Kenichi Harada, Kumiko Isse, Takashi Kamihira, Shinji Shimoda, Yasuni Nakanuma – 23 May 2005 – Peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ (PPARγ) is known to inhibit the production of proinflammatory cytokines. In Th1‐predominant diseases, PPARγ ligands can ameliorate clinical severity by downregulating the expression of proinflammatory cytokines. Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is characterized by chronic destructive cholangitis with a Th1‐predominant cytokine milieu. Unusual immune responses to infectious agents are suspected to underlie its etiopathogenesis.

Shinichi Saito, Junichi Yamanaka, Koui Miura, Norio Nakao, Tomohiro Nagao, Takaaki Sugimoto, Tadamichi Hirano, Nobukazu Kuroda, Yuji Iimuro, Jiro Fujimoto – 23 May 2005 – Hepatectomy is a complicated operative procedure because of its anatomical complexity, vascular variability, and impaired hepatic function due to associated hepatitis or cirrhosis. Thus preoperative detailed topography and precise liver resection volume measurements should be obtained for a curative hepatectomy.

Ulf Gustafsson, Lisbet Benthin, Lars Granström, Albert K. Groen, Staffan Sahlin, Curt Einarsson – 23 May 2005 – The aim of the present study was to elucidate the mechanisms of development of cholesterol crystals and gallstones during weight reduction in obese subjects. Twenty‐five morbidly obese, gallstone‐free subjects underwent vertical‐banded gastroplasty. Gallbladder bile was collected at the time of the operation via needle aspiration and 1.1–7.3 months after the operation via ultrasound‐guided transhepatic puncture of the gallbladder. The mean weight loss was 17 kg.

Karen F. Murray, Robert L. Carithers – 23 May 2005

David V. Morrissey, Karin Blanchard, Lucinda Shaw, Kristi Jensen, Jennifer A. Lockridge, Brent Dickinson, James A. McSwiggen, Chandra Vargeese, Keith Bowman, Chris S. Shaffer, Barry A. Polisky, Shawn Zinnen – 23 May 2005 – To develop synthetic short interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules as therapeutic agents for systemic administration in vivo, chemical modifications were introduced into siRNAs targeted to conserved sites in hepatitis B virus (HBV) RNA. These modifications conferred significantly prolonged stability in human serum compared with unmodified siRNAs.

Marco Tabone, Luca Vigano, Cristiana Laudi, Alessandro Ferrero, Riccardo Pellerito, Lorenzo Capussotti – 23 May 2005

William F. Balistreri, Jorge A. Bezerra, Peter Jansen, Saul J. Karpen, Benjamin L. Shneider, Frederick J. Suchy – 16 May 2005

Giorgio Bedogni, Lucia Miglioli, Flora Masutti, Claudio Tiribelli, Giulio Marchesini, Stefano Bellentani – 13 May 2005 – The prevalence of and the risk factors for fatty liver have not undergone a formal evaluation in a representative sample of the general population. We therefore performed a cross‐sectional study in the town of Campogalliano (Modena, Italy), within the context of the Dionysos Project. Of 5,780 eligible persons aged 18 to 75 years, 3,345 (58%) agreed to participate in the study.

Dirk Nierhoff, Atsushi Ogawa, Michael Oertel, Yuan‐Qing Chen, David A. Shafritz – 13 May 2005 – Epithelial cells in embryonic day (ED) 12.5 murine fetal liver were separated from hematopoietic cell populations using fluorescence‐activated cell sorting (FACS) and were characterized by immunocytochemistry using a broad set of antibodies specific for epithelial cells (α‐fetoprotein [AFP], albumin [ALB], pancytokeratin [PanCK], Liv2, E‐cadherin, Dlk), hematopoietic/endothelial cells (Ter119, CD45, CD31), and stem/progenitor cells (c‐Kit, CD34, Sca‐1).

Mical S. Campbell, George A. Makar – 12 May 2005