Antonio Mazzocca, Emilia Fransvea, Francesco Dituri, Luigi Lupo, Salvatore Antonaci, Gianluigi Giannelli – 25 January 2010 – Tumor–stroma interactions in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are of key importance to tumor progression. In this study, we show that HCC invasive cells produce high levels of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and generate tumors with a high stromal component in a xenograft model. A transforming growth factor β (TGF‐β) receptor inhibitor, LY2109761, inhibited the synthesis and release of CTGF, as well as reducing the stromal component of the tumors.

Savino Bruno, Mitchell L. Shiffman, Stuart K. Roberts, Edward J. Gane, Diethelm Messinger, Stephanos J. Hadziyannis, Patrick Marcellin – 25 January 2010 – The objective of this study is to determine the efficacy and safety of peginterferon alfa‐2a (40KD)/ribavirin in patients with advanced fibrosis. Data from 341 genotype 1/4 patients (99 with bridging fibrosis/cirrhosis) treated for 48 weeks and 1547 genotype 2/3 patients (380 with bridging fibrosis/cirrhosis) treated for 16 or 24 weeks enrolled in three randomized international studies were analyzed.

Eugene Bolotin, Hailing Liao, Tuong Chi Ta, Chuhu Yang, Wendy Hwang‐Verslues, Jane R. Evans, Tao Jiang, Frances M. Sladek – 25 January 2010 – Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4α), a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, is essential for liver function and is linked to several diseases including diabetes, hemophilia, atherosclerosis, and hepatitis. Although many DNA response elements and target genes have been identified for HNF4α, the complete repertoire of binding sites and target genes in the human genome is unknown.

Jian Shi, Wenyu Shao, Dongchang Yang, Liang Zhao, Lei Deng, Xuehao Wang, Beicheng Sun – 25 January 2010 – Hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is very important in transplant surgery.

Anna Alisi, Nadia Panera, Valerio Nobili – 25 January 2010

Klaus H. Kaestner – 25 January 2010

Matthew R. Foxton, Mohammad A. B. Al‐Freah, Andrew J. Portal, Elizabeth Sizer, William Bernal, Georg Auzinger, Mohamed Rela, Julia A. Wendon, Nigel D. Heaton, John G. O'Grady, Michael A. Heneghan – 25 January 2010 – Organ allocation based on Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease (MELD) resulted in decreased waiting list mortality in the United States. However, reports suggest an increase in resource utilization as a consequence of this. The aim of this study is to assess the correlation of MELD at transplant with post–liver transplant (LT) intensive care unit (ICU) costs.

Xingshun Qi, Guohong Han, Daiming Fan – 25 January 2010

James E. Everhart, Elizabeth C. Wright, Zachary D. Goodman, Jules L. Dienstag, John C. Hoefs, David E. Kleiner, Marc G. Ghany, A. Scott Mills, S. Russell Nash, Sugantha Govindarajan, Thomas E. Rogers, Joel K. Greenson, Elizabeth M. Brunt, Herbert L. Bonkovsky, Chihiro Morishima, Heather J. Litman, HALT‐C Trial Group – 25 January 2010 – Studies of the prognostic value of Ishak fibrosis stage are lacking.

Chiara Vecchi, Giuliana Montosi, Antonello Pietrangelo – 25 January 2010 – Hereditary hemochromatosis (HC) is commonly associated with homozygosity for the cysteine‐to‐tyrosine substitution at position 282 (C282Y) of the HFE protein. This mutation prevents HFE from binding beta2‐microglobulin (beta2M) and reaching the cell surface. We have discovered that a widely used hepatoma cell line, Huh‐7, carries a HFE mutation similar to that associated with human HC. By HFE gene sequencing of Huh‐7 genomic DNA, we found a TAC nucleotide deletion (c.