Chihiro Shibata, Toru Mizuguchi, Yamato Kikkawa, Takayuki Nobuoka, Hideki Oshima, Hiroyuki Kawasaki, Masaki Kawamoto, Tadashi Katsuramaki, Toshihiro Mitaka, Koichi Hirata – 28 December 2005 – Hepatocyte transplantation (HT) is an attractive therapeutic modality for liver disease as an alternative for liver organ transplantation. Primary fresh hepatocytes (FHs) are the exclusive cell source that has been used for clinical HT. However, the use of FHs is limited due to a shortage of donor cells.

Hideya Kamei, Fumitaka Oike, Yasuhiro Fujimoto, Hidekazu Yamamoto, Koichi Tanaka, Tetsuya Kiuchi – 28 December 2005 – Graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) is an uncommon but potentially devastating complication following liver transplantation. Recently, it was shown that use of a human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‐homozygous donor leading to one‐way HLA matching significantly increases the risk of GVHD after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). However, the precise impact of HLA matching between donor and recipient on the risk of GVHD is not yet clear.

28 December 2005

Lisa M. Martin, Amy A. Dan, Zobair M. Younossi – 28 December 2005

Janneke M. Stapelbroek, Karel J. van Erpecum, Leo W. J. Klomp, Niels G. Venneman, Thijs P. Schwartz, Gerard P. van Berge Henegouwen, John Devlin, Carin M. J. van Nieuwkerk, A. S. Knisely, Roderick H. J. Houwen – 22 December 2005 – Benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis (BRIC) is characterized by episodic cholestasis and pruritus without anatomical obstruction. Effective medical treatment is not available.

Oscar Quintana‐Bustamante, Alberto Alvarez‐Barrientos, Alexander V. Kofman, Isabel Fabregat, Juan A. Bueren, Neil D. Theise, José C. Segovia – 22 December 2005 – The mechanisms for in vivo production of bone marrow–derived hepatocytes (BMDHs) remain largely unclear. We investigated whether granulocyte colony–stimulating factor (G‐CSF)–mediated mobilization of hematopoietic cells increases the phenomenon. Recurrent liver injury in mice expressing green fluorescent protein (EGFP) in all hematopoietic‐derived cells was produced by 3 months of carbon tetrachloride (CCL4) injections.

Roberto de Franchis – 22 December 2005

Andrés Klein, Ludwig Amigo, María José Retamal, María Gabriela Morales, Juan Francisco Miquel, Attilio Rigotti, Silvana Zanlungo – 22 December 2005 – The liver plays a critical role in the metabolism of lipoprotein cholesterol and in controlling its elimination through the bile. Niemann‐Pick type C 2 (NPC2), a cholesterol‐binding protein, is key for normal intracellular trafficking of lipoprotein cholesterol, allowing its exit from the endolysosomal pathway into the metabolically active pool of the cell. In addition, NPC2 is a secretory protein from astrocytes and epididymal cells.

Jörn M. Schattenberg, Rajat Singh, Yongjun Wang, Jay H. Lefkowitch, Raina M. Rigoli, Philipp E. Scherer, Mark J. Czaja – 22 December 2005 – Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by hepatic steatosis and varying degrees of necroinflammation. Although chronic oxidative stress, inflammatory cytokines, and insulin resistance have been implicated in the pathogenesis of NAFLD, the mechanisms that underlie the initiation and progression of this disease remain unknown.

Snorri S. Thorgeirsson, Joe W. Grisham – 22 December 2005 – The authors reviewed 77 published reports available before August 1, 2005 that examined the ability of hematopoietic cells to generate hepatocytes in the liver. A list of these publications and a synopsis of each are available on‐line.