D N Jaue, Z Ma, S S Lee – 30 December 2003 – The pathogenesis of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy remains unclear. Because ventricular contractility is dependent on the interplay of stimulatory β‐adrenergic and inhibitory muscarinic receptors, we aimed to examine a possible role of muscarinic M2 receptor overactivity in a rat model of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy. Cirrhosis was induced by bile duct ligation (BDL), while controls underwent sham operations.

A Benedetti, D Alvaro, C Bassotti, A Gigliozzi, G Ferretti, T La Rosa, A Di Sario, L Baiocchi, A M Jezequel – 30 December 2003 – We evaluated cytotoxic effects of different unconjugated and glycine‐ and taurine‐conjugated bile salts (BS) against bile duct epithelial cells in isolated bile ductule fragments and isolated perfused rat liver.

M Kondo, Y Horie, J Okano, A Kitamura, N Maeda, H Kawasaki, S Mishiro, S Yamamoto, T Itou, S Saeki, S Tanaka, H Okamoto – 30 December 2003

T Adachi, S Nakashima, S Saji, T Nakamura, Y Nozawa – 30 December 2003 – Treatment of primary cultured rat hepatocytes with hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) gives rise to inositol phosphate formation, cytosolic calcium oscillation, activation of mitogen‐activated protein (MAP) kinase and phospholipase D (PLD), and arachidonic acid release, leading to DNA synthesis.

R N Cincu, C M Rodriguez‐Ortigosa, I Vesperinas, J Quiroga, J Prieto – 30 December 2003 – Cysteinyl‐leukotrienes can cause cholestasis and liver damage when administered at nanomolar concentrations. Using the isolated and perfused rat liver we analyzed whether S‐adenosyl‐L‐methionine (SAMe) may protect this organ against the noxious effects of leukotriene‐D4 (LTD4).

K Shimamatsu, I R Wanless – 30 December 2003 – Ischemia is known to be a cause of hepatocellular apoptosis and atrophy in experimental animals, but the effect of vascular obstruction on such lesions in the normal or cirrhotic human liver has not been studied. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of ischemia in the development of apoptosis, atrophy, and nodular hyperplasia in cirrhotic and noncirrhotic human livers. Apoptosis, focal atrophy, and nodular hyperplasia were semiquantitated in 203 liver specimens obtained at transplantation, segmental resection, or autopsy.

V Agnello, T J Liang – 30 December 2003

30 December 2003

S Sakamoto, T Okanoue, Y Itoh, K Sakamoto, K Nishioji, Y Nakagawa, N Yoshida, T Yoshikawa, K Kashima – 30 December 2003 – The expression of several adhesion molecules is increased on the hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells (SECs) in various liver diseases. The objective of this study is to assess the roles of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM‐1) and of CD18 in the interaction between the neutrophils (polymorphonuclear leukocytes [PMNs]) and SECs and in the injury to SECs mediated by PMNs.

J Muller‐Hocker, D Aust, H Rohrbach, J Napiwotzky, A Reith, T A Link, P Seibel, D Holzel, B Kadenbach – 30 December 2003 – Defects of the respiratory chain are a typical feature of mitochondrial diseases and occur also during normal aging where they have been described in postmitotic tissues. The present study addresses the question of defect expression in the normal and cirrhotic liver.