Michael P. Manns, Arndt Vogel – 30 January 2006 – In 1950, Waldenström was the first to describe a chronic form of hepatitis in young women. Subsequently, the disease was found to be associated with other autoimmune syndromes and was later termed “lupoid hepatitis” because of the presence of antinuclear antibodies. In 1965, it became designated by Mackay et al. as “autoimmune hepatitis” at an international meeting, at which the general concept of autoimmunity was endorsed by the scientific community.

Jean‐Michel Pawlotsky – 30 January 2006 – The complications of chronic hepatitis C virus infection can be prevented by antiviral therapy. The initial choice of interferon alfa and, subsequently, ribavirin as potential treatments for chronic hepatitis C was empirical. Nevertheless, the combination of pegylated interferon alfa and ribavirin has become the standard treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Since the advent of interferon‐based therapy, enormous progress has been made in understanding the mechanisms of treatment efficacy and failure, and in everyday patient management.

Adrian Reuben – 30 January 2006

David L. Thomas – 30 January 2006 – Liver disease is a growing problem in HIV‐infected persons. In those who are able to take antiretroviral therapy, the forms of liver disease have changed and their relative importance has increased. This review focuses on liver disease in HIV‐infected persons, caused by hepatitis C virus, hepatitis B virus, or treatment of HIV infection. (Hepatology 2006;43:S221–S229.)

Michael Charlton – 30 January 2006

30 January 2006

Neil Kaplowitz – 30 January 2006

Nelson Fausto, Jean S. Campbell, Kimberly J. Riehle – 30 January 2006 – During liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy, normally quiescent hepatocytes undergo one or two rounds of replication to restore the liver mass by a process of compensatory hyperplasia. A large number of genes are involved in liver regeneration, but the essential circuitry required for the process may be categorized into three networks: cytokine, growth factor and metabolic. There is much redundancy within each network, and intricate interactions exist between them.

Yasuko Iwakiri, Roberto J. Groszmann – 30 January 2006 – The hyperdynamic circulatory syndrome observed in chronic liver diseases is a great example of research that originated from clinical observations and progressed in the last 50 years from the patient to the experimental laboratory. Our knowledge has evolved from the patient to the molecule, using experimental models that serve as a source for understanding the complex pathophysiological mechanisms that govern this complex syndrome.

Dr. Andres T. Blei – 30 January 2006