Rebecca A. Schroeder, Jian S. Gu, Paul C. Kuo – 30 December 2003 – The multiple interlocking regulatory mechanisms that underlie induction of hepatocyte inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression are largely unknown. Although previous work has indicated the requirement for multiple proinflammatory cytokines to induce hepatocyte NO production, investigators have recently shown that interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) alone can initiate iNOS expression. In contrast, interferon gamma (IFN‐γ) serves as the sole initiating factor in other cell systems.

Jacob Wanon, France Guertin, Sylvain Brunet, Edgard Delvin, Victor Gavino, Daniel Bouthillier, Denis Lairon, Wagner Yotov, Emile Levy – 30 December 2003 – High‐density lipoprotein (HDL) participates in the transfer of cholesterol to the liver, in which it is subsequently excreted into bile as bile acid and cholesterol. In this study, the effect of essential fatty‐acid (EFA) deficiency on cholesterol contribution from HDL subfractions to bile was investigated. Rats that were rendered EFA‐deficient over 4 weeks displayed changes in their plasma HDL subfractions and liver tissue fatty acids.

Emmet B. Keeffe, Sten Iwarson, Brian J. McMahon, Karen L. Lindsay, Raymond S. Koff, Michael Manns, Renate Baumgarten, Manfred Wiese, Marc Fourneau, Assad Safary, Ralf Clemens, David S. Krause – 30 December 2003 – Acute hepatitis A superimposed on chronic liver disease (CLD) has been associated with severe or fulminant hepatitis. An open, multicenter study was performed to compare the safety and immunogenicity of an inactivated hepatitis A vaccine in patients with CLD with that in healthy subjects.

E. Jenny Heathcote, Emmet B. Keeffe, Samuel S. Lee, Saya V. Feinman, Myron J. Tong, K. R. Reddy, Karsten Witt, Lawrence M. Blatt, Consensus Interferon Study Group – 30 December 2003 – A multicenter, open‐label, phase 3 study was conducted in 337 patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection who had either not responded to previous interferon therapy or had relapsed after discontinuation of therapy with either consensus interferon (9 μg) or interferon α‐2b (3 million U) three times a week for 24 weeks.

Rathnagiri Polavarapu, Douglas R. Spitz, Julia E. Sim, Mark H. Follansbee, Larry W. Oberley, Amir Rahemtulla, Amin A. Nanji – 30 December 2003 – Increased hepatic oxidative stress with ethanol administration is hypothesized to be caused either by enhanced pro‐oxidant production or decreased levels of antioxidants or both. We used the intragastric feeding rat model to assess the relationship between hepatic antioxidant enzymes and pathological liver injury in animals fed different dietary fats.

Akinori Kasahara, Norio Hayashi, Kiyoshi Mochizuki, Masahide Takayanagi, Kentaro Yoshioka, Shinichi Kakumu, Akihiro Iijima, Akihiko Urushihara, Kendo Kiyosawa, Michiari Okuda, Keisuke Hino, Kiwamu Okita, Osaka Liver Disease Study Group – 30 December 2003 – To elucidate the risk factors for liver carcinogenesis and to examine the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after interferon therapy, 1,022 chronic hepatitis C patients treated with interferon were followed by ultrasonography for 13 to 97 months (median 36 months).

Christopher P. Day, Oliver F.W. James – 30 December 2003

Kristin Michel, Sylke Roth, Christian Trautwein, WenRong Gong, P. Flemming, Axel M. Gressner – 30 December 2003 – Latent transforming growth factor β binding protein (LTBP), a component of the extracellular matrix (ECM) of various tissues, is important for the secretion of TGF‐β and, furthermore, for the storage of TGF‐β in ECM. The proteolytic cleavage of LTBP is assumed to be the prerequisite for the activation of TGF‐β.

Jingyu Diao, Norma D. Churchill, Tomasz I. Michalak – 30 December 2003 – Hepadnavirus invasion in woodchucks has been identified as a potent inducer of autoantibodies against asialoglycoprotein receptor (anti‐ASGPR), a molecule essentially unique to hepatocytes that mediate clearance of desialylated serum proteins.

Richard A. Jones, Victoria L. Johnson, Neil R. Buck, Miloslav Dobrota, Richard H. Hinton, Sek C. Chow, George E. Kass – 30 December 2003 – The mechanism of Fas antigen‐induced hepatocyte apoptosis was investigated. Using a monoclonal antibody directed against the Fas antigen, apoptosis was induced in freshly isolated murine hepatocytes within 90 minutes of antibody addition as assessed by plasma membrane bleb formation, chromatin condensation, and DNA fragmentation.