Increased gallstone risk in humans conferred by common variant of hepatic ATP‐binding cassette transporter for cholesterol

Frank Grünhage, Monica Acalovschi, Simona Tirziu, Maja Walier, Thomas F. Wienker, Anca Ciocan, Ofelia Mosteanu, Tilman Sauerbruch, Frank Lammert – 24 August 2007 – Genomewide scans of inbred strains of mice have linked the genes encoding the hepatocanalicular cholesterol transporter ABCG5/G8 to gallstone formation. Five nonsynonymous coding single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the orthologous human genes are associated with differences in serum cholesterol and plant sterol levels. We now tested these ABCG5/G8 SNPs for linkage and association with gallstone susceptibility in humans.

Neutrophil dysfunction in alcoholic hepatitis superimposed on cirrhosis is reversible and predicts the outcome

Rajeshwar P. Mookerjee, Vanessa Stadlbauer, Sukhwinderjit Lidder, Gavin A.K. Wright, Stephen J. Hodges, Nathan A. Davies, Rajiv Jalan – 24 August 2007 – Mortality in patients with alcoholic hepatitis (AH) remains high, and although corticosteroids are widely used for treatment, the results vary considerably. In AH, neutrophils are primed and infiltrate the liver to produce injury, but paradoxically, the main cause of death in such patients is infection. Our prospective study addressed this paradox of primed neutrophils on the one hand and increased risk of infection on the other.

Metabolic correlates of nonalcoholic fatty liver in women and men

Gloria Lena Vega, Manisha Chandalia, Lidia S. Szczepaniak, Scott M. Grundy – 24 August 2007 – Nonalcoholic hepatic steatosis associates with a clustering of metabolic risk factors and steatohepatitis. One risk factor for hepatic steatosis is obesity, but other factors likely play a role. We examined metabolic concomitants of hepatic steatosis in nonobese and obese men and women. Sixty‐one obese women and 35 obese men were studied; both those with and without hepatic steatosis were compared against each other and against nonobese controls (17 women and 32 men) without hepatic steatosis.

Transforming growth factor‐β1 suppresses hepatitis B virus replication primarily through transcriptional inhibition of pregenomic RNA

Yu‐Chi Chou, Mong‐Liang Chen, Cheng‐Po Hu, Ya‐Ling Chen, Chin‐Liew Chong, Yue‐Lin Tsai, Tzu‐Ling Liu, King‐Song Jeng, Chungming Chang – 24 August 2007 – Transforming growth factor–beta1 (TGF‐β1) is a pleiotropic cytokine with pivotal roles in the regulation of cellular functions and immune responses. In this study, we found that TGF‐β1 was able to effectively suppress hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication. In the presence of TGF‐β1, the level of viral replicative intermediates was dramatically decreased, both in actively dividing cells and in confluent cells.

Increased susceptibility to liver injury in hepatitis B virus transgenic mice involves NKG2D‐ligand interaction and natural killer cells

Yongyan Chen, Haiming Wei, Rui Sun, Zhongjun Dong, Jian Zhang, Zhigang Tian – 24 August 2007 – The innate immunopathogenesis responsible for the susceptibility to hepatocyte injury in chronic hepatitis B surface antigen carriers is not well defined. In this study, hepatitis B virus (HBV) transgenic mice (named HBs‐Tg) were oversensitive to liver injury after immunologic [polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid or concanavalin A (ConA)] or chemical (CCl4) triggering.

Hepatocellular adenoma subtype classification using molecular markers and immunohistochemistry

Paulette Bioulac‐Sage, Sandra Rebouissou, Cristel Thomas, Jean‐Frédéric Blanc, Jean Saric, Antonio Sa Cunha, Anne Rullier, Gaëlle Cubel, Gabrielle Couchy, Sandrine Imbeaud, Charles Balabaud, Jessica Zucman‐Rossi – 24 August 2007 – Hepatocellular adenomas (HCA) with activated β‐catenin present a high risk of malignant transformation. To permit robust routine diagnosis to allow for HCA subtype classification, we searched new useful markers.

Atorvastatin in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis and incomplete biochemical response to ursodeoxycholic acid

Tatjana Stojakovic, Csilla Putz‐Bankuti, Günter Fauler, Hubert Scharnagl, Martin Wagner, Vanessa Stadlbauer, Gerald Gurakuqi, Rudolf E. Stauber, Winfried März, Michael Trauner – 24 August 2007 – Statin therapy may target both hypercholesterolemia and cholestasis in primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). However, little is known about the efficacy and safety of statins in PBC.

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