John C. Bucuvalas, Ravinder Anand – 28 October 2009 – Immunoglobulin mitigates autoimmune disease and facilitates acceptance of ABO‐incompatible transplanted organs. To test the hypothesis that treatment with immunoglobulin is associated with improved graft survival and a decreased rate of allograft rejection, a cohort study of primary liver transplant recipients in the Studies of Pediatric Liver Transplantation registry was performed.

Olivier Boillot, Belhassen Seket, Jérôme Dumortier, Gabriella Pittau, Catherine Boucaud, Yves Bouffard, Jean‐Yves Scoazec – 28 October 2009 – This randomized, comparative study assessed the long‐term efficacy and tolerability of thymoglobulin (TMG) induction in 93 liver transplant patients with an initial regimen of tacrolimus (Tac), mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), and steroids. Forty‐four patients were randomly allocated to the TMG+ group, and 49 patients were randomly allocated to the TMG− group.

Medhat Askar, Robin Avery, Rebecca Corey, Rocio Lopez, Dawn Thomas, Diane Pidwell, Bijan Eghtesad, Charles Miller, John Fung, Nizar N. Zein – 28 October 2009 – Killer immunoglobulin‐like receptors (KIRs) expressed on natural killer and natural killer T cells are involved in activation of these cells and can influence antiviral immunity in the liver. This study investigated the association between KIR genetic diversity and sustained virologic response (SVR) to Peginterferon and Ribavirin (Peg/RBV) therapy in liver transplant (LT) recipients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) recurrence.

Erin K. O'Neill, Sunana Sohi, Claire Smith, Joseph Ahn – 28 October 2009

Robert S. Brown – 28 October 2009

Shen Baiyong, Chen Bing, Zhang Weixia, Mao Huarong, Shen Chuan, Deng Xiaxing, Zhan Xi, Chen Hao – 28 October 2009 – Living‐donor liver transplantation (LDLT) has been considered an alternative method for treatment of patients with end‐stage liver disease. However, the characteristics of pharmacokinetics of mycophenolic acid (MPA) in patients who underwent LDLT were not clear. This study was designed to compare the pharmacokinetics of MPA and its metabolites between LDLT patients and deceased donor liver transplant (DDLT) patients after oral administration of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF).

Kazutoyo Morita, Akinobu Taketomi, Yuji Soejima, Toru Ikegami, Takasuke Fukuhara, Tomohiro Iguchi, Shigeyuki Nagata, Keishi Sugimachi, Tomonobu Gion, Ken Shirabe, Yoshihiko Maehara – 28 October 2009 – The occurrence of de novo hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after liver transplantation (LT) for advanced HCCs has been extremely limited. In this article, a case of de novo HCC in a liver graft with sustained hepatitis C virus clearance after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for multiple HCCs and hepatitis C cirrhosis is reported.

Michael G. Hughes, Hugo R. Rosen – 28 October 2009 – Hepatitis C is a leading etiology of liver cancer and a leading reason for liver transplantation. Although new therapies have improved the rates of sustained response, a large proportion of patients (∼50%) fail to respond to antiviral treatment, thus remaining at risk for disease progression. Although chimpanzees have been used to study hepatitis C virus biology and treatments, their cost is quite high, and their use is strictly regulated; indeed, the National Institutes of Health no longer supports the breeding of chimpanzees for study.

Wei‐Ting Kuo, Cheng‐Yuan Hsia, Che‐Chuan Loong, Chin‐Su Liu, Hsin‐Lin Tsai, Hsiou‐Shan Tseng, Rheun‐Chuan Lee, Mei‐Yung Tsou, Chew‐Wun Wu, Wing‐Yiu Lui – 28 October 2009 – Foreign residents seeking liver transplantation in China are not uncommon. The outcomes of these people have not been well reported, and the results remain unclear. A total of 64 adults [26 with end‐stage liver disease (ESLD) and 38 with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)] who underwent donation after cardiac death (DCD) liver transplantation in China during a 5‐year period were reviewed.

Alejandra Otero, Evaristo Varo, Jorge Ortiz de Urbina, Rafael Martín‐Vivaldi, Valentin Cuervas‐Mons, Ignacio González‐Pinto, Antoni Rimola, Angel Bernardos, Santiago Otero, Jorge Maldonado, Jose I. Herrero, Elena Barrao, Rosa Domínguez‐Granados – 28 October 2009 – This open‐label, randomized study compared the efficacy of a regimen of corticosteroids and tacrolimus (standard therapy group, n = 79) with a regimen of daclizumab induction therapy in combination with mycophenolate mofetil and tacrolimus (modified therapy group, n = 78) in primary liver transplant recipients.