Gyongyi Szabo – 28 January 2009

Nicholas J. Hand, Zankhana R. Master, John Le Lay, Joshua R. Friedman – 28 January 2009 – MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression through partial or complete complementarity with target messenger RNAs. The function of miRNAs in normal liver physiology is largely unknown. We address the role of Dicer1 in the differentiated liver. We derived mice lacking Dicer1 function in hepatocytes and assessed the loss of mature miRNA via quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

Zhi Zhu, Zhigang Luo, Yongmei Li, Canrong Ni, Honghua Li, Minghua Zhu – 28 January 2009 – Inhibitor of growth 1 (ING1) is a type II tumor suppressor that affects cell function by altering chromatin structure and regulating transcription. Recently, three ING1 splice variants have been cloned, but their roles in apoptosis and p53 regulation in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have not been fully elucidated.

Yutaka Midorikawa, Shogo Yamamoto, Shingo Tsuji, Naoko Kamimura, Shumpei Ishikawa, Hisaki Igarashi, Masatoshi Makuuchi, Norihiro Kokudo, Haruhiko Sugimura, Hiroyuki Aburatani – 28 January 2009 – Early hepatocellular carcinoma (eHCC) originates from the hepatocytes of chronic liver disease and develops into classical hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To identify sequential genetic changes in multistep hepatocarcinogenesis, we analyzed molecular karyotypes using oligonucleotide genotyping 50K arrays.

Sonal Asthana, Glenn K. Bonney, Ashley Guthrie, Mervyn H. Davies, K. Rajendra Prasad – 28 January 2009

Veronika Papp, Katalin Dezsö, Viktória László, Peter Nagy, Sándor Paku – 28 January 2009 – Although liver architecture has a major impact on function, morphological aspects of liver growth are relatively neglected. In our recent experiments, the architectural changes of the rat liver were compared during 2 basic processes: ontogeny and regenerative liver growth. The hepatic tissue is constructed as structural/functional units, and probably the most established and well‐defined such unit is the classic lobule.

Fredric D. Gordon, Paul Kwo, Hugo E. Vargas – 28 January 2009 – Recurrent hepatitis C after liver transplantation is a universal phenomenon. Graft reinfection occurs rapidly; once it is established, allograft cirrhosis and decompensation rapidly ensue in many patients. Treatment with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin is the standard of care among nontransplant patients with hepatitis C; however, the applicability of these therapies in liver transplant patients is severely limited.

John Fung, Jorge Rakela – 28 January 2009

Paolo Pugnale, Valerio Pazienza, Kévin Guilloux, Francesco Negro – 28 January 2009 – Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) can cause severe acute and chronic liver disease in patients infected with hepatitis B virus. Interferon‐α (IFN‐α) is the only treatment reported to be effective in chronic hepatitis delta, albeit in a minority of patients. The molecular mechanisms underlying resistance to therapy are unclear. IFN‐α–induced activation of the Janus kinase‐signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK‐STAT) signaling cascade is essential for the induction of an antiviral state.

Patrick Ingiliz, Marc‐Antoine Valantin, Claudine Duvivier, Fadia Medja, Stephanie Dominguez, Frédéric Charlotte, Roland Tubiana, Thierry Poynard, Christine Katlama, Anne Lombès, Yves Benhamou – 28 January 2009 – Liver damage associated with chronic unexplained high serum transaminases in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐infected patients under combined antiretroviral therapy is unknown.