Christopher J. Scarlett, Alex J. Saxby, AiQun Nielsen, Cameron Bell, Jaswinder S. Samra, Thomas Hugh, Robert C. Baxter, Ross C. Smith – 29 August 2006 – Proteomic techniques promise to improve the diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma (CC) in both tissue and serum as histological diagnosis and existing serum markers exhibit poor sensitivities. We explored the use of surface‐enhanced laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (SELDI‐TOF MS) to identify potential protein biomarkers of CC. Twenty‐two resected CC samples were compared with adjacent noninvolved bile duct tissue.

Laura Llacuna, Montserrat Marí, Carmen Garcia‐Ruiz, José C. Fernandez‐Checa, Albert Morales – 29 August 2006 – The molecular mechanisms of hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) damage are incompletely understood. We investigated the role of ceramide in a murine model of warm hepatic I/R injury. This sphingolipid induces cell death and participates in tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling.

Inmaculada García‐Ruiz, Cristina Rodríguez‐Juan, Teresa Díaz‐Sanjuan, Pilar del Hoyo, Francisco Colina, Teresa Muñoz‐Yagüe, José A. Solís‐Herruzo – 29 August 2006 – The mechanisms responsible for low mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC) activity in the liver of patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis are unknown. In this study, we examined the cause of this dysfunction in ob/ob mice.

Timothy J. Davern – 29 August 2006 – Fulminant hepatitis of unknown origin remains a significant cause of mortality, for which liver transplantation is often considered as the only therapeutic option. In retrospective studies, human herpesvirus 6 (HHV‐6) infections have been associated with such diseases, but the diagnosis of HHV‐6 infection of the liver is rarely established during the acute phase of liver failure. Using real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), we diagnosed two cases of severe acute liver failure (ALF) related to HHV‐6 occurring in immunocompetent young adults.

Roger Williams – 29 August 2006 – Immigration, cheap air travel, and globalization are all factors contributing to a worldwide spread of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. End‐stage chronic liver disease (ESLD) as a result of co‐infection with HBV/HCV is now the major cause of death for individuals who have been infected with the HIV virus. The high incidence of HCV infection in Egypt—the legacy left from the mass use of tartar emetic to eradicate schistosomiasis, as in other high prevalence areas—will take years to reduce.

Kunihiko Izuishi, Allan Tsung, Mohammad Akram Hossain, Masao Fujiwara, Hisao Wakabayashi, Tsutomu Masaki, Timothy R. Billiar, Hajime Maeta – 29 August 2006 – Hepatic ischemia‐reperfusion (I/R) injury occurs in the settings of transplantation, trauma, and elective liver resection. Ischemic preconditioning has been used as a strategy to reduce inflammation and organ damage from I/R of the liver. However, the mechanisms involved in this process are poorly understood.

Chun‐Jen Liu, Jia‐Horng Kao, Ding‐Shinn Chen – 29 August 2006

Yining Zhang, Tadashi Ikegami, Akira Honda, Teruo Miyazaki, Bernard Bouscarel, Marcos Rojkind, Ichinosuke Hyodo, Yasushi Matsuzaki – 29 August 2006 – Integrin‐linked kinase (ILK) is a multidomain focal adhesion protein implicated in signal transduction between integrins and growth factor receptors. Although its expression is upregulated in pulmonary and renal fibrosis, its role in the development of hepatic fibrosis remains to be determined.

Takeshi Hirayama, Akira Honda, Yasushi Matsuzaki, Teruo Miyazaki, Tadashi Ikegami, Mikio Doy, Guorong Xu, Michael Lea, Gerald Salen – 29 August 2006 – Hypercholesterolemia is an important paraneoplastic syndrome in patients with hepatoma, but the nature of this defect has not yet been identified. We investigated the molecular mechanisms of hypercholesterolemia in a hepatoma‐bearing rat model. Buffalo rats were implanted in both flanks with Morris hepatoma 7777 (McA‐RH7777) cells. After 4 weeks, tumor weight was 5.5 ± 1.7 g, and serum cholesterol level increased from 60 ± 2 to 90 ± 2 mg/dL.

Sun Hee Yim, Yatrik Shah, Shuhei Tomita, H. Douglas Morris, Oksana Gavrilova, Gilles Lambert, Jerrold M. Ward, Frank J. Gonzalez – 29 August 2006 – Vascular endothelial cells (ECs) play a critical role in angiogenesis and organogenesis, especially in embryonic liver development. Hypoxia‐inducible transcription factors (Hifs) are a key trigger of hypoxic signals, a primary stimulus of angiogenesis. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (Arnt), also called Hif‐1β, serves as an obligate heterodimerization partner of Hif‐1α and Hif‐2α.