Jay H. Hoofnagle, Edward Doo, T. Jake Liang, Russell Fleischer, Anna S.F. Lok – 28 March 2007 – Chronic hepatitis B is caused by persistent infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV), a unique DNA virus that replicates through an RNA intermediate produced from a stable covalently closed circular DNA molecule. Viral persistence appears to be due to inadequate innate and adaptive immune responses. Chronic infection has a variable course after several decades resulting in cirrhosis in up to one‐third of patients and liver cancer in a proportion of those with cirrhosis.

Theodorus B. M. Hakvoort, Jacqueline L. M. Vermeulen, Wouter H. Lamers – 28 March 2007

Elisa Wurmbach, Ying‐bei Chen, Greg Khitrov, Weijia Zhang, Sasan Roayaie, Myron Schwartz, Isabel Fiel, Swan Thung, Vincenzo Mazzaferro, Jordi Bruix, Erwin Bottinger, Scott Friedman, Samuel Waxman, Josep M. Llovet – 28 March 2007 – Although HCC is the third‐leading cause of cancer‐related deaths worldwide, there is only an elemental understanding of its molecular pathogenesis. In western countries, HCV infection is the main etiology underlying this cancer's accelerating incidence.

Alan F. Hofmann – 28 March 2007

Nicholas Shackel, Geoffrey McCaughan – 28 March 2007

Christophe Frémin, Frédéric Ezan, Pierre Boisselier, Anne Bessard, Gilles Pagès, Jacques Pouysségur, Georges Baffet – 28 March 2007 – The mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs) ERK1 and ERK2 have been implicated in various physiological events, and specific targeting of these MAPKs could affect cell proliferation in many cell types. First, to evaluate the potential specific roles of these two MAPKs, we analyzed the mitogenic response in regenerating liver after partial hepatectomy (PH) and in primary culture of hepatocytes isolated from ERK1‐deficient mice.

Megan H. Keane, Henk Overmars, Thomas M. Wikander, Sacha Ferdinandusse, Marinus Duran, Ronald J. A. Wanders, Phyllis L. Faust – 28 March 2007 – The marked deficiency of peroxisomal organelle assembly in the PEX2−/− mouse model for Zellweger syndrome provides a unique opportunity to developmentally and biochemically characterize hepatic disease progression and bile acid products. The postnatal survival of homozygous mutants enabled us to evaluate the response to bile acid replenishment in this disease state.

Martin Eefsen, Allan Rasmussen, Hans Christian Wulf, Axel Brock, Bent Adel Hansen – 20 March 2007 – Erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) is a disease of the heme metabolism due to a deficiency of ferrochelatase, leading to accumulation of protoporphyrin (PPIX) in the erythrocyte (red blood cell [RBC]). The major clinical manifestation in EPP is photosensitivity; however, in a small number of patients liver failure is a significant complication and liver transplantation is the only treatment option.

Pratima Sharma, Jorge A. Marrero, Robert J. Fontana, Joel K. Greenson, Hari Conjeevaram, Grace L. Su, Frederick Askari, Patricia Sullivan, Anna S. Lok – 20 March 2007 – Sustained virologic response (SVR) after antiviral therapy for recurrent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in liver transplant (LT) recipients is consistently lower than that achieved in non‐LT patients. We evaluated efficacy and safety of pegylated interferon (IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) therapy in LT recipients with recurrent HCV and factors associated with SVR.

Andrew L. Lundquist, Ravi S. Chari, James H. Wood, Geraldine G. Miller, Heidi M. Schaefer, David S. Raiford, Kelly J. Wright, D. Lee Gorden – 20 March 2007 – Thymoglobulin® (Genzyme, Cambridge, MA) is an antithymocyte globulin preparation used for induction immunosuppression therapy in solid organ transplantation. It is being utilized with increasing frequency in orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in an effort to minimize or delay the use of calcineurin inhibitors due to their inherent nephrotoxicity. Experience with thymoglobulin in OLT remains limited.