Thomas Höhler, Esther Reuss, Christine M. Freitag, Peter M. Schneider – 25 May 2005 – The immune response to hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is mostly genetically determined. Interleukin 10 (IL‐10) is a central immunoregulatory cytokine with important effects on B‐cells. We have studied the influence of IL‐10 promoter polymorphisms on the immune response to HBsAg and hepatitis A vaccination. We vaccinated 202 twin pairs in an open prospective study with a combined recombinant HBsAg/inactivated hepatitis A vaccine.

Katsumi Yamauchi, Naoko Yamaguchi, Takaji Furukawa, Kazuko Takatsu, Toshimi Nakanishi, Kohji Ishida, Tatsuji Komatsu, Katsutoshi Tokushige, Hikaru Nagahara, Etsuko Hashimoto, Keiko Shiratori – 25 May 2005 – We have previously reported an immunoglobulin (Ig) M autoantibody to hepatocyte‐related 190‐kd molecules in patients with type 1 autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). This molecule was first isolated by hepatocyte‐specific human monoclonal antibody (MoAb).

J. Michael Henderson – 24 May 2005

Jasmohan Singh Bajaj, Ashwin Ananthakrishnan, Kia Saeian – 24 May 2005

Jeremy J. Theal, Mohssen N. Toosi, Larisa Girlan, Ronald J. Heslegrave, Pierre‐Michel Huet, Kelly W. Burak, Mark Swain, George A. Tomlinson, E. Jenny Heathcote – 24 May 2005 – Fatigue is common in primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). Altered central serotonergic neurotransmission may be involved in its pathogenesis. This multicenter, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, crossover trial evaluated the efficacy of ondansetron, a selective 5‐HT3 receptor subtype antagonist, for treating fatigue in PBC.

Andrea DiMartini, Lubna Javed, Sarah Russell, Mary Amanda Dew, Mary Grace Fitzgerald, Ashok Jain, John Fung – 24 May 2005 – Alcohol and tobacco use commonly co‐occur, with at least 90% of those with an alcohol problem also using tobacco.

J. Michael Henderson – 24 May 2005

Florence Tanné, Frédéric Gagnadoux, Olivier Chazouillères, Bernard Fleury, Dominique Wendum, Elisabeth Lasnier, Bernard Lebeau, Raoul Poupon, Lawrence Serfaty – 24 May 2005 – Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are at risk for the development of fatty liver as a result of being overweight. Several data suggest that OSA per se could be a risk factor of liver injury; ischemic hepatitis during OSA has been reported, and OSA is an independent risk factor for insulin resistance.

Elwyn Elias – 24 May 2005

Taku Aoki, Hiroshi Imamura, Junichi Kaneko, Yoshihiro Sakamoto, Yutaka Matsuyama, Norihiro Kokudo, Yasuhiko Sugawara, Masatoshi Makuuchi – 24 May 2005 – The hepatic arterial buffer response (HABR) is an intrinsic regulatory mechanism of the hepatic artery (HA) that compensates for reductions in portal venous (PV) blood flow. Whether this response is maintained in patients with cirrhosis (LC) is unclear. The aim of the present study was to examine whether HABR is maintained in patients with LC using direct blood flow measurements.