David W. Hutton, Samuel K. So, Margaret L. Brandeau – 25 January 2010 – Liver disease and liver cancer associated with childhood‐acquired chronic hepatitis B are leading causes of death among adults in China. Despite expanded newborn hepatitis B vaccination programs, approximately 20% of children under age 5 years and 40% of children aged 5 to 19 years remain unprotected from hepatitis B. Although immunizing them will be beneficial, no studies have examined the cost‐effectiveness of hepatitis B catch‐up vaccination in an endemic country like China.

Yu‐Xiong Feng, Jiang‐Sha Zhao, Jing‐Jing Li, Tao Wang, Shu‐Qun Cheng, Yunfei Yuan, Fudi Wang, Xiao‐Fan Wang, Dong Xie – 25 January 2010 – Eph/Ephrin family, one of the largest receptor tyrosine kinase families, has been extensively studied in morphogenesis and neural development. Recently, growing attention has been paid to its role in the initiation and progression of various cancers. However, the role of Eph/Ephrins in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been rarely investigated.

Leon Adams – 25 January 2010

Philip N. Newsome – 25 January 2010

Lise L. Gluud, Kurt Christensen, Erik Christensen, Aleksander Krag – 25 January 2010 – Vasoconstrictor drugs may improve renal function in hepatorenal syndrome (HRS), but the effect on mortality has not been established. We therefore performed a systematic review of randomized trials on vasoconstrictor drugs for type 1 or type 2 HRS. Mortality was the primary outcome measure. Eligible trials were identified through electronic and manual searches. Intention‐to‐treat random effects meta‐analyses were performed.

Tao Sun, Nan Zhao, Xiu‐lan Zhao, Qiang Gu, Shi‐wu Zhang, Na Che, Xing‐hui Wang, Jing Du, Yi‐xin Liu, Bao‐cun Sun – 25 January 2010 – The up‐regulation and nuclear relocation of epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) regulator Twist1 have been implicated in the tumor invasion and metastasis of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The term vasculogenic mimicry (VM) refers to the unique capability of aggressive tumor cells to mimic the pattern of embryonic vasculogenic networks. However, the relationship between Twist1 and VM formation is not clear.

William Gelson, Matthew Hoare, Sarah Vowler, Arun Shankar, Paul Gibbs, Arne N. Akbar, Graeme J. M. Alexander – 25 January 2010 – Immune senescence is the normal process whereby the human immune system ages, but becomes less effective. We investigated whether liver transplant recipients have features of immune senescence.

Mahmudul Haque – 21 January 2010

Jae Myeong Lee, Gi‐Young Ko, Kyu‐Bo Sung, Dong Il Gwon, Hyun‐Ki Yoon, Sung‐Gyu Lee – 21 January 2010 – The aims of this study were to evaluate both the efficacy of stent placement for treating inferior vena cava (IVC) stenosis and the patency of hepatic veins (HVs) following IVC stent placement. Fourteen hepatic transplant recipients underwent stent placement to treat IVC stenosis. The median interval between transplantation and stent placement was 32 days. Stents varied from 20‐36 mm in diameter and were 60‐120 mm long.

Costi D. Sifri, Hsin‐Yun Sun, Thomas V. Cacciarelli, Brian Wispelwey, Timothy L. Pruett, Nina Singh – 21 January 2010 – The posttransplant outcomes and optimal management of patients with end‐stage liver disease who develop cryptococcosis prior to transplantation have not been defined. We discuss these issues in the context of successful liver transplantation and pretransplant cryptococcal disease.