Clovis Palmer, Taline Hampartzoumian, Andrew Lloyd, Amany Zekry – 21 April 2008 – Adipose tissue releases pro‐inflammatory and anti‐inflammatory mediators, including adiponectin, which elicit a broad range of metabolic and immunological effects. The study aim was to determine in subjects infected with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) the effects of total adiponectin and its high‐molecular‐weight (HMW) and low‐molecular‐weight isoforms on HCV‐specific immune responses. Serum levels of total adiponectin and its isoforms were determined by immunoassay.

Melania Manco, Valerio Nobili – 18 April 2008

Hla‐Hla Thein, Qilong Yi, Gregory J. Dore, Murray D. Krahn – 18 April 2008 – Published estimates of liver fibrosis progression in individuals with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are heterogeneous. We aimed to estimate stage‐specific fibrosis progression rates and their determinants in these individuals. A systematic review of published prognostic studies was undertaken.

Conor O'Brien, Supriya Joshi, Jordan J. Feld, Maha Guindi, Hans P. Dienes, E. Jenny Heathcote – 18 April 2008 – Antimitochondrial antibodies (AMAs) are the serological hallmark for primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). When AMAs are detected in patients with chronic hepatitis, they negatively impact on the autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) scoring system. The purpose of this study was to determine if AMAs detected in the sera of patients with overt AIH have clinical or pathological significance. All patients with a clinicopathologic diagnosis of AIH from one center were reviewed.

Fabian Geisler, Florian Nagl, Pawel K. Mazur, Marcel Lee, Ursula Zimber‐Strobl, Lothar J. Strobl, Freddy Radtke, Roland M. Schmid, Jens T. Siveke – 18 April 2008 – The Notch pathway is an evolutionary conserved, intercellular signaling pathway that plays an important role in cell fate specification and the embryonic development of many organs, including the liver. In humans, mutations in the Notch receptor ligand Jagged1 gene result in defective intrahepatic bile duct (IHBD) development in Alagille syndrome.

Yuki Ohishi, Minoru Nakamura, Naomi Iio, Shingo Higa, Mao Inayoshi, Yoshihiro Aiba, Atsumasa Komori, Katsuhisa Omagari, Hiromi Ishibashi, Kazuhiro Tsukamoto – 18 April 2008 – Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a multifactorial disease in which genetic factors rather than environmental factors may predominantly contribute to the pathogenesis.

Valerio Nobili, Francesco Vizzutti, Umberto Arena, Juan G. Abraldes, Fabio Marra, Andrea Pietrobattista, Rodolfo Fruhwirth, Matilde Marcellini, Massimo Pinzani – 18 April 2008 – Transient elastography (TE) has received increasing attention as a means to evaluate disease progression in chronic liver disease patients. In this study, we assessed the value of TE for the prediction of fibrosis stage in a cohort of pediatric patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Furthermore, TE interobserver agreement was evaluated.

Bérangère Neveu, Emilie Debeaupuis, Klara Echasserieau, Béatrice le Moullac‐Vaidye, Michelle Gassin, Loïg Jegou, Jérémie Decalf, Matthew Albert, Nicolas Ferry, Jérôme Gournay, Elisabeth Houssaint, Marc Bonneville, Xavier Saulquin – 18 April 2008 – Both strong antigenic avidity and acquisition of proper effector functions contribute to the efficacy of antiviral T cell responses.

Mauricio Berriel Diaz, Anja Krones‐Herzig, Dagmar Metzger, Anja Ziegler, Alexandros Vegiopoulos, Martin Klingenspor, Karin Müller‐Decker, Stephan Herzig – 18 April 2008 – In mammals, triglycerides (TG) represent the most concentrated form of energy. Aberrant TG storage and availability are intimately linked to the negative energy balance under severe clinical conditions, such as starvation, sepsis, or cancer cachexia. Despite its crucial role for energy homeostasis, molecular key determinants of TG metabolism remain enigmatic.

Julia L. Newton, Kieren G. Hollingsworth, Roy Taylor, Ahmed M. El‐Sharkawy, Zia Uda Khan, Ruth Pearce, Kathryn Sutcliffe, Oke Okonkwo, Adrian Davidson, Jennifer Burt, Andrew M. Blamire, David Jones – 16 April 2008 – Qualitative studies suggest that patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) experience significant problems with memory and concentration. Studies of nonhepatic disease have linked hypotension and cognitive impairment.