Taku Aoki, Hiroshi Imamura, Junichi Kaneko, Yoshihiro Sakamoto, Yutaka Matsuyama, Norihiro Kokudo, Yasuhiko Sugawara, Masatoshi Makuuchi – 24 May 2005 – The hepatic arterial buffer response (HABR) is an intrinsic regulatory mechanism of the hepatic artery (HA) that compensates for reductions in portal venous (PV) blood flow. Whether this response is maintained in patients with cirrhosis (LC) is unclear. The aim of the present study was to examine whether HABR is maintained in patients with LC using direct blood flow measurements.

Michael A. Fink, Peter W. Angus, Paul J. Gow, S. Roger Berry, Bao‐Zhong Wang, Vijayaragavan Muralidharan, Christopher Christophi, Robert M. Jones – 24 May 2005 – Minimization of death while waiting for liver transplantation involves accurate prioritization according to clinical status and appropriate allocation of donor livers. Clinical judgment in the Liver Transplant Unit Victoria (LTUV) was compared with Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease (MELD) in a retrospective analysis of the LTUV database over the 2‐year period August 1, 2002, through July 31, 2004.

Alyssa M. Krasinskas, Bijan Eghtesad, Patrick S. Kamath, Anthony J. Demetris, Susan C. Abraham – 24 May 2005 – Intrahepatic noncirrhotic portal hypertension can be idiopathic or associated with known toxic, developmental, vascular, or biliary tract diseases. Most patients are successfully managed medically or with shunting procedures. The goal of this study was to explore the reasons some patients require orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT).

David E. Kleiner, Elizabeth M. Brunt, Mark Van Natta, Cynthia Behling, Melissa J. Contos, Oscar W. Cummings, Linda D. Ferrell, Yao‐Chang Liu, Michael S. Torbenson, Aynur Unalp‐Arida, Matthew Yeh, Arthur J. McCullough, Arun J. Sanyal, Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network – 24 May 2005 – Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by hepatic steatosis in the absence of a history of significant alcohol use or other known liver disease. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is the progressive form of NAFLD.

Tohru Adachi, Hitoshi Togashi, Akihiko Suzuki, Shigenobu Kasai, Junitsu Ito, Kazuhiko Sugahara, Sumio Kawata – 24 May 2005 – The proliferation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is a critical step in hepatic fibrogenesis. Platelet‐derived growth factor (PDGF) is the most potent mitogen for HSCs. We investigated the role of nonphagocytic NAD(P)H oxidase–derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) in PDGF‐induced HSC proliferation. The human HSC line, LI‐90 cells, murine primary‐cultured HSCs, and PDGF‐BB were used in this study.

Walter C. Hellinger, Hugo Bonatti, Joseph D. Yao, Salvador Alvarez, Lisa M. Brumble, Michael R. Keating, Julio C. Mendez, David J. Kramer, Rolland C. Dickson, Denise M. Harnois, James R. Spivey, Christopher B. Hughes, Justin H. Nguyen, Jeffery L. Steers – 24 May 2005 – Antifungal prophylaxis has been proposed for liver transplant recipients at increased risk for invasive mold infection.

Christopher D. Anderson, Janene Pierce, Ian Nicoud, Andrey Belous, Clayton D. Knox, Ravi S. Chari – 24 May 2005 – Hepatic warm ischemia and reperfusion (IR) injury occurs in many clinical situations and has an important link to subsequent hepatic failure. The pathogenesis of this injury involves numerous pathways, including mitochondrial‐associated apoptosis. We studied the effect of mitochondrial calcium uptake inhibition on hepatic IR injury using the specific mitochondrial calcium uptake inhibitor, ruthenium red (RR).

Jacek B. Cywinski, Maged Argalious, Theodore N. Marks, Brian M. Parker – 24 May 2005 – A 53 year‐old man with Laennec's and hepatitis C–related cirrhosis was found to have dynamic left ventricular outflow tract obstruction during routine evaluation for orthotopic liver transplantation. The outflow tract obstruction gradient was quantified as being 155 to 189 mmHg maximally during dobutamine stress echocardiography. The patient subsequently underwent successful orthotopic liver transplantation at our institution.

Marie‐Noëlle Brunelle, Anne‐Carole Jacquard, Christian Pichoud, David Durantel, Sandra Carrouée‐Durantel, Jean‐Pierre Villeneuve, Christian Trépo, Fabien Zoulim – 24 May 2005 – Mutations within the hepatitis B virus (HBV) polymerase gene conferring drug‐resistance are selected during prolonged lamivudine (3TC) or adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) treatment. Because there is no other approved drug against HBV, treatments with 3TC or ADV are used either sequentially or in addition, depending on treatment response or failure.

Adrian Reuben – 24 May 2005