Validation of a new prognostic staging system for hepatocellular carcinoma: The JIS score compared with the CLIP score

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.

Role of hepatic fibrin in idiosyncrasy‐like liver injury from lipopolysaccharide‐ranitidine coexposure in rats

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.

In vitro hepatic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells

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.

Biliverdin therapy protects rat livers from ischemia and reperfusion injury

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.

Sidechain biology and the immunogenicity of PDC‐E2, the major autoantigen of primary biliary cirrhosis

Tin K. Mao, Paul A. Davis, Joseph A. Odin, Ross L. Coppel, M. Eric Gershwin – 24 November 2004 – The E2 component of mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC‐E2) is the immunodominant autoantigen of primary biliary cirrhosis. Whereas lipoylation of PDC‐E2 is essential for enzymatic activity and predominates under normal conditions, other biochemical systems exist that also target the lysine residue, including acylation of fatty acids or xenobiotics and ubiquitinylation.

Cellular immune responses against HCV: T cells take a diversion in the liver

Paul Klenerman, Nasser Semmo, Scott Ward – 24 November 2004 – Regulatory T (T(R)) cells consist of phenotypically and functionally distinct CD4+ and CD8+ T‐cell subsets engaged both in maintaining self‐tolerance and in preventing anti–non–self effector responses (microbial, tumor, transplant, and so on) that may be harmful to the host.

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