Anna Wieckowska, Arthur J. McCullough, Ariel E. Feldstein – 27 July 2007 – Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in the United States, and its prevalence is increasing worldwide. It currently affects approximately 30% of adults and 10% of children in the United States. NAFLD represents a wide spectrum of conditions ranging from simple fatty liver which in general follows a benign nonprogressive clinical course, to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which is a more serious form of NAFLD that may progress to cirrhosis and end‐stage liver disease.

27 July 2007

Verena Christen, Susan Treves, Francois H. T. Duong, Markus H. Heim – 27 July 2007 – The up‐regulation of protein phosphatase 2 A (PP2A) is an important factor leading to an inhibition of IFNα signaling caused by viral protein expression. Here, we describe the molecular mechanism involved in PP2Ac up‐regulation by HCV and HBV. HCV and HBV protein expression in cells induces an ER stress response leading to calcium release from the ER. HCV protein expression induces CREB activation, probably through calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase.

Leonardo L. Schiavon, Janaína L. N. Schiavon, Roberto J. Carvalho Filho, Juliana P. Sampaio, Valéria P. Lanzoni, Antonio Eduardo B. Silva, Maria Lucia G. Ferraz – 27 July 2007 – HCV infection is common among patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) on hemodialysis, and it has been considered an independent risk factor for mortality in this setting. Although liver biopsy in ESRD patients with HCV infection is useful before kidney transplantation, it carries a high risk of complications.

Albert Geerts – 27 July 2007

Takeji Umemura, Yoh Zen, Hideaki Hamano, Shigeyuki Kawa, Yasuni Nakanuma, Kendo Kiyosawa – 27 July 2007 – Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is characterized by high serum immunoglobin (Ig) G4 concentrations, lymphoplasmacytic inflammation, and a favorable response to corticosteroid treatment. Since liver dysfunction is frequently seen in AIP patients, we investigated hepatic histopathology and its clinical significance in patients with AIP.

Joerg Timm, Bin Li, Marcus G. Daniels, Tanmoy Bhattacharya, Laura L. Reyor, Rachel Allgaier, Thomas Kuntzen, Will Fischer, Brian E. Nolan, Jared Duncan, Julian Schulze zur Wiesch, Arthur Y. Kim, Nicole Frahm, Christian Brander, Raymond T. Chung, Georg M. Lauer, Bette T. Korber, Todd M. Allen – 27 July 2007 – CD8+ T cell responses play a key role in governing the outcome of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and viral evolution enabling escape from these responses may contribute to the inability to resolve infection.

Francesca Bravi, Cristina Bosetti, Alessandra Tavani, Vincenzo Bagnardi, Silvano Gallus, Eva Negri, Silvia Franceschi, Carlo La Vecchia – 27 July 2007 – Several studies suggest an inverse relation between coffee drinking and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We conducted a meta‐analysis of published studies on HCC that included quantitative information on coffee consumption. Ten studies were retrieved (2,260 HCC cases), including 6 case–control studies from southern Europe and Japan (1551 cases) and 4 cohort studies from Japan (709 cases).

Hugo R. Rosen, Scott J. Weston, KyungAh Im, Huiying Yang, James R. Burton, Henry Erlich, Jared Klarquist, Steven H. Belle, Virahep‐C Study Group – 27 July 2007 – Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a leading cause of chronic hepatitis, end‐stage liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma throughout the world. Considerable evidence indicates that the risk of viral persistence, natural history, and response to antiviral therapy varies among racial groups, but limited data exist on potential mechanisms to account for these differences.

Sun‐Young Kong, Joong‐Won Park, Jung An Lee, Jung Eun Park, Kyung Woo Park, Eun Kyung Hong, Chang‐Min Kim – 27 July 2007 – Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an important role in angiogenesis and progression of tumor, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and elevated VEGF levels in serum and tissues have been known to be related with poor prognosis in patients with HCC. However, the effect of such polymorphisms of the VEGF gene on HCC prognosis has not been elucidated.