Tim O. Lankisch, Ulrike Moebius, Michael Wehmeier, Georg Behrens, Michael P. Manns, Reinhold E. Schmidt, Christian P. Strassburg – 20 October 2006 – Gilbert's disease leads to intermittent non‐hemolytic hyperbilirubinemia by a reduction of hepatic bilirubin glucuronidation associated with the presence of the UDP‐glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 1A1*28 polymorphism. It is considered benign because it does not result in hepatocellular damage. However, pharmacogenetic analyses have linked UGT1A1*28 to drug toxicity and cancer predisposition.

Dirk Graf, Caroline Kohlmann, Katrin Haselow, Thor Gehrmann, Johannes G. Bode, Dieter Häussinger – 20 October 2006 – Interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) is a major regulator of the acute phase reaction in the liver and is thought to mediate protective effects in response to hepatotoxins. In this study, the influence of bile acids on IL‐6 signal transduction was analyzed. It was shown that hydrophobic bile acids such as glycochenodeoxycholate (GCDC) inhibited IL‐6–induced tyrosine phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 3 in hepatocytes and in perfused rat liver.

Cheng‐Hsu Chen, Liang‐Mou Kuo, Yigang Chang, Wenhan Wu, Christina Goldbach, Mark A. Ross, Donna B. Stolz, Liepin Chen, John J. Fung, Lin Lu, Shiguang Qian – 20 October 2006 – Accumulating data suggest that hepatic tolerance, initially demonstrated by spontaneous acceptance of liver allografts in many species, results from an immune regulatory activity occurring in the liver. However, the responsible cellular and molecular components have not been completely understood. We have recently described profound T cell inhibitory activity of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in vitro.

Charles S. Landis, Kosho Yamanouchi, Hongchao Zhou, Sankar Mohan, Namita Roy‐Chowdhury, David A. Shafritz, Alan Koretsky, Jayanta Roy‐Chowdhury, Hoby P. Hetherington, Chandan Guha – 20 October 2006 – Hepatocyte transplantation (HT) is being explored as a substitute for liver transplantation for the treatment of liver diseases. For the clinical application of HT, a preparative regimen that allows preferential proliferation of transplanted cells in the host liver and a noninvasive method to monitor donor cell engraftment, proliferation, and immune rejection would be useful.

Javier Fernández, Angels Escorsell, Michel Zabalza, Vanessa Felipe, Miguel Navasa, Antoni Mas, Antonio M. Lacy, Pere Ginès, Vicente Arroyo – 20 October 2006 – Relative adrenal insufficiency is frequent in patients with severe sepsis and is associated with hemodynamic instability, renal failure, and increased mortality. This study prospectively evaluated the effects of steroids on shock resolution and hospital survival in a series of 25 consecutive patients with cirrhosis and septic shock (group 1).

Henrik Toft Sørensen, Timothy L. Lash, Kenneth J. Rothman – 20 October 2006 – Observational analogs of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) are well accepted in the study of disease risk factors, diagnosis, and prognosis. There is controversy about observational studies when the focus is on the intended benefit due to lack of blinding and poor control for unmeasured confounding. Well‐designed randomized clinical trials are costly both in time and money. Therefore, existing databases are used increasingly and are often the only feasible source with which to examine delayed health effects.

Rupert Abdalian, E. Jenny Heathcote – 20 October 2006 – Secondary sclerosing cholangitis (SSC) is a disease that is morphologically similar to primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) but that originates from a known pathological process. Its clinical and cholangiographic features may mimic PSC, yet its natural history may be more favorable if recognition is prompt and appropriate therapy is introduced.

Neil Kaplowitz – 20 October 2006

Elizabeth P. Newberry, Yan Xie, Susan M. Kennedy, Jianyang Luo, Nicholas O. Davidson – 20 October 2006 – Liver fatty acid–binding protein (L‐Fabp) regulates murine hepatic fatty acid trafficking in response to fasting. In this study, we show that L‐Fabp−/− mice fed a high‐fat Western diet for up to 18 weeks are less obese and accumulate less hepatic triglyceride than C57BL/6J controls. Paradoxically, both control and L‐Fabp−/− mice manifested comparable glucose intolerance and insulin resistance when fed a Western diet.

Norah J. Shire, Paul S. Horn, Susan D. Rouster, Sandra Stanford, M. Elaine Eyster, Kenneth E. Sherman, Multicenter Hemophilia Cohort HCV Study Group – 20 October 2006 – Hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment response rates remain low in HCV/HIV‐1‐coinfected individuals compared with those with HCV alone. Persons with inherited coagulation disorders have high rates of HCV and HIV‐1 infection, but HCV treatment trials in this patient population are scarce.