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Sanaa Kamal, Khalifa Khalifa, Khairy Moustafa, Margaret Koziel, Leila El Gohary, Amr Ramy, Nezan Afdhal – 27 September 2006

Glutamine: A Trojan horse in ammonia neurotoxicity

Jan Albrecht, Michael D. Norenberg – 27 September 2006 – Mechanisms involved in hepatic encephalopathy still remain to be defined. Nonetheless, it is well recognized that ammonia is a major factor in its pathogenesis, and that the astrocyte represents a major target of its CNS toxicity. In vivo and in vitro studies have shown that ammonia evokes oxidative/nitrosative stress, mitochondrial abnormalities (the mitochondrial permeability transition, MPT) and astrocyte swelling, a major component of the brain edema associated with fulminant hepatic failure.

Hemodynamic response–guided therapy for prevention of variceal rebleeding: An uncontrolled pilot study

Antonio González, Salvador Augustin, Mercedes Pérez, Joan Dot, Esteban Saperas, Alejandro Tomasello, Antoni Segarra, Josep Ramón Armengol, Joan Ramón Malagelada, Rafael Esteban, Jaime Guardia, Joan Genescà – 27 September 2006 – The clinical usefulness of assessing hemodynamic response to drug therapy in the prophylaxis of variceal rebleeding is unknown. An open‐labeled, uncontrolled pilot trial was performed to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of using the hemodynamic response to pharmacological treatment to guide therapy in this setting.

Modeling hepatic fibrosis in African American and Caucasian American patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection

Robert J. Fontana, David E. Kleiner, Richard Bilonick, Norah Terrault, Nezam Afdhal, Steven H. Belle, Lennox J. Jeffers, Darmendra Ramcharran, Marc G. Ghany, Jay H. Hoofnagle, Virahep‐C Study Group – 27 September 2006 – Assessment of histological stage is an integral part of disease management in patients infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

Effects of clonidine on diuretic response in ascitic patients with cirrhosis and activation of sympathetic nervous system

Anne Lenaerts, Thierry Codden, Jean‐Claude Meunier, Jean‐Pol Henry, Gaston Ligny – 27 September 2006 – The effects of the addition of clonidine to diuretics on the mobilization of ascites in the short term (diuretic response and requirement of diuretics) and the long term (readmissions for tense ascites and requirement of diuretics) were examined in patients with cirrhosis and with increased sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity. We also studied neurohormonal, hemodynamic effects and side effects of clonidine and diuretics.

Interleukin‐29 uses a type 1 interferon‐like program to promote antiviral responses in human hepatocytes

Sean E. Doyle, Heidi Schreckhise, Kien Khuu‐Duong, Katherine Henderson, Robert Rosler, Harold Storey, Lena Yao, Hong Liu, Fariba Barahmand‐pour, Pallavur Sivakumar, Chung Chan, Carl Birks, Don Foster, Christopher H. Clegg, Perdita Wietzke‐Braun, Sabine Mihm, Kevin M. Klucher – 27 September 2006 – Interleukin‐28A (IL‐28A), IL‐28B and IL‐29 are a family of class II cytokines that stimulate antiviral responses through a heterodimeric receptor that is distinct from the type I interferon (IFN) receptor.

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