Nicolas Chignard, Martine Mergey, Véronique Barbu, Laetitia Finzi, Emmanuel Tiret, Annick Paul, Chantal Housset – 21 July 2005 – Vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor‐1 (VPAC1) is the high‐affinity receptor of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), a major regulator of bile secretion. To better define the level at which VPAC1 stimulates bile secretion, we examined its expression in the different cell types participating in bile formation (i.e., hepatocytes, bile duct, and gallbladder epithelial cells).

Tom M. Ganten, Ronald Koschny, Tobias L. Haas, Jaromir Sykora, Min Li‐Weber, Kerstin Herzer, Henning Walczak – 21 July 2005 – TRAIL exhibits potent anti‐tumor activity on systemic administration in mice. Because of its proven in vivo efficacy, TRAIL may serve as a novel anti‐neoplastic drug. However, approximately half of the tumor cell lines tested so far are TRAIL resistant, and potential toxic side effects of certain recombinant forms of TRAIL on human hepatocytes have been described.

Robert J. Porte, Stephen H. Caldwell – 20 July 2005

Carlo Selmi, Massimo Zuin, M. Eric Gershwin – 20 July 2005

Raymond M. Planinsic, Jan van der Meer, Giuliano Testa, Luis Grande, Angel Candela, Robert J. Porte, R. Mark Ghobrial, Helena Isoniemi, Peter Billeskov Schelde, Elisabeth Erhardtsen, Goran Klintmalm, Sukru Emre – 20 July 2005 – Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) can be associated with excessive blood loss. As a result, there may be increased risk of adverse outcomes. Activated recombinant factor VII (rFVIIa) has demonstrated the ability to improve hemostasis in a variety of disorders; however, there has been a limited amount of research into its use in OLT.

Kristin L. Mekeel, W. Anthony Lee, Alan I. Reed, Alan W. Hemming – 20 July 2005 – It is estimated that 1.7% of orthotopic liver transplant recipients will develop abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) after transplantation. It has been observed that these aneurysms expand faster in transplant recipients; therefore, aggressive surveillance for AAAs in transplant recipients is required. Endovascular aneurysm repair is rapidly becoming the standard of care, especially in patients with previous abdominal surgery and other significant comorbidities.

20 July 2005

Nina Singh, Victor L. Yu – 20 July 2005

Christopher Tracey, Carmel Hawley, Anthony Donald Griffin, Geoff Strutton, Stephen Lynch – 20 July 2005 – The use of sirolimus as an alternative to calcineurin antagonists has enabled the continuation of immunosuppression in patients with renal impairment with preservation of kidney function. Sirolimus is generally well tolerated, with the main causes of cessation of therapy related to its effect on blood lipid profile as well as leukopenia and thrombocytopenia.

Silvio Nadalin, Massimo Malagó, Camino Valentin‐Gamazo, Giuliano Testa, Hideo A. Baba, Chao Liu, Nils R. Frühauf, Randolph Schaffer, Guido Gerken, Andrea Frilling, Christoph E. Broelsch – 20 July 2005 – The role of liver biopsy (LB) in donor selection for adult living donor liver transplantation remains controversial, since the procedure is associated with additional potential risks for the donor. From April 1998 to August 2004, 730 potential living donors for 337 adult recipients underwent our multistep evaluation program. In 144 candidates, LB was performed.