Masahide Fukudo, Ikuko Yano, Satohiro Masuda, Toshiya Katsura, Yasuhiro Ogura, Fumitaka Oike, Yasutsugu Takada, Koichi Tanaka, Ken‐ichi Inui – 30 January 2006 – We have compared the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of cyclosporine between once‐ and twice‐daily dosing regimens in de novo patients of living‐donor liver transplantation (LDLT). A total of 14 patients were enrolled in this study, who had received cyclosporine microemulsion (Neoral) twice a day (BID, n = 5) or once daily in the morning (QD, n = 9) after transplantation.

Gianni Biancofiore, Laura Pucci, Elisabetta Cerutti, Giuseppe Penno, Ennia Pardini, Massimo Esposito, Lucia Bindi, Erika Pelati, Anna Romanelli, Stefano Triscornia, Maria P.

Hyung Joon Yim, Anna Suk‐Fong Lok – 30 January 2006 – Remarkable progress has been made in our understanding of the natural history of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in the past 25 years. Availability of sensitive HBV DNA assays and application of sophisticated immunological techniques led to the recognition that HBV replication persists throughout the course of chronic HBV infection, and host immune response plays a pivotal role in HBV‐related liver disease.

Robert P. Perrillo – 30 January 2006 – The practicing clinician is currently faced with a number of treatment options for chronic hepatitis B. Beginning in 1998 with the licensing of lamivudine and subsequently adefovir, the treatment paradigm shifted from 4 to 6 months of conventional alfa interferon to a year of nucleoside analog therapy. However, prolonged treatment with nucleoside analogs is often needed to optimize virological response.

Richard S. Mangus, A. Joseph Tector, Avinash Agarwal, Rodrigo Vianna, Phillip Murdock, Jonathan A. Fridell – 30 January 2006 – Histidine‐tryptophan‐ketoglutarate solution (HTK) and University of Wisconsin solution (UW) have been shown to have similar outcomes in cadaveric kidney, pancreas, and liver transplantation. Our institution changed from UW to HTK as the primary preservation solution for liver, kidney and pancreas transplantation. This study compares the perioperative and first year outcomes of liver transplantation using UW or HTK. Primary use of HTK began on May 1, 2003.

Nicolas Jabbour, Singh Gagandeep, Yuri Genyk, Rick Selby, Rodrigo Mateo – 30 January 2006

Matthias Günther, Ruth Neuhaus, Tanja Bauer, Wolfgang Jilg, Jan Arne Holtz, Ulrich Bienzle – 30 January 2006 – Patients after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) due to hepatitis B virus (HBV)‐related disease are at risk of endogenous hepatitis B reinfection and may receive life long prophylaxis with hepatitis B hyperimmunoglobulin (HBIG). In a previous study 16 of 20 OLT patients were immunized successfully with an adjuvant hepatitis B vaccine.

Nada Rayes, Daniel Seehofer, Peter Neuhaus – 30 January 2006

Marina Laurens, Gitana Scozzari, Damiano Patrono, Marie‐Christine St‐Paul, Jean Gugenheim, Pierre‐Michel Huet, Dominique Crenesse – 30 January 2006 – Ischemia‐reperfusion (I‐R) injury is poorly tolerated by fatty livers, most probably secondary to reduced cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels. We investigated the effectiveness of tacrolimus pretreatment on fatty liver I‐R injury in obese Zucker rats. Tacrolimus (0.3 mg/kg, intravenously) was injected 24 hours before a 75‐minute ischemic period and rats were sacrificed 6 hours later.

François Durand, Jacques Belghiti, Roberto Troisi, Olivier Boillot, Adrian Gadano, Claire Francoz, Bernard de Hemptinne, Alain Mallet, Dominique Valla, Jean Louis Golmard – 30 January 2006 – Living donors represent a recognized alternative for facilitating the access to transplantation in a period of organ shortage. However, which candidates should be preferentially considered for living‐donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is debated. The aim of this study was to create statistical models to determine which strategies of selection for LDLT provide the most efficient contribution.