Christine E. Staatz, Paul J. Taylor, Stephen V. Lynch, Susan E. Tett – 22 March 2004 – Although monitoring of tacrolimus blood concentrations is standard clinical practice following liver transplantation, a greater understanding of the relationship between trough concentrations and clinical outcome is required. The aim of this study was to perform a pharmacodynamic investigation of tacrolimus in pediatric liver transplant recipients. A retrospective analysis was performed on 35 pediatric liver recipients who received oral tacrolimus as the primary immunosuppressant.

Aya Miyagawa‐Hayashino, Tatsuaki Tsuruyama, Hironori Haga, Fimitaka Oike, Kim Il‐Deok, Hiroto Egawa, Hiroshi Hiai, Koichi Tanaka, Toshiaki Manabe – 22 March 2004 – Chronic rejection is an important cause of liver allograft failures. The allograft undergoing chronic rejection shows affected large‐ and medium‐sized muscular arteries with homing of foamy macrophages and enlargement of the intimal area.

Marc H. Dahlke, Felix C. Popp, Stephen Larsen, Hans J. Schlitt, John E.J. Rasko – 22 March 2004 – Various stem cell populations have been described in distinct models of liver regeneration. This review provides an overview of these different stem cell populations aimed at unifying diverse views of liver stem cell biology. Embryonic stem cells, hemopoietic stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, liver‐derived hepatic stem cells, bone marrow–derived hepatic stem cells, and mature hepatocytes (as cells with stemlike properties) are considered separately.

Elizabeth J. Carey, David D. Douglas, Vijayan Balan, Hugo E. Vargas, Thomas J. Byrne, Adyr A. Moss, David C. Mulligan – 22 March 2004 – Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a progressive, debilitating complication of end‐stage liver disease. In contrast to the well‐established reversal of HPS after deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT), little has been written about the natural course of HPS after the newer procedure of living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). We describe HPS in a small series of 4 liver transplant recipients (2 DDLT; 2 LDLT) at a single center.

Michael J. Guirl, Jeffrey S. Weinstein, Robert M. Goldstein, Marlon F. Levy, Goran B. Klintmalm – 22 March 2004 – Two‐stage total hepatectomy and liver transplantation has been reported for acute liver disease such as fulminant hepatic failure, primary graft failure, severe hepatic trauma, and spontaneous hepatic rupture secondary to hemolysis, elevated liver function tests, low platelets syndrome, and preeclampsia. This is the first report of patients with cirrhosis to undergo a 2‐stage total hepatectomy and liver transplantation.

Chi‐Leung Liu, See‐Ching Chan, Chung‐Mau Lo, Wai‐Kuen Tso, Sheung‐Tat Fan – 22 March 2004

James Neuberger, Bridget Gunson, Stefan Hubscher, Peter Nightingale – 22 March 2004 – Identifying the risk factors associated with recurrence of primary biliary cirrhosis after liver transplantation may affect immunosuppression and increase understanding of the pathogenesis. Four hundred eighty‐five patients with PBC were followed for a median of 79 months after transplantation; histological evidence of recurrence was found in 23%. On multivariate analysis, the only risk factor identified with recurrence was the type of calcineurin inhibitor used.

Mark D. Stegall, Jeffrey L. Platt – 22 March 2004

Juan Córdoba, Roy Lucke – 27 February 2004

Alexander Monto, Keyur Patel, Alan Bostrom, Stephen Pianko, Paul Pockros, John G. McHutchison, Teresa L. Wright – 27 February 2004 – Heavy alcohol use contributes to liver disease in the setting of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Whether this is true for light or moderate alcohol use has not been demonstrated. Light alcohol use has survival benefits at a population level and is practiced by most patients with chronic HCV infection.