Bile duct proliferation in Jag1/fringe heterozygous mice identifies candidate modifiers of the alagille syndrome hepatic phenotype

Matthew J. Ryan, Christina Bales, Anthony Nelson, Dorian M. Gonzalez, Lara Underkoffler, Michelle Segalov, Jeanne Wilson‐Rawls, Susan E. Cole, Jennifer L. Moran, Pierre Russo, Nancy B. Spinner, Kenro Kusumi, Kathleen M. Loomes – 24 November 2008 – Alagille syndrome (AGS) is a heterogeneous developmental disorder associated with bile duct paucity and various organ anomalies. The syndrome is caused by mutations in JAG1, which encodes a ligand in the Notch signaling pathway, in the majority of cases and mutations in the NOTCH2 receptor gene in less than 1% of patients.

Comprehensive analysis of the α‐fetoprotein‐specific CD8+ T cell responses in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Robert Thimme, Michaela Neagu, Tobias Boettler, Christoph Neumann‐Haefelin, Nadine Kersting, Michael Geissler, Frank Makowiec, Robert Obermaier, Ulrich T. Hopt, Hubert E. Blum, Hans Christian Spangenberg – 24 November 2008 – Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common malignancy worldwide, with a poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. Therefore, the development of novel therapeutic strategies is of high priority. α‐Fetoprotein (AFP) is overexpressed in the majority of HCCs.

High incidence of hepatitis C virus reinfection in a cohort of injecting drug users

Campbell Kynoch Aitken, Jennifer Lewis, Samantha Lilly Tracy, Timothy Spelman, David Scott Bowden, Mandvi Bharadwaj, Heidi Drummer, Margaret Hellard – 24 November 2008 – An estimated 170 million people worldwide carry the hepatitis C virus (HCV), and in more developed countries the prevalence and incidence of HCV is particularly high among injecting drug users (IDUs). Spontaneous clearance of HCV infection and reinfection is well recognized but the level of protection against further infection conferred by HCV infection and clearance remains uncertain.

Prevalence of coronary artery calcification in patients undergoing assessment for orthotopic liver transplantation

Norma C. McAvoy, Narendra Kochar, Graham McKillop, David E. Newby, Peter C. Hayes – 24 November 2008 – Patients with advanced liver disease are at increased risk of cardiovascular events, especially following orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a novel and independent predictor of cardiovascular risk, but its prevalence and utility in patients with cirrhosis are unknown.

Molecular mechanisms of hepatocellular carcinoma

Rajagopal N. Aravalli, Clifford J. Steer, Erik N. K. Cressman – 24 November 2008 – Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) typically has poor prognosis, because it is often diagnosed at an advanced stage. Heterogeneous phenotypic and genetic traits of affected individuals and a wide range of risk factors have classified it a complex disease. HCC is not amenable to standard chemotherapy and is resistant to radiotherapy. In most cases, surgical resection and liver transplantation remain the only curative treatment options. Therefore, development of novel, effective therapies is of prime importance.

Human leukocyte antigen polymorphisms in italian primary biliary cirrhosis: A multicenter study of 664 patients and 1992 healthy controls

Pietro Invernizzi, Carlo Selmi, Francesca Poli, Sara Frison, Annarosa Floreani, Domenico Alvaro, Piero Almasio, Floriano Rosina, Marco Marzioni, Luca Fabris, Luigi Muratori, Lihong Qi, Michael F. Seldin, M. Eric Gershwin, Mauro Podda, Italian PBC Genetic Study Group – 24 November 2008 – Genetic factors are critical in determining susceptibility to primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), but there has not been a clear association with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes.

Serum and ascitic fluid bacterial DNA: A new independent prognostic factor in noninfected patients with cirrhosis

Pedro Zapater, Rubén Francés, José M. González‐Navajas, Maria A. de la Hoz, Rocío Moreu, Sonia Pascual, David Monfort, Silvia Montoliu, Carmen Vila, Amparo Escudero, Xavier Torras, Isabel Cirera, Lucía Llanos, Carlos Guarner‐Argente, José M. Palazón, Fernando Carnicer, Pablo Bellot, Carlos Guarner, Ramón Planas, Ricard Solá, Miguel A. Serra, Carlos Muñoz, Miguel Pérez‐Mateo, José Such – 24 November 2008 – We tested the hypothesis that the presence of bacterial DNA (bactDNA) in ascitic fluid and serum is associated with decreased survival in patients with cirrhosis.

Naturally occurring dominant resistance mutations to hepatitis C virus protease and polymerase inhibitors in treatment‐naïve patients

Thomas Kuntzen, Joerg Timm, Andrew Berical, Niall Lennon, Aaron M. Berlin, Sarah K. Young, Bongshin Lee, David Heckerman, Jonathan Carlson, Laura L. Reyor, Marianna Kleyman, Cory M. McMahon, Christopher Birch, Julian Schulze zur Wiesch, Timothy Ledlie, Michael Koehrsen, Chinnappa Kodira, Andrew D. Roberts, Georg M. Lauer, Hugo R. Rosen, Florian Bihl, Andreas Cerny, Ulrich Spengler, Zhimin Liu, Arthur Y. Kim, Yanming Xing, Arne Schneidewind, Margaret A. Madey, Jaquelyn F. Fleckenstein, Vicki M. Park, James E. Galagan, Chad Nusbaum, Bruce D. Walker, Gerond V. Lake‐Bakaar, Eric S.

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