Abraham J. Sorom, Scott L. Nyberg, Gregory J. Gores – 30 December 2003 – Background: About 10 percent of patients who undergo liver transplantation have cryptogenic liver disease. In animal models, the absence of heteropolymeric keratins 8 and 18 or the presence of mutant keratins in hepatocytes causes or promotes liver disease. We have previously described a mutation in the keratin 18 gene in a patient with cryptogenic cirrhosis, but the importance of mutations in the keratin 8 and keratin 18 genes in such patients is unclear.

Peter Neuhaus, Pierre‐Alain Clavien, Dilip Kittur, Mauro Salizzoni, Antoni Rimola, Kamal Abeywickrama, Elke Ortmann, Lawrence Chodoff, Michael Hall, Alexander Korn, Björn Nashan – 30 December 2003 – Basiliximab, a high‐affinity chimeric monoclonal antibody, is effective in reducing acute rejection episodes in renal allograft recipients. We assessed the ability of this antibody to similarly improve the outcome in liver transplant recipients. Adult recipients of a primary cadaveric liver transplant were randomized to treatment, stratified by hepatitis C virus (HCV) seropositivity.

Yasuhiko Sugawara, Masatoshi Makuuchi, Hiroshi Imamura, Junichi Kaneko, Takao Ohkubo, Norihiro Kokudo – 30 December 2003 – Right‐lobe transplantation is now a commonly used procedure in living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) to adult recipients. However, the risk for outflow obstruction is still an issue in LDLT. The right hepatic vein (RHV) was anastomosed end to end to the graft hepatic vein without unfavorable tension on the anastomosis. The anterior wall of the recipient hepatic vein was incised longitudinally, and a V‐shaped vein graft was patched to form a wide and long orifice.

Yusuke Miyagawa, Hiroshi Imamura, Junpei Soeda, Kotaro Matsunaga, Satoshi Mochida, Kenji Fujiwara, Yutaka Matsuyama, Seiji Kawasaki – 30 December 2003 – We investigated the chronological profile of graft damage and recovery after liver cold ischemia‐reperfusion (I/R) injury, with particular attention to the role of apoptosis on hepatocyte and sinusoidal endothelial cell (SEC) damage.

Flemming Tofteng, Fin Stolze Larsen – 30 December 2003 – Swelling of cerebral glial cells is a characteristic complication in patients with acute liver failure (ALF). This astrocyte edema may result in high intracranial pressure (ICP) and brain herniation before or during liver transplantation. Metabolic alterations responsible for the development of high ICP in patients with ALF are not fully understood. We describe changes in neurochemistry during liver transplantation using a cerebral microdialysis technique in a young man with severe ALF and cerebral edema.

Connie L. Davis, Thomas A. Gonwa, Alan H. Wilkinson – 30 December 2003 – Liver‐kidney transplantation (LKT) should be reserved for those recipients with primary disease affecting both organs. However, increasing transplant list waiting times have increased the development and duration of acute renal failure before liver transplantation. Furthermore, the need for posttransplant calcineurin inhibitors can render healing from acute renal failure difficult.

Timothy S. Walsh, O. James Garden, Alistair Lee – 30 December 2003 – During liver transplantation, reperfusion traditionally is performed through the portal vein. After anecdotal observations that patients who underwent reperfusion first through the hepatic artery were more hemodynamically stable, we performed an exploratory, prospective, observational, nonrandomized study to compare cardiovascular stability, acid‐base status, and metabolic gas exchange between patients who underwent reperfusion through either the portal vein or hepatic artery.

Surasak Leelaudomlipi, Yasuhiko Sugawara, Junichi Kaneko, Yuichi Matsui, Takao Ohkubo, Masatoshi Makuuchi – 30 December 2003 – Right‐lobe graft has been used most frequently for living donor liver transplantation in adult patients; however, some donors cannot donate their right lobe (according to the Healey and Scroy's terminology) because the remaining residual liver would be too small. A recent study suggested the possibility of right posterior segment graft in these donors.

Michiel C. Warlé, Ayar Farhan, Herold J. Metselaar, Wim C.J. Hop, Chris Perrey, Pieter E. Zondervan, Marcel Kap, Sjoerd de Rave, Jaap Kwekkeboom, Jan N.M. IJzermans, Hugo W. Tilanus, Vera Pravica, Ian V. Hutchinson, Gerda J. Bouma – 30 December 2003 – Interindividual differences exist in the capacity to produce cytokines. It has been reported that levels of in vitro cytokine production measured after stimulated cell culture are associated with polymorphisms in cytokine genes.

Richard B. Freeman, Ann M. Harper, Erick B. Edwards – 30 December 2003 – For several years, the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network/United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) Liver and Intestinal Transplantation Committee has been examining effects of changes and proposed changes to the liver allocation system. The Institute of Medicine recently recommended that the size of liver distribution units be increased to improve the organ distribution system. Methods to achieve this and the potential impact on patients and transplant centers of such a change are evaluated in this study.