Robert D. Gibbons – 29 June 2004

Nasia Safdar, Adnan Said, Michael R. Lucey – 29 June 2004 – Selective digestive decontamination (SDD) refers to the use of antimicrobials to reduce the burden of aerobic gram‐negative bacteria and/or yeast in the intestinal tract to prevent infections caused by these organisms. Liver transplant patients are highly vulnerable to bacterial infection particularly with gram‐negative organisms within the first month after transplantation, and SDD has been proposed as a potential measure to prevent these infections. However, the benefit of this procedure remains controversial.

Andrea E. Reid, Maria Resnick, YuChiao Chang, Nathan Buerstatte, Joel S. Weissman – 29 June 2004 – Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is the best treatment for end‐stage liver disease. Limited data exist on the access of minorities to OLT. The aim of this study was to determine whether disparities exist among black and white OLT patients. Data were collected from the United Network for Organ Sharing on black and white 18–70 year‐old OLT waiting list registrants (n = 29,013) and OLT recipients (n = 15,805) between 1994 and 1998.

David A. Stell, Vivian C. McAlister, Douglas Thorburn – 29 June 2004 – The severity of preoperative liver disease influences the outcome of liver transplantation, is commonly used to determine priority on liver transplant waiting lists, and may differ between countries with different rates of liver disease and organ allocation systems. We compared the relative severity of liver disease in transplant recipients with chronic liver disease in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom and its relation to outcome.

Mark S. Roberts, Derek C. Angus, Cindy L. Bryce, Zdenek Valenta, Lisa Weissfeld – 29 June 2004 – Our goal was to describe disease‐specific survival and the clinical variables that predict survival in a large national cohort of adult liver transplant recipients. Data on 17,044 adult patients who received an initial orthotopic liver transplant between 1990 and 1996 with follow‐up through 1999 was obtained from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).

R. Todd Stravitz, Mitchell L. Shiffman, Arun J. Sanyal, Velimir A. Luketic, Richard K. Sterling, Douglas M. Heuman, April Ashworth, A. Scott Mills, Melissa Contos, Adrian H. Cotterell, Daniel Maluf, Marc P. Posner, Robert A. Fisher – 29 June 2004 – Recurrent hepatitis C after liver transplantation remains a significant cause of graft loss and retransplantation.

Hendrik K.F. van Saene, Durk F. Zandstra – 29 June 2004

Florence Wong, Lavinia Pantea, Kenneth Sniderman – 2 June 2004 – Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is a functional renal disorder complicating decompensated cirrhosis. Treatments to date, except liver transplantation, have been able to improve but not normalize renal function. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent shunt (TIPS) as a treatment for type 1 HRS in ascitic cirrhotic patients, following improvement in systemic hemodynamics with a combination of midodrine, octreotide, and albumin (medical treatment).

Keiji Hisaeda, Akihiko Inokuchi, Takanori Nakamura, Yukihide Iwamoto, Kimitoshi Kohno, Michihiko Kuwano, Takeshi Uchiumi – 27 May 2004 – The human multidrug resistance protein 2 (MRP2/ABCC2), expressed on the bile canalicular membrane, mediates the multispecific efflux of several organic anions, including conjugates of glucuronate, sulfate, and glutathione. Expression of MRP2 can be altered in response to environmental stimuli such as cholestasis and jaundice.

Jeffery L. Smith, Peter J. Lewindon, Anita C. Hoskins, Tamara N. Pereira, Kenneth D. R. Setchell, Nancy C. O'Connell, Ross W. Shepherd, Grant A. Ramm – 27 May 2004 – Focal biliary cirrhosis causes significant morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF). Although the mechanisms of pathogenesis remain unclear, bile acids have been proposed as potential mediators of liver injury. This study examined bile acid composition in CF and assessed altered bile acid profiles to determine if they are associated with incidence and progression of liver injury in CF‐associated liver disease (CFLD).