Deepak V. Gopal, Hugo R. Rosen – 30 December 2003 – Progressive liver allograft injury related to hepatitis C virus (HCV) recurrence occurs in 20% to 30% of liver transplant recipients within the first 5 years. In particular, the subset of patients who develop the severe cholestatic variant has an extremely high mortality. We report our center's experience with 7 cholestatic patients who were treated with interferon alfa‐2b (3 million IU three times per week initially) in combination with ribavirin.

Satheesh Nair, James Eason, George Loss – 30 December 2003 – Sirolimus, being nonnephrotoxic, is a viable alternative in patients who develop renal insufficiency caused by calcineurin inhibitors (CIs). The aim of this study is to determine whether there is improvement in renal function in liver transplant recipients after switching to sirolimus‐based immunosuppression. In this retrospective review, patients who were more than 3 years posttransplantation were selected.

Vanessa M. Shami, Stephen H. Caldwell, Elizabeth E. Hespenheide, Kristen O. Arseneau, Stephen J. Bickston, B. Gail Macik – 30 December 2003 – Severe coagulopathy in fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) is difficult to correct by conventional means. Recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) is an antihemophilic factor that has shown promise in treating coagulopathy in liver disease. Our aim is to review our experience with rFVIIa in treating the coagulopathy of FHF and compare these results with those of conventional therapy.

Sue V. McDiarmid – 30 December 2003

Russell H. Wiesner, Ruud A.F. Krom – 30 December 2003

Rafik M.

Tim U. Krohne, Srinivas Shankara, Michael Geissler, Bruce L. Roberts, Jack R. Wands, Hubert E. Blum, Leonhard Mohr – 30 December 2003 – For gene therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the Escherichia coli purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP)/fludarabine suicide gene system may be more useful than the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase/ganciclovir (HSV‐tk/GCV) system as a result of a stronger bystander effect.

Lorea Mendoza, Teresa Carrascal, Marco De Luca, Angela M. Fuentes, Clarisa Salado, Jerónimo Blanco, Fernando Vidal‐Vanaclocha – 30 December 2003 – The mechanism of intrasinusoidal arrest of circulating cancer cells, which is a critical step in liver metastasis, appears to be facilitated by tumor‐derived proinflammatory factors that increase sinusoidal cell adhesion receptors for cancer cells. However, how this prometastatic microenvironment is up‐regulated remains unknown.

Chuhan Chung, Jeanne Gottstein, Andres T. Blei – 30 December 2003 – Patients with fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) die with brain edema, exhibiting an increased cerebral blood flow (CBF) at the time of cerebral swelling. Mild hypothermia prevents brain edema in experimental models and in humans with FHF, an effect associated with normalization of CBF. To study the effects of alterations of CBF on the development of brain edema, we administered intravenous (IV) indomethacin to rats receiving an ammonia infusion after portacaval anastomosis.

Marco Bertolotti, Lucia Carulli, Mauro Concari, Pietro Martella, Paola Loria, Enrico Tagliafico, Sergio Ferrari, Marina Del Puppo, Barbara Amati, Emma De Fabiani, Maurizio Crestani, Claudio Amorotti, Antonio Manenti, Francesca Carubbi, Adriano Pinetti, Nicola Carulli – 30 December 2003 – Regulation of bile acid synthesis, a key determinant of cholesterol homeostasis, is still incompletely understood. To elucidate the feedback control exerted on bile acid biosynthesis in humans with obstructive cholestasis, 16 patients with bile duct obstruction were studied.