R Jalan, N D Finlayson, P C Hayes – 30 December 2003

Z Cheng, J Hu, J King, G Jay, T C Campbell – 30 December 2003 – In a comprehensive human ecological study, primary liver cancer has been shown to be highly significantly associated with 1) the prevalence of persistent infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and 2) plasma cholesterol concentrations that are, in turn, associated with the consumption of animal based foods. In rat studies, aflatoxin‐induced hepatocellular carcinoma is substantially prevented by decreasing the intake of animal based protein (casein), a hypercholesterolemic nutrient.

V di Martino, F Saurini, D Samuel, M Gigou, E Dussaix, M Reynes, H Bismuth, C Feray – 30 December 2003 – Recurrence of hepatitis C after liver transplantation is common and can lead to severe liver diseases. Although immunosuppression and high levels of viremia suggest a direct pathogenicity of hepatitis C virus (HCV), the relations between viral replication and long‐term histological course are still unknown. Thirty‐three patients with a mean histological follow‐up of 3.5 years (3 months ‐ 8.6 years) were analyzed. Nineteen patients were infected by genotype 1b.

J G McHutchison, O V Nainan, M J Alter, A Sedghi‐Vaziri, J Detmer, M Collins, J Kolberg – 30 December 2003 – Hepatitis G virus (HGV), a positive sense RNA virus, is distantly related to hepatitis C virus (HCV): its genetic organization and identity are consistent with the Flaviviridae family. Coinfection with HGV occurs in 10% to 20% of HCV‐infected subjects. These similarities raise two theoretical questions.

M Pardo, I Castillo, H Oliva, A Fernandez‐Flores, R Barcena, M A de Peuter, V Carreno – 30 December 2003 – The optimal and safer interleukin‐2 (IL‐2) dose for treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been studied in 33 HCV‐RNA positive patients with chronic hepatitis C. Patients were randomly allocated to receive 5 days per week during 12 weeks IL‐2 doses of: 0.9 MIU (n = 10), 1.8 MIU (n = 10), or 3.6 MIU (n = 13). After 12 weeks, responder patients stopped treatment, whereas nonresponders received 12 additional weeks of IL‐2 at the next higher dose: 1.8, 3.6, or 5.4 MIU.

F Noorman, M M Barrett‐Bergshoeff, E A L Biessen, E van de Bilt, T J C van Berkel, D C Rijken – 30 December 2003 – Recently, we developed a series of cluster mannosides that were able to inhibit tissue‐type plasminogen activator (t‐PA) binding to the isolated mannose receptor. The mannoside with the highest affinity was able to inhibit t‐PA clearance by the liver in the rat.

R Sherstha, C McKinley, P Russ, A Scherzinger, T Bronner, R Showalter, G T Everson – 30 December 2003 – The goal of this study was to determine whether use of postmenopausal estrogen (Premarin®, Wyeth‐Ayerst, Philadelphia, PA) in women with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) increases liver, hepatic cyst, or kidney volume. We also determined whether clinical symptoms correlated with the volume of either the liver or kidneys. Eight women off estrogen (control, C) and 11 others on estrogen (Premarin®, E) were studied basally and after 1 year.

J Raoul, D Guyader, J Bretagne, J Heautot, R Duvauferrier, P Bourguet, D Bekhechi, Y M Deugnier, M Gosselin – 30 December 2003 – Intra‐arterial injection of radioactive Lipiodol has shown promising results in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and portal obstruction. The aim of this prospective, randomized trial was to compare the efficacy and tolerance of 131I‐labeled Lipiodol and chemoembolization for the treatment of patients with HCC.

E Takeuchi, Y Nimura, M Nagino, Y Kurumiya, A Maeda, J Kamiya, S Kondo, M Kanai, M Miyachi, K Uesaka, S Yoshida – 30 December 2003 – We measured the concentration of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in bile obtained from patients after hepatectomy. The HGF concentrations in the bile samples were quantified using an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). By immunoblotting, using a monoclonal antibody raised against the HGF α‐subunit, the bile HGF, which was purified on a Heparin‐Sepharose column, showed a band of the same size as the recombinant HGF α‐subunit (69 kd).

30 December 2003