Metronidazole and ursodeoxycholic acid for primary sclerosing cholangitis: A randomized placebo‐controlled trial

Martti Färkkilä, Anna‐Liisa Karvonen, Heimo Nurmi, Hannu Nuutinen, Matti Taavitsainen, Pekka Pikkarainen, Päivi Kärkkäinen – 24 November 2004 – No effective medical therapy is currently available for primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) improves liver enzymes, but its effect on liver histology is controversial. Metronidazole (MTZ) prevents PSC‐like liver damage in animal models and reduces intestinal permeability.

Progression of liver fibrosis in women infected with hepatitis C: Long‐term benefit of estrogen exposure

Vincent Di Martino, Pascal Lebray, Robert P. Myers, Emmanuelle Pannier, Valérie Paradis, Frédéric Charlotte, Joseph Moussalli, Dominique Thabut, Catherine Buffet, Thierry Poynard – 24 November 2004 – Female sex is a protective factor for the progression of fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Experimental data suggest that estrogens may have an antifibrotic effect.

Transplantation of bone marrow cells reduces CCl4‐induced liver fibrosis in mice

Isao Sakaida, Shuji Terai, Naoki Yamamoto, Koji Aoyama, Tsuyoshi Ishikawa, Hiroshi Nishina, Kiwamu Okita – 24 November 2004 – We investigated the effect of bone marrow cell (BMC) transplantation on established liver fibrosis. BMCs of green fluorescent protein (GFP) mice were transplanted into 4‐week carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)–treated C57BL6 mice through the tail vein, and the mice were treated for 4 more weeks with CCl4 (total, 8 weeks).

Prevalence of hepatic steatosis in an urban population in the United States: Impact of ethnicity

Jeffrey D. Browning, Lidia S. Szczepaniak, Robert Dobbins, Pamela Nuremberg, Jay D. Horton, Jonathan C. Cohen, Scott M. Grundy, Helen H. Hobbs – 24 November 2004 – Despite the increasing prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), its pathogenesis and clinical significance remain poorly defined. In this study, we examined and compared the distribution of hepatic triglyceride content (HTGC) in 2,287 subjects from a multiethnic, population‐based sample (32.1% white, 48.3% black, and 17.5% Hispanic) using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Low‐grade steatosis and major changes in portal flow as new prognostic factors in steroid‐treated alcoholic hepatitis

Christophe Duvoux, Catherine Radier, Françoise Roudot‐Thoraval, François Maille, Marie‐Christine Anglade, Jeanne Tran Van Nhieu, Isabelle Rosa, Sylvie Hospitel, Issam Abd‐Alsamad, Véronique Sitruk, Olivier Seror, Marianne Ziol, Hughes Blondon, Daniel Dhumeaux, Jean‐Philippe Richardet – 24 November 2004 – The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and prognostic value of major alterations of portal flow in patients with steroid‐treated alcoholic hepatitis. Fifty patients with severe, histologically proven alcoholic hepatitis were enrolled.

Inhibition of T‐cell responses by hepatic stellate cells via B7‐H1–mediated T‐cell apoptosis in mice

Ming‐Chin Yu, Cheng‐Hsu Chen, Xiaoyan Liang, Lianfu Wang, Chandrashekhar R. Gandhi, John J. Fung, Lina Lu, Shiguang Qian – 24 November 2004 – In the injured liver, hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) secrete many different cytokines, recruit lymphocytes, and thus participate actively in the pathogenesis of liver disease. Little is known of the role of HSCs in immune responses. In this study, HSCs isolated from C57BL/10 (H2b) mice were found to express scant key surface molecules in the quiescent stage.

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