Claus‐Thomas Bock, Stefan Kubicka, Michael Peter Manns, Christian Trautwein – 30 December 2003 – Natural occurring mutations in the preS‐region are frequently found during chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Here we used the mutated preS‐region from a patient to study the transcriptional regulation of the S‐promoter. The mutations were a CCAAT‐box (MUT1) point mutation, a 6‐base pair (bp) deletion (MUT2) 3′ of the CCAAT‐box, and a 153 bp deletion (MUT3) in the preS2 genome.

Pardeep K. Nijhawan, Terry M. Therneau, E. Rolland Dickson, Jessica Boynton, Keith D. Lindor – 30 December 2003 – Patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) may be at increased risk for malignancies. Several studies have addressed the risk of specific malignancies; however, there is little information about overall incidences of malignancies in these patients. We hypothesize that these patients may be at an increased risk for cancer. We performed a retrospective chart review evaluating patients with the diagnosis of PBC and malignancies.

JaeWoon Choi, J. Henri Klinkspoor, Tadashi Yoshida, Sum P. Lee – 30 December 2003 – Biliary infection is associated with mucin hypersecretion by the biliary epithelium. Mucins have been identified as potent pronucleators of cholesterol in bile. The aim of the present study was to determine whether lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from different bacteria are capable of stimulating mucin secretion by cultured dog gallbladder epithelial (DGBE) cells, and to investigate the mechanism by which LPS stimulate mucin secretion.

Chandrashekhar R. Gandhi, Ruhul Kuddus, Vladimir M. Subbotin, John Prelich, Noriko Murase, Abdul S. Rao, Michael A. Nalesnik, Simon C. Watkins, Albert DeLeo, Massimo Trucco, Thomas E. Starzl – 30 December 2003 – Augmenter of liver regeneration (ALR) is a hepatotrophic protein originally identified by bioassay in regenerating rat and canine livers following partial hepatectomy and in the hyperplastic livers of weanling rats, but not in resting adult livers.

Richard M. Green, Kathy Lo, Coreen Sterritt, David R. Beier – 30 December 2003 – Hepatic uptake of organic cations is essential for the metabolism and secretion of numerous endobiotics and drugs. Several hepatic organic cation transporters have been kinetically defined, yet have not been isolated or cloned. We have isolated a complementary DNA (cDNA) from both murine liver and kidney cDNA libraries (mOct1/Slc22a1), and have functionally expressed it in Xenopus laevis oocytes.

Brigitte Bernard, Jean‐Didier Grangé, Eric Nguyen Khac, Xavier Amiot, Pierre Opolon, Thierry Poynard – 30 December 2003 – In cirrhotic patients with gastrointestinal bleeding, antibiotic prophylaxis decreases the incidence of infections but most randomized trials have not shown an increase in survival. The aim of this meta‐analysis was to assess the efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis in the prevention of infections and its effect on survival rate in cirrhotic patients with gastrointestinal bleeding.

Kazuo Ikeda, Tomoyuki Wakahara, Yan Qing Wang, Hirokazu Kadoya, Norifumi Kawada, Kenji Kaneda – 30 December 2003 – In liver injury, hepatic stellate cells are considered to depart from the sinusoidal wall and accumulate in the necrotic lesion through migration and proliferation. In this study, we investigated the migratory capacity of quiescent stellate cells in vitro and analyzed the relationship with proliferative response.

Hannes Hentze, Gerald Künstle, Christiane Volbracht, Wolfgang Ertel, Albrecht Wendel – 30 December 2003 – Agonistic engagement of the cytokine receptor CD95 in mice leads to activation of hepatic caspases, followed by massive hepatocyte apoptosis, acute liver failure, and death. This mechanism of cell death is thought to be associated with several human liver disorders. Because hepatic glutathione represents the major defense against toxic liver injury, we investigated its role in CD95‐mediated liver failure, which represents a model for hyperinflammatory organ destruction.

Kiyoshi Yamazaki, Kazuyuki Suzuki, Atsushi Nakamura, Shunichi Sato, Keith D. Lindor, Kenneth P. Batts, James E. Tarara, Gail M. Kephart, Hirohito Kita, Gerald J. Gleich – 30 December 2003 – Eosinophilia is a distinctive feature of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), especially in its early stages. Intriguingly, treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) ameliorates eosinophilia as well as liver tests in patients with PBC. It remains unknown, however, whether eosinophils in PBC patients are functionally activated and whether UDCA inhibits eosinophil activation.

Franco Trevisani, Giuseppe Sica, Paola Mainquà, Giuseppina Santese, Stefania De Notariis, Paolo Caraceni, Marco Domenicali, Fabio Zacà, Gian Luca Grazi, Alighieri Mazziotti, Antonino Cavallari, Mauro Bernardi – 30 December 2003 – Patients with advanced cirrhosis frequently show hemodynamic abnormalities. Autonomic dysfunction (AD) is also common and, owing to the importance of autonomic function in cardiovascular homeostasis, it may be involved in the pathogenesis of the hyperdynamic circulation.