Jaime Bosch, Dominique Thabut, Agustín Albillos, Nicolas Carbonell, Julius Spicak, Julien Massard, Gennaro D'Amico, Didier Lebrec, Roberto de Franchis, Søren Fabricius, Yan Cai, Flemming Bendtsen – 14 January 2008 – A beneficial effect of recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) in Child‐Pugh class B and C patients with cirrhosis who have variceal bleeding has been suggested. This randomized controlled trial assessed the efficacy and safety of rFVIIa in patients with advanced cirrhosis and active variceal bleeding.

Takehiro Torisu, Mako Nakaya, Satoko Watanabe, Masayuki Hashimoto, Hideyuki Yoshida, Takatoshi Chinen, Ryoko Yoshida, Fuyuki Okamoto, Toshikatsu Hanada, Kumiko Torisu, Giichi Takaesu, Takashi Kobayashi, Hideo Yasukawa, Akihiko Yoshimura – 14 January 2008 – Acute liver failure is associated with significant mortality. However, the underlying pathophysiological mechanism is not yet fully understood. Suppressor of cytokine signaling‐1 (SOCS1), which is a negative‐feedback molecule for cytokine signaling, has been shown to be rapidly induced during liver injury.

Tae Jun Park, Ji Yeon Kim, S. Paul Oh, So Young Kang, Bong Wan Kim, Hee Jung Wang, Kye Yong Song, Hyoung Chin Kim, In Kyoung Lim – 14 January 2008 – A functional and biochemical interaction of TIS21/BTG2/PC3 with Forkhead box M1 (FoxM1), essential transcription factor for hepatocyte regeneration and a master regulator of mitotic gene expression, was explored.

Chee‐Kin Hui, Winnie W. Cheung, Kar‐Wai Leung, Vincent C. C. Cheng, Bone S. F. Tang, Iris W. S. Li, John M. Luk, Nikki P. Lee, Yok‐Lam Kwong, Wing‐Yan Au, Kwok‐Yung Yuen, George K. Lau, Raymond Liang – 14 January 2008 – Retraction: The following article from HEPATOLOGY, “Outcome and immune reconstitution of HBV‐specific immunity in patients with reactivation of occult HBV infection after alemtuzumab‐containing chemotherapy regiment” by Chee‐Kin Hui, Winnie W. Cheung, Kar‐Wai Leung, Vincent C. C. Cheng, Bone S. F. Tang, Iris W. S. Li, John M. Luk, Nikki P.

Alisan Kahraman, Fernando J. Barreyro, Steven F. Bronk, Nathan W. Werneburg, Justin L. Mott, Yuko Akazawa, Howard C. Masuoka, Charles L. Howe, Gregory J. Gores – 10 January 2008 – The contribution of tumor necrosis factor–related apoptosis‐inducing ligand (TRAIL), a death ligand expressed by cells of the innate immune system, to cholestatic liver injury has not been explored. Our aim was to ascertain if TRAIL contributes to liver injury in the bile duct–ligated (BDL) mouse.

Young Joo Park, Mohammed Qatanani, Steven S. Chua, Jennifer L. LaRey, Stacy A. Johnson, Mitsuhiro Watanabe, David D. Moore, Yoon Kwang Lee – 7 January 2008 – The orphan nuclear hormone receptor small heterodimer partner (SHP) regulates the expression of several genes involved in bile acid homeostasis in the liver. Because bile acid toxicity is a major source of liver injury in cholestatic disease, we explored the role of SHP in liver damage induced by common bile duct ligation (BDL).

Jenny C. Ho, Ying Chi Ip, Siu Tim Cheung, Yuk Ting Lee, Kui Fat Chan, San Yu Wong, Sheung Tat Fan – 7 January 2008 – Primary liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is the fifth most common cancer and the third leading cancer killer in the world. There is no effective therapeutic option for most HCC patients. A new therapeutic strategy is essential. Granulin‐epithelin precursor (GEP, also called progranulin, acrogranin, or PC‐derived growth factor) was identified as a potential therapeutic target for HCC from our earlier genome‐wide expression profiles.

Richard K. Sterling, Melissa J. Contos, Paula G. Smith, R. Todd Stravitz, Velimir A. Luketic, Michael Fuchs, Mitchell L. Shiffman, Arun J. Sanyal – 7 January 2008 – Hepatic steatosis has been reported in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection. However, the features of steatohepatitis, including cytologic ballooning and pericellular fibrosis, its risk factors, and the impact on disease severity in such patients are unknown.

Yaakov Nahmias, Jonathan Goldwasser, Monica Casali, Daan van Poll, Takaji Wakita, Raymond T. Chung, Martin L. Yarmush – 7 January 2008 – Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects over 3% of the world population and is the leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. HCV has long been known to associate with circulating lipoproteins, and its interactions with the cholesterol and lipid pathways have been recently described. In this work, we demonstrate that HCV is actively secreted by infected cells through a Golgi‐dependent mechanism while bound to very low density lipoprotein (vLDL).

Emilia Fransvea, Umberto Angelotti, Salvatore Antonaci, Gianluigi Giannelli – 7 January 2008 – Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment is challenging because the mechanisms underlying tumor progression are still largely unknown. Transforming growth factor (TGF)–β1 is considered a crucial molecule in HCC tumorigenesis because increased levels of patients' serum and urine are associated with disease progression. The aim of the present study was to investigate the inhibition of TGF‐β signaling and its impact on HCC progression.