Nobuyoshi Shiojiri, Yoshinori Sugiyama – 13 August 2004 – Intrahepatic biliary cell differentiation takes place in periportal hepatoblasts under the influence of the subjacent connective tissue, the mechanism of which is still unclear. This study was undertaken to analyze the immunolocalization of extracellular matrix components and their cellular receptors during mouse liver development, with special attention given to biliary differentiation and vascular development.

Carolina Boni, Barbara Amadei, Simona Urbani, Paola Fisicaro, Alessandro Zerbini, Cristina Mori, Gabriele Missale, Roberto Bertoni, Annalisa Azzurri, Gianfranco Del Prete, Carlo Ferrari – 13 August 2004 – Hepatitis B virus (HBV) superinfection in chronic hepatitis C represents a natural model to investigate whether or not hepatitis C virus (HCV) can influence priming and maturation of antiviral T cells; whether or not HBV superinfection, which is known to determine control of HCV replication, can restore HCV‐specific T cell responsiveness; and whether or not cytokines stimulated by HBV infe

Diana M. Toivola, Nam‐On Ku, Evelyn Z. Resurreccion, David R. Nelson, Teresa L. Wright, M. Bishr Omary – 13 August 2004 – Keratin 8 and 18 (K8/18) phosphorylation plays a significant and site‐specific role in regulating keratin filament organization, association with binding proteins, and modulation of cell cycle progression. Keratin hyperphosphorylation correlates with exposure to a variety of stresses in cultured cells and in mouse models of liver, pancreatic, and gallbladder injury, and it is found in association with mouse and human Mallory bodies.

Atsushi Yanagitani, Sadako Yamada, Sakiko Yasui, Takashi Shimomura, Rie Murai, Yoshiyuki Murawaki, Koichi Hashiguchi, Takamasa Kanbe, Toshiya Saeki, Miho Ichiba, Yoshitada Tanabe, Yoko Yoshida, Shin‐ichi Morino, Akihiro Kurimasa, Nobumitsu Usuda, Hidetoshi Yamazaki, Takahiro Kunisada, Hisao Ito, Yoshikazu Murawaki, Goshi Shiota – 13 August 2004 – Although attention has focused on the chemopreventive action of retinoic acid (RA) in hepatocarcinogenesis, the functional role of RA in the liver has yet to be clarified.

Nektarios Dikopoulos, Petra Riedl, Reinhold Schirmbeck, Jörg Reimann – 13 August 2004 – Vaccines for the prophylactic and/or therapeutic immunization against hepatotropic pathogens (e.g., hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus) should establish long‐lasting, specific antiviral effector/memory CD8+ T cell immunity in the liver. We describe a novel peptide‐based vaccine in which antigenic major histocompatibility complex Class I–binding peptides are fused to a cationic (e.g., human immunodeficiency virus tat‐derived) domain and complexed to immune‐stimulating oligonucleotides.

Yi‐Cheng Chen, Yun‐Fan Liaw – 13 August 2004

Xavier Forns, Miquel Navasa, Juan Rodés – 13 August 2004

Gary A. Abrams, Sachin S. Kunde, Audrey J. Lazenby, Ronald H. Clements – 13 August 2004 – Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a progressive form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) that can lead to hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis. Portal fibrosis in the absence of NASH, called isolated portal fibrosis (IPF), has received less attention and has not been classified as a spectrum of NAFLD.

Anne M. Wertheimer, Antony Bakke, Hugo R. Rosen – 13 August 2004 – Chronic liver disease has been shown to be associated with diminished humoral and cellular immune function. Although antigen‐presenting cells (APC) that initiate immune responses include various cells (B cells, endothelial cells, macrophages, etc.), the dendritic cell (DC) is a professional APC that activates naive T cells most efficiently.

John C. Bucuvalas, Lan Zeng, Ravinder Anand, The Studies of Pediatric Liver Transplantation (SPLIT) Research Group – 23 July 2004 – The resources that are directed towards the care of liver transplant recipients are substantial. Approximately 100 million dollars are spent on the hospitalization of the 400–500 children in the United States who undergo liver transplantation each year.