Banchob Sripa, Eimorn Mairiang, Bandit Thinkhamrop, Thewarach Laha, Sasithorn Kaewkes, Paiboon Sithithaworn, Smarn Tessana, Alex Loukas, Paul J. Brindley, Jeffrey M. Bethony – 28 September 2009 – More than 750 million people are at risk of infection with foodborne liver flukes. Opisthorchis viverrini is considered among the most important of these parasites, due to its strong association with cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). O.

Tzu‐Min Hung, Shin C. Chang, Wei‐Hsuan Yu, Yu‐Wen Wang, Cheng Huang, Shao‐Chun Lu, Po‐Huang Lee, Ming‐Fu Chang – 28 September 2009 – Liver cirrhosis is characterized by progressive accumulation of extracellular matrix following chronic liver injuries. In the extracellular space, the constant turnover of liver matrix is regulated by the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) class of enzyme. To assess whether genetic variations in MMP would result in diversity of liver cirrhosis, a case‐control study of 320 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, with or without cirrhosis, was conducted.

Kathleen E. Corey, Erin Kane, Craig Munroe, Lydia L. Barlow, Hui Zheng, Raymond T. Chung – 28 September 2009 – Hepatitis C associated hypolipidemia has been demonstrated in studies from Europe and Africa. In two linked studies, we evaluated the relationship between hepatitis C infection and treatment with lipid levels in an American cohort and determined the frequency of clinically significant posttreatment hyperlipidemia. First, a case‐control analysis of patients with and without hepatitis C was performed. The HCV Group consisted of 179 infected patients.

Stuart K. Roberts, Martin D. Weltman, Darrell H. G. Crawford, Geoffrey W. McCaughan, William Sievert, Wendy S. Cheng, William Rawlinson, Paul V. Desmond, Phillipa S. Marks, Motoko Yoshihara, Bishoy Rizkalla, Jean K. DePamphilis, Gregory J. Dore, Chariot Study Group – 28 September 2009 – This study tested the hypothesis that high‐dose peginterferon alfa‐2a (PEG‐IFNα‐2a) for the first 12 weeks would increase early and sustained virological response (SVR) rates in patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1.

Christine Carter‐Kent, Lisa M. Yerian, Elizabeth M. Brunt, Paul Angulo, Rohit Kohli, Simon C. Ling, Stavra A. Xanthakos, Peter F. Whitington, Phunchai Charatcharoenwitthaya, Jason Yap, Rocio Lopez, Arthur J. McCullough, Ariel E. Feldstein – 28 September 2009 – Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) may have distinct histological features in children and adults, but to date limited data are available on the spectrum and significance of histological lesions in pediatric patients.

Gin‐ho Lo – 28 September 2009

Bo Wang, Sarmila Majumder, Gerard Nuovo, Huban Kutay, Stefano Volinia, Tushar Patel, Thomas D. Schmittgen, Carlo Croce, Kalpana Ghoshal, Samson T. Jacob – 28 September 2009 – MicroRNAs (miRs) are conserved, small (20‐25 nucleotide) noncoding RNAs that negatively regulate expression of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) at the posttranscriptional level. Aberrant expression of certain microRNAs plays a causal role in tumorigenesis.

Rui Zhang, Lei Wang, Gui‐Rong Yu, Xiang Zhang, Li‐Bo Yao, An‐Gang Yang – 28 September 2009

Richard J. Q. McNally, Samantha Ducker, Oliver F. W. James – 28 September 2009 – The cause of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is unclear. Both genetic and environmental factors are likely to contribute. Some studies have suggested that one or more infectious agents may be involved. To examine whether infections may contribute to the cause of PBC, we have analyzed for space–time clustering using population‐based data from northeast England over a defined period (1987–2003).

Ariel E. Feldstein, Anna Wieckowska, A. Rocio Lopez, Yao‐Chang Liu, Nizar N. Zein, Arthur J. McCullough – 28 September 2009 – Liver biopsy remains the gold standard for diagnosing nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). We have recently demonstrated that plasma cytokeratin 18 (CK‐18) fragment levels correlate with the magnitude of hepatocyte apoptosis and independently predict the presence of NASH. The goal of this study was to validate the use of this biomarker for NASH diagnosis. The study was an ancillary study of the NASH Clinical Research Network (NASH CRN).