Thomas Vanwolleghem, Jens Bukh, Philip Meuleman, Isabelle Desombere, Jean‐Christophe Meunier, Harvey Alter, Robert H. Purcell, Geert Leroux‐Roels – 31 January 2008 – The role of the humoral immune response in the natural course of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is widely debated. Most chronically infected patients have immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies capable of neutralizing HCV pseudoparticles (HCVpp) in vitro. It is, however, not clear whether these IgG can prevent a de novo HCV infection in vivo and contribute to the control of viremia in infected individuals.

Terumi Takahara, Feng Xue, Massimiliano Mazzone, Yutaka Yata, Kazunobu Nonome, Masami Kanayama, Kengo Kawai, Alberto M. Pisacane, Shiro Takahara, Xiao‐Kang Li, Paolo M. Comoglio, Toshiro Sugiyama, Paolo Michieli – 31 January 2008 – Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is the most powerful hepatotrophic factor identified so far. However, the ability of HGF to promote tumor cell “scattering” and invasion raises some concern about its therapeutic safety.

Christoph Neumann‐Haefelin, Jörg Timm, Hans Christian Spangenberg, Natalie Wischniowski, Natalja Nazarova, Nadine Kersting, Michael Roggendorf, Todd M. Allen, Hubert E. Blum, Robert Thimme – 31 January 2008 – Virus‐specific CD8+ T‐cells play an important role in the outcome of acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. In the chronic phase, however, HCV can persist despite the presence of virus‐specific T‐cell responses.

Xudong Wu, Luyong Zhang, Emily Gurley, Elaine Studer, Jing Shang, Tao Wang, Cuifen Wang, Ming Yan, Zhenzhou Jiang, Phillip B. Hylemon, Arun J. Sanyal, William M. Pandak, Huiping Zhou – 31 January 2008 – Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease and affects millions of people worldwide. Despite the increasing prevalence of NAFLD, the exact molecular/cellular mechanisms remain obscure and effective therapeutic strategies are still limited. It is well‐accepted that free fatty acid (FFA)‐induced lipotoxicity plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD.

Guilherme M. Campos, Kiran Bambha, Eric Vittinghoff, Charlotte Rabl, Andrew M. Posselt, Ruxandra Ciovica, Umesh Tiwari, Linda Ferrel, Mark Pabst, Nathan M. Bass, Raphael B. Merriman – 31 January 2008 – Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is common in morbidly obese persons. Liver biopsy is diagnostic but technically challenging in such individuals. This study was undertaken to develop a clinically useful scoring system to predict the probability of NASH in morbidly obese persons, thus assisting in the decision to perform liver biopsy.

Yusuke Kyoden, Sumihito Tamura, Yasuhiko Sugawara, Noriyo Yamashiki, Yuichi Matsui, Junichi Togashi, Junichi Kaneko, Norihiro Kokudo, Masatoshi Makuuchi – 30 January 2008 – Previous reports described the effectiveness of living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for post‐Kasai biliary atresia (BA) in the pediatric population. Information on the outcome of LDLT in patients that have reached adulthood after the Kasai procedure, however, is limited. A recent report postulated a poorer long‐term outcome of LDLT in these adults.

Masahiko Taniguchi, Tsuyoshi Shimamura, Hiroyuki Furukawa, Satoru Todo – 30 January 2008

Carla W. Brady, Alastair D. Smith, Karen M. Stechuchak, Cynthia J. Coffman, Janet E. Tuttle‐Newhall, Dawn Provenzale, Andrew J. Muir – 30 January 2008 – In the current system of allocation, patients awaiting orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) remain at risk of developing de novo hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and removal from the waiting list. Using the United Network for Organ Sharing database, we calculated the rate and identified predictors of de novo HCC in patients listed for OLT between February 2002 and December 2004. Among 8566 patients, 1167 (13.6%) developed de novo HCC.

Mary Amanda Dew, Andrea F. DiMartini, Jennifer Steel, Annette De Vito Dabbs, Larissa Myaskovsky, Mark Unruh, Joel Greenhouse – 30 January 2008 – For patients receiving liver or other organ transplants for diseases associated with substance use, risk for relapse posttransplantation is a prominent clinical concern. However, there is little consensus regarding either the prevalence or risk factors for relapse to alcohol or illicit drug use in these patients.

Phunchai Charatcharoenwitthaya, Keith D. Lindor – 30 January 2008