Kenneth Washburn, Ann Harper, Goran Klintmalm, John Goss, Glenn Halff – 23 February 2006 – The intent of regional sharing for status 1 candidates is to promote timely access to donor livers. Presumably this decreases waitlist mortality. Little published data exists that supports this policy. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network data was used to calculate region 4 and national adult waitlist death and transplant rates 4 yr prior to (period A) and after (period B) implementation of the sharing agreement in July 1999.

Nikhil B. Amesur, Albert B. Zajko – 23 February 2006 – Improvements in surgical technique, advances in the field of immunosuppresion and the early diagnosis and treatment of complications related to liver transplantation have all led to prolonged survival after liver transplantation. In particular, advances in diagnostic and interventional radiology have allowed the Interventional Radiologist, as part of the transplant team, to intervene early in patients presenting with complications related to organ transplant with resultant increase in graft and patient survival.

Yoshihide Nagasako, Meang Bong Jin, Hiroshi Miyazaki, Masato Nakayama, Tsuyoshi Shimamura, Hiroyuki Furukawa, Michiaki Matushita, Satoru Todo – 23 February 2006 – Thrombocytopenia is a frequent finding following living donor hepatectomy. It appears more pronounced in right graft donors than in left graft donors. This study analyzed postoperative thrombocytopenia in 20 living liver donors and examined the change of endogenous thrombopoietin (TPO) in its recovery.

Frederike G.I. van Vilsteren, Edwina S. Baskin‐Bey, David M. Nagorney, Schuyler O. Sanderson, Walter K. Kremers, Charles B. Rosen, Gregory J. Gores, Timothy J. Hobday – 23 February 2006 – Liver transplantation for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine cancer (GEP) is controversial. The aim of this study was to assess patient outcomes after liver transplantation for hepatic metastases from GEP. Medical records of patients who underwent liver transplantation for GEP were reviewed. Immunohistochemistry for assessing the Ki67 proliferation index was performed on explanted liver tissue.

23 February 2006

Mark Siegler, Mary C. Simmerling, Jessica H. Siegler, David C. Cronin – 23 February 2006

Todd H. Baron – 23 February 2006

Zun Chang Liu, Thomas Ming Swi Chang – 22 February 2006 – Under specific conditions, bone marrow cells can transdifferentiate into a variety of cell types including hepatocytes. In this study, bioencapsulated bone marrow cells were transplanted intraperitoneally into 90% hepatectomized rats. We then followed the transdifferentiation of the bone marrow cells and the effect of this on liver regeneration in this liver failure model. Bone marrow cells isolated from Wistar rats were bioencapsulated using alginate‐polylysine‐alginate method.

Andreas Untergasser, Uta Zedler, Anja Langenkamp, Marianna Hösel, Maria Quasdorff, Knud Esser, Hans‐Peter Dienes, Barbara Tappertzhofen, Waldemar Kolanus, Ulrike Protzer – 22 February 2006 – Dendritic cells (DC) of hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers have been reported to exhibit functional impairment. Possible explanations for this phenomenon are infection of HBV by DC or alteration of DC function by HBV.

Margaret James Koziel – 22 February 2006