William J. H. Griffiths, Roman Mayr, Ian McFarlane, Martin Hermann, David J. Halsall, Heinz Zoller, Timothy M. Cox – 19 October 2009 – Mutations in the SLC40A1 gene, which encodes ferroportin, are associated with autosomal dominant hemochromatosis. Ferroportin is inhibited directly by hepcidin, a key iron‐regulatory peptide, and functional consequences of SLC40A1 mutations account for observed phenotypic differences in patients with ferroportin disease.

Kumiko Isse, Susan M. Specht, John G. Lunz, Liang‐I Kang, Yoshiaki Mizuguchi, Anthony J. Demetris – 19 October 2009 – Females are more susceptible than males to several biliary tract diseases. Interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) is critical to triggering autoimmune reactions and contributes substantially to biliary epithelial cell (BEC) barrier function and wound repair, and estrogen differentially regulates IL‐6 expression in various cell types. We hypothesized that estrogen might stimulate BEC IL‐6 production.

Roben G. Gieling, Ahmed M. Elsharkawy, Jorge H. Caamaño, David E. Cowie, Matthew C. Wright, Mohammad R. Ebrahimkhani, Alastair D. Burt, Jelena Mann, Pradip Raychaudhuri, Hsiou‐Chi Liou, Fiona Oakley, Derek A. Mann – 19 October 2009 – In this study, we determined the role of the nuclear factor‐kappaB (NF‐κB) subunit c‐Rel in liver injury and regeneration.

Chiara Braconi, Nianyuan Huang, Tushar Patel – 19 October 2009 – Although the inflammation‐associated cytokine interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) has been implicated in cholangiocarcinoma growth, the relationship between IL‐6 and oncogenic changes is unknown. IL‐6 can increase expression of DNA methyltransferase‐1 (DNMT‐1) and epigenetically regulate the expression of several genes, including microRNAs (miRNAs). DNMT‐1 up‐regulation occurs in hepatobiliary cancers and is associated with a poor prognosis.

Hisashi Moriguchi, Raymond T. Chung, Chifumi Sato – 19 October 2009

Farah Esfandiari, Valentina Medici, Donna H. Wong, Soumia Jose, Maryam Dolatshahi, Eoin Quinlivan, Sanjana Dayal, Steven R. Lentz, Hidekazu Tsukamoto, Yue Hua Zhang, Samuel W. French, Charles H. Halsted – 19 October 2009 – We tested the hypothesis that the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver injury is mediated by epigenetic changes in regulatory genes that result from the induction of aberrant methionine metabolism by ethanol feeding.

Debbie L. Shawcross, Shabnam S. Shabbir, Nicholas J. Taylor, Robin D. Hughes – 13 October 2009 – Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) constitutes a neuropsychiatric syndrome which remains a major clinical problem in patients with cirrhosis. In the severest form of HE, cirrhotic patients may develop varying degrees of confusion and coma. Ammonia has been regarded as the key precipitating factor in HE, and astrocytes have been the most commonly affected cells neuropathologically.

Paulette Bioulac‐Sage, Charles Balabaud, Jessica Zucman‐Rossi – 13 October 2009

Soo Jung Park, Young‐Suk Lim, Shin Hwang, Nae Yun Heo, Han Chu Lee, Dong Jin Suh, Eunsil Yu, Sung Gyu Lee – 13 October 2009 – The outcomes of patients with acute liver failure (ALF) vary greatly according to etiology. Emergency adult‐to‐adult living‐donor liver transplantation (adult LDLT) would help address the shortage of available organs for patients with ALF, especially in hepatitis B virus (HBV)‐endemic areas. We analyzed a prospective database of 110 consecutive adult patients with ALF.

Kojiro Taura, Kouichi Miura, Keiko Iwaisako, Christoph H. Österreicher, Yuzo Kodama, Melitta Penz‐Österreicher, David A. Brenner – 13 October 2009 – The origin of fibrogenic cells in liver fibrosis remains controversial. We assessed the emerging concept that hepatocytes contribute to production of extracellular matrix (ECM) in liver fibrosis through epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT).