Heidi Barth, T. Jake Liang, Thomas F. Baumert – 29 August 2006 – With an estimated 170 million infected individuals, hepatitis C virus (HCV) has a major impact on public health. A vaccine protecting against HCV infection is not available, and current antiviral therapies are characterized by limited efficacy, high costs, and substantial side effects. Binding of the virus to the cell surface followed by viral entry is the first step in a cascade of interactions between virus and the target cell that is required for the initiation of infection.

Corinne Castelnau, Frédéric Le Gal, Marie‐Pierre Ripault, Emmanuel Gordien, Michelle Martinot‐Peignoux, Nathalie Boyer, Bach‐Nga Pham, Sarah Maylin, Pierre Bedossa, Paul Dény, Patrick Marcellin, Elyanne Gault – 29 August 2006 – Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) can cause severe acute and chronic liver disease in patients infected by hepatitis B virus. Interferon alpha at high doses, although poorly efficient, is the only treatment reported to provide some benefit in chronic hepatitis delta. Pegylated interferon alpha (PEG‐IFN) has not yet been evaluated.

Richard K. Sterling – 29 August 2006

Nicholas F. LaRusso, Benjamin L. Shneider, Dennis Black, Gregory J. Gores, Stephen P. James, Edward Doo, Jay H. Hoofnagle – 29 August 2006 – Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a rare but important liver disease that leads to cirrhosis and need for liver transplantation in a high proportion of cases. The disease occurs in approximately 1 per 100,000 population per year, usually presents in adulthood, and affects men more often than women.

Patrizia Farci – 29 August 2006

Ramazan Idilman, Sadik Ersoz, Sahin Coban, Ozlem Kumbasar, Hakan Bozkaya – 24 August 2006 – Standard antituberculous therapy including isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide is widely used for the treatment of active tuberculosis. Its most important side effect is hepatotoxicity, ranging from asymptomatic transaminitis to fulminant hepatic failure. A 19‐year‐old woman was admitted to our unit due to jaundice and unconsciousness. According to her past medical history, she was diagnosed as having extrapulmonary tuberculosis and had been prescribed standard antituberculous therapy.

Guy Maddern – 24 August 2006

See Ching Chan, Sheung Tat Fan – 24 August 2006

Mitsuhisa Takatsuki, Susumu Eguchi, Hirotaka Tokai, Masaaki Hidaka, Akihiko Soyama, Yoshitsugu Tajima, Takashi Kanematsu – 24 August 2006

Antonio J. Sanchez, Jaime Aranda‐Michel – 24 August 2006 – Patients with end‐stage liver disease (ESLD) frequently have diverse abnormalities of carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism that cause progressive deterioration of their clinical condition and lead to malnutrition. Malnutrition is almost universally present in patients with ESLD undergoing liver transplantation and has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality.