A randomized controlled trial of colchicine plus ursodiol versus methotrexate plus ursodiol in primary biliary cirrhosis: Ten‐year results

Marshall M. Kaplan, Steven Cheng, Lori Lyn Price, Peter A. L. Bonis – 25 March 2004 – Primary biliary cirrhosis frequently progresses despite treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), the only approved therapy. Previous studies suggested that colchicine and methotrexate may improve biochemical tests of liver function, symptoms, and liver histology. The aim of the present study was to determine if the addition of colchicine or methotrexate to UDCA would improve survival free of liver transplantation.

Celecoxib‐induced apoptosis in rat cholangiocarcinoma cells mediated by Akt inactivation and Bax translocation

Zichen Zhang, Guan‐Hua Lai, Alphonse E. Sirica – 25 March 2004 – Recently, we demonstrated that the cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) inhibitor celecoxib acts to significantly suppress the growth of rat C611B cholangiocarcinoma (ChC) cells in vitro. To establish a molecular mechanism for this growth suppression, we investigated the effects of celecoxib on apoptotic signaling pathways in cultured rat C611B ChC cells.

A murine model of type 2 autoimmune hepatitis: Xenoimmunization with human antigens

Pascal Lapierre, Idriss Djilali‐Saiah, Susana Vitozzi, Fernando Alvarez – 25 March 2004 – Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is characterized by an immune‐mediated injury of the hepatic parenchyma of unknown pathogenesis. Type 2 AIH is identified by the presence of anti‐liver‐kidney microsomes type 1 (anti‐LKM1) and anti‐liver cytosol type 1 (anti‐LC1) autoantibodies. The current study shows that a murine model of AIH can be generated by DNA immunization against type 2 AIH self‐antigens (P450 2D6 and formiminotransferase‐cyclodeaminase).

HLA and cytokine gene polymorphisms are independently associated with responses to hepatitis B vaccination

Chengbin Wang, Jianming Tang, Wei Song, Elena Lobashevsky, Craig M. Wilson, Richard A. Kaslow – 25 March 2004 – Variable immune responses to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and recombinant HBV vaccines have been associated with polymorphisms in several genes within the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) complex.

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