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.

Amany Zekry, Keyur Patel, Andrew Muir, John G. McHutchison – 24 November 2004

Simon Wain‐Hobson, Jean‐Pierre Vartanian – 24 November 2004

Margarita Sala, Josep M. Llovet, Ramon Vilana, Lluís Bianchi, Manel Solé, Carmen Ayuso, Concepció Brú, Jordi Bruix, for the Barcelona Cly'nic Liver Cancer (BCLC) Group – 24 November 2004 – Outcome predictors in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who are treated with percutaneous ablation are ill defined, and it is unknown if successful therapy is associated with improved survival. In our study, 282 cirrhotic patients with early nonsurgical HCC were treated with percutaneous ablation during a 15‐year period.

Olav Dalgard, Kristian Bjøro, Kjell Block Hellum, Bjørn Myrvang, Ståle Ritland, Kjell Skaug, Nils Raknerud, Helge Bell – 24 November 2004 – The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of 14 weeks of treatment in patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2 or 3 who achieve early virological response (EVR). In a noncontrolled multicenter trial, 122 treatment‐naive patients received 1.5 μg/kg pegylated interferon alfa‐2b subcutaneously once weekly and 800 to 1,400 mg/d ribavirin based on body weight.

Emilio Siendones, Dalia Fouad, María José M. Díaz‐Guerra, Manuel de la Mata, Lisardo Boscá, Jordi Muntané – 24 November 2004 – Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) reduces cell death in experimental and clinical liver dysfunction. We have previously shown that PGE1 preadministration protects against NO‐dependent cell death induced by D‐galactosamine (D‐GalN) through a rapid increase of nuclear factor κB (NF‐κB) activity, inducible NO synthase (NOS‐2) expression, and NO production.

Mónica Guevara, Gloria Fernández‐Esparrach, Pere Ginès – 24 November 2004

Paul J. Pockros, Mitchell L. Shiffman, Eugene R. Schiff, Mark S. Sulkowski, Zobair Younossi, Douglas T. Dieterich, Teresa L. Wright, Samir H. Mody, K. Linda Tang, Betty L. Goon, Peter J. Bowers, Gerhard Leitz, Nezam H. Afdhal, PROACTIVE Study Group – 24 November 2004 – Anemia and decreased health‐related quality of life (HRQL) are common in patients receiving combination therapy of interferon alfa (IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

Ole B. Suhr, Gösta Holmgren, Erik Lundgren – 19 November 2004 – Familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy is the common form of hereditary generalized amyloidosis and is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid fibrils in the peripheral nerves and other organs. Liver transplantation (LTx) has been utilized as a therapy for familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy because the variant transthyretin (TTR) is predominantly synthesized by the liver, but this therapy has several problems. Thus, we need to develop a new treatment that prevents the production of the variant TTR in the liver.

Zakiyah Kadry, Davide Cintorino, Carlo Scotti Foglieni, John Fung – 19 November 2004