Stanislas Pol, Bertrand Nalpas, Marc Bourlière, Patrice Couzigou, Albert Tran, Armand Abergel, Jean‐Pierre Zarski, Pierre Berthelot, Christian Bréchot – 30 December 2003 – The purpose of this study was to compare interferon‐alfa alone (12‐month course with high initial doses) with a combination of interferon‐alfa and ribavirin in patients infected with genotype 1b.

Walther Honscha, Kerstin U. Dötsch, Nadine Thomsen, Ernst Petzinger – 30 December 2003 – We have cloned two complementary DNAs (cDNAs), RL‐Mtx‐1 and RL‐Mtx‐2, corresponding to the bile acid‐ sensitive methotrexate carrier from rat liver by direct full‐length rapid amplification of cDNA ends polymerase chain reaction (RACE‐PCR) using degenerated primers that were deduced from published sequences of tumor cell methotrexate transporters. When expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes and cosM6 cells, both clones mediate methotrexate and bumetanide transport.

Klaas Poelstra – 30 December 2003

David A. Shafritz – 30 December 2003

Miguel E. Sewnath, Han H. M. Levels, Ronald Oude Elferink, Cornelis J. F. van Noorden, Fiebo J. W. ten Kate, Sander J. H. van Deventer, Dirk J. Gouma – 30 December 2003 – Cholestatic patients have substantial morbidity because of increased susceptibility to endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide [LPS]). Although reconstituted high‐density lipoprotein (rHDL) can bind and neutralize LPS, cholestasis is associated with a near complete absence of HDL. Effects of rHDL infusion on the outcome of LPS‐induced inflammatory responses in cholestatic rats were determined.

Yukihiro Koike, Yasushi Shiratori, Shinpei Sato, Shuntaro Obi, Takuma Teratani, Masatoshi Imamura, Keisuke Hamamura, Yasuo Imai, Haruhiko Yoshida, Shuichiro Shiina, Masao Omata – 30 December 2003 – Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) frequently experience intrahepatic HCC recurrence even after complete ablation of primary lesions. Because the oncogenic process may be different for hepatitis B viral (B‐viral) and hepatitis C viral (C‐viral) HCC, the present study was conducted to elucidate the factors contributing to HCC recurrence with respect to the infected hepatitis virus.

Yoshiaki Ito, Takaaki Matsui, Akihide Kamiya, Taisei Kinoshita, Atsushi Miyajima – 30 December 2003 – We recently demonstrated that oncostatin M (OSM) in the presence of glucocorticoid promotes development of fetal hepatic cells in a primary culture system. Our results also suggested that OSM transduces differentiation signals through gp130, a common subunit of the interleukin (IL)‐6 family cytokine receptors. However, an essential downstream pathway required for hepatic development remains unknown.

Judy A. Lawson, Alan R. Burns, Anwar Farhood, Mary Lynn Bajt, Robert G. Collins, C. Wayne Smith, Hartmut Jaeschke – 30 December 2003 – Neutrophils can cause parenchymal cell injury in the liver during ischemia‐reperfusion and endotoxemia. Neutrophils relevant for the injury accumulate in sinusoids, transmigrate, and adhere to hepatocytes. To investigate the role of E‐ and L‐selectin in this process, C3Heb/FeJ mice were treated with 700 mg/kg galactosamine and 100 μg/kg endotoxin (Gal/ET).

Dominique Crenesse, Jean Gugenheim, Joelle Hornoy, Karine Tornieri, Marina Laurens, Beatrice Cambien, Gaelle Lenegrate, Rafaele Cursio, Georges De Souza, Patrick Auberger, Catherine Heurteaux, Bernard Rossi, Annie Schmid‐Alliana – 30 December 2003 – Ischemia‐reperfusion procedures induced severe hepatic damages owing to different processes related to hypoxia and reoxygenation (H/R) phases, including the consecutive oxygen free radical (OFR) release. Stress‐activated protein kinases (SAPKs) could be activated by extracellular stimuli.

Caroline Freathy, David G. Brown, Ruth A. Roberts, Kelvin Cain – 30 December 2003 – In mammalian cells, non receptor‐mediated apoptosis occurs via the cytochrome c–dependent assembly of a ∼700‐kd apoptotic protease‐activating factor 1 (Apaf‐1)/caspase‐9 containing apoptosome complex. This initiates the postmitochondrial‐mediated effector caspase cascade. We now show that receptor mediated transforming growth factor β1(TGF‐β1)–induced apoptosis in rat hepatoma cells is accompanied by processing and activation of caspases‐2, ‐3, ‐7, and ‐8.