François Durand, John F. Renz, Barbara Alkofer, Patrizia Burra, Pierre‐Alain Clavien, Robert J. Porte, Richard B. Freeman, Jacques Belghiti – 24 November 2008 – Because of organ shortage and a constant imbalance between available organs and candidates for liver transplantation, expanded criteria donors are needed. Experience shows that there are wide variations in the definitions, selection criteria, and use of expanded criteria donors according to different geographic areas and different centers. Overall, selection criteria for donors have tended to be relaxed in recent years.

Yasumasa Shirouzu, Hideaki Okajima, Satsuki Ogata, Yuki Ohya, Yukika Tsukamoto, Hidekazu Yamamoto, Takayuki Takeichi, Lee Kwang‐Jong, Katsuhiro Asonuma, Yukihiro Inomata – 24 November 2008 – Hepaticojejunostomy is a standard biliary reconstruction method for infantile living donor liver transplantation (LDLT), but choledochocholedochostomy for infants is not generally accepted yet. Ten pediatric recipients weighing no more than 10 kg underwent duct‐to‐duct choledochocholedochostomy (DD) for biliary reconstruction for LDLT.

Scot D. Henry, Pascal van der Wegen, Herold J. Metselaar, Bob J. Scholte, Hugo W. Tilanus, Luc J. W. van der Laan – 24 November 2008 – Isolated liver perfusion offers a unique prospect for safe, effective targeting of gene therapies that can be directed against allograft rejection or recurrent diseases such as reinfection by hepatitis C virus (HCV). We aimed to examine the effect of organ preservation solutions on vector‐based gene therapy delivery under hypothermic conditions.

Laura Lladó, Joan Fabregat, Jose Castellote, Emilio Ramos, Xavier Xiol, Jaume Torras, Teresa Serrano, Carme Baliellas, Joan Figueras, Agustin Garcia‐Gil, Antoni Rafecas – 24 November 2008 – The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of a steroid‐free immunosuppression on hepatitis C virus (HCV) recurrence. A total of 198 liver transplantation (LT) patients were randomized to receive immunosuppression with basiliximab and cyclosporine, either with prednisone (steroid [St] group) or without prednisone (no steroids [NoSt] group).

Christopher P. Appleton, R. Todd Hurst – 24 November 2008

Isabel Campos‐Varela, Oscar Len, Lluís Castells, Natalia Tallada, Esteban Ribera, Cristina Dopazo, Víctor Vargas, Joan Gavaldà, Ramón Charco – 24 November 2008

Eleazar Chaib, Eduardo Massad – 24 November 2008 – Liver transplantation was first performed at the University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine in 1968. Since then, the patient waiting list for liver transplantation has increased at a rate of 150 new cases per month. Liver transplantation itself rose 1.84‐fold (from 160 to 295) from 1988 to 2004. However, the number of patients on the liver waiting list jumped 2.71‐fold (from 553 to 1500). Consequently, the number of deaths on the liver waiting list moved to a higher level, from 321 to 671, increasing 2.09‐fold.

Mehmet Uzunel, Haxiaobieke Kasimu, Meghnad Joshi, Xupeng Ge, Jining Liu, Bo Xu, Marie Jaksch, Carl Jorns, Grzegorz Nowak, Suchitra Sumitran‐Holgersson – 24 November 2008 – The polymorphic major histocompatibility complex class I–related chain A (MICA) antigen is being increasingly recognized as a potential target molecule for immune cells during allograft rejection. Here we studied whether MICA is a target antigen for antibodies in liver transplant patients.

James D. Perkins – 24 November 2008

Philip Meuleman, Joseph Hesselgesser, Matthew Paulson, Thomas Vanwolleghem, Isabelle Desombere, Hans Reiser, Geert Leroux‐Roels – 24 November 2008 – The viral life cycle of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been studied mainly using different in vitro cell culture models. Studies using pseudoviral particles (HCVpp) and more recently cell culture–derived virus (HCVcc) suggest that at least three host cell molecules are important for HCV entry in vitro: the tetraspanin CD81, the scavenger receptor class B member I, and the tight junction protein Claudin‐1.