Andrew D. Clouston, Elizabeth E. Powell, Meagan J. Walsh, Michelle M. Richardson, A. Jake Demetris, Julie R. Jonsson – 25 March 2005 – The mechanisms for progressive fibrosis and exacerbation by steatosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C (HCV) are still unknown. We hypothesized that proliferative blockade in HCV‐infected and steatotic hepatocytes results in the default activation of hepatic progenitor cells (HPC), capable of differentiating into both biliary and hepatocyte lineages, and that the resultant ductular reaction promotes portal fibrosis.

Hiroshi Kamitsukasa, Hideharu Harada, Hideo Tanaka, Michiyasu Yagura, Hajime Tokita, Akira Ohbayashi – 25 March 2005 – Although several cohort studies have been reported in individuals with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, little is known about liver‐related mortality among the elderly. We conducted a cohort study in 302 patients with tuberculosis sequelae who had received a blood transfusion at a young age and had subsequently been treated at a chest clinic.

Niels G. Venneman, Willem Renooij, Jens F. Rehfeld, Gerard P. vanBerge‐Henegouwen, Peter M. N. Y. H. Go, Ivo A. M. J. Broeders, Karel J. van Erpecum – 25 March 2005 – Acute pancreatitis is a severe complication of gallstones with considerable mortality. We sought to explore the potential risk factors for biliary pancreatitis.

George N. Ioannou – 24 March 2005

Esther Unitt, Simon M. Rushbrook, Aileen Marshall, Susan Davies, Paul Gibbs, Lesley S. Morris, Nicholas Coleman, Graeme J. M. Alexander – 24 March 2005 – Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a poor prognosis with limited therapeutic options. We propose that local immune responses in patients with HCC are held in check by tumor‐infiltrating CD4+CD25+ T‐regulatory lymphocytes (Treg cells), which suppress the activity and proliferation of effector CD4+ and CD8+ T cells.

Brennan M.R. Spiegel, Zobair M. Younossi, Ron D. Hays, Dennis Revicki, Sean Robbins, Fasiha Kanwal – 24 March 2005 – Hepatitis C virus (HCV) diminishes health related quality of life (HRQOL), and it is now common to measure HRQOL in clinical trials. We sought to summarize the HRQOL data in HCV, and to establish the minimally clinically important difference (MCID) in HRQOL scores in HCV. We performed a systematic review to identify relevant studies, and converted HRQOL data from each study into clinically interpretable statistics.

Edward D. Javor, Marc G. Ghany, Elaine K. Cochran, Elif Arioglu Oral, Alex M. DePaoli, Ahalya Premkumar, David E. Kleiner, Phillip Gorden – 24 March 2005 – Severe lipodystrophy is characterized by diminished adipose tissue and hypoleptinemia, leading to ectopic triglyceride accumulation. In the liver, this is associated with steatosis, potentially leading to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). We investigated the prevalence of NASH and the effect of leptin replacement in these patients.

Adrian Reuben – 24 March 2005

Abdullah M. S. Al‐Osaimi, Carl L Berg, Stephen H. Caldwell – 24 March 2005

Jeroen N. Stoop, Renate G. van der Molen, Carla C. Baan, Luc J. W. van der Laan, Ernst J. Kuipers, Johannes G. Kusters, Harry L. A. Janssen – 24 March 2005 – Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is characterized by a weak immune response to HBV. Regulatory T cells (Treg) can suppress the function of effector T cells and may thus be key players in this impaired immune response. Changes in the functionality or number of Treg could explain the decreased antiviral response in chronic HBV patients.