A Rossini, A Ravaggi, L Biasi, E Agostinelli, L Bercich, G B Gazzola, F Callea, E Radaeli, E Cariani – 30 December 2003 – Hepatitis C virus (HCV) carriers with normal aminotransferase levels often show histological chronic hepatitis. This study was undertaken to determine the effect of interferon (IFN) in such patients. Nineteen HCV carriers with normal aminotransferase activities and chronic hepatitis were randomized to receive IFN‐α2b (3 million units 3 times weekly for 12 months) or no treatment. Therapy was monitored by qualitative and quantitative determination of viral RNA.

G Kullak‐Ublick, U Beuers, C Fahney, B Hagenbuch, P J Meier, G Paumgartner – 30 December 2003 – The organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP) of the basolateral hepatocyte membrane mediates multispecific uptake of anionic and other amphipathic substrates from sinusoidal blood plasma. To investigate the mechanisms controlling OATP expression, the 5′‐flanking region of the human OATP gene was isolated from a P1‐derived artificial chromosome genomic clone.

J A Goss, G J Schiller, P Martin, P Seu, R Stribling, S V McDiarmid, C R Shackleton, J S Markowitz, B J Nuesse, L I Goldstein, R W Busuttil – 30 December 2003 – The clinical characteristics and outcome of posttransplantation aplastic anemia (AA) were determined in 12 of 1,736 patients (0.007%) undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) that were afflicted with AA. None of the affected patients had a history of hematologic disease. Median patient age was 53 years (range, 2‐61 years); 10 of the affected patients were men, and 2 were women.

L Krähenbühl, J Reichen, C Talos, S Krähenbühl – 30 December 2003 – Benzoic acid metabolism, which is primarily a function of liver mitochondria, depending on the concentration of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), coenzyme A (CoA), and glycine in the mitochondrial matrix, was investigated in both rats with long‐term cholestasis caused by bile duct ligation (BDL) and sham‐operated control rats.

L. Benvegnù, P. Pontisso, D. Cavalletto, F. Noventa, L. Chemello, A. Alberti – 30 December 2003 – The influence of the hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐genotype on liver disease severity was evaluated in 429 consecutive patients with chronic hepatitis C, including 109 with cirrhosis who were followed up prospectively, allowing for the assessment of the role of the HCV‐genotype on disease outcome and on the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCV‐1 was detected in 147 (46%) patients without cirrhosis and in 47 (43%) with cirrhosis (x not significant), being mainly HCV‐1b.

N. Ito, S. Kawata, H. Tsushima, S. Tamura, S. Kiso, S. Takami, T. Igura, M. Monnden, Y. Matsuzawa – 30 December 2003 – A patient, having a huge hepatic hemangioma, presented with decreases in the number of peripheral lymphocytes and in serum concentrations of γ‐globulin and immunoglobulin (Ig) G, and a negative purified protein derivatives skin test, indicating that the patient's immunity was impaired. The plasma concentration of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF‐β1), a potent immunosuppressor, in the patient was markedly elevated (113 ng/mL, normal < 5).

M. Ohmoto, K. Yamamoto, T. Nagano, S. Matsumoto, H. Kobashi, R. Okamoto, T. Tsuji – 30 December 2003 – The histological hallmark of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is the destruction of the interlobular and septal bile ducts accompanied by a dense accumulation of lymphocytes; this constellation of features is termed chronic nonsuppurative destructive cholangitis.

J. Shoda, J. Miyamoto, M. Kano, T. Ikegami, Y. Matsuzaki, N. Tanaka, T. Osuga, H. Miyazaki – 30 December 2003 – The high prevalence of cholesterol gallstone disease in hypertriglyceridemic patients may be associated with frequent metabolic defects in cholesterol and bile acid syntheses and in the concomitant formation of bile supersaturated with cholesterol.

J. F. Medina, E. Martínez‐Ansó, J. J. Vázquez, J. Prieto – 30 December 2003 – Chloride‐bicarbonate anion exchanger 2 (AE2) is expressed in a variety of tissues, including the liver and salivary glands, where it may participate in the generation of hydroionic fluxes into secretions. We have previously reported decreased hepatic levels of AE2 messenger RNA in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), a cholestatic condition frequently associated with pluriglandular exocrine failure. Here we investigated the expression of AE2 protein in the liver of PBC patients.

Gilles Pomier‐Layrargues, Sarto C. Paquin, Ziad Hassoun, Michel Lafortune, Albert Tran – 30 December 2003 – The hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is related to vasoconstriction of the renal cortex induced by systemic hypovolemia that follows splanchnic vasodilatation as the primary event in the cascade of hemodynamic changes associated with portal hypertension. We evaluated the effects of octreotide, a splanchnic vasoconstrictor, on HRS in cirrhotic patients.