Adenosine induces loss of actin stress fibers and inhibits contraction in hepatic stellate cells via Rho inhibition

Muhammad A. Sohail, Ardeshir Z. Hashmi, Wyel Hakim, Azuma Watanabe, Alexander Zipprich, Roberto J. Groszmann, Jonathan A. Dranoff, Natalie J. Torok, Wajahat Z. Mehal – 28 December 2008 – The Rho/ROCK pathway is activated in differentiated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and is necessary for assembly of actin stress fibers, contractility, and chemotaxis. Despite the importance of this pathway in HSC biology, physiological inhibitors of the Rho/ROCK pathway in HSCs are not known.

Ex vivo effects of high‐density lipoprotein exposure on the lipopolysaccharide‐induced inflammatory response in patients with severe cirrhosis

Arnaud Galbois, Dominique Thabut, Khalid A. Tazi, Marika Rudler, Morvarid Shir Mohammadi, Dominique Bonnefont‐Rousselot, Hind Bennani, Annie Bezeaud, Zera Tellier, Cécile Guichard, Nicolas Coant, Eric Ogier‐Denis, Richard Moreau, Didier Lebrec – 28 December 2008 – High‐density lipoproteins (HDL) are known to neutralize lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Because patients with cirrhosis have lower HDL levels, this may contribute to LPS‐induced ex vivo monocyte overproduction of proinflammatory cytokines.

Complex dynamics of hepatitis B virus resistance to adefovir

Coralie Pallier, Christophe Rodriguez, Rozenn Brillet, Patrice Nordmann, Christophe Hézode, Jean‐Michel Pawlotsky – 28 December 2008 – In patients with hepatitis B e antigen‐negative chronic hepatitis B, adefovir dipivoxil administration selects variants bearing reverse transcriptase rtN236T and/or rtA181V/T substitutions in 29% of cases after 5 years.

Sildenafil monotherapy in portopulmonary hypertension can facilitate liver transplantation

Anna R. Hemnes, Ivan M. Robbins – 24 December 2008 – Portopulmonary hypertension (POPH), or pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with cirrhosis, carries a high mortality and often precludes liver transplantation. Many POPH patients have preserved or increased cardiac output; therefore, decreasing pulmonary artery pressure rather than improving cardiac output is more important in reducing liver transplant risk, and this makes sildenafil an attractive therapeutic option. We assessed the clinical response of patients with POPH treated with sildenafil monotherapy.

Side‐to‐side cavocavostomy with an endovascular stapler: Rescue technique for severe hepatic vein and/or inferior vena cava outflow obstruction after liver transplantation using the piggyback technique

Cristiano Quintini, Charles M. Miller, Koji Hashimoto, Ding Philip, Teresa Diago Uso, Federico Aucejo, Dympna Kelly, Charles Winans, Bijan Eghtesad, David Vogt, John Fung – 24 December 2008 – Venous outflow obstruction is a rare but potentially lethal complication after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) with the “piggyback” technique. Therapeutic options include angioplasty with or without stent placement, surgical reconstruction of the venous anastomosis, and retransplantation. Surgical options are technically very challenging and the outcomes discouraging.

Health‐related quality of life and employment status of liver transplant patients

Fredrik Åberg, Anne M. Rissanen, Harri Sintonen, Risto P. Roine, Krister Höckerstedt, Helena Isoniemi – 24 December 2008 – Health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) is one preferable outcome measure of medical interventions such as liver transplantation (LT). The aim of this study was to compare HRQoL of LT patients with that of the general population and to assess the employment status of LT patients. HRQoL was measured with the 15D instrument, a validated, non–disease‐specific, 15‐dimensional, self‐administered HRQoL instrument.

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