Robert J. Boyle, Winita Hardikar, Mimi L.K. Tang – 17 February 2005 – The acquisition of new food allergy after orthotopic liver transplantation is now a well described phenomenon, mainly reported in children. The etiology of this phenomenon is at present unclear, but has been ascribed by some to tacrolimus treatment. Here we report a case of liver transplant acquired food allergy (LTAFA) in a child who received a split liver graft. The case is remarkable for the absence of new food allergy in the adult recipient of the same graft.

Josh Levitsky, Andre Kalil, Jane L. Meza, Glenn E. Hurst, Alison Freifeld – 17 February 2005 – Prior case series have suggested that herpes zoster (HZ) after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) may lead to serious complications due to visceral involvement. We sought to determine the incidence, risk factors, and long term outcomes of HZ after OLT. Clinical data from September 1993 to April 2004 were collected on all cases of HZ after OLT, and at the same post‐OLT time points in age, gender, and transplant‐year–matched HZ‐negative controls.

Sheila Savur, Maurizio Bonacini, Natalie Bzowej, Robert Gish, Adil Wakil, Robert Osorio – 17 February 2005

Mi Sook Gwak, Kwang‐Woong Lee, Shi Yeon Kim, Jihyun Lee, Jae Won Joh, Sung Joo Kim, Hwan Hyo Lee, Jean Wan Park, Gaab Soo Kim, Suk‐Koo Lee – 17 February 2005 – During liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, HCC could theoretically be introduced into the systemic circulation when salvaged blood is used with an autotransfusion device. Several reports have shown that some types of leukocyte depletion filters (LDFs) could completely reduce the risk for reintroducing some types of tumor cells.

17 February 2005

Pratima Sharma, Jorge Rakela – 17 February 2005

Jorge A. Marrero, Hero K. Hussain, Hahn V. Nghiem, Ramsey Umar, Robert J. Fontana, Anna S. Lok – 17 February 2005 – In the United States, cirrhotic patients with known or suspected hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are prioritized for liver transplantation. Noninvasive criteria for the diagnosis of HCC rely on arterial enhancement of a mass. The aim of this study was to determine whether clinical, laboratory, and / or radiologic data can improve the prediction of HCC in cirrhotic patients with an arterially‐enhancing mass.

Andres E. Ruf, Walter K. Kremers, Lila L. Chavez, Valeria I. Descalzi, Luis G. Podesta, Federico G. Villamil – 17 February 2005 – In this study, we investigated the prognostic value of serum sodium and hyponatremia (≤130 mEq/L) in 262 cirrhotic patients consecutively listed, 19 of which died (7%), 175 survived (67%), and 68 underwent liver transplantation (26%) during 3 months of follow‐up.

17 February 2005

Raymond L. Heilman, Marek J. Mazur – 17 February 2005