Haizhen Zhu, Hongshan Zhao, Christin D. Collins, Sarah E. Eckenrode, Qingguo Run, Richard A. McIndoe, James M. Crawford, David R. Nelson, Jin‐Xiong She, Chen Liu – 30 December 2003 – Interferon alfa (IFN‐α)‐based treatment is the only therapeutic option for chronic hepatitis C viral infection. However, the molecular mechanisms of IFN‐α antiviral activity are not completely understood. The recent development of an HCV replicon cell culture system provides a feasible experimental model to investigate the molecular details of IFN‐induced direct antiviral activity in hepatocytes.

Michael Oertel, Richard Rosencrantz, Yuan‐Qing Chen, Prashanthi N. Thota, Jaswinderpal S. Sandhu, Mariana D. Dabeva, Annmarie L. Pacchia, Martin E. Adelson, Joseph P. Dougherty, David A. Shafritz – 30 December 2003 – Recent studies have shown that nondividing primary cells, such as hepatocytes, can be efficiently transduced in vitro by human immunodeficiency virus‐based lentivirus vectors. Other studies have reported that, under certain conditions, the liver can be repopulated with transplanted hepatocytes.

Yong‐Han Paik, Robert F. Schwabe, Ramón Bataller, Maria P. Russo, Christian Jobin, David A. Brenner – 30 December 2003 – Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulates Kupffer cells and participates in the pathogenesis of alcohol‐induced liver injury. However, it is unknown whether LPS directly affects hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), the main fibrogenic cell type in the injured liver. This study characterizes LPS‐induced signal transduction and proinflammatory gene expression in activated human HSCs.

Ayman A. Abdo, Samuel S. Lee – 30 December 2003

Agustín Albillos, Rafael Bañares – 30 December 2003

Florian van Bömmel, Thomas Wünsche, Dirk Schürmann, Thomas Berg – 30 December 2003

Vinicio Carloni, Raffaella M. S. DeFranco, Alessandra Caligiuri, Alessandra Gentilini, Silvia Cappadona Sciammetta, Elisabetta Baldi, Benedetta Lottini, Paolo Gentilini, Massimo Pinzani – 30 December 2003 – The biologic effects of growth factors are dependent on cell adhesion, and a cross talk occurs between growth factors and adhesion complexes. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of cell adhesion on the major intracellular signaling pathways elicited by platelet‐derived growth factor (PDGF) in hepatic stellate cells (HSC).

Ira J. Fox – 30 December 2003

Christophe Duvoux, David Zanditenas, Christophe Hézode, Anthony Chauvat, Jean‐Luc Monin, Françoise Roudot‐Thoraval, Ariane Mallat, Daniel Dhumeaux – 30 December 2003 – Treatment of hepatorenal syndromes (HRSs) is currently based on vasopressin analogs. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of noradrenalin (NA) in the treatment of type 1 HRS.

Stephan R. Vavricka, Jessica Van Montfoort, Huy Riem Ha, Peter J. Meier, Karin Fattinger – 30 December 2003 – The antibiotics rifamycin SV and rifampicin substantially reduce sulfobromophthalein (BSP) elimination in humans. In rats, rifamycin SV and rifampicin were shown to interfere with hepatic organic anion uptake by inhibition of the organic anion transporting polypeptides Oatp1 and Oatp2. Therefore, we investigated the effects of rifamycin SV and rifampicin on the OATPs of human liver and determined whether rifampicin is a substrate of 1 or several of these carriers.