Irene Oi‐Lin Ng, Kok‐Lung Chan, Wai‐Hung Shek, Joyce Man‐Fong Lee, Daniel Yee‐Tak Fong, Chung‐Mau Lo, Sheung‐Tat Fan – 7 March 2007 – Recent studies have shown that primitive stem cells can mobilize and differentiate into hepatocytes. We investigated the time and extent in which cells of recipient origins could differentiate into hepatocytes and other cells in human liver allografts. Microsatellite analysis, which can assess quantitatively the proportions of recipient and donor DNA, was performed in posttransplantation liver biopsy specimens from 17 patients at various times.

Filip Braet, Robin Fraser, Robert S. McCuskey – 7 March 2007

Abdul Rahman Aljebreen, Marc Deschěnes, Les Lilly, Peter Metrakos – 7 March 2007

Adrian Reuben – 7 March 2007

Søren Møller, Annette Nørgaard, Jens H. Henriksen, Erik Frandsen, Flemming Bendtsen – 7 March 2007 – Patients with cirrhosis have a hyperdynamic circulation and an abnormal blood volume distribution with central hypovolemia, an activated sympathetic nervous system (SNS) as well as the renin‐angiotensin‐aldosterone system (RAAS). As the hyperdynamic circulation in cirrhosis may be present only in the supine patient, we studied the humoral and central hemodynamic responses to changes with posture.

Nadia Gorman, Heidi W. Trask, William J. Bement, Juliana G. Szakacs, George H. Elder, Dominic Balestra, Nicholas J. Jacobs, Judith M. Jacobs, Jacqueline F. Sinclair, Glenn S. Gerhard, Peter R. Sinclair Ph.D. – 7 March 2007 – Two major risk factors for porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) are alcohol consumption and homozygosity for the C282Y mutation in the hereditary hemochromatosis gene (HFE). We recently described an animal model for alcohol‐induced uroporphyria, using Hfe(–/–) mice. In the present study we show that this effect is dependent on genetic background and ethanol dose.

Tamie Nakajima, Yuji Kamijo, Naoki Tanaka, Eiko Sugiyama, Eiji Tanaka, Kendo Kiyosawa, Yoshimitsu Fukushima, Jeffrey M. Peters, Frank J. Gonzalez, Toshifumi Aoyama – 7 March 2007 – The mechanisms underlying alcoholic liver disease are not completely understood, but lipid accumulation seems to be central to the cause of this disease. The peroxisome proliferatoractivated receptor α (PPARα) plays an important role in the control of lipid homeostasis, metabolism of bioactive molecules, and modulation of inflammatory responses.

Chun Tao Wai, Chi‐Jen Chu, Munira Hussain, Anna S. F. Lok – 7 March 2007 – Hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype and precore/core promoter mutations have been implicated in spontaneous and interferon alfa (IFN‐α)—related hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion. We performed a retrospective analysis of a previously reported randomized controlled trial to determine the effects of HBV genotype and precore/core promoter mutations on IFN‐α response in patients with HBeAg‐positive chronic hepatitis. Clinical data and stored sera from 109 (95%) patients in the original trial were analyzed.

7 March 2007

Fukiko Furukawa, Koichi Matsuzaki, Shigeo Mori, Yoshiya Tahashi, Katsunori Yoshida, Yasushi Sugano, Hideo Yamagata, Masanori Matsushita, Toshihito Seki, Yutaka Inagaki, Mikio Nishizawa, Junichi Fujisawa, Kyoichi Inoue – 7 March 2007 – Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) spontaneously transdifferentiate into myofibroblast (MFB)‐phenotype on plastic dishes. This response recapitulates the features of activation in vivo. Transforming growth factor β (TGF‐β) plays a prominent role in stimulating liver fibrogenesis by MFBs.