Hepatic bile versus gallbladder bile: A comparison of protein and lipid concentration and composition in cholesterol gallstone patients

Yolande C. Keulemans, Kam S. Mok, Laurens Th de Wit, Dirk J. Gouma, Albert K. Groen – 30 December 2003 – Many studies have demonstrated that gallbladder bile (but not hepatic bile) of animals or patients with cholesterol gallstones contains higher protein concentrations than does gallbladder bile of control patients without stones or with pigment stones. The underlying defect has not been elucidated.

Molecular basis for persistent hepatitis B virus infection in the liver after clearance of serum hepatitis B surface antigen

Andrew L. Mason, Lizhe Xu, Linsheng Guo, Mary Kuhns, Robert P. Perrillo – 30 December 2003 – Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA has been detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the liver of patients with resolved chronic HBV infection and sustained clearance of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) from serum. However, it is unknown whether the virus is transcriptionally active at this time or if the covalently closed circular (CCC) replicative intermediate of HBV DNA can still be detected.

Emergence and takeover of YMDD motif mutant hepatitis B virus during long‐term lamivudine therapy and re‐takeover by wild type after cessation of therapy

Kazuaki Chayama, Yoshiyuki Suzuki, Masahiro Kobayashi, Mizuho Kobayashi, Akihito Tsubota, Michie Hashimoto, Yukiko Miyano, Hiromi Koike, Mariko Kobayashi, Isao Koida, Yasuji Arase, Satoshi Saitoh, Naoya Murashima, Kenji Ikeda, Hiromitsu Kumada – 30 December 2003 – Treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) with lamivudine is effective in suppressing virus replication and results in reduced inflammatory activity. However, the emergence of lamivudine‐resistant mutant virus, with amino acid substitution in the YMDD motif of DNA polymerase, has been reported.

Ribavirin inhibits protein synthesis and cell proliferation induced by mitogenic factors in primary human and rat hepatocytes

Gennady P. Ilyin, Sophie Langouët, Maryvonne Rissel, Jean‐Guy Delcros, Andre Guillouzo, Christiane Guguen‐Guillouzo – 30 December 2003 – Ribavirin, a guanosine analog, used in combination with interferon α (IFN‐α) in the treatment of chronic hepatitis induced by hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, has been shown to improve liver histology and to decrease transaminases even when administered alone. We analyzed the direct effects of ribavirin on the liver by using primary cultures of human and rat hepatocytes.

Porphyria cutanea tarda, hepatitis C, and HFE gene mutations in north america

Herbert L. Bonkovsky, Maureen Poh‐Fitzpatrick, Neville Pimstone, Jorge Obando, Adrian Di Bisceglie, Christine Tattrie, Kristina Tortorelli, Paula LeClair, Mary G. Mercurio, Richard W. Lambrecht – 30 December 2003 – In some, but not all countries, porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) has been associated with chronic infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Recently, PCT has also been associated with mutations in the HFE gene that are associated with HLA‐linked hereditary hemochromatosis. Until now, few studies of these associations have been reported from North America.

Apoptosis of sinusoidal endothelial cells is a critical mechanism of preservation injury in rat liver transplantation

Wenshi Gao, Rex C. Bentley, John F. Madden, Pierre‐Alain Clavien – 30 December 2003 – In livers excised for transplantation, sinusoidal endothelium appears especially vulnerable to injury during organ preservation in the cold and subsequent reperfusion. The degree of endothelial cell injury correlates with functional impairment of the graft following transplantation. The mechanism of injury remains obscure, but endothelial cell damage has been described as coagulative necrosis secondary to irreversible physico‐chemical damage.

Liver transplantation for small hepatocellular carcinoma: The tumor‐node‐metastasis classification does not have prognostic power

Josep M. Llovet, Jordi Bruix, Josep Fuster, Antoni Castells, Juan Carlos Garcia‐Valdecasas, Lluís Grande, Alex França, Concepció Brú, Miquel Navasa, Maria del Ayuso, Manel Solé, Maria Isabel Real, Ramon Vilana, Antoni Rimola, Josep Visa, Joan Rodés – 30 December 2003 – Tumoral recurrence rate and survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated by orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) depend on tumor stage.

Aly/Aly mice: A unique model of biliary disease

Koichi Tsuneyama, Naoko Kono, Masahiro Hoso, Hiroyuki Sugahara, Kazuharu Yoshida, Kazuyoshi Katayanagi, M. Eric Gershwin, Katsuhiko Saito, Yasuni Nakanuma – 30 December 2003 – An autosomal recessive murine mutation, coined “aly/aly” or “alymphoplasia,” was recently reported. Homozygotes for aly are defective in both humoral and cell‐mediated immune function and have diffuse lymphoid cell infiltration of various tissues, particularly around the conduit ducts of the pancreas and salivary glands.

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