Mark D. Gorrell, Fiona J. Warner – 26 February 2007

Marlyn J. Mayo, Iorna Handem, Sandra Saldana, Heidi Jacobe, Yonas Getachew, A. John Rush – 26 February 2007 – Pruritus is frequently the most debilitating symptom of cholestatic liver diseases. Moreover, existing therapies are often ineffective. Recent small, retrospective case series reports suggest that serotonin reuptake inhibitors can improve pruritus. This study was undertaken to establish the dose of sertraline and to evaluate its efficacy for cholestatic pruritus.

Flavia Bortolotti, Maria Guido – 26 February 2007

26 February 2007

Juan M. Marquès, Idoia Belza, Bettina Holtmann, Diane Pennica, Jesus Prieto, Matilde Bustos – 26 February 2007 – We previously reported that exogenous cardiotrophin‐1 (CT‐1), a member of the IL‐6 family of cytokines, exerts hepatoprotective effects. Because CT‐1 is expressed in the normal liver, we hypothesized that this cytokine may constitute an endogenous defense of the liver against proapoptotic stimuli. Here, we found that CT‐1−/− mice died faster than wild‐type animals after challenge with a lethal dose of the Fas agonist Jo‐2.

Akihiko Ito, Yuji Nishikawa, Kazuhiro Ohnuma, Ikuyo Ohnuma, Yu‐ichiro Koma, Ayuko Sato, Katsuhiko Enomoto, Tohru Tsujimura, Hiroshi Yokozaki – 26 February 2007 – Spermatogenic immunoglobulin superfamily (SgIGSF) is an intercellular adhesion molecule of the nectin‐like family. While screening its tissue distribution, we found that it was expressed in fetal liver but not adult liver. In the present study, we examined which cells in developing and regenerating liver express SgIGSF via immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis.

Savino Bruno, Tommaso Stroffolini, Massimo Colombo, Simona Bollani, Luisa Benvegnù, Giuseppe Mazzella, Antonio Ascione, Teresa Santantonio, Felice Piccinino, Pietro Andreone, Alessandra Mangia, Giovanni B. Gaeta, Marcello Persico, Stefano Fagiuoli, Piero L. Almasio, on behalf of the Italian Association of the Study of the Liver Disease (AISF) – 26 February 2007 – The effect of achieving a sustained virological response (SVR) following interferon‐α (IFNα) treatment on the clinical outcomes of patients with HCV‐related cirrhosis is unknown.

Hongchao Zhou, Leslie E. Rogler, Lewis Teperman, Glyn Morgan, Charles E. Rogler – 26 February 2007 – Hepatocyte function and regeneration are severely compromised in severe liver disease, and a common sequela is cirrhosis. Structural changes caused by cirrhosis create a cellular environment conducive to the formation of ductular reactions (DRs). Ductular reactions are primarily composed of oval cells also known as “intermediate hepatobiliary cells”. We have conducted single, double, and triple staining to study lineages of oval cells present in DRs.

Steven W. M. Olde Damink, Rajiv Jalan, Nicolaas E. P. Deutz, Cornelis H. C. Dejong, Doris N. Redhead, Paula Hynd, Peter C. Hayes, Peter B. Soeters – 26 February 2007 – Upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding in cirrhotic patients has a high incidence of mortality and morbidity. Postbleeding catabolism has been hypothesized to be partly due to the low biological value of hemoglobin, which lacks the essential amino acid isoleucine.

Evangelos Cholongitas, Laura Marelli, Andrew Kerry, Marco Senzolo, David W. Goodier, Devaki Nair, Michael Thomas, David Patch, Andrew K. Burroughs – 23 February 2007 – Bilirubin (Bil) interferes with creatinine (Cr) measurement. Different laboratory methods are used to overcome this problem. Model for end‐stage liver disease (MELD) scoring incorporates Cr and is used to prioritize patients for liver transplantation. Thus, MELD scores may vary with different Cr measurements influencing patients' priority.