Pierre‐Alain Clavien, Christian E. Oberkofler, Dimitri A. Raptis, Kuno Lehmann, Andreas Rickenbacher, Ashraf Mohammad El‐Badry – 23 July 2010

Anita Afzali, Noel S. Weiss, Edward J. Boyko, George N. Ioannou – 23 July 2010 – Elevated serum uric acid (UA) levels strongly reflect and may even cause oxidative stress, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome, which are risk factors for the progression of liver disease. We sought to determine whether serum UA levels are associated with the development of cirrhosis or the presence of elevated serum liver enzymes.

Brent A. Neuschwander‐Tetri – 23 July 2010

Cristina Rigamonti, Maria Francesca Donato, Massimo Colombo – 23 July 2010

Kohji Moriishi, Ikuo Shoji, Yoshio Mori, Ryosuke Suzuki, Tetsuro Suzuki, Chikako Kataoka, Yoshiharu Matsuura – 23 July 2010 – We have reported previously that the proteasome activator PA28γ participates not only in degradation of hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein in the nucleus but also in the pathogenesis in transgenic mice expressing HCV core protein. However, the biological significance of PA28γ in the propagation of HCV has not been clarified. PA28γ is an activator of proteasome responsible for ubiquitin‐independent degradation of substrates in the nucleus.

Nadya Al‐Harthy, Teru Kumagi, Catalina Coltescu, Gideon M. Hirschfield – 23 July 2010 – Quality of life is an important concern for patients with chronic liver disease. We sought to describe the frequency, severity, and associations of fatigue, in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). We performed association testing between PBC‐40 multidomain disease‐specific quality of life responses and clinical findings. Three hundred twenty‐seven patients from a single clinic with PBC (94% female, 92% AMA‐positive) were evaluated.

Stefan Russmann, Alexander Jetter, Gerd A. Kullak‐Ublick – 23 July 2010 – Recent progress in research on drug‐induced liver injury (DILI) has been determined by key developments in two areas. First, new technologies allow the identification of genetic risk factors with improved sensitivity, specificity, and efficiency. Second, new mechanistic concepts of DILI emphasize the importance of unspecific “downstream” events following drug‐specific initial “upstream” hepatocyte injury and of complex interactions between environmental and genetic risk factors.

Riccardo Lencioni – 23 July 2010 – Loco‐regional treatments play a key role in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Image‐guided tumor ablation is recommended in patients with early‐stage HCC when surgical options are precluded. Radiofrequency ablation has shown superior anticancer effects and greater survival benefit with respect to the seminal percutaneous technique, ethanol injection, in meta‐analyses of randomized controlled trials, and is currently established as the standard method for local tumor treatment.

Tiangang Li, Erika Owsley, Michelle Matozel, Peter Hsu, Colleen M. Novak, John Y. L. Chiang – 23 July 2010 – Cholesterol 7α‐hydroxylase (CYP7A1) is the rate‐limiting enzyme in the bile acid biosynthetic pathway that converts cholesterol into bile acids in the liver. Recent studies have shown that bile acids may play an important role in maintaining lipid, glucose, and energy homeostasis. However, the role of CYP7A1 in the development of obesity and diabetes is currently unclear.

Jun Su, Richard A. Brook, Nathan L. Kleinman, Patricia Corey‐Lisle – 23 July 2010 – Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is generally considered an asymptomatic disease. However, studies have shown that HCV has a substantial negative impact on patients' quality of life and functioning. This study was designed to compare absenteeism, productivity, and health cost between employees with and without HCV infection in the United States.