D. Kravetz, G. Romero, J. Argonz, M. Guevara, A. Suarez, R. Abecasis, M. Bildozola, J. Valero, R. Terg – 30 December 2003 – It has been suggested that ascites is a risk factor for variceal bleeding in cirrhotic patients. However, no data of total volume paracentesis (TVP) effects on variceal hemodynamics has yet been published. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of TVP on variceal pressure, size, and tension in cirrhotic patients. Before sclerotherapy, 18 cirrhotic patients with grade II esophageal varices were studied.

Mitchell L. Shiffman – 30 December 2003

William J. Wall, Anand Khakhar – 30 December 2003 – Key points

Timothy M. McCashland – 30 December 2003 – Key points

Michael Charlton – 30 December 2003 – Key points

Anton P. McCaffrey, Leonard Meuse, Mobin Karimi, Christopher H. Contag, Mark A. Kay – 30 December 2003 – Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an RNA virus infecting one in every 40 people worldwide. Current treatments are ineffective and HCV is the leading cause of liver failure leading to transplantation in the United States and Europe. Translational control of HCV is a prime therapeutic target.

Annette Schmitt‐Gräff, Viktoria Ertelt, Hans‐P. Allgaier, Konrad Koelble, Manfred Olschewski, Roland Nitschke, Marie‐L. Bochaton‐Piallat, Giulio Gabbiani, Hubert E. Blum – 30 December 2003 – The cellular retinol‐binding protein‐1 (CRBP‐1) plays a key role in the esterification and intercellular transfer of retinol. By in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), we show that, in normal liver, CRBP‐1 is strongly expressed in the cytoplasm of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and myofibroblasts (MFs) with only low CRBP‐1 levels in hepatocytes.

Joseph Locker, Jianmin Tian, Robert Carver, Danilo Concas, Costanza Cossu, Giovanna M. Ledda‐Columbano, Amedeo Columbano – 30 December 2003 – Partial hepatectomy (PH) and some tumor‐promoting agents stimulate hepatocyte cell proliferation, but each treatment acts through distinct transcription factors. We compared mouse immediate‐early gene expression changes after PH with those induced by 1,4‐bis[2‐(3,5‐dichoropyridyloxy)]benzene (TCPOBOP), a tumor‐promoting liver mitogen.

Aparna Venkatraman, Sruti Shiva, Ashley J. Davis, Shannon M. Bailey, Paul S. Brookes, Victor M. Darley‐Usmar – 30 December 2003 – Chronic alcohol consumption is a well‐known risk factor for hepatic injury, and mitochondrial damage plays a significant role in this process. Nitric oxide (NO) is an important modulator of mitochondrial function and is known to inhibit mitochondrial respiration. However, the impact of chronic alcohol consumption on NO‐dependent control of liver mitochondrial function is unknown.

Xiaofeng Fan, Dorothy M. Lang, Yanjuan Xu, Andre C. Lyra, Karina Yusim, James E. Everhart, Bette T. M. Korber, Alan S. Perelson, Adrian M. Di Bisceglie – 30 December 2003 – Superinfection of different viral strains within a single host provides an opportunity for studying host‐virus and virus‐virus interactions, including viral interference and genetic recombination, which cannot be studied in infections with single viral strains. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a positive single‐strand RNA virus that establishes persistent infection in as many as 85% of infected individuals.