Yuichi Nakazawa, Yasuhiko Hashikura, Koichi Urata, Toshihiko Ikegami, Masaru Terada, Hideo Yagi, Hiromichi Ishizashi, Masanori Matsumoto, Yoshihiro Fujimura, Shinichi Miyagawa – 30 December 2003 – Defective plasma activity of Von Willebrand factor (VWF)‐cleaving protease (CP) and/or the inhibitors against this protease has been shown to have a pathological role in several forms of thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). This report describes a patient for whom a diagnosis of TMA was made immediately after living donor liver transplantation.

Emilio Ramos, Antonia Dalmau, Antonio Sabate, Carmen Lama, Laura Llado, Juan Figueras, Eduardo Jaurrieta – 30 December 2003 – Objectives of this study are to quantify the need for blood transfusion during liver transplantation (LT) and confirm the importance of intraoperative blood transfusion as an independent prognostic factor for postoperative outcome. Furthermore, we try to detect useful variables for the preoperative identification of patients likely to require transfusion of packed red blood cell units (PRCUs) and identify measures to reduce transfusion needs.

Grace L. Su, Richard D. Klein, Alireza Aminlari, Hong Y. Zhang, Lars Steinstraesser, William H. Alarcon, Daniel G. Remick, Stewart C. Wang – 30 December 2003 – Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) binding protein (LBP) is a key serum factor that mediates LPS activation of mononuclear cells. In the presence of LBP, 1/1,000 the concentration of LPS is sufficient to activate peripheral blood monocytes.

Albert Pardo, Ramon Bartolí, Vicente Lorenzo‐Zúñiga, Ramon Planas, Belén Viñado, Joan Riba, Eduard Cabré, Justiniano Santos, Teresa Luque, Vicenç Ausina, Miguel A. Gassull – 30 December 2003 – Deranged intestinal motility, which occurs in cirrhosis, may facilitate the development of intestinal bacterial overgrowth (IBO), which can lead to bacterial translocation (BT). To assess the effect of cisapride on IBO and BT in cirrhosis, cirrhotic rats received cisapride or a placebo for 7 days, and measurements of jejunal bacterial content and BT studies were performed.

Yoshiyuki Ueno, Motoyasu Ishii, Kaichiro Yahagi, Yutaka Mano, Norihiro Kisara, Norio Nakamura, Tooru Shimosegawa, Takayoshi Toyota, Shigekazu Nagata – 30 December 2003 – Bile‐duct injury observed in hepatic graft versus host disease (GVHD) is regarded as an immune‐mediated injury, although its precise mechanism is unclear. However, recent studies have suggested the involvement of Fas‐mediated cell death in this immune‐mediated cholangiopathy.

Michael Malinchoc, Patrick S. Kamath, Fredric D. Gordon, Craig J. Peine, Jeffrey Rank, Pieter C.J. ter Borg – 30 December 2003 – Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPS) may worsen liver function and decrease survival in some patients. The Child‐Pugh classification has several drawbacks when used to determine survival in such patients.

María J. Iraburu, José A. Domínguez‐Rosales, Luis Fontana, Anitra Auster, Elena R. García‐Trevijano, Amador Covarrubias‐Pinedo, Ana María Rivas‐Estilla, Patricia Greenwel, Marcos Rojkind – 30 December 2003 – Tumor necrosis factor α (TNF‐α) is one of the key cytokines of the acute phase response and of many inflammatory processes. This cytokine has several antifibrogenic actions and down‐regulates the expression of the type I collagen genes and induces the expression of metalloproteinases.

Elizabeth E. Powell, Catherine J. Edwards‐Smith, John L. Hay, Andrew D. Clouston, Darrell H. Crawford, Claudia Shorthouse, David M. Purdie, Julie R. Jonsson – 30 December 2003 – Progressive hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis develops in 20% to 30% of patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV). We propose that host genetic factors influencing fibrogenesis may account for some of the variability in progression of this disease.

Naofumi Nagasue, Dipok Kumar Dhar, Akira Yamanoi, Yamaguchi Emi, Jun Udagawa, Akitaka Yamamoto, Mitsuo Tachibana, Hirofumi Kubota, Hitoshi Kohno, Takayuki Harada – 30 December 2003 – This study was aimed to evaluate the source of endothelin‐1 (ET‐1) in cirrhotic patients. ET‐1 is implicated in the pathogenesis of portal hypertension. However, the mechanism and source for increased plasma ET‐1 in cirrhotic patients are still obscure.

Alexandra Fennekohl, Maria Lucas, Gerhard P. Püschel – 30 December 2003 – Prostanoids, that are released from nonparenchymal liver cells in response to proinflammatory stimuli, are involved in the regulation of hepatic functions during inflammation. They exert their effects on their target cells via heptahelical receptors in the plasma membrane. For the 5 prostanoids prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), prostaglandin F2α, prostaglandin D2(PGD2), prostacyclin, and thromboxane A2 there exist 8 receptors that are coupled to different heterotrimeric G proteins.