William M. Lee – 30 June 2004 – Acetaminophen overdose is the leading cause for calls to Poison Control Centers (>100,000/year) and accounts for more than 56,000 emergency room visits, 2,600 hospitalizations, and an estimated 458 deaths due to acute liver failure each year. Data from the U.S. Acute Liver Failure Study Group registry of more than 700 patients with acute liver failure across the United States implicates acetaminophen poisoning in nearly 50% of all acute liver failure in this country.

Ezequiel Neimark, Frank Chen, Xiaoping Li, Benjamin L. Shneider – 30 June 2004 – Ileal expression of the apical sodium‐dependent bile acid transporter (ASBT) in the rat is unaffected by bile salts, yet in the mouse it is under negative‐feedback regulation. The bile acid responsiveness of human ASBT is unknown.

Mark J. Czaja – 30 June 2004

Björn Ahl, Karin Weissenborn, Jörg van den Hoff, Daniela Fischer‐Wasels, Herbert Köstler, Hartmut Hecker, Wolfgang Burchert – 30 June 2004 – Clinical and histopathological findings hint at regional differences in the brain's sensitivity to metabolic changes in cirrhosis. The aim of the present study was to examine regional differences in cerebral ammonia metabolism in patients with cirrhosis and grade 0‐to‐I hepatic encephalopathy (HE). 13N‐ammonia, 15O‐water positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed.

Claudio Puoti, Lia Bellis, Roberto Castellacci, Fabrizio Montagnese, Nicoletta Bergami, Patrizia Petrone De Luca – 30 June 2004

Fareed Rahman, Theo Heller, Yuji Sobao, Eishiro Mizukoshi, Michelina Nascimbeni, Harvey Alter, Steven Herrine, Jay Hoofnagle, T. Jake Liang, Barbara Rehermann – 30 June 2004 – Spontaneous recovery occurs in a minority of patients with acute hepatitis C but is associated with vigorous and long‐lasting cellular immune responses. Treatment‐induced recovery can be achieved in the majority of patients who are treated in the acute phase, but the kinetics and mechanisms of viral clearance and immune responsiveness are not known.

George D. Oreopoulos, Heshui Wu, Kati Szaszi, Jie Fan, John C. Marshall, Rachel G. Khadaroo, Ruijan He, Andras Kapus, Ori D. Rotstein – 30 June 2004 – Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) of the liver occurs in many clinical scenarios including trauma, elective surgery, and transplantation. Events initiated by this process can lead to inflammation in the liver, culminating in local injury as well as distant organ dysfunction. Recent studies have suggested that hypertonic saline exerts anti‐inflammatory effects, which may be beneficial in preventing organ injury.

Michael Trauner – 30 June 2004 – Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) is a bile acid–activated transcription factor that is a member of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily. FXR‐null mice exhibit a phenotype similar to Byler disease, an inherited cholestatic liver disorder. In the liver, activation of FXR induces transcription of transporter genes involved in promoting bile acid clearance and represses genes involved in bile acid biosynthesis.

Chun‐Jen Liu, Pei‐Jer Chen, Ding‐Shinn Chen – 30 June 2004

Leo W. J. Klomp, Julie C. Vargas, Saskia W. C. van Mil, Ludmila Pawlikowska, Sandra S. Strautnieks, Michiel J. T. van Eijk, Jenneke A. Juijn, Carlos Pabón‐Peña, Lauren B. Smith, Joseph A. DeYoung, Jane A. Byrne, Justijn Gombert, Gerda van der Brugge, Ruud Berger, Irena Jankowska, Joanna Pawlowska, Erica Villa, A. S. Knisely, Richard J. Thompson, Nelson B. Freimer, Roderick H. J. Houwen, Laura N. Bull – 30 June 2004 – Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC) and benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis (BRIC) are clinically distinct hereditary disorders.