Apurva A. Modi, Jay H. Hoofnagle – 24 August 2007

Frank Tacke, Christian Trautwein – 24 August 2007

Jian‐Min Yuan, Shelly C. Lu, David Van Den Berg, Sugantha Govindarajan, Zhen‐Quan Zhang, Jose M. Mato, Mimi C. Yu – 24 August 2007 – Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and thymidylate synthase (TYMS) are known to play a role in DNA methylation, synthesis, and repair. The genetic mutations in MTHFR and TYMS genes may have influences on their respective enzyme activities. Data on the association studies of the MTHFR and TYMS genetic polymorphisms and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are sparse.

Maïté Lewin, Armelle Poujol‐Robert, Pierre‐Yves Boëlle, Dominique Wendum, Elisabeth Lasnier, Magalie Viallon, Jérôme Guéchot, Christine Hoeffel, Lionel Arrivé, Jean‐Michel Tubiana, Raoul Poupon – 24 August 2007 – Liver biopsy is the gold standard for assessing fibrosis but has several limitations. We evaluated a noninvasive method, so‐called diffusion‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWMRI), which measures the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of water, for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV).

Jeroen N. Stoop, Andrea M. Woltman, Paula J. Biesta, Johannes G. Kusters, Ernst J. Kuipers, Harry L.A. Janssen, Renate G. van der Molen – 24 August 2007 – Chronicity of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is characterized by a weak immune response to the virus. CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Treg) are present in increased numbers in the peripheral blood of chronic HBV patients, and these Treg are capable of suppressing the HBV‐specific immune response. The aim of this study was to abrogate Treg‐mediated suppression of the HBV‐specific immune response.

Nicole Forestier, Hendrik W. Reesink, Christine J. Weegink, Lindsay McNair, Tara L. Kieffer, Hui‐May Chu, Susan Purdy, Peter L.M. Jansen, Stefan Zeuzem – 24 August 2007 – Telaprevir (VX‐950), an inhibitor of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3/4A protease, substantially decreased plasma HCV RNA levels in a prior clinical study. The present study evaluated viral kinetics and safety during dosing with telaprevir alone and in combination with peginterferon alfa‐2a for 14 days.

Thomas Paparrigopoulos, Elias Tzavellas, Dimitris Karaiskos, Ioannis Liappas – 24 August 2007

Tara L. Kieffer, Christoph Sarrazin, Janice S. Miller, Martin W. Welker, Nicole Forestier, Hendrik W. Reesink, Ann D. Kwong, Stefan Zeuzem – 24 August 2007 – Telaprevir (VX‐950) is an orally active, specifically targeted antiviral therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) that has been shown to profoundly reduce plasma HCV RNA in genotype 1 patients. Using a highly sensitive sequencing assay that detects minor populations of viral variants (≥5%), mutations were identified that conferred low‐level (V36M/A, T54A, or R155K/T) or high‐level (A156V/T and 36/155) resistance to telaprevir in vitro.

Xiaoling Jin, Zongxiu Zhang, Donna Beer‐Stolz, Teresa A. Zimmers, Leonidas G. Koniaris – 24 August 2007 – Extreme hepatectomy or resection of more than 80% of liver mass often leads to liver failure and death and is a major limitation to therapeutic liver resection for patients with liver tumors. We sought to define the mechanisms leading to liver failure and to determine the utility of interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) administration to improve outcomes.

Conny Stumptner, Andrea Fuchsbichler, Kurt Zatloukal, Helmut Denk – 24 August 2007 – Mallory bodies (MBs) and intracellular hyaline bodies (IHBs) are characteristic hepatocellular inclusions. MBs are hallmarks of steatohepatitis, whereas IHBs have first been detected in hepatocellular carcinoma. MBs and IHBs contain ubiquitin and sequestosome 1 / p62 (p62), a stress‐inducible adapter protein with affinity to polyubiquitinated proteins. MBs differ from IHBs by their keratin content and morphology.