Stéphane Chevaliez, Magali Bouvier‐Alias, Rozenn Brillet, Jean‐Michel Pawlotsky – 24 May 2007 – The quantification of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA is essential for the everyday management of chronic hepatitis C therapy. Real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques are potentially more sensitive than classical PCR techniques, are not prone to carryover contamination, and have a consistently wider dynamic range of quantification. Thus, they are rapidly replacing other technologies for the routine quantification of HCV RNA.

Tania Fiaschi, Francesca Buricchi, Giacomo Cozzi, Stephanie Matthias, Matteo Parri, Giovanni Raugei, Giampietro Ramponi, Paola Chiarugi – 24 May 2007 – Adiponectin/ACRP30 is an adipose tissue–derived hormone with antiatherogenic, antidiabetic, and insulin‐sensitizing properties. Although the metabolic effects of adiponectin on glucose and lipid metabolism are well known, the signaling pathways triggered by adiponectin receptors remain to be elucidated.

Jiansheng Huang, Jahangir Iqbal, Pradip K. Saha, Jun Liu, Lawrence Chan, M. Mahmood Hussain, David D. Moore, Li Wang – 24 May 2007 – The orphan receptor Small Heterodimer Partner (SHP, NROB2) regulates metabolic pathways, including hepatic bile acid, lipid, and glucose homeostasis. We reported that SHP‐deletion in leptin‐deficient OB−/− mice increases insulin sensitivity, and prevents the development of fatty liver.

Shin‐ya Morita, Aya Kobayashi, Yasukazu Takanezawa, Noriyuki Kioka, Tetsurou Handa, Hiroyuki Arai, Michinori Matsuo, Kazumitsu Ueda – 23 May 2007 – Human ABCB4 (multidrug resistance [MDR]3 P‐glycoprotein) is expressed in the canalicular membrane of the hepatocyte. ABCB4 has been shown to be required for phosphatidylcholine (PC) secretion into the bile and to translocate PC across the plasma membrane. To further investigate the function of ABCB4, we established a cell line stably expressing ABCB4 (human embryonic kidney [HEK]/ABCB4).

Wing‐Kin Syn, Peter Nightingale, Bridget Gunson, Stefan G. Hubscher, James M. Neuberger – 22 May 2007 – Unexplained chronic hepatitis (CH) in the adult liver allograft recipient is not uncommon, but its natural history and clinical significance is unknown. A retrospective study was undertaken of adult liver allograft recipients to determine the frequency and natural history of unexplained CH.

Veronica Bordoni, Tonino Alonzi, Lucia Zanetta, Daniele Khouri, Annarita Conti, Marco Corazzari, Francesco Bertolini, Pierluigi Antoniotti, Giuseppe Pisani, Francesca Tognoli, Elisabetta Dejana, Marco Tripodi – 26 April 2007 – Liver neo‐angiogenesis plays a fundamental role in physiological and pathological processes such as regeneration, cirrhosis, autoimmune hepatitis, and alcoholic liver disease. How liver parenchymal cells influence angiogenesis is largely unknown. We studied the influence of soluble factors released by hepatocytes on hematopoietic and endothelial cell differentiation.

Jun Cai, Yang Zhao, Yanxia Liu, Fei Ye, Zhihua Song, Han Qin, Sha Meng, Yuezhou Chen, Rudan Zhou, Xijun Song, Yushan Guo, Mingxiao Ding, Hongkui Deng – 26 April 2007 – The differentiation capacity of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) holds great promise for therapeutic applications. We report a novel three‐stage method to efficiently direct the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells into hepatic cells in serum‐free medium. Human ESCs were first differentiated into definitive endoderm cells by 3 days of Activin A treatment.

Shaikh Mizanoor Rahman, Jill M. Schroeder‐Gloeckler, Rachel C. Janssen, Hua Jiang, Ishtiaq Qadri, Kenneth N. Maclean, Jacob E. Friedman – 26 April 2007 – Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is characterized by steatosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress. To investigate whether the transcription factor CCAAT/Enhancer binding protein (C/EBPβ) is involved in the development of NASH, C57BL/6J wild‐type (WT) or C/EBPβ knockout (C/EBPβ−/−) mice were fed either a methionine and choline deficient (MCD) diet or standard chow.

Michael D. Thompson, Satdarshan P. S. Monga – 26 April 2007 – Wnt/β‐catenin signaling is emerging as a forerunner for its critical roles in many facets of human biology. Its roles in embryogenesis, organogenesis, and maintaining tissue and organ homeostasis demonstrate its munificent character. Its roles in pathological conditions such as cancer and other human disorders such as inflammatory disorders and fibrosis reveal its villainous disposition.

Robert J. Fontana, Linas A. Bieliauskas, Karen L. Lindsay, Carla Back‐Madruga, Elizabeth C. Wright, Kristin K. Snow, Anna S.F. Lok, Ziad Kronfol, Latha Padmanabhan – 26 April 2007 – Treatment of chronic hepatitis C with pegylated interferon (peginterferon) and ribavirin can cause or exacerbate depression but its effects on cognitive function are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether treatment with peginterferon and ribavirin adversely impacts cognitive function in patients with chronic hepatitis C.