Yesim Erim, Mingo Beckmann, Sylvia Kroencke, Camino Valentin‐Gamazo, Massimo Malago, Dieter Broering, Xavier Rogiers, Andrea Frilling, Christoph E. Broelsch, Karl‐Heinz Schulz – 30 May 2007 – The ethical soundness of living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) in urgent indications is still under discussion. The aim of the survey was to investigate the psychological distress of donors in cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or acute liver failure (ALF). In a prospective multicenter study (n = 123), health‐related quality of life (QOL), anxiety, and depression were measured.

Sven Jonas, Jens Mittler, Andreas Pascher, Guido Schumacher, Tom Theruvath, Christoph Benckert, Birgit Rudolph, Peter Neuhaus – 30 May 2007 – Living donor liver transplantation of the right lobe might offer the possibility to extend the eligibility criteria of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in cirrhosis without penalizing patients who are waiting for a graft from a deceased donor. From 1988 to 2005, surgical treatment of HCC was performed in 580 patients (187 transplantation, 393 resection) in a European center.

Meenakshisundaram Ananthanarayanan – 30 May 2007

Akhilesh B. Reddy, Elizabeth S. Maywood, Natasha A. Karp, Verdun M. King, Yusuke Inoue, Frank J. Gonzalez, Kathryn S. Lilley, Charalambos P. Kyriacou, Michael H. Hastings – 30 May 2007 – Circadian control of physiology is mediated by local, tissue‐based clocks, synchronized to each other and to solar time by signals from the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), the master oscillator in the hypothalamus. These local clocks coordinate the transcription of key pathways to establish tissue‐specific daily metabolic programs.

Aparajita Dey, Arthur I. Cederbaum – 30 May 2007 – Cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) activates several hepatotoxins and contributes to alcoholic liver damage. Obesity is a growing health problem in the United States. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether acetone‐ or pyrazole‐mediated induction of CYP2E1 can potentiate liver injury in obesity. CYP2E1 protein and activity were elevated in acetone‐ or pyrazole‐treated obese and lean mice.

Francis Y. Yao – 30 May 2007

Fabio Piscaglia, Valeria Camaggi, Matteo Ravaioli, Gian Luca Grazi, Matteo Zanello, Simona Leoni, Giorgio Ballardini, Giulia Cavrini, Antonio Daniele Pinna, Luigi Bolondi – 30 May 2007 – The best prioritization of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) waiting for liver transplantation under the model for end‐stage liver disease (MELD) allocation system is still being debated. We analyzed the impact of a MELD adjustment for HCC, which consisted of the addition of an extra score (based on the HCC stage and waiting time) to the native MELD score.

Anne M. Wertheimer, Stephen J. Polyak, Rachel Leistikow, Hugo R. Rosen – 30 May 2007 – In the majority of cases, infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) becomes chronic and is often associated with impaired innate and adaptive immune responses. The mechanisms underlying viral persistence and lack of protective immunity are poorly understood. Considering that dendritic cells (DCs) play critical roles in initiating and modulating immune responses, we explored the effect of HCV proteins on DC gene and protein expression, phenotype, and function.

Einar Björnsson, Suresh T. Chari, Thomas C. Smyrk, Keith Lindor – 30 May 2007

Kenneth E. Sherman, Marion Peters, Margaret James Koziel – 30 May 2007