Tuvia Gilat, Alicia Leikin‐Frenkel, Ilana Goldiner, Zamir Halpern, Fred M. Konikoff – 30 December 2003 – Gallstones, mostly cholesterol stones, affect some 15% of the population. Oral bile salts dissolve human cholesterol gallstones, but with low efficacy, and surgery remains the main therapeutic option. Fatty acid bile acid conjugates (FABACs) were shown to prevent formation of cholesterol gallstones in experimental animals. The aim of this study was to test whether these compounds could dissolve preexisting cholesterol gallstones via oral administration.

Michael Frese, Verena Schwärzle, Kerstin Barth, Nicole Krieger, Volker Lohmann, Sabine Mihm, Otto Haller, Ralf Bartenschlager – 30 December 2003 – Persistent infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. All treatments known so far rely on the antiviral activity of interferon alfa (IFN‐α) that is given alone or in combination with ribavirin. Unfortunately, only a fraction of the patients clear the virus during therapy and for those who do not respond there is currently no alternative treatment.

Li Yin, Mingzeng Sun, Zoran Ilic, Hyam L. Leffert, Stewart Sell – 30 December 2003 – Liver progenitor cells (LPCs) cloned from adult rat livers following allyl alcohol injury express hematopoietic stem cell and early hepatic lineage markers when cultured on feeder layers; under these conditions, neither mature hepatocyte nor bile duct, Ito, stellate, Kupffer cell, or macrophage markers are detected. These phenotypes have remained stable without aneuploidy or morphological transformation after more than 100 population doublings.

Timothy Pruett – 30 December 2003

H Koga, S Sakisaka, M Ohishi, M Sata, K Tanikawa – 30 December 2003 – It is uncertain whether or not apoptosis is involved in the pathogenesis of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). The aims of this study were to assess the nuclear DNA fragmentation and expression of Bcl‐2 in the biliary epithelial cells (BECs) and in the hepatocytes of PBC. Additionally, the effects of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) on DNA fragmentation and Bcl‐2 expression in PBC were evaluated.

30 December 2003

R Mohamed, S G Hubscher, D F Mirza, B K Gunson, D J Mutimer – 30 December 2003 – Non‐A, non‐B or seronegative hepatitis is the leading indication for liver transplantation in patients with fulminant hepatic failure (FHF). We examined protocol annual review liver allograft biopsy specimens in consecutive adult patients transplanted for FHF in an attempt to determine the extent of the histological changes.

J A Diaz‐Buxo, S Blumenthal, D Hayes, P Gores, B Gordon – 30 December 2003 – A large animal model of fulminant hepatic necrosis is necessary to test the efficacy of artificial liver support systems. A recent model was developed using D‐galactosamine in anesthetized dogs. Because of the difficulties encountered with prolonged anesthesia, a similar protocol was used in 10 unanesthetized dogs. Intravenous infusions of D‐galactosamine (1.0 to 1.5 gm/kg) did not result in uniform death of all animals at 72 hours or development of hypoglycemia.

Y Kitayama, N Yamanaka, E Kawamura, N Kuroda, E Okamoto – 30 December 2003 – The present study was designed to investigate if TAK‐044, a novel endothelin (ET) ETA/ETB receptor antagonist, inhibits ischemia‐ reperfusion liver injury. The initial study showed the presence of both ETA and ETB receptors in canine hepatic membrane fractions using the specific binding assay of labeled ET‐1 with ET isomers and TAK‐044. The nonselective ETA/ETB receptor antagonist TAK‐044 inhibited the specific binding of ET‐1 to the receptors in a concentration‐dependent manner.

D Valla, A Hadengue, M el Younsi, N Azar, G Zeitoun, M Boudet, G Molas, J Belghiti, S Erlinger, J Hay, J Benhamou – 30 December 2003 – In contrast with the well‐recognized membranous obstruction of the inferior vena cava, short‐length hepatic vein stenoses are not well‐ recognized causes of hepatic venous outflow block. The aim of this study was to ascertain the prevalence, causes, manifestations, and outcome of short‐length hepatic vein stenoses.