Antibody‐selected mimics of hepatitis C virus hypervariable region 1 activate both primary and memory Th lymphocytes

Loredana Frasca, Cristiano Scottà, Paola Del Porto, Alfredo Nicosia, Caterina Pasquazzi, Ilaria Versace, Anna Maria Masci, Luigi Racioppi, Enza Piccolella – 30 December 2003 – An ideal strategy that leads to a vaccine aimed at controlling viral escape may be that of preventing the replication of escape mutants by eliciting a T‐ and B‐cell repertoire directed against many viral variants.

Altered expression of genes involved in hepatic morphogenesis and fibrogenesis are identified by cDNA microarray analysis in biliary atresia

Limin Chen, Andrew Goryachev, Jin Sun, Peter Kim, Hui Zhang, M. James Phillips, Pascale Macgregor, Sylvie Lebel, Aled M. Edwards, Qiongfang Cao, Katryn N. Furuya – 30 December 2003 – Biliary atresia (BA) is characterized by a progressive, sclerosing, inflammatory process that leads to cirrhosis in infancy. Although it is the most common indication for liver transplantation in early childhood, little is known about its etiopathogenesis. To elucidate factors involved in this process, we performed comprehensive genome‐wide gene expression analysis using complementary DNA (cDNA) microarrays.

Favorable prognosis of chronic hepatitis C after interferon therapy by long‐term cohort study

Fumio Imazeki, Osamu Yokosuka, Kenichi Fukai, Hiromitsu Saisho – 30 December 2003 – The prognosis of patients with chronic hepatitis C after interferon (IFN) therapy is still poorly defined. The present study evaluated the effect of IFN therapy on survival in a cohort of such patients. The study included 459 patients with biopsy‐proven C‐viral chronic liver disease who were followed for 8.2 ± 2.9 years (range, 7‐183 months). Survival status was examined by medical records or direct questionnaires.

Increased carbon monoxide production in patients with cirrhosis with and without spontaneous bacterial peritonitis

Dara De Las Heras, Javier Fernández, Pere Ginès, Andres Cárdenas, Rolando Ortega, Miguel Navasa, Joan Albert Barberá, Blas Calahorra, Mónica Guevara, Ramón Bataller, Wladimiro Jiménez, Vicente Arroyo, Juan Rodés – 30 December 2003 – Carbon monoxide, a product of the heme‐oxygenase (HO) pathway, is an important endogenous vasoactive substance. Production of CO has not been assessed in human cirrhosis. The aim of this study was to assess production of CO in patients with cirrhosis with and without spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP).

Expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in endotoxemic rat hepatocytes is dependent on the cellular glutathione status

Thera A. Vos, Harry van Goor, Leonore Tuyt, Alie de Jager‐Krikken, Ron Leuvenink, Folkert Kuipers, Peter L. Jansen, Han Moshage – 30 December 2003 – The inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) promoter contains nuclear factor κB (NF‐κB) binding sites. NF‐κB activation is determined, in part, by the intracellular redox status. The aim of this study was to determine the importance of the cellular glutathione status in relation to NF‐κB activation and iNOS expression in hepatocytes in vivo and in vitro. For in vivo experiments, rats were injected with endotoxin and sacrificed 6 hours later.

Detection of genomic‐ and minus‐strand of hepatitis C virus RNA in the liver of chronic hepatitis C patients by strand‐specific semiquantitative reversetranscriptase polymerase chain reaction

Francesco Negro, Krzysztof Krawczynski, Rafael Quadri, Laura Rubbia‐Brandt, Mario Mondelli, Jean‐Pierre Zarski, Antoine Hadengue – 30 December 2003 – Studies aimed at correlating the intrahepatic hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐RNA level and anatomo‐clinical features have been difficult because of sensitivity and specificity shortcomings of available techniques. We titered the genomic‐ and minus‐strand HCV RNAs by a strand‐specific, semiquantitative, genotype‐independent reverse‐transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) in the liver tissue of 61 patients with chronic hepatitis C.

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