Ping Zhou, Sara Hohm, Yetunde Olusanya, David A. Hess, Jan Nolta – 28 May 2009 – Human cord blood stem cells (hCBSCs) have been reported to generate hepatocyte‐like cells and thus hold promise for repairing damaged liver. However, the frequency of hCBSC‐derived hepatocytes varies tremendously between different studies, and it is still controversial as to whether hCBSC‐derived cells can transdifferentiate into hepatocytes or simply fuse to recipient hepatocytes.

Kristin David, Kris V. Kowdley, Aynur Unalp, Fasiha Kanwal, Elizabeth M. Brunt, Jeffrey B. Schwimmer, NASH CRN Research Group – 28 May 2009 – Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in the United States. The association between NAFLD and quality of life (QOL) remains unclear. These data are important to estimate the burden of illness in NAFLD. The aim was to report QOL scores of adults with NAFLD and examine the association between NAFLD severity and QOL.

Jean‐Pierre Allain, Dalila Belkhiri, Marion Vermeulen, Robert Crookes, Russell Cable, Azin Amiri, Ravi Reddy, Arthur Bird, Daniel Candotti – 28 May 2009 – Since October 2005, all blood units collected in South Africa were screened individually for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐1, hepatitis B and C virus (HBV, HCV) genomes uncovering preseroconversion window period (WP) infections for each virus and occult HBV infections (OBIs) defined as persistent HBV DNA without detectable hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg).

Amélie Moreau, Christelle Téruel, Michel Beylot, Valérie Albalea, Viola Tamasi, Thierry Umbdenstock, Yannick Parmentier, Antonio Sa‐Cunha, Bertrand Suc, Jean‐Michel Fabre, Francis Navarro, Jeanne Ramos, Urs Meyer, Patrick Maurel, Marie‐José Vilarem, Jean‐Marc Pascussi – 28 May 2009 – The pregnane X receptor (PXR) initially isolated as a nuclear receptor regulating xenobiotic and drug metabolism and elimination, seems to play an endobiotic role by affecting lipid homeostasis. In mice, PXR affects lipid homeostasis and increases hepatic deposit of triglycerides.

Vicente Carreño, Javier Bartolomé, Inmaculada Castillo, Juan Antonio Quiroga – 28 May 2009

Teresa Casanovas – 28 May 2009

M. Isabel Lucena, Raúl J. Andrade, Neil Kaplowitz, Miren García‐Cortes, M. Carmen Fernández, Manuel Romero‐Gomez, Miguel Bruguera, Hacibe Hallal, Mercedes Robles‐Diaz, Jose F. Rodriguez‐González, Jose Maria Navarro, Javier Salmeron, Pedro Martinez‐Odriozola, Ramón Pérez‐Alvarez, Yolanda Borraz, Ramón Hidalgo, Spanish Group for the Study of Drug‐Induced Liver Disease – 28 May 2009 – Increased age and female sex are suggested risk factors for drug‐induced hepatotoxicity (DILI).

Ralf Weiskirchen, Christian Liedtke, Christian Trautwein – 28 May 2009 – Abstract

Benjamin L. Shneider – 28 May 2009

Erwin Daniel Brenndörfer, Juliane Karthe, Lars Frelin, Patricia Cebula, Andreas Erhardt, Jan Schulte am Esch, Hartmut Hengel, Ralf Bartenschlager, Matti Sällberg, Dieter Häussinger, Johannes Georg Bode – 28 May 2009 – The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a worldwide major cause of chronic liver disease with a high tendency to establish a persistent infection.