Nicolas Chignard, Martine Mergey, Véronique Barbu, Laetitia Finzi, Emmanuel Tiret, Annick Paul, Chantal Housset – 21 July 2005 – Vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor‐1 (VPAC1) is the high‐affinity receptor of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), a major regulator of bile secretion. To better define the level at which VPAC1 stimulates bile secretion, we examined its expression in the different cell types participating in bile formation (i.e., hepatocytes, bile duct, and gallbladder epithelial cells).

Sachin S. Kunde, Audrey J. Lazenby, Ronald H. Clements, Gary A. Abrams – 21 July 2005 – The upper limit of normal for ALT activity has been recommended to be lowered to ≤30 U/L in men and ≤19 U/L in women. These changes have been suggested to be diagnostically useful in subjects with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Our aim was to investigate the prevalence and spectrum of NAFLD with regard to the new ALT guidelines in 233 women with class II/III obesity. We compared our prior reference range for ALT (ULN ≤ 30 U/L in women) with the new standard.

Gabriel Marceau, Pascal Lapierre, Kathie Béland, Hugo Soudeyns, Fernando Alvarez – 21 July 2005 – Anti‐liver‐kidney microsome type 1 (LKM1) autoantibodies directed against the cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) are considered specific markers of type 2 autoimmune hepatitis, but are also found in 5% of sera from patients chronically infected by hepatitis C virus (HCV). Molecular mimicry between HCV proteins and CYP2D6 has been proposed to explain the emergence of these autoantibodies.

Alessandro Franchello, Valeria Ghisetti, Alfredo Marzano, Renato Romagnoli, Mauro Salizzoni – 20 July 2005 – The scarcity of liver donors requires consideration of grafts from sources not previously used. Allografts from hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)‐carriers without a significant liver disease have been proposed for liver transplant recipients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)‐related cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Xupeng Ge, Mehmet Uzunel, Bo‐Göran Ericzon, Suchitra Sumitran‐Holgersson – 20 July 2005 – Studies to determine the role of preformed antibodies to biliary epithelial cells (BECs) in liver transplant rejections have been initiated. However, the clinical importance of these antibodies in the posttransplantation period still remains to be elucidated. Reactivity to BECs isolated from a normal healthy liver was investigated in sera of 56 patients before and after liver transplantation (LTX) using flow cytometry.

Hendrik Koller, Alexander Rosenkranz – 20 July 2005

Andrés E. Ruf, Federico G. Villamil – 20 July 2005

Bijan Eghtesad, Zakiyah Kadry, John Fung – 20 July 2005

Gianni Biancofiore, Maria L. Bindi, Anna Maria Romanelli, Lucio Urbani, Franco Mosca, Franco Filipponi – 20 July 2005 – The aim of this study was to compare a number of potentially stress‐generating factors related to an intensive care unit (ICU) stay from the points of view of patients undergoing liver transplantation or elective major abdominal surgery and their caregivers in order to identify differences and similarities that may help to optimize patient care.

Wojciech G. Polak, Shungo Miyamoto, Balazs A. Nemes, Paul M.J.G. Peeters, Koert P. de Jong, Robert J. Porte, Maarten J.H. Slooff – 20 July 2005 – The aim of the study was to assess whether there is a difference in outcome after sequential or simultaneous revascularization during orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in terms of patient and graft survival, mortality, morbidity, and liver function. The study population consisted of 102 adult patients with primary full‐size piggyback OLT transplanted between January 1998 and December 2001.