Daisuke Morioka, Hiroto Egawa, Mureo Kasahara, Tomoyasu Jo, Seisuke Sakamoto, Yasuhiro Ogura, Hironori Haga, Yasutsugu Takada, Hiroshi Shimada, Koichi Tanaka – 27 December 2006 – Patient selection criteria of deceased donor liver transplantation for primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) are almost completely established. The aim of this study was to establish selection criteria for both patients and donors of living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for PBC.

Marina Berenguer, Ana Royuela, Javier Zamora – 27 December 2006 – A controversy exists over whether the outcome of a hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐infection‐related liver transplant differs based on the calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) used. We have performed a systematic review and a subsequent meta‐analysis evaluating tacrolimus (Tac)‐based vs. cyclosporine A‐based immunosuppression in HCV‐infected liver transplant recipients. Searches were conducted to locate randomized controlled trials comparing Tac vs. cyclosporine A.

Paul J. Thuluvath – 27 December 2006

Norah A. Terrault, Mitchell L. Shiffman, Anna S.F. Lok, Sammy Saab, Lan Tong, Robert S. Brown, Gregory T. Everson, K. Rajender Reddy, Jeffrey H. Fair, Laura M. Kulik, Timothy L. Pruett, Leonard B.

Ekaterina Katenz, Florian Wolfgang Rudolf Vondran, Ruth Schwartlander, Gesine Pless, Xiaobing Gong, Xiandong Cheng, Peter Neuhaus, Igor Maximilian Sauer – 27 December 2006 – Problems with the limited availability of human hepatocytes for cell transplantation may be overcome by efficient cryopreservation techniques and formation of appropriate cell banking. In this study we investigated the effect of the disaccharide trehalose on the cryopreservation of human hepatocytes.

Koichiro Hata, Rene Hany Tolba, Lai Wei, Benedict Marie Doorschodt, Reinhard Büttner, Yuzo Yamamoto, Thomas Minor – 27 December 2006 – Chronic shortage of donor organs has led to acceptance of steatotic livers as grafts, although there is a higher risk of primary graft dysfunction. We herein report the beneficial impact of Polysol, a newly developed preservation solution, on cold storage of steatotic rat livers. Dietary hepatic steatosis was induced in Wistar rats by 2‐day fasting and subsequent 3‐day re‐feeding with a fat‐free, carbohydrate‐rich diet.

Zeeshan Perveze, Mark W. Johnson, Raymond A. Rubin, Marty Sellers, Carlos Zayas, Jody L. Jones, Rosemary Cross, Kimberly Thomas, Bradley Butler, Roshan Shrestha – 27 December 2006 – Drug‐induced liver disease accounts for about 50% of acute or subacute liver failure in the United States. United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) data suggest 8%‐20% of liver transplantation in this country per year is for fulminant liver failure due to drugs.

Sumihito Tamura, Yasuhiko Sugawara, Masatoshi Makuuchi – 27 December 2006

Giuseppe Orlando, Leonardo Baiocchi, Andrea Cardillo, Giuseppe Iaria, Nicola De Liguori, Linda De Luca, Benedetto Ielpo, Laura Tariciotti, Mario Angelico, Giuseppe Tisone – 27 December 2006 – Although mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) monotherapy has been successfully used in liver transplant recipients suffering from calcineurin‐inhibitor (CNI)‐related chronic toxicity, still no consensus has been reached on its safety, efficacy and tolerability.

Giuliano Testa – 27 December 2006