Scoring short‐term mortality after liver transplantation

Chung‐Shun Wong, Wei‐Chen Lee, Chang‐Chyi Jenq, Ya‐Chung Tian, Ming‐Yang Chang, Chan‐Yu Lin, Ji‐Tseng Fang, Chih‐Wei Yang, Ming‐Hung Tsai, Hsin‐Chin Shih, Yung‐Chang Chen – 26 January 2010 – Liver transplantation can prolong survival and improve the quality of life of patients with end‐stage liver disease. This study retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 149 patients who had received liver transplants in a tertiary care university hospital from January 2000 to December 2007. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory variables were recorded.

T Cell‐mediated biliary epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition in liver allograft rejection

Karolina A. Rygiel, Helen Robertson, Joseph D. P. Willet, John G. Brain, Alastair D. Burt, David E. J. Jones, John A. Kirby – 25 January 2010 – Loss of bile duct epithelium is characteristic of early chronic rejection following liver transplantation. Recent studies have suggested that intrahepatic biliary epithelial cells can transform into myofibroblasts. This study examines the induction and molecular regulation of this transition during allograft rejection.

Entecavir treatment for up to 5 years in patients with hepatitis B e antigen–positive chronic hepatitis B

Ting‐Tsung Chang, Ching‐Lung Lai, Seung Kew Yoon, Samuel S. Lee, Henrique Sergio M. Coelho, Flair Jose Carrilho, Fred Poordad, Waldemar Halota, Yves Horsmans, Naoky Tsai, Hui Zhang, Daniel J. Tenney, Ricardo Tamez, Uchenna Iloeje – 25 January 2010 – Sustained virologic suppression is a primary goal of therapy for chronic hepatitis B (CHB). In study entecavir (ETV)‐022, 48 weeks of entecavir 0.5 mg was superior to lamivudine for virologic suppression for hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)‐positive CHB. A total of 183 entecavir‐treated patients from ETV‐022 subsequently enrolled in study ETV‐901.

Chronic administration of valproic acid inhibits activation of mouse hepatic stellate cells in vitro and in vivo

Inge Mannaerts, Nele R. Nuytten, Vera Rogiers, Karin Vanderkerken, Leo A. van Grunsven, Albert Geerts – 25 January 2010 – Hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation is a pivotal step in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis. The clarification of this transdifferentiation process is therefore important for the development of effective therapies for fibrosis. We analyzed the effect of a histone deacetylase inhibitor, valproic acid (VPA), on mouse HSC transdifferentiation in vitro and in vivo.

Variability in ethanol biodisposition in whites is modulated by polymorphisms in the ADH1B and ADH1C genes

Carmen Martínez, Segismundo Galván, Elena Garcia‐Martin, María I. Ramos, Yolanda Gutiérrez‐Martín, José A.G. Agúndez – 25 January 2010 – Association between genetic variations in alcohol‐related enzymes and impaired ethanol biodisposition has not been unambiguously proven, and the effect of many newly described polymorphisms remains to be explored. The aims of this study are to elucidate the influence of genetic factors in alcohol biodisposition and effects.

Calcineurin inhibitor tacrolimus does not interfere with the suppression of hepatitis C virus infection by interferon‐α

Qiuwei Pan, Herold J. Metselaar, Petra de Ruiter, Jaap Kwekkeboom, Hugo W. Tilanus, Harry L. A. Janssen, Luc J. W. van der Laan – 25 January 2010 – Immunosuppression considerably affects hepatitis C virus (HCV) recurrence and the outcome of antiviral treatment after liver transplantation. Recent findings have suggested that the calcineurin inhibitor tacrolimus (Tac), unlike cyclosporine A (CsA), interferes with the antiviral activity of interferon‐α (IFN‐α) in vitro.

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