Michael R. Charlton, Alexander Thompson, Bart J. Veldt, Kym Watt, Hans Tillmann, John J. Poterucha, Julie K. Heimbach, David Goldstein, John McHutchison – 12 November 2010 – Polymorphism in the interleukin‐28B (IL28B) gene region, encoding interferon (IFN)‐λ3, is strongly predictive of response to antiviral treatment in the nontransplant setting. We sought to determine the prevalence and impact on clinical outcomes of donor and recipient IL28B genotypes among liver transplant recipients.

Shubham Shrivastava, Amit Raychoudhuri, Robert Steele, Ranjit Ray, Ratna B. Ray – 12 November 2010 – The role of autophagy in disease pathogenesis following viral infection is beginning to be elucidated. We have previously reported that hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in hepatocytes induces autophagy. However, the biological significance of HCV‐induced autophagy has not been clarified. Autophagy has recently been identified as a novel component of the innate immune system against viral infection.

Pedro M. Baptista, Mohummad M. Siddiqui, Genevieve Lozier, Sergio R. Rodriguez, Anthony Atala, Shay Soker – 12 November 2010 – A major roadblock to successful organ bioengineering is the need for a functional vascular network within the engineered tissue. Here, we describe the fabrication of three‐dimensional, naturally derived scaffolds with an intact vascular tree. Livers from different species were perfused with detergent to selectively remove the cellular components of the tissue while preserving the extracellular matrix components and the intact vascular network.

B. Nelson Chau, David A. Brenner – 12 November 2010

Jennifer M. Loftis, Benjamin J. Morasco, Peter Hauser – 4 November 2010

Aleksander Krag, Søren Møller, Flemming Bendtsen – 4 November 2010

Niraj Khandelwal, Laura P. James, Corron Sanders, Anne M. Larson, William M. Lee, and the Acute Liver Failure Study Group – 4 November 2010 – Despite extensive investigations, the cause of liver injury in 14% of patients with acute liver failure remains unknown (indeterminate). In a pilot study using a novel assay, highly specific acetaminophen‐cysteine adducts were detected in 7 of 36 indeterminate patients (19%).

Chung‐Feng Huang, Chia‐Yen Dai, Jee‐Fu Huang, Wan‐Long Chuang, Ming‐Lung Yu – 4 November 2010

Min Guan, Linbing Qu, Wenjuan Tan, Ling Chen, Chi‐Wai Wong – 4 November 2010 – Hepatocyte nuclear factor‐4 alpha (HNF‐4α) is an important transcription factor governing the expression of genes involved in multiple metabolic pathways. Secreted phospholipase A2 GXIIB (PLA2GXIIB) is an atypical member of a class of secreted phospholipases A2. We establish in this study that PLA2GXIIB is an HNF‐4α target gene. We demonstrate that HNF‐4α binds to a response element on the PLA2GXIIB promoter. Moreover, HNF‐4α agonists induce PLA2GXIIB expression in human hepatocarcinoma cells.

Wan‐Hsin Wen, Huey‐Ling Chen, Yen‐Hsuan Ni, Hong‐Yuan Hsu, Jia‐Horng Kao, Fu‐Chang Hu, Mei‐Hwei Chang – 4 November 2010 – Genotypes B and C are the major hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes in Taiwan, and genotype C is associated with more severe liver disease than genotype B. Whether the implementation of the hepatitis B immunization program has affected the secular trend of the HBV genotype distribution remains unknown.