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.

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.

Gustavo Castaño, Silvia Sookoian – 24 November 2008

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jennifer Altomonte, Rickmer Braren, Stephan Schulz, Sabrina Marozin, Ernst J. Rummeny, Roland M. Schmid, Oliver Ebert – 24 November 2008 – Oncolytic virotherapy is a promising strategy for safe and effective treatment of malignancy. We have reported previously that recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) vectors are effective oncolytic agents that can be safely administered via the hepatic artery in immunocompetent rats to treat multifocal hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), resulting in tumor necrosis and prolonged survival.

Samuele De Minicis, Ekihiro Seki, Christoph Oesterreicher, Bernd Schnabl, Robert F. Schwabe, David A. Brenner – 24 November 2008 – Although leptin induces fibrotic activity in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), the mechanisms are not entirely understood. To investigate the potential role of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (NADPH) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in leptin signaling in HSCs, we analyzed leptin‐induced intracellular signaling pathways in primary wild‐type (WT), p47, and signal transducer and activator of transcription protein 3 (STAT3)‐deleted HSCs.

Melania Manco, Anna Alisi, Valerio Nobili – 24 November 2008