cost‐effectiveness of different treatment strategies for small (<2 cm) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Markov chains are developed to model different management strategies for patients with compensated cirrhosis and small HCC. Probabilities of progression and survival and the likelihood of orthotopic liver transplantation are taken from the literature and incorporated into the models. As a starting population, 1000 patients are followed over a period of 10 years.

Emmanuel Weiss, Souhayl Dahmani, Frederic Bert, Sylvie Janny, Daniel Sommacale, Federica Dondero, Claire Francoz, Jacques Belghiti, Jean Mantz, Catherine Paugam‐Burtz – 16 July 2010 – Early‐onset hospital‐acquired pneumonia (E‐HAP) is one of the leading causes of sepsis and mortality after liver transplantation (LT). The appropriate antimicrobial therapy is crucially important for surviving sepsis in this context. The aim of this study was to analyze microbiological findings, associated factors, and optimal antibiotic regimens for E‐HAP after LT.

John D. Ryan, Eleanor Ryan, Aurelie Fabre, Matthew W. Lawless, John Crowe – 30 June 2010 – Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) is a common inherited iron overload disorder. The vast majority of patients carry the missense Cys282Tyr mutation of the HFE gene. Hepcidin, the central regulator of iron homeostasis, is deficient in HH, leading to unchecked iron absorption and subsequent iron overload. The bone morphogenic protein (BMP)/small mothers against decapentaplegic (Smad) signaling cascade is central to the regulation of hepcidin.

Fred Poordad, Eric Lawitz, Mitchell L. Shiffman, Tarek Hassanein, Andrew J. Muir, Bruce R. Bacon, Jamie Heise, Deanine Halliman, Eric Chun, Janet Hammond – 30 June 2010 – Ribavirin‐induced hemolytic anemia can prompt dose reductions and lower sustained virologic response (SVR) rates in the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C. The study aimed to determine if weight‐based dosing of taribavirin (TBV), an oral prodrug of ribavirin (RBV), demonstrated efficacy comparable to RBV while maintaining its previously demonstrated anemia advantage with fixed dose administration. A U.S.

Luca Valenti, Anna Alisi, Enrico Galmozzi, Andrea Bartuli, Benedetta Del Menico, Arianna Alterio, Paola Dongiovanni, Silvia Fargion, Valerio Nobili – 30 June 2010 – Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease in children. Genetic variability, which is a main player in NAFLD, is especially characterized by polymorphisms in genes involved in the development and progression of the disease to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Maria Buti, Yoav Lurie, Natalia G. Zakharova, Natalia P. Blokhina, Andrzej Horban, Gerlinde Teuber, Christoph Sarrazin, Ligita Balciuniene, Saya V. Feinman, Rab Faruqi, Lisa D. Pedicone, Rafael Esteban, for the SUCCESS Study Investigators – 30 June 2010 – The benefit of extending treatment duration with peginterferon (PEG‐IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) from 48 weeks to 72 weeks for patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 infection has not been well established.

Philippe Ichai, Faouzi Saliba, Fadi Antoun, Daniel Azoulay, Mylène Sebagh, Teresa Maria Antonini, Lélia Escaut, Delvart Valérie, Denis Castaing, Didier Samuel – 30 June 2010 – The standard antitubercular treatment (ATT), which consists of isoniazid (INH), rifampicin (RIF), ethambutol, and pyrazinamide (PZA), is the best available treatment for tuberculosis (TB). However, the hepatotoxicity of INH and PZA can be severe, and even after drug withdrawal, patients may require liver transplantation (LT). In these cases, the strategy for the treatment of TB is poorly defined.

Hui Xu, Jie‐Hua He, Zhen‐Dong Xiao, Qian‐Qian Zhang, Yue‐Qin Chen, Hui Zhou, Liang‐Hu Qu – 30 June 2010 – MicroRNA‐122 (miR‐122) is a liver‐specific microRNA whose expression is specifically turned on in the mouse liver during embryogenesis, thus it is expected to be involved in liver development. However, the role of miR‐122 in liver development and its potential underlying mechanism remain unclear.

Edith M. M. Kuiper, Karel J. van Erpecum, Ulrich Beuers, Bettina E. Hansen, H. Bing Thio, Robert A. de Man, Harry L. A. Janssen, Henk R. van Buuren – 30 June 2010 – Colesevelam is an anion‐exchange resin with a 7‐fold higher bile acid–binding capacity and fewer side effects than cholestyramine, the current first‐line treatment option for cholestatic pruritus. The aim of this trial was to compare the effects of colesevelam and a placebo in patients with cholestatic pruritus.

Yunfang Wang, Hsin‐Lei Yao, Cai‐Bin Cui, Eliane Wauthier, Claire Barbier, Martin J. Costello, Nicholas Moss, Mitsuo Yamauchi, Marnisa Sricholpech, David Gerber, Elizabeth G. Loboa, Lola M. Reid – 30 June 2010 – The differentiation of embryonic or determined stem cell populations into adult liver fates under known conditions yields cells with some adult‐specific genes but not others, aberrant regulation of one or more genes, and variations in the results from experiment to experiment.