Madhusudhan R. Sanaka, Janus P. Ong, Kevin D. Mullen – 30 December 2003 – Background/Aims: The efficacy and safety of rifaximin in comparison with lactitol in the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy was assessed in a prospective randomized, double‐blind, double‐dummy, controlled trial. Methods: A total of 103 patients with grade I‐III acute hepatic encephalopathy were randomized to receive rifaximin (50 patients, 1200 mg/day) or lactitol (53 patients, 60 g/day) for 5‐10 days.

Mark J. Czaja – 30 December 2003 – Hepatoprotection mediated by free radical scavenging molecules such as dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO) arose the question as to whether this effect involved one or several anti‐apoptotic signals. Here, using primary cultures of rat hepatocytes and in vivo thioacetamide‐induced liver failure, we showed that Me2SO failed to prevent any cleavage of initiator caspase‐8 and ‐9 but constantly inhibited procaspase‐3 maturation and apoptosis execution, pointing to an efficient inhibition of cleaved initiator caspase activities.

Elwyn Elias – 30 December 2003

Adrian Reuben – 30 December 2003

Michael Nassal – 30 December 2003

Mark L. Bassett, Susan R. Wilson, Juleen A. Cavanaugh – 30 December 2003

30 December 2003

Surinder S. Yadav, David N. Howell, Douglas A. Steeber, Robert C. Harland, Thomas F. Tedder, Pierre‐Alain Clavien – 30 December 2003 – Hepatic damage following ischemia‐reperfusion injury involves polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) and platelet sequestration, however the mechanisms of adhesion remain elusive. In this study, using gene‐targeted deficient mice, we evaluated P‐selectin and its contribution to PMN and platelet adhesion in hepatic damage.

Tina M. Crone, Shani L. Schalles, Catharine M. Benedict, Weihua Pan, Ling Ren, Sarah E. Loy, Harriet Isom, Gary A. Clawson – 30 December 2003 – The B2 family represents a group of short repetitive sequences that are found throughout the rodent genome and are analogous to the human Alu sequences. Certain B2 subfamilies are transcribed by RNA polymerase III (pol III), and this transcription is in part controlled by the retinoblastoma protein.

Frank Petrat, Ursula Rauen, Herbert de Groot – 30 December 2003 – The intracellular pool of chelatable iron is considered to be a decisive pathogenetic factor for various kinds of cell injury. We therefore set about establishing a method of detecting chelatable iron in isolated hepatocytes based on digital fluorescence microscopy. The fluorescence of hepatocytes loaded with the fluorescent metal indicators, phen green SK (PG SK), phen green FL (PG FL), calcein, or fluorescein desferrioxamine (FL‐DFO), was quenched when iron was added to the cells in a membrane‐permeable form.