A randomized study of adefovir dipivoxil in place of HBIG in combination with lamivudine as post–liver transplantation hepatitis B prophylaxis

Peter W. Angus, Scott J. Patterson, Simone I. Strasser, Geoffrey W. McCaughan, Edward Gane – 28 October 2008 – Prior to effective prophylaxis, liver transplantation for hepatitis B virus (HBV)‐related disease was frequently complicated by recurrence, which could be severe and rapidly progressive. Combination hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) and lamivudine prophylaxis reduces this rate of recurrence to <5% at 5 years; however, HBIG administration is costly and inconvenient.

Insulin induces calcium signals in the nucleus of rat hepatocytes

Michele A. Rodrigues, Dawidson A. Gomes, Viviane A. Andrade, M. Fatima Leite, Michael H. Nathanson – 28 October 2008 – Insulin is an hepatic mitogen that promotes liver regeneration. Actions of insulin are mediated by the insulin receptor, which is a receptor tyrosine kinase. It is currently thought that signaling via the insulin receptor occurs at the plasma membrane, where it binds to insulin.

Hepatitis B virus X protein affects S phase progression leading to chromosome segregation defects by binding to damaged DNA binding protein 1

Silvia Martin‐Lluesma, Céline Schaeffer, Eva Isabelle Robert, Pieter Cornelis van Breugel, Olivier Leupin, Olivier Hantz, Michel Strubin – 28 October 2008 – Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a leading cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but its role in the transformation process remains unclear. HBV encodes a small protein, known as HBx, which is required for infection and has been implicated in hepatocarcinogenesis. Here we show that HBx induces lagging chromosomes during mitosis, which in turn leads to formation of aberrant mitotic spindles and multinucleated cells.

Extrahepatic cholestasis increases liver stiffness (FibroScan) irrespective of fibrosis

Gunda Millonig, Frank M. Reimann, Stephanie Friedrich, Hamidreza Fonouni, Arianeb Mehrabi, Markus W. Büchler, Helmut Karl Seitz, Sebastian Mueller – 28 October 2008 – Transient elastography (FibroScan [FS]) is a novel non‐invasive tool to assess liver fibrosis/cirrhosis. However, it remains to be determined if other liver diseases such as extrahepatic cholestasis interfere with fibrosis assessment because liver stiffness is indirectly measured by the propagation velocity of an ultrasound wave within the liver.

Avoiding therapeutic pitfalls: The rational use of specifically targeted agents against hepatitis C infection

Barbara H. McGovern, Barham K. Abu Dayyeh, Raymond T. Chung – 28 October 2008 – The development of specifically targeted antiviral agents against hepatitis C is a major therapeutic advance that promises to markedly improve treatment response rates in patients with chronic infection. However, rapid emergence of drug resistance has already been described, the consequences of which are not yet understood.

Leptin induces phagocytosis of apoptotic bodies by hepatic stellate cells via a Rho guanosine triphosphatase–dependent mechanism

Joy X. Jiang, Kenichiro Mikami, Vijay H. Shah, Natalie J. Torok – 28 October 2008 – Leptin, a profibrogenic cytokine, plays an important role in the development of non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis. Leptin also regulates immune responses, including macrophage phagocytic activity. Stellate cells are key elements in liver fibrogenesis, and previously we have demonstrated that phagocytosis of apoptotic bodies by stellate cells is profibrogenic.

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