Dong‐Mei Zheng, Tsuneo Kitamura, Kenichi Ikejima, Nobuyuki Enomoto, Shunhei Yamashina, Satoko Suzuki, Yoshiyuki Takei, Nobuhiro Sato – 20 October 2006 – In alcoholic liver disease, ethanol‐induced damage to sinusoidal endothelial cells (SECs) appears to be important in the progression of liver damage. However, little is known about the mechanisms responsible for protection of SECs against ethanol‐induced injury.

Pradip Raychaudhuri, Lester F. Lau, Dennis Grayson, Jack Kaplan – 20 October 2006

Francesca Lodato, Maria Rosa Tamé, Marco Montagnani, Vittorio Sambri, Giovanna Liguori, Francesco Azzaroli, Paolo Costigliola, Gianluca Grazi, Enrico Roda, Giuseppe Mazzella – 20 October 2006 – The incidence of invasive fungal infection is increasing especially in the field of transplantation, affecting as many as 50% of bone marrow transplant (BMT) patients with neutropenia and 5‐20% of solid‐organ transplant (SOT) recipients. Fusarium species are soil saprophytes and plant pathogens.

Jason Grebely, Brian Conway, Jesse D. Raffa, Calvin Lai, Mel Krajden, Mark W. Tyndall – 20 October 2006 – Spontaneous clearance of hepatitis C (HCV) may provide protection against reinfection. In a large community‐based cohort study of 3,553 inner‐city residents (mainly injection drug users), we identified HCV‐infected individuals in whom virological clearance had occurred and compared the rate of reinfection in this group with that observed in previously uninfected members of the same cohort.

Olga Tucker, Andreas Prachalias, Pauline Kane, Mohamed Rela – 20 October 2006

Bachir Taouli, Glenn A.

Richard B. Freeman – 18 October 2006 – Key Concepts: 1Liver transplantation offers excellent results for selected candidates with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).2Selection strategies have evolved but are mainly based on size and number of tumors, which are surrogates for vascular invasion.

James R. Burton, Hugo R.

Patrick S. Kamath – 18 October 2006 – Key Concepts: 1Diagnosis of Budd‐Chiari syndrome can be made on the basis of radiological imaging alone without the need for liver biopsy.2Ultrasonography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging all show various degrees of occlusion of the hepatic veins and/or inferior vena cava. Hypertrophy of the caudate lobe may also be seen.3Computed tomographic and magnetic resonance imaging give a better idea of hepatic perfusion.

Fredric Gordon – 18 October 2006 – Key Concepts: 1Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) in the nontransplant setting is a chronic, progressive liver disease characterized by diffuse stricturing of the biliary tree, cholestatic liver enzymes, and a compatible liver biopsy.2Cholangiography reveals irregularity of the bile duct wall, strictures, beading, and diverticula.3The typical biopsy reveals inflammation and fibrosis of the interlobular and septal bile ducts, often with obliteration or biliary‐type cirrhosis.4The precise pathogenetic mechanism remains elusive but is assumed to be an autoi