Development of a disease‐specific questionnaire to measure health‐related quality of life in liver transplant recipients

Sammy Saab, Vivian Ng, Carmen Landaverde, Sung‐Jae Lee, W. Scott Comulada, Jennifer Arevalo, Francisco Durazo, Steven‐Huy Han, Zobari Younossi, Ronald W. Busuttil – 14 January 2011 – Currently, no disease‐targeted instrument is available for measuring health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) in liver transplant recipients. We developed and tested a post–liver transplant quality of life (pLTQ) instrument. Item selection for the pLTQ instrument was based on responses from liver transplant recipients, 12 liver experts, and a literature search.

Operational tolerance: Past lessons and future prospects

Josh Levitsky – 14 January 2011 – Every liver transplant (LT) center has had patients who either self‐discontinue immunosuppressive (IS) therapy or are deliberately withdrawn due to a research protocol or clinical concern (ie, lymphoproliferative disorder [LPD], overwhelming infection). This is understandable because maintenance IS therapy, particularly calcineurin inhibitors (CNI), is associated with significant cost, side effects, and considerable long‐term morbidity and mortality.

A randomized, controlled study of treatment for alcohol dependence in patients awaiting liver transplantation

Robert M. Weinrieb, Deborah H.A. Van Horn, Kevin G. Lynch, Michael R. Lucey – 14 January 2011 – Alcohol is the second most common cause of cirrhosis necessitating liver transplantation in the United States, yet rates of posttransplant drinking approach 50% and no controlled clinical trials of alcoholism treatment exist in this population. Eligible patients were randomly assigned to receive Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET), or referral to local treatment sources (“treatment as usual” [TAU]). Addictive behavior, mood states, and general health were compared.

Hepatocellular adenomas: Accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging and liver biopsy in subtype classification

Maxime Ronot, Stephane Bahrami, Julien Calderaro, Dominique‐Charles Valla, Pierre Bedossa, Jacques Belghti, Valérie Vilgrain, Valérie Paradis – 12 January 2011 – Hepatocellular adenomas (HCAs) are divided into genotype/phenotype subgroups associated with different evolutive profiles. Therefore, recognition of subtype is of clinical importance in patient management. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered the most informative imaging modality and liver biopsy a key diagnostic tool whose role in HCA subtyping has never been extensively studied.

Interferon‐β and interferon‐λ signaling is not affected by interferon‐induced refractoriness to interferon‐α in vivo

Zuzanna Makowska, Francois H. T. Duong, Gaia Trincucci, David F. Tough, Markus H. Heim – 12 January 2011 – Therapy of chronic hepatitis C with pegylated interferon α (pegIFN‐α) and ribavirin achieves sustained virological responses in approximately half of the patients. Nonresponse to treatment is associated with constitutively increased expression of IFN‐stimulated genes in the liver already before therapy.

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