Etsuro Orito, Masashi Mizokami, Hiroshi Sakugawa, Kojiro Michitaka, Kazuyoshi Ishikawa, Takafumi Ichida, Takeshi Okanoue, Hiroshi Yotsuyanagi, Shiro Iino – 30 December 2003 – Clinical and molecular virological differences were evaluated in 50 Japanese patients chronically infected with HBV of genotype B and C who were matched for age and sex as well as the severity of liver disease in a case‐control study. Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) was significantly less frequent (16% vs. 42%, P < .01), whereas antibody to HBeAg (anti‐HBe) was significantly more common (84% vs.

Albert Geerts, Camilla Eliasson, Toshiro Niki, Annemie Wielant, Freja Vaeyens, Milos Pekny – 30 December 2003 – Increased desmin synthesis and formation of desmin‐containing intermediate filaments (IFs) is one of the hallmarks of transdifferentiation of hepatic stellate cells into myofibroblast‐like cells. These desmin‐enriched myofibroblast‐like cells are the major sources of fibrotic extracellular matrix in chronically diseased liver. Myofibroblast‐like cells are also involved in the contraction of sinusoids, which leads to increased intrahepatic pressure and portal hypertension.

Rita Carini, Maria Grazia De Cesaris, Roberta Splendore, Daria Vay, Cinzia Domenicotti, Maria Paola Nitti, Dimitri Paola, Maria Adelaide Pronzato, Emanuele Albano – 30 December 2003 – Ischemic preconditioning improves liver resistance to hypoxia and reduces reperfusion injury following transplantation. However, the intracellular signals that mediate the development of liver hypoxic preconditioning are largely unknown. We have investigated the signal pathway leading to preconditioning in freshly isolated rat hepatocytes.

Yuji Sobao, Hiroko Tomiyama, Saburo Nakamura, Hisahiko Sekihara, Katsuaki Tanaka, Masafumi Takiguchi – 30 December 2003 – Hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐specific CD8+ T cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients infected with HCV were quantitatively analyzed by flow cytometry using an HLA‐B*3501‐HCV epitope tetrameric complex. In chronic hepatitis C, tetramer+CD8+ T cells were detected at frequencies ranging from 0.05% to 0.12% of total CD8+ T cells.

Nicolas Chignard, Martine Mergey, Danielle Veissière, Rolland Parc, Jacqueline Capeau, Raoul Poupon, Annick Paul, Chantal Housset – 30 December 2003 – Whether bile acids regulate biliary epithelial cell (BEC) secretory functions in human is poorly known. The purpose of the study was to determine if human gallbladder‐derived BEC exhibit bile acid transport activity that affect their secretory functions and to evaluate the influence of bile acid hydrophobicity in this response by comparing the effects of tauroursodeoxycholate (TUDC) and of taurochenodeoxycholate (TCDC).

Masahito Shimizu, Akira Hara, Masataka Okuno, Hiroyuki Matsuno, Kiyotaka Okada, Shigeru Ueshima, Osamu Matsuo, Masayuki Niwa, Kuniharu Akita, Yasuhiro Yamada, Naoki Yoshimi, Toshihiko Uematsu, Soichi Kojima, Scott L. Friedman, Hisataka Moriwaki, Hideki Mori – 30 December 2003 – Urokinase‐type plasminogen activator (uPA) is implicated in the regulation of hepatic regeneration by activating hepatocyte growth factor (HGF).

David G. Le Couteur, Victoria C. Cogger, Astrid M.A. Markus, Peta J. Harvey, Zhan‐Li Yin, Annick D. Ansselin, Allan J. McLean – 30 December 2003 – Age‐related impairment of drug metabolism by the liver is consistent with hepatocyte hypoxia, suggestive of the development of a diffusional barrier to oxygen supply. Because the effects of aging on the diffusional pathway (sinusoidal endothelium and space of Disse) have not been described, we performed comparative studies on the livers of Fischer F344 rats aged 4 to 7, 12 to 15, and 24 to 27 months.

Olatz Fresnedo, Miguel López De Heredia, María José Martínez, Susana Cristóbal, María Teresa Rejas, José M. Cuezva, Begoña Ochoa – 30 December 2003 – We have recently purified a cholesteryl ester hydrolase (CEH) from rat liver microsomes. Antibodies raised against the purified protein specifically reacted with a 106‐kd protein and neutralized 90% of the CEH activity of rat liver microsomes (J Lipid Res 1999;40:715‐725). In this work we have used the anti‐CEH antibody to study both the subcellular distribution of the protein in hepatocytes as well as its tissue‐specific expression in rat.

Che‐Chang Chan, Sun‐Sang Wang, Fa‐Yauh Lee, Full‐Young Chang, Han‐Chieh Lin, Chi‐Jen Chu, Chien‐Ting Chen, Hui‐Chun Huang, Shou‐Dong Lee – 30 December 2003 – Portal hypertension is associated with increased hepatic and collateral resistance to an increased portal blood flow. Endothelin‐1 (ET‐1) can induce intrahepatic vasoconstriction and consequently increase portal pressure. It is unknown if ET‐1 also modulates portal pressure by a direct vasoconstrictive effect on collaterals.

Harri A. Järveläinen, Arto Orpana, Markus Perola, Vesa T. Savolainen, Pekka J. Karhunen, Kai O. Lindros – 30 December 2003 – Twin concordance studies indicate that genetic factors influence the individual susceptibility for alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Both clinical and experimental data suggest that Kupffer cell activation by gut‐derived endotoxins and other bacterial products is an important pathogenic factor. Activated Kupffer cells release proinflammatory cytokines, a process that is regulated by the CD14 endotoxin receptor (CD14).