Min‐De Zeng, Lun‐Gen Lu, Yi‐Min Mao, De‐Kai Qiu, Ji‐Qiang Li, Mo‐Bin Wan, Cheng‐Wei Chen, Ji‐Yao Wang, Xiong Cai, Chun‐Fang Gao, Xia‐Qiu Zhou – 29 November 2005 – A model was constructed consisting of clinical and serum variables to discriminate between hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)‐positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with and without significant fibrosis (stages 2‐4 vs. stages 0‐1). Consecutive treatment‐naive CHB patients who underwent liver biopsy were divided into 2 sequential groups: a training group (n = 200) and a validation group (n = 172).

Charles M. Rice, Shihyun You – 29 November 2005 – Viruses depend on host‐derived factors for their efficient genome replication. Here, we demonstrate that a cellular peptidyl‐prolyl cis‐trans isomerase (PPIase), cyclophilin B (CyPB), is critical for the efficient replication of the hepatitis C virus genome. CyPB interacted with the HCV RNA polymerase NS5B to directly stimulate its RNA binding activity. Both the RNA interference (RNAi)‐mediated reduction of endogenous CyPB expression and the induced loss of NS5B binding to CyPB decreased the levels of HCV replication.

29 November 2005

Wim Laleman, Anita Omasta, Marc Van de Casteele, Marcel Zeegers, Ingrid Vander Elst, Lien Van Landeghem, Tamara Severi, Jos van Pelt, Tania Roskams, Johan Fevery, Frederik Nevens – 29 November 2005 – Reduced intrahepatic endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activity contributes to the pathogenesis of portal hypertension (PHT) associated with cirrhosis. We evaluated whether asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), a putative endogenous NOS inhibitor, may be involved in PHT associated with cirrhosis.

Samir Zakhari, Jay H. Hoofnagle – 29 November 2005

Thomas Berg – 29 November 2005

Elwyn Elias – 29 November 2005

29 November 2005

Maura Dandri, Jorg Petersen – 29 November 2005 – Chronic hepadnavirus infections cause liver damage with ongoing death and regeneration of hepatocytes. In the present study, we set out to quantify the extent of liver turnover by measuring the clonal proliferation of hepatocytes by using integrated viral DNA as a genetic marker for individual hepatocyte lineages. Liver tissue from woodchucks with chronic woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) infection was assayed for randomly integrated viral DNA by using inverse PCR.

Jan Martin Berke, Darius Moradpour – 29 November 2005