Marieke H. Schoemaker, Laura Conde de la Rosa, Manon Buist‐Homan, Titia E. Vrenken, Rick Havinga, Klaas Poelstra, Hidde J. Haisma, Peter L. M. Jansen, Han Moshage – 27 May 2004 – Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is used in the treatment of cholestatic liver diseases, but its mechanism of action is not yet well defined. The aim of this study was to explore the protective mechanisms of the taurine‐conjugate of UDCA (tauroursodeoxycholic acid [TUDCA]) against glycochenodeoxycholic acid (GCDCA)‐induced apoptosis in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes.

Juan Carlos Garcia‐Pagán, Jaume Bosch – 27 May 2004

Keith A. Delman, Jonathan S. Zager, Amit Bhargava, Henrik Petrowsky, Sandeep Malhotra, Michael I. Ebright, Joseph J. Bennett, Niraj J. Gusani, David A. Kooby, Gretchen D. Roberts, Yuman Fong – 27 May 2004 – Replication‐competent herpes simplex oncolytic viruses are promising anticancer agents that partly target increased DNA synthesis in tumor cells. Investigators have proposed that these DNA viruses may be combined with liver resection to enhance killing of liver malignancies.

Veronica Bordoni, Tonino Alonzi, Chiara Agrati, Fabrizio Poccia, Giovanna Borsellino, Giorgio Mancino, Gian Maria Fimia, Mauro Piacentini, Antonio Fantoni, Marco Tripodi – 27 May 2004 – While fetal liver is a major hematopoietic organ, normal adult liver provides a suitable microenvironment for a variety of immune cells and, in several pathological conditions, may become a site of extramedullary hematopoiesis. The direct influence of hepatocytes on hematopoietic cell differentiation is poorly understood.

Albert J. Czaja, Herschel A. Carpenter – 27 May 2004 – Hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis are possible consequences of corticosteroid‐treated autoimmune hepatitis. Our aims were to determine the frequency of progressive fibrosis and the factors associated with this progression. Two hundred seventy‐seven liver tissue specimens that had been obtained from 73 patients were interpreted in batch under code by a single pathologist.

Elisabetta Bugianesi, Giulio Marchesini – 27 May 2004

Adrian Reuben – 27 May 2004

Raúl J. Andrade, M. Isabel Lucena, Anabel Alonso, Miren García‐Cort́es, Elena García‐Ruiz, Rafael Benitez, M. Carmen Fernández, Gloria Pelaez, Manuel Romero, Raquel Corpas, José Antonio Durán, Manuel Jiménez, Luis Rodrigo, Flor Nogueras, Rafael Martín‐Vivaldi, José María Navarro, Javier Salmerón, Felipe Sánchez de la Cuesta, Ramón Hidalgo – 27 May 2004 – Drug‐induced idiosyncratic liver disease (DIILD) depends largely on host susceptibility factors. Small studies support the genetic influence of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II molecules on the predisposition to DIILD.

Hitoshi Yoshiji, Shigeki Kuriyama, Junichi Yoshii, Yasuhide Ikenaka, Ryuichi Noguchi, Daniel J. Hicklin, Yan Wu, Koji Yanase, Tadashi Namisaki, Mitsuteru Kitade, Masaharu Yamazaki, Hirohisa Tsujinoue, Tsutomu Masaki, Hiroshi Fukui – 27 May 2004 – It has been shown that angiogenesis plays an important role not only in tumor growth, but also in early carcinogenesis. The expression of a potent angiogenic factor, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), increased during the early stage of carcinogenesis.

Alec Avgerinos, Anastasios Armonis, Gerasimos Stefanidis, Nikoleta Mathou, Jiannis Vlachogiannakos, Anastasios Kougioumtzian, Christos Triantos, Costas Papaxoinis, Spilios Manolakopoulos, Anna Panani, Sotiris A. Raptis – 27 May 2004 – During variceal bleeding, several factors may increase portal pressure, which in turn may precipitate further bleeding. This study investigates the early effects of endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS) and endoscopic band ligation (EBL) on hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) during acute bleeding and the possible influence in outcome.