Allan Concejero, Chao‐Long Chen, Chih‐Chi Wang, Shih‐Ho Wang, Chih‐Che Lin, Yeuh‐Wei Liu, Chin‐Hsiang Yang, Chee‐Chien Yong, Tsan‐Shiun Lin, Salleh Ibrahim, Bruno Jawan, Yu‐Fan Cheng, Tung‐Liang Huang – 30 January 2006 – Hepatic venous outflow reconstruction is a key to successful living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) because its obstruction leads to graft dysfunction and eventual loss. Inclusion or reconstruction of most draining veins is ideal to ensure graft venous drainage and avoids acute congestion in the donor graft.

Thomas E. Starzl, Fadi G. Lakkis – 30 January 2006 – Liver transplantation radically changed the philosophy of hepatology practice, enriched multiple areas of basic science, and had pervasive ripple effects in law, public policy, ethics, and theology. Why organ engraftment was feasible remained enigmatic, however, until the discovery in 1992 of donor leukocyte microchimerism in long‐surviving liver, and other kinds of organ recipients.

Harvey Alter – 30 January 2006

Paul D. Berk – 30 January 2006

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