Defective hepatitis B virus DNA is not associated with disease status but is reduced by polymerase mutations associated with drug resistance

Scott Preiss, Margaret Littlejohn, Peter Angus, Alex Thompson, Paul Desmond, Sharon R. Lewin, Joe Sasadeusz, Gail Matthews, Gregory J. Dore, Tim Shaw, Vitini Sozzi, Lilly Yuen, George Lau, Anna Ayres, Chloe Thio, Anchalee Avihingsanon, Kiat Ruxrungtham, Stephen Locarnini, Peter A. Revill – 21 April 2008 – Defective hepatitis B virus DNA (dDNA) is reverse‐transcribed from spliced hepatitis B virus (HBV) pregenomic messenger RNA (pgRNA) and has been identified in patients with chronic HBV (CH‐B).

Nuclear receptor cofactor receptor interacting protein 140 controls hepatic triglyceride metabolism during wasting in mice

Mauricio Berriel Diaz, Anja Krones‐Herzig, Dagmar Metzger, Anja Ziegler, Alexandros Vegiopoulos, Martin Klingenspor, Karin Müller‐Decker, Stephan Herzig – 18 April 2008 – In mammals, triglycerides (TG) represent the most concentrated form of energy. Aberrant TG storage and availability are intimately linked to the negative energy balance under severe clinical conditions, such as starvation, sepsis, or cancer cachexia. Despite its crucial role for energy homeostasis, molecular key determinants of TG metabolism remain enigmatic.

Selection of high‐avidity CD8 T cells correlates with control of hepatitis C virus infection

Bérangère Neveu, Emilie Debeaupuis, Klara Echasserieau, Béatrice le Moullac‐Vaidye, Michelle Gassin, Loïg Jegou, Jérémie Decalf, Matthew Albert, Nicolas Ferry, Jérôme Gournay, Elisabeth Houssaint, Marc Bonneville, Xavier Saulquin – 18 April 2008 – Both strong antigenic avidity and acquisition of proper effector functions contribute to the efficacy of antiviral T cell responses.

Accuracy and reproducibility of transient elastography for the diagnosis of fibrosis in pediatric nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

Valerio Nobili, Francesco Vizzutti, Umberto Arena, Juan G. Abraldes, Fabio Marra, Andrea Pietrobattista, Rodolfo Fruhwirth, Matilde Marcellini, Massimo Pinzani – 18 April 2008 – Transient elastography (TE) has received increasing attention as a means to evaluate disease progression in chronic liver disease patients. In this study, we assessed the value of TE for the prediction of fibrosis stage in a cohort of pediatric patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Furthermore, TE interobserver agreement was evaluated.

Single‐nucleotide polymorphism analysis of the multidrug resistance protein 3 gene for the detection of clinical progression in Japanese patients with primary biliary cirrhosis

Yuki Ohishi, Minoru Nakamura, Naomi Iio, Shingo Higa, Mao Inayoshi, Yoshihiro Aiba, Atsumasa Komori, Katsuhisa Omagari, Hiromi Ishibashi, Kazuhiro Tsukamoto – 18 April 2008 – Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a multifactorial disease in which genetic factors rather than environmental factors may predominantly contribute to the pathogenesis.

Liver‐specific inactivation of Notch2, but not Notch1, compromises intrahepatic bile duct development in mice

Fabian Geisler, Florian Nagl, Pawel K. Mazur, Marcel Lee, Ursula Zimber‐Strobl, Lothar J. Strobl, Freddy Radtke, Roland M. Schmid, Jens T. Siveke – 18 April 2008 – The Notch pathway is an evolutionary conserved, intercellular signaling pathway that plays an important role in cell fate specification and the embryonic development of many organs, including the liver. In humans, mutations in the Notch receptor ligand Jagged1 gene result in defective intrahepatic bile duct (IHBD) development in Alagille syndrome.

Long‐term follow‐up of antimitochondrial antibody–positive autoimmune hepatitis

Conor O'Brien, Supriya Joshi, Jordan J. Feld, Maha Guindi, Hans P. Dienes, E. Jenny Heathcote – 18 April 2008 – Antimitochondrial antibodies (AMAs) are the serological hallmark for primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). When AMAs are detected in patients with chronic hepatitis, they negatively impact on the autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) scoring system. The purpose of this study was to determine if AMAs detected in the sera of patients with overt AIH have clinical or pathological significance. All patients with a clinicopathologic diagnosis of AIH from one center were reviewed.

Estimation of stage‐specific fibrosis progression rates in chronic hepatitis C virus infection: A meta‐analysis and meta‐regression

Hla‐Hla Thein, Qilong Yi, Gregory J. Dore, Murray D. Krahn – 18 April 2008 – Published estimates of liver fibrosis progression in individuals with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are heterogeneous. We aimed to estimate stage‐specific fibrosis progression rates and their determinants in these individuals. A systematic review of published prognostic studies was undertaken.

Glutathione S‐transferase m1 and t1 null genotypes increase susceptibility to idiosyncratic drug‐induced liver injury

M. Isabel Lucena, Raúl J. Andrade, Carmen Martínez, Eugenia Ulzurrun, Elena García‐Martín, Yolanda Borraz, M. Carmen Fernández, Manuel Romero‐Gomez, Agustin Castiella, Ramón Planas, Joan Costa, Sandra Anzola, José A. G. Agúndez – 16 April 2008 – Individual vulnerability to drug‐induced liver injury (DILI) might result from deficiencies in the detoxification process, which determines the level of exposure to the reactive metabolite.

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