Katsuyoshi Furumoto, Shigeki Arii, Akira Mori, Hiroaki Furuyama, Manuel J. Gorrin Rivas, Teizou Nakao, Naoki Isobe, Toru Murata, Chiaki Takahashi, Makoto Noda, Masayuki Imamura – 30 December 2003 – The RECK (reversion‐inducing‐cysteine‐rich protein with Kazal motifs) gene was initially isolated as a transformation suppressor gene. It encodes a membrane‐anchored glycoprotein with multiple serine protease inhibitor‐like domains. The RECK gene is expressed widely in normal organs but is undetectable in many tumor‐derived cell lines.

Kathryn E. Wack, Mark A. Ross, Vasthy Zegarra, Laura R. Sysko, Simon C. Watkins, Donna Beer Stolz – 30 December 2003 – Sinusoidal endothelial cell (SEC) porosities were compared between the periportal (zone 1) and pericentral (zone 3) regions of the rat liver during regeneration following partial hepatectomy (PHx). SEC porosities and fenestration diameters were measured in control livers, as well as at 5 minutes, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120 hours, and 14 days following PHx.

Jennie R. Orland, Teresa L. Wright, Stewart Cooper – 30 December 2003

Wolfgang E. Fleig – 30 December 2003

Giuseppe Mazzella, Rizzo Nicola, Azzaroli Francesco, Simoni Patrizia, Bovicelli Luciano, Miracolo Anna, Simonazzi Giuliana, Colecchia Antonio, Nigro Giovanni, Mwangemi Constance, Festi Davide, Roda Enrico – 30 December 2003 – Little is known about the effects on the fetus of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) treatment for intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP). Twenty ICP patients were given UDCA at 1.5 to 2 g/d, to our knowledge the highest dosage yet reported.

Didier Lebrec – 30 December 2003

Toshiaki Ichihara, Yoshinori Komagata, Xiao‐Li Yang, Tadayoshi Uezato, Katsuhiko Enomoto, Kenji Koyama, Jun‐ichi Miyazaki, Toshihiro Sugiyama, Naoyuki Miura – 30 December 2003 – Previously, retinoblastoma (Rb) transgenic mice were produced under the control of the Rb gene promoter and showed dwarf characteristics. Here, we created transgenic mice, in which the human Rb gene was controlled by the hepatocyte nuclear factor‐1 gene promoter/enhancer and was expressed primarily in the liver. The liver of these novel transgenic mice was normally developed.

Maura Dandri, Martin R. Burda, Eva Török, Joerg M. Pollok, Alicja Iwanska, Gunhild Sommer, Xavier Rogiers, Charles E. Rogler, Sanjeev Gupta, Hans Will, Heiner Greten, Joerg Petersen – 30 December 2003 – Mice containing livers repopulated with human hepatocytes would provide excellent in vivo models for studies on human liver diseases and hepatotropic viruses, for which no permissive cell lines exist.

Alyssa M. Krasinskas, Eduardo D. Ruchelli, Elizabeth B. Rand, Jesse L. Chittams, Emma E. Furth – 30 December 2003 – Central venulitis (CV), a distinct histologic lesion described in adult liver transplants, can occur with acute portal tract rejection or in isolation (ICV). Possible etiologies include immunosuppressive drug toxicity, acute cellular rejection, viral hepatitis, ischemic injury, and recurrent disease.

Ulrich Beuers, Manfred Bilzer, Anila Chittattu, Gerd A. Kullak‐Ublick, Dietrich Keppler, Gustav Paumgartner, Frank Dombrowski – 30 December 2003 – Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) exerts anticholestatic effects by undefined mechanisms. Previous work suggested that UDCA stimulates biliary exocytosis via Ca++‐ and protein kinase C (PKC)‐dependent mechanisms.