Yves Horsmans, Thomas Berg, Jean‐Pierre Desager, Tobias Mueller, Eckart Schott, Simon P. Fletcher, Kevin R. Steffy, Lisa A. Bauman, Bradley M. Kerr, Devron R. Averett – 22 August 2005 – Immune‐based therapy is the mainstay treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection but causes multiple side effects and achieves durable viral clearance in only approximately 50% of patients. Most new investigational anti‐HCV compounds are direct‐acting antivirals for which durability of response and risk of viral mutations and resistance are not yet known.

Elwyn Elias – 22 August 2005

Javier Fernández, Joan Monteagudo, Xavier Bargallo, Wladimiro Jiménez, Jaume Bosch, Vicente Arroyo, Miguel Navasa – 17 August 2005 – The administration of albumin improves circulatory function, prevents hepatorenal syndrome, and reduces hospital mortality in patients with cirrhosis and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. This randomized unblinded pilot study compared the effect of albumin (10 patients) and the synthetic plasma expander hydroxyethyl starch 200/0.5 (10 patients) on the systemic hemodynamics of patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis.

Min You, Robert V. Considine, Teresa C. Leone, Daniel P. Kelly, David W. Crabb – 17 August 2005 – The protective effect of dietary saturated fatty acids against the development of alcoholic liver disease has long been known, but the underlying mechanism is not completely understood. We examined the involvement of the adipocyte hormone adiponectin. Circulating adiponectin levels were significantly elevated by chronic ethanol administration to mice consuming a diet high in saturated fat.

Yukiyasu Kuzumoto, Masayuki Sho, Naoya Ikeda, Kaoru Hamada, Takashi Mizuno, Satoru Akashi, Yoshikazu Tsurui, Hisanori Kashizuka, Takeo Nomi, Atsushi Kubo, Hiromichi Kanehiro, Yoshiyuki Nakajima – 17 August 2005 – Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) mediates a variety of innate and adaptive immunity through four distinct receptors: EP1‐EP4. It has been suggested that each EP plays a unique and pivotal role in various disease conditions. We investigated the pathophysiological role of EP receptors in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury.

Renato Costi, Vincenzo Violi, Luigi Roncoroni, Leopoldo Sarli – 17 August 2005

Zsolt Sarang, Péter Molnár, Tamás Németh, Szabolcs Gomba, Tamás Kardon, Gerry Melino, Susanna Cotecchia, László Fésüs, Zsuzsa Szondy – 17 August 2005 – Tissue transglutaminase (TG2) is a protein cross‐linking enzyme known to be expressed by hepatocytes and to be induced during the in vivo hepatic apoptosis program. TG2 is also a G protein that mediates intracellular signaling by the alpha‐1b‐adrenergic receptor (AR) in liver cells.

Stefano Fiorucci, Elisabetta Antonelli, Andrea Mencarelli, Stefano Orlandi, Barbara Renga, Giovanni Rizzo, Eleonora Distrutti, Vijay Shah, Antonio Morelli – 17 August 2005 – The regulation of sinusoidal resistance is dependent on the contraction of hepatic stellate cells (HSC) around sinusoidal endothelial cell (SEC) through paracrine cross‐talk of vasoconstrictor and vasodilator agents. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a recently discovered gas neurotransmitter, is a putative vasodilator whose role in hepatic vascular regulation and portal hypertension is unexplored.

Mical S. Campbell, Colleen M. Brensinger, Arun J. Sanyal, Chris Gennings, Florence Wong, Kris V. Kowdley, Timothy McCashland, K. Rajender Reddy – 17 August 2005 – Uncontrolled studies suggest that transjugular intrahepatic portal‐systemic shunting (TIPS) may improve quality of life in patients with refractory ascites. We hypothesized that any improvement of quality of life in patients with TIPS would be matched in controls due to the competing effects of improved ascites and worsened hepatic encephalopathy.

Karla J. Helbig, Daryl T.‐Y. Lau, Ljiljana Semendric, Hugh A. J. Harley, Michael R. Beard – 17 August 2005 – Interferon (IFN) α inhibits hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication both clinically and in vitro; however, the complete spectrum of interferon‐stimulated genes (ISGs) expressed in the HCV‐infected liver or the genes responsible for control of HCV replication have not been defined. To better define ISG expression in the chronically infected HCV liver, DNA microarray analysis was performed on 9 individuals with chronic hepatitis C (CHC).