Leif E. Sander, J. Magarian Blander – 28 May 2009

Stephen Harrison, Brent Neuschwander‐Tetri, Elizabeth Brunt – 28 May 2009

Marina Berenguer – 28 May 2009

Heping Yang, Komal Ramani, Meng Xia, Kwang Suk Ko, Tony W.H. Li, Pilsoo Oh, Jiaping Li, Shelly C. Lu – 28 May 2009 – Glutathione (GSH) provides important antioxidant defense and regulates multiple critical processes including fibrogenesis. There are conflicting literature studies regarding changes in GSH during cholestasis. Here we examined changes in the GSH synthetic enzymes during bile duct ligation (BDL) in mice and how treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and/or S‐adenosylmethionine (SAMe) affects the expression of these enzymes and liver injury.

Jui‐Chu Yang, Chiao‐Fang Teng, Han‐Chieh Wu, Hung‐Wen Tsai, Huai‐Chia Chuang, Ting‐Fen Tsai, Yung‐Hsiang Hsu, Wenya Huang, Li‐Wha Wu, Ih‐Jen Su – 28 May 2009 – Ground glass hepatocytes (GGH) in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection harbor HBV pre‐S deletion mutants in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and exhibit complex biologic features such as ER stress, DNA damage, and growth advantage. The presence of pre‐S mutants in serum has been shown to predict the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in HBV carriers. GGHs hence represent a potentially preneoplastic lesion.

Luca Miele, Venanzio Valenza, Giuseppe La Torre, Massimo Montalto, Giovanni Cammarota, Riccardo Ricci, Roberta Mascianà, Alessandra Forgione, Maria L. Gabrieli, Germano Perotti, Fabio M. Vecchio, Gianlodovico Rapaccini, Giovanni Gasbarrini, Chris P. Day, Antonio Grieco – 28 May 2009 – The role played by the gut in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is still a matter of debate, although animal and human studies suggest that gut‐derived endotoxin may be important.

Anna S. Lok, James E. Everhart, Raymond T. Chung, Hae‐Young Kim, Gregory T. Everson, John C. Hoefs, Joel K. Greenson, Richard K. Sterling, Karen L. Lindsay, William M. Lee, Adrian M. Di Bisceglie, Herbert L. Bonkovsky, Marc G. Ghany, Chihiro Morishima, HALT‐C Trial Group – 28 May 2009 – Hepatic steatosis is a common histologic feature in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) but there are no large longitudinal studies describing the progression of steatosis in CHC.

James D. Perkins – 28 May 2009 – Patients with end‐stage liver disease (ESLD) are predisposed to bleeding complications due to thrombocytopenia, reduced synthesis of coagulation factors, and increased fibrinolytic activity. The exact incidence of vascular access site and bleeding complications related to cardiac catheterization in this group remains unknown. Eighty‐eight consecutive patients with ESLD who underwent left‐sided cardiac catheterization from August 2004 to February 2007 were identified.

Frans van der Heide, Gerard Dijkstra, Robert J. Porte, Jan H. Kleibeuker, Elizabeth B. Haagsma – 28 May 2009 – Long‐term morbidity and survival after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) are to a large degree determined by cardiovascular disease and cancer. Tobacco use is a well‐known risk factor for both. The aim of this study was to examine smoking behavior before and after OLT and to define groups at risk for resuming tobacco use after OLT. In addition, we looked for a relation between smoking and morbidity after OLT.

Daniel G. Maluf, Erick B. Edwards, R. Todd Stravitz, H. Myron Kauffman – 28 May 2009 – We have investigated the impact of the donor risk index (DRI) on the outcome of hepatitis C virus (HCV)–infected patients undergoing liver transplantation (LTx). Retrospective analysis was performed from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network database (January 1, 2000 to June, 2006). The DRI was calculated as described by Feng et al. (Am J Transplant 2006;6:783–790). Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease (MELD) exceptions were excluded from the analysis.