Jun Cai, Yang Zhao, Yanxia Liu, Fei Ye, Zhihua Song, Han Qin, Sha Meng, Yuezhou Chen, Rudan Zhou, Xijun Song, Yushan Guo, Mingxiao Ding, Hongkui Deng – 26 April 2007 – The differentiation capacity of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) holds great promise for therapeutic applications. We report a novel three‐stage method to efficiently direct the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells into hepatic cells in serum‐free medium. Human ESCs were first differentiated into definitive endoderm cells by 3 days of Activin A treatment.

Shaikh Mizanoor Rahman, Jill M. Schroeder‐Gloeckler, Rachel C. Janssen, Hua Jiang, Ishtiaq Qadri, Kenneth N. Maclean, Jacob E. Friedman – 26 April 2007 – Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is characterized by steatosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress. To investigate whether the transcription factor CCAAT/Enhancer binding protein (C/EBPβ) is involved in the development of NASH, C57BL/6J wild‐type (WT) or C/EBPβ knockout (C/EBPβ−/−) mice were fed either a methionine and choline deficient (MCD) diet or standard chow.

Michael D. Thompson, Satdarshan P. S. Monga – 26 April 2007 – Wnt/β‐catenin signaling is emerging as a forerunner for its critical roles in many facets of human biology. Its roles in embryogenesis, organogenesis, and maintaining tissue and organ homeostasis demonstrate its munificent character. Its roles in pathological conditions such as cancer and other human disorders such as inflammatory disorders and fibrosis reveal its villainous disposition.

Robert J. Fontana, Linas A. Bieliauskas, Karen L. Lindsay, Carla Back‐Madruga, Elizabeth C. Wright, Kristin K. Snow, Anna S.F. Lok, Ziad Kronfol, Latha Padmanabhan – 26 April 2007 – Treatment of chronic hepatitis C with pegylated interferon (peginterferon) and ribavirin can cause or exacerbate depression but its effects on cognitive function are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether treatment with peginterferon and ribavirin adversely impacts cognitive function in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Jean‐Baptiste Nousbaum, Jean‐François Cadranel, Pierre Nahon, Eric Nguyen Khac, Richard Moreau, Thierry Thévenot, Christine Silvain, Christophe Bureau, Olivier Nouel, Christophe Pilette, Thierry Paupard, Geoffroy Vanbiervliet, Frédéric Oberti, Thierry Davion, Vincent Jouannaud, Bruno Roche, Pierre‐Henri Bernard, Sandrine Beaulieu, Odile Danne, Dominique Thabut, Carinne Chagneau‐Derrode, Victor de Lédinghen, Philippe Mathurin, Arnaud Pauwels, Jean‐Pierre Bronowicki, François Habersetzer, Armand Abergel, Jean‐Christian Audigier, Thierry Sapey, Jean‐Didier Grangé, Albert Tran – 26 April 2007 –

Jean Marc Pascussi, Agnes Robert, Amelie Moreau, Jeanne Ramos, Paulette Bioulac‐Sage, Francis Navarro, Pierre Blanc, Eric Assenat, Patrick Maurel, Marie Jose Vilarem – 26 April 2007 – Constitutive androstane receptor (CAR; NR1I3) controls the metabolism and elimination of endogenous and exogenous toxic compounds by up‐regulating a battery of genes.

Chia‐Ming Chu, Yun‐Fan Liaw – 26 April 2007 – Spontaneous hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroclearance in chronic HBV infection has long been suggested as a rare event in high endemic areas. The prevalence of HBsAg in the general population of Taiwan, however, decreased remarkably from 15%‐20% before age 40 to 5%‐10% after age 60 or 70. This study aimed to reexamine the rates of HBsAg seroclearance by a long‐term follow‐up of 1965 hepatitis B e antibody–positive asymptomatic adult carriers.

David H. Perlmutter, Jeffrey L. Brodsky, William F. Balistreri, Bruce C. Trapnell – 26 April 2007 – In recent years, we have witnessed several important paradigm shifts in understanding the molecular basis of liver disease in alpha‐1‐antitrypsin (AT) deficiency. These shifts have become possible as a result of a number of advances in research on the cell biology of aggregation‐prone mutant proteins and in research on the pathobiological mechanisms of liver disease in general.

Heiner Wedemeyer, Benjamin Heidrich, Michael P. Manns – 26 April 2007

Byung Chul Yoo, Ju Hyun Kim, Young‐Hwa Chung, Kwan Sik Lee, Seung Woon Paik, Soo Hyung Ryu, Byung Hoon Han, Joon‐Yeol Han, Kwan Soo Byun, Mong Cho, Heon‐Ju Lee, Tae‐Hun Kim, Se‐Hyun Cho, Joong‐Won Park, Soon‐Ho Um, Seong Gyu Hwang, Young Soo Kim, Youn‐Jae Lee, Chae Yoon Chon, Byung‐Ik Kim, Young‐Suk Lee, Jin‐Mo Yang, Haak Cheoul Kim, Jae Seok Hwang, Sung‐Kyu Choi, Young‐Oh Kweon, Sook‐Hyang Jeong, Myung‐Seok Lee, Jong‐Young Choi, Dae‐Ghon Kim, Yun Soo Kim, Heon Young Lee, Kwon Yoo, Hee‐Won Yoo, Hyo‐Suk Lee – 26 April 2007 – Clevudine is a pyrimidine analogue with potent and sustained antivi