Paul C. Adams, Michael J. Arthur, Thomas D. Boyer, Laurie D. DeLeve, Adrian M. Di Bisceglie, Mark Hall, Theodore R. Levin, Dawn Provenzale, Leonard Seeff – 26 April 2004 – This report summarizes an AASLD Clinical Workshop that was presented at Digestive Diseases Week 2003 on screening in liver diseases. As newer diagnostic tests become available, many liver diseases and complications of liver disease can be detected at an early asymptomatic stage. In many cases, early detection can lead to earlier treatment and an improved outcome.

26 April 2004

Alessandro Zanetti, Maria Antonietta Casiraghi – 26 April 2004

Federico Villamil, Stephen Pollard – 20 April 2004 – Adjusting cyclosporine (CsA) dose based on blood concentration at 2 hours after dose (C2) has been shown in prospective clinical trials to reduce the risk of rejection compared with conventional trough monitoring. In addition, it provides equivalent efficacy to tacrolimus in liver transplant patients, with a favorable safety profile. Target C2 should be defined on an individual basis depending on adjunctive therapy and the level of exposure required.

Guy W. Neff, Christopher B. O'Brien, Robert Cirocco, Marzia Montalbano, Maria de Medina, Phillip Ruiz, Amr S. Khaled, Pablo A. Bejarano, Kamran Safdar, Mary A. Hill, Andreas G. Tzakis, Eugene R. Schiff – 20 April 2004 – The optimal duration of therapy for pegylated interferon combined with ribavirin in recurrent Hepatitis C virus (HCV) following liver transplantation is not known.

Valeria R. Mas, Daniel G. Maluf, Richard Stravitz, Catherine I. Dumur, Bradly Clark, Cheryl Rodgers, Andrea Ferreira‐Gonzalez, Robert A. Fisher – 20 April 2004 – Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer death in the world. The present study aimed to investigate the genes involved in viral carcinogenesis and tumor progression in liver transplant recipients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HCC.

Michael D. Voigt, Bridget Zimmerman, Daniel A. Katz, Stephen C. Rayhill – 20 April 2004 – Experienced transplant professionals may predict mortality better, in highly selected cirrhotic patients referred for accelerated listing to regional review boards, than the (Pediatric) Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease score. However, these requests are often denied. We wished to establish if (1) such denials increase mortality and (2) referring physicians predict mortality better than the score.

David H. Van Thiel, Sherri Yong, S. David Li, Marc Kennedy, John Brems – 20 April 2004 – Chronic end stage liver disease is the most frequent indication for liver transplantation. Individuals with end stage cirrhosis, and therefore individuals on liver transplant lists, are at increased risk of developing a hepatic cancer.

Victor I. Machicao, Murli Krishna, Hugo Bonatti, Bashar A. Aqel, Justin H. Nguyen, Stephen D. Weigand, Barry G. Rosser, Christopher Hughes, Rolland C. Dickson – 20 April 2004 – The natural history of allograft steatosis in hepatitis C (HCV)‐infected patients after liver transplantation (LT) is poorly understood. The aim of our study was to determine the relationship of allograft steatosis to HCV recurrence after LT. All patients undergoing LT at our center from March 1998 to December 2001 were included in the study.

Giovan Giuseppe Di Costanzo, Francesco Paolo Picciotto, Giuseppina Marino Marsilia, Antonio Ascione – 20 April 2004 – Liver transplantation is one of the main therapeutic options for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurring in cirrhotic patients; an accurate diagnosis and staging of this cancer is crucial to selecting the candidates for this treatment. Although the best diagnostic strategy is debated, the guidelines proposed by the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) are used by many centers.