Constantino Fondevila, Xiu‐Da Shen, Seiichiro Tsuchiyashi, Kenichiro Yamashita, Eva Csizmadia, Charles Lassman, Ronald W. Busuttil, Jerzy W. Kupiec‐Weglinski, Fritz H. Bach – 24 November 2004 – Heme oxygenase (HO‐1) provides a cellular defense mechanism during oxidative stress and catalyzes the rate‐limiting step in heme metabolism that produces biliverdin (BV). The role of BV and its potential use in preventing ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) had never been studied.

Kuan‐Der Lee, Tom Kwang‐Chun Kuo, Jacqueline Whang‐Peng, Yu‐Fen Chung, Ching‐Tai Lin, Shiu‐Huey Chou, Jim‐Ray Chen, Yi‐Peng Chen, Oscar Kuang‐Sheng Lee – 24 November 2004 – This study examined whether mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which are stem cells originated from embryonic mesoderm, are able to differentiate into functional hepatocyte‐like cells in vitro. MSCs were isolated from human bone marrow and umbilical cord blood, and the surface phenotype and the mesodermal multilineage differentiation potentials of these cells were characterized and tested.

Geoffrey C. Farrell – 24 November 2004

James P. Luyendyk, Jane F. Maddox, Christopher D. Green, Patricia E. Ganey, Robert A. Roth – 24 November 2004 – Coadministration of nonhepatotoxic doses of the histamine 2‐receptor antagonist ranitidine (RAN) and bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) results in hepatocellular injury in rats, the onset of which occurs in 3 to 6 hours. This reaction resembles RAN idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity in humans. Early fibrin deposition occurs in livers of rats cotreated with LPS/RAN. Accordingly, we tested the hypothesis that the hemostatic system contributes to liver injury in LPS/RAN‐treated rats.

Masatoshi Kudo, Hobyung Chung, Seiji Haji, Yukio Osaki, Hiroko Oka, Toshihito Seki, Hiroshi Kasugai, Yo Sasaki, Takashi Matsunaga – 24 November 2004 – The Japan Integrated Staging score (JIS score), which combines the Child‐Turcotte‐Pugh classification and tumor‐node‐metastasis staging, has been proposed as a better prognostic staging system for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) than the Cancer of the Liver Italian Program (CLIP) scoring system. In this study, validation was performed among a larger patient population.

Adrian Reuben – 24 November 2004

Hélène Gilgenkrantz – 24 November 2004

Teh‐Ia Huo, Jaw‐Ching Wu, Shou‐Dong Lee – 24 November 2004

Michaël Schwarzinger, Sahar Dewedar, Claire Rekacewicz, Khaled Mahmoud Abd Elaziz, Arnaud Fontanet, Fabrice Carrat, Mostafa Kamal Mohamed – 24 November 2004 – Previous Western studies showed a consistent and marked reduction in health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). However, these studies were conducted on patients whose knowledge of their serological status may have affected their HRQOL.

Morris Sherman, Andrew Klein – 24 November 2004