Xupeng Ge, Bo‐Göran Ericzon, Grzegorz Nowak, Henrik Öhrström, Ulrika Broomé, Suchitra Sumitran‐Holgersson – 30 December 2003 – During acute liver allograft rejection, most of the tissue damage to bile duct epithelium is thought to occur as a consequence of direct immunologic injury by T‐cell‐mediated immune effector mechanisms. However, the role of antibodies to biliary epithelial cells (BECs) in liver transplant rejection is not known.

Marina Berenguer, Victoria Aguilera, Martin Prieto, Domingo Carrasco, Miguel Rayón, Fernando San Juan, Carmen Landaverde, José Mir, Joaquín Berenguer – 30 December 2003 – Although histological hepatitis occurs in the majority of hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐infected liver transplant recipients, the natural history is highly variable. Whereas progression to cirrhosis occurs in up to 30% after 3 to 7 years, the disease remains stable in another third of patients, in whom protocol liver biopsies might be avoided.

Georgia Kostopanagiotou, Vassilios Smyrniotis, Kassiani Theodoraki, Yannis Skalkidis, Nigel Heaton, Dennis Potter – 30 December 2003 – Studies have stressed the role of adequate tissue oxygenation in the light of an optimal patient outcome and allograft viability in liver transplantation. The practice of monitoring conventional hemodynamic parameters during liver transplantation could be complemented by parameters assessing real oxygen availability. In the present prospective study, real arterial available oxygen content (CavlO2) and its extraction ratio (O2ERavl) were calculated.

Mitchell L. Shiffman, Hugo E. Vargas, Gregory T. Everson – 30 December 2003 – Recurrence of hepatitis C virus infection after liver transplantation is universal. A significant percentage of these patients develop progressive graft injury and cirrhosis. Those factors that modulate disease progression in liver transplant recipients with recurrent hepatitis C virus infection remain controversial and are poorly understood. Treatment of recurrent hepatitis C virus after liver transplantation with either interferon or interferon and ribavirin has yielded only limited success.

Wei‐Lin Wang, Zhen‐Fan Yang, Chung‐Mau Lo, Chi‐Leung Liu, Sheung‐Tat Fan – 30 December 2003 – We report 5 patients with intracerebral hemorrhage after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) and identify the possible risk factors. Between November 1991 and April 1999, 75 adult patients received 77 orthotopic liver transplants at Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong. Five patients (6.5%) developed intracerebral hemorrhage postoperatively. Clinical and laboratory data were reviewed, and potential risk factors were analyzed.

Deborah E. Midgley, Tatum A. Bradlee, Christopher Donohoe, Kevin P. Kent, Estella M. Alonso – 30 December 2003 – The purpose of this study is to measure the health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) in children who are long‐term survivors of liver transplantation and to pilot the Liver Transplant Disability Scale (LTDS), a newly developed 12‐point scale that quantifies chronic medical disability related to liver transplantation. This study is a cross‐sectional survey of 51 children surviving liver transplantation by at least 2 years, with a median age of 4.94 years.

Amadeo Marcos, John M. Ham, Robert A. Fisher, Ann T. Olzinski, Marc P. Posner – 30 December 2003 – The first adult‐to‐adult living donor liver transplant using the right hepatic lobe in the United States was performed only 2 years ago. Although initial reports were encouraging, continuous review of the results and appropriate modifications in patient management will be necessary to minimize donor risk and optimize recipient outcome. The results of 40 such transplantations were analyzed and are summarized. Recipients were listed for transplantation according to the usual criteria.

Eric M. Yoshida, Christopher H. Sherlock – 30 December 2003

I. M. Zeid, S. F. Bronk, P. J. Fesmier, G. J. Gores – 30 December 2003 – Toxic bile salts cause hepatocyte necrosis at high concentrations and apoptosis at lower concentrations. Although fructose prevents bile salt‐ induced necrosis, the effect of fructose on bile salt‐induced apoptosis is unclear. Our aim was to determine if fructose also protects against bile salt‐induced apoptosis. Fructose inhibited glycochenodeoxycholate (GCDC)‐induced apoptosis in a concentration‐dependent manner with a maximum inhibition of 72% ± 10% at 10 mmol/L.

H. Barle, B. Nyberg, P. Essén, K. Andersson, M. A. McNurlan, J. Wernerman, P. J. Garlick – 30 December 2003 – Although the metabolism of liver‐derived plasma proteins such as albumin has been extensively studied, human hepatic protein synthesis as a whole has not been well characterized, because a reproducible model for obtaining human liver tissue has not been available. In this study, the fractional synthesis rates of total liver protein and albumin in vivo were determined simultaneously in nine subjects undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy.