Feng Liu, Leaf Huang – 30 December 2003 – With the recent completion of the human genome project and the tremendous growth of biotechnology, the desire to extract information concerning gene expression, protein level, subcellular localization, and functionality in the liver will demand the development of efficient gene transfer to this organ with minimal toxicity. In this report, we show that significant gene expression in the liver could be achieved by simple mechanical massage after intravenous injection of naked plasmid DNA into mice.

Manabu Morimoto, Kazuya Sugimori, Kazuhito Shirato, Atsushi Kokawa, Naohiko Tomita, Takafumi Saito, Noriko Tanaka, Akinori Nozawa, Masamichi Hara, Hisahiko Sekihara, Hiroshi Shimada, Toshio Imada, Katsuaki Tanaka – 30 December 2003 – To determine whether radiographic images after radiofrequency (RF)‐induced coagulation necrosis are correlated with the pathologic effects, we evaluated the morphology and histologic characteristics of RF ablation lesions over a 6‐month follow‐up period and compared the results with those of radiologic studies.

Hisashi Moriguchi, Takamoto Uemura, Makoto Kobayashi, Raymond T. Chung, Chifumi Sato – 30 December 2003 – The management of interferon (IFN) therapy for histologically severe chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1b (HCV‐1b [F3]) is controversial. A decision analysis using the Markov decision analysis model was performed for 6 disease management strategies by using clinical data from a Japanese teaching hospital and available published data. The results of base case analyses showed that IFN monotherapy was considered favorable for patients aged 40 to 60 years with HCV‐1b (F3).

Magali Bouvier‐Alias, Keyur Patel, Harel Dahari, Stéphanie Beaucourt, Patrick Larderie, Lawrence Blatt, Christophe Hezode, Gaston Picchio, Daniel Dhumeaux, Avidan U. Neumann, John G. McHutchison, Jean‐Michel Pawlotsky – 30 December 2003 – Hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA detection, viral load quantification, and HCV genotyping are widely used in clinical practice. Recently, the availability of an anticore antigen (Ag) monoclonal antibody allowed development of an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) detecting and quantifying total HCV core Ag in peripheral blood of HCV‐infected patients.

Ryoko Chinzei, Yujiro Tanaka, Keiko Shimizu‐Saito, Yuzuru Hara, Sei Kakinuma, Mamoru Watanabe, Kenichi Teramoto, Shigeki Arii, Kozo Takase, Chifumi Sato, Naohiro Terada, Hirobumi Teraoka – 30 December 2003 – Embryonic stem (ES) cells have a potential to differentiate into various progenitor cells. Here we investigated the differentiation capacity of mouse ES cells into hepatocytes both in vitro and in vivo.

Eric Ballot, Arnaud Bruneel, Catherine Johanet, Ana Maria Yamamoto – 30 December 2003

Michael R. Charlton – 30 December 2003

Domenico Alvaro, Paolo Onori, Veronica Drudi Metalli, Gianluca Svegliati‐Baroni, Franco Folli, Antonio Franchitto, Gianfranco Alpini, Maria Grazia Mancino, Adolfo Francesco Attili, Eugenio Gaudio – 30 December 2003 – The aim of this study was to explore the intracellular signaling pathways involved in the stimulatory effects of estrogens on cholangiocyte proliferation.

Robert J. Fontana, Anna S. F. Lok – 30 December 2003 – Hepatic fibrosis is the main determinant of clinical outcomes of chronic hepatitis C. Liver histology is frequently considered the gold standard for assessing hepatic fibrosis. However, liver biopsy is associated with sampling error, interobserver variability, and potential complications. Thus, there is a need for simple, inexpensive, and reliable noninvasive means to assess disease severity in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Clinical examination is unreliable in differentiating different stages of compensated liver disease.

Michael W. Fried – 30 December 2003 – Interferon and ribavirin combination therapy for chronic hepatitis C produces a number of well‐described side effects that are dominated by fatigue, influenza‐like symptoms, hematologic abnormalities, and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Combination therapy with pegylated interferons (peginterferon alfa‐2a and alfa‐2b) yields an adverse event profile similar to standard interferon, although the frequency of certain adverse events may vary by preparation.