Min Guan, Linbing Qu, Wenjuan Tan, Ling Chen, Chi‐Wai Wong – 4 November 2010 – Hepatocyte nuclear factor‐4 alpha (HNF‐4α) is an important transcription factor governing the expression of genes involved in multiple metabolic pathways. Secreted phospholipase A2 GXIIB (PLA2GXIIB) is an atypical member of a class of secreted phospholipases A2. We establish in this study that PLA2GXIIB is an HNF‐4α target gene. We demonstrate that HNF‐4α binds to a response element on the PLA2GXIIB promoter. Moreover, HNF‐4α agonists induce PLA2GXIIB expression in human hepatocarcinoma cells.

Wan‐Hsin Wen, Huey‐Ling Chen, Yen‐Hsuan Ni, Hong‐Yuan Hsu, Jia‐Horng Kao, Fu‐Chang Hu, Mei‐Hwei Chang – 4 November 2010 – Genotypes B and C are the major hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes in Taiwan, and genotype C is associated with more severe liver disease than genotype B. Whether the implementation of the hepatitis B immunization program has affected the secular trend of the HBV genotype distribution remains unknown.

Eric Vibert, Jean‐Charles Duclos‐Vallée, Maria‐Rosa Ghigna, Emir Hoti, Chady Salloum, Catherine Guettier, Denis Castaing, Didier Samuel, René Adam – 4 November 2010 – Liver transplantation (LT) has become an accepted therapy for end‐stage liver disease in human immunodeficiency virus–positive (HIV+) patients, but the specific results of LT for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are unknown. Between 2003 and 2008, 21 HIV+ patients and 65 HIV− patients with HCC were listed for LT at a single institution. Patient characteristics and pathological features were analyzed.

Marco Antonio Montes‐Cano, José Raúl García‐Lozano, Cristina Abad‐Molina, Fuensanta Torrecillas, Almudena Torres, Luis Felipe Lopez‐Cortes, Antonio Núñez‐Roldán, María Francisca González‐Escribano – 4 November 2010

Salvatore Petta, Marco Amato, Daniela Cabibi, Calogero Cammà, Vito Di Marco, Carla Giordano, Aldo Galluzzo, Antonio Craxì – 29 October 2010 – Metabolic factors have been associated with liver damage in patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C (G1 CHC). We tested visceral adiposity index (VAI), a new marker of adipose dysfunction in G1 CHC, patients to assess its association with host and viral factors and its link to both histological findings and sustained virological response (SVR).

Dawn McDowell Torres, Stephen A. Harrison – 29 October 2010

Martin Rössle, Daniel Grandt – 29 October 2010

Lei Wan, Chang‐Hai Tsai, Chin‐Moo Hsu, Chin‐Chang Huang, Chih‐Chao Yang, Chiu‐Chu Liao, Chin‐Ching Wu, Yu‐An Hsu, Cheng‐Chun Lee, Su‐Ching Liu, Wei‐De Lin, Fuu‐Jen Tsai – 29 October 2010 – Wilson disease is a copper metabolism disorder caused by mutations in ATP7B, a copper‐transporting adenosine triphosphatase. A molecular diagnosis was performed on 135 patients with Wilson disease in Taiwan.

Ian Guest, Zoran Ilic, Stewart Sell – 29 October 2010 – The age dependence of the oval cell response and bile duct carcinomas of male F344 rats exposed to a cyclic choline deficiency‐ethionine (CDE) diet (2 weeks on, 1 week off) supports the concept of loss of potential of liver stem cells to form cancers with aging. Livers of rats exposed at 3 weeks of age demonstrated a robust and widespread oval cell proliferation followed by cholangiofibrosis and bile duct metaplasia with extensive mucinous cysts throughout all lobes, and induction of cholangiocarcinomas (CCAs) in seven of eight rats.

Joanna D. Stewart, Rita Horvath, Enrico Baruffini, Iliana Ferrero, Stefanie Bulst, Paul B. Watkins, Robert J. Fontana, Christopher P. Day, Patrick F. Chinnery – 29 October 2010 – Sodium valproate (VPA) is widely used throughout the world to treat epilepsy, migraine, chronic headache, bipolar disorder, and as adjuvant chemotherapy. VPA toxicity is an uncommon but potentially fatal cause of idiosyncratic liver injury. Rare mutations in POLG, which codes for the mitochondrial DNA polymerase γ (polγ), cause Alpers‐Huttenlocher syndrome (AHS).