Alexander Monto, Keyur Patel, Alan Bostrom, Stephen Pianko, Paul Pockros, John G. McHutchison, Teresa L. Wright – 27 February 2004 – Heavy alcohol use contributes to liver disease in the setting of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Whether this is true for light or moderate alcohol use has not been demonstrated. Light alcohol use has survival benefits at a population level and is practiced by most patients with chronic HCV infection.

Juan Córdoba, Roy Lucke – 27 February 2004

Abhinav Humar, Kambiz Kosari, Timothy D. Sielaff, Brooke Glessing, Maria Gomes, Charles Dietz, Galia Rosen, John Lake, William D. Payne – 26 February 2004 – As the number of living donor (LD) and deceased donor (DD) split‐liver transplants (SLTs) have increased over the last 5 years, so too has the interest in liver regeneration after such partial‐liver transplants. We looked at liver regeneration, as measured by computed tomography (CT) volumetrics, to see if there were significant differences among LDs, right‐lobe LD recipients, and SLT recipients.

Christian Moench, Anja Uhrig, Ansgar W. Lohse, Gerd Otto – 26 February 2004 – Ischemic‐type biliary lesions are a major complication following orthotopic liver transplantation. They occur in up to 26% of liver transplant recipients. Among other factors, unknown immunologic factors have always been assumed to be partly responsible for these lesions. CC‐chemokines and their receptors play a key role in postoperative immunomodulation after liver transplantation.

Mark W. Russo, Robert S. Brown – 26 February 2004

Lisa M. Forman, James F. Trotter, Jean Emond – 26 February 2004

Masayuki Fujino, Yusuke Kitazawa, Mikiko Kawasaki, Naoko Funeshima, Hiromitsu Kimura, Toshiharu Nakajima, Hirohisa Saito, Xiao‐Kang Li – 26 February 2004 – Induction of tolerance to allogeneic donor grafts is a clinically desirable goal in bone marrow and solid organ transplantation. We have taken the advantage of DNA microarray technology to investigate gene expression mechanism in regulatory cells.

Roopa Kohli‐Seth, Claude Killu, May Jennifer Amolat, John Oropello, Anthony Manasia, Andrew Leibowitz, Adel Bassily‐Marcus, Ernest Benjamin – 26 February 2004 – Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP) has been described after bone marrow, lung, heart‐lung, and renal transplantation, but rarely after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). We report a case of BOOP after OLT to emphasize BOOP as an under diagnosed and treatable cause of nonresolving pneumonia, which may not be preventable by maintenance low‐dose prednisone.

Shawna L. Ehlers, James R. Rodrigue, Michelle R. Widows, Alan I. Reed, David R. Nelson – 26 February 2004 – Compared to alcohol use, and despite its potential health implications, tobacco use among candidates and recipients of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) has not been the focus of much attention. The purpose of the present study is to examine lifetime pre‐ and post‐OLT prevalence rates of tobacco use, relapse rates after OLT, and comorbid use of alcohol and tobacco.

Julie R. Jonsson, Wenyi Gu, Daina M. Vanags, G. Alex Bishop, Geoffrey W. McCaughan, Jonathon Fawcett, Stephen V. Lynch, Glenda A. Balderson, Elizabeth E. Powell, Andrew D. Clouston – 26 February 2004 – Experimental models of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) have shown that the very early events post‐OLT are critical in distinguishing immunogenic and tolerogenic reactions. In rodents, increased leukocyte apoptosis and cytokine expression have been demonstrated in tolerogenic strain combinations. Information from human OLT recipients is less abundant.