Ronald J. Sokol, Ross W. Shepherd, Riccardo Superina, Jorge A. Bezerra, Patricia Robuck, Jay H. Hoofnagle – 27 July 2007 – Biliary atresia is the most common cause of end‐stage liver disease in the infant and is the leading pediatric indication for liver transplantation in the United States. Earlier diagnosis (<30‐45 days of life) is associated with improved outcomes following the Kasai portoenterostomy and longer survival with the native liver.

Erik H. C. J. Buster, Bettina E. Hansen, Maria Buti, Jean Delwaide, Claus Niederau, Peter P. Michielsen, Robert Flisiak, Pieter E. Zondervan, Solko W. Schalm, Harry L. A. Janssen, HBV 99‐01 study group – 27 July 2007 – Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with advanced fibrosis are often not considered for treatment with peginterferon (PEG‐IFN) because IFN therapy may precipitate immunological flares, potentially inducing hepatic decompensation.

Yongzhi Cui, Atsushi Hosui, Rui Sun, Kezhen Shen, Oksana Gavrilova, Weiping Chen, Margaret C. Cam, Bin Gao, Gertraud W. Robinson, Lothar Hennighausen – 27 July 2007 – Growth hormone controls many facets of a cell's biology through the transcription factors Stat5a and Stat5b (Stat5). However, whole body deletion of these genes from the mouse does not provide portentous information on cell‐specific cytokine signaling. To explore liver‐specific functions of Stat5, the entire Stat5 locus was deleted in hepatocytes using Cre‐mediated recombination.

Jiun‐Ming Su, Xiang‐Me Lai, Keng‐Hsin Lan, Chung‐Pin Li, Yee Chao, Sang‐Hue Yen, Full‐Young Chang, Shou‐Dong Lee, Wei‐Ping Lee – 27 July 2007 – The X protein of hepatitis B virus (HBx) is essential for transactivation of hepatitis B viral and host cellular genes. It has been specifically implicated in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma; however, the molecular mechanism remains unknown.

Francesco P. Russo, Yiannis N. Kallis, Malcolm R. Alison, Stuart J. Forbes – 27 July 2007

Anna S. F. Lok, Brian J. McMahon – 27 July 2007

Pierre Bedossa, Rami Moucari, Emna Chelbi, Tarik Asselah, Valerie Paradis, Michel Vidaud, Dominique Cazals‐Hatem, Nathalie Boyer, Dominique Valla, Patrick Marcellin – 27 July 2007 – Although steatosis is a common histological feature in chronic hepatitis C (CHC), nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) has not yet been clearly characterized in this context. The aim of this prospective study was to investigate the characteristics of patients with NASH and CHC. Biopsies were categorized as CHC alone (178 patients [57%]), CHC+steatosis (94 patients [34%]), or CHC+NASH (24 patients [9%]).

Daniel Gatti, Akira Maki, Elissa J. Chesler, Roumyana Kirova, Oksana Kosyk, Lu Lu, Kenneth F. Manly, Robert W. Williams, Andy Perkins, Michael A. Langston, David W. Threadgill, Ivan Rusyn – 27 July 2007 – The liver is the primary site for the metabolism of nutrients, drugs, and chemical agents. Although metabolic pathways are complex and tightly regulated, genetic variation among individuals, reflected in variations in gene expression levels, introduces complexity into research on liver disease.

Kenichi Harada, Yasunori Sato, Keita Itatsu, Kumiko Isse, Hiroko Ikeda, Mitsue Yasoshima, Yoh Zen, Akira Matsui, Yasuni Nakanuma – 27 July 2007 – Infections of Reoviridae consisting of a double‐stranded RNA (dsRNA) genome are a possible cause of biliary atresia (BA). The aim of the present study is to clarify the pathophysiological function of dsRNA viruses in the pathogenesis of BA.

Jason S. Soden, Michael W. Devereaux, Joel E. Haas, Eric Gumpricht, Rolf Dahl, Jane Gralla, Maret G. Traber, Ronald J. Sokol – 27 July 2007 – Several genetic metabolic liver diseases share the pathological features of combined steatosis and cholestasis, or steatocholestasis. The aims of this study were to develop and characterize an in vivo model for steatocholestasis and to evaluate the effects of an antioxidant treatment on liver injury, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial perturbations in this model.