A single‐center experience of 500 liver transplants using the modified piggyback technique by Belghiti

Arianeb Mehrabi, Zhoobin A. Mood, Hamidreza Fonouni, Arash Kashfi, Norbert Hillebrand, Sascha A. Müller, Jens Encke, Markus W. Büchler, Jan Schmidt – 27 April 2009 – Over the past 4 decades, the surgical techniques of liver transplantation (LTx) have permanently evolved and been modified. Among these, the modified piggyback (MPB) technique by Belghiti offers specific advantages. The objective of this study was to present our single‐center experience with the MPB technique in 500 cases. Recipients' perioperative data were prospectively collected and evaluated.

Risk factors for developing de novo autoimmune hepatitis associated with anti–glutathione S‐transferase T1 antibodies after liver transplantation

Magdalena Salcedo, Margarita Rodríguez‐Mahou, Carmen Rodríguez‐Sainz, Diego Rincón, Emilio Alvarez, Jose Luis Vicario, Maria‐Vega Catalina, Ana Matilla, Cristina Ripoll, Gerardo Clemente, Rafael Bañares – 27 April 2009 – De novo autoimmune hepatitis (de novo AIH) is a rare form of graft dysfunction that develops after liver transplantation (LT) in patients transplanted for conditions other than autoimmune disorders.

ABC‐transporters are localized in caveolin‐1‐positive and reggie‐1‐negative and reggie‐2‐negative microdomains of the canalicular membrane in rat hepatocytes

Manfred G. Ismair, Stephanie Häusler, Claudia A. Stuermer, Christelle Guyot, Peter J. Meier, Jürgen Roth, Bruno Stieger – 27 April 2009 – The canalicular plasma membrane is constantly exposed to bile acids acting as detergents. Bile acids are essential to mediate release of biliary lipids from the canalicular membrane. Membrane microdomains (previously called lipid rafts) are biochemically defined by their resistance to detergent solubilization at cold temperature.

Taurine supplementation prevents ethanol‐induced decrease in serum adiponectin and reduces hepatic steatosis in rats

Xiaocong Chen, Becky M. Sebastian, Hui Tang, Megan M. McMullen, Armend Axhemi, Donald W. Jacobsen, Laura E. Nagy – 27 April 2009 – Chronic ethanol feeding decreases expression of adiponectin by adipocytes and circulating adiponectin. Adiponectin treatment during chronic ethanol feeding prevents liver injury in mice. Chronic ethanol feeding also increases oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in adipose tissue.

MicroRNA‐21 is overexpressed in human cholangiocarcinoma and regulates programmed cell death 4 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3

Florin M. Selaru, Alexandru V. Olaru, Takatsugu Kan, Stefan David, Yulan Cheng, Yuriko Mori, Jian Yang, Bogdan Paun, Zhe Jin, Rachana Agarwal, James P. Hamilton, John Abraham, Christos Georgiades, Hector Alvarez, Perumal Vivekanandan, Wayne Yu, Anirban Maitra, Michael Torbenson, Paul J. Thuluvath, Gregory J. Gores, Nicholas F. LaRusso, Ralph Hruban, Stephen J. Meltzer – 27 April 2009 – Cholangiocarcinomas (CCAs) are aggressive cancers, with high mortality and poor survival rates.

Long‐term monitoring shows hepatitis B virus resistance to entecavir in nucleoside‐naïve patients is rare through 5 years of therapy

Daniel J. Tenney, Ronald E. Rose, Carl J. Baldick, Kevin A. Pokornowski, Betsy J. Eggers, Jie Fang, Michael J. Wichroski, Dong Xu, Joanna Yang, Richard B. Wilber, Richard J. Colonno – 27 April 2009 – Patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection who develop antiviral resistance lose benefits of therapy and may be predisposed to further resistance. Entecavir (ETV) resistance (ETVr) results from HBV reverse transcriptase substitutions at positions T184, S202, or M250, which emerge in the presence of lamivudine (LVD) resistance substitutions M204I/V ± L180M.

Benefits and risks of combination therapy for hepatitis B

Norah A. Terrault – 27 April 2009 – In successful antiviral therapy of hepatitis B, drug combinations, particularly combinations without cross‐resistance, can delay or prevent the emergence of drug‐resistant mutants. Because drug‐resistant mutants are archived and may limit future therapeutic options, prevention is important for long‐term therapeutic efficacy. Additionally, combining drugs may achieve synergistic or additive antiviral effects compared with single drug therapy.

Clinical outcomes in adults with chronic hepatitis B in association with patient and viral characteristics: A systematic review of evidence

Brent C. Taylor, Jian‐Min Yuan, Tatyana A. Shamliyan, Aasma Shaukat, Robert L. Kane, Timothy J. Wilt – 27 April 2009 – We systematically reviewed the literature on the extent to which population characteristics or clinical features predict groups of individuals likely to develop advanced liver disease or die from chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV).

Epidemiology of hepatitis B in the United States

W. Ray Kim – 27 April 2009 – Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains an important cause of acute and chronic liver disease globally and in the United States. An encouraging trend is that the incidence of acute hepatitis B in the United States declined as much as 80% between 1987 and 2004, attributable to effective vaccination programs as well as universal precautions in needle use and in healthcare in general. Although encouraging, these decreases in acute infections have not translated into diminished prevalence or burden of chronic HBV infection.

Subscribe to