Florence Wong, Peter Liu, Laurence Blendis – 30 December 2003 – Renal sodium retention on standing is one aspect of the abnormal renal sodium handling in preascitic, well‐compensated patients with cirrhosis. Recently, it has been shown that low doses (7.5 mg) of the angiotensin II (Ang II) receptor antagonist, losartan, can reverse renal sodium retention on high, 200‐mmol sodium/d diet in these patients and restore them to sodium balance.

Naga Chalasani, J. Christopher Gorski, Nilesh H. Patel, Stephen D. Hall, Raymond E. Galinsky – 30 December 2003

Jenny Heathcote – 30 December 2003

Christina Ziemann, Dirk Schäfer, Gudrun Rüdell, Jens G. Scharf, Georg F. Kahl, Karen I. Hirsch‐Ernst – 30 December 2003

Mario Angelico, Daniele Di Paolo, Giuseppe Tisone – 30 December 2003

Chandan Guha, Bhupesh Parashar, Niloy J. Deb, Madhur Garg, Giridhar R. Gorla, Anupam Singh, Namita Roy‐Chowdhury, Bhadrasain Vikram, Jayanta Roy‐Chowdhury – 30 December 2003 – The treatment of inherited metabolic liver diseases by hepatocyte transplantation (HT) would be greatly facilitated if the transplanted normal hepatocytes could be induced to proliferate preferentially over the host liver cells. We hypothesized that preparative hepatic irradiation (HIR) should inhibit host hepatocyte proliferation in response to partial hepatectomy (PH).

Leticia Fernández, Nicolás Heredia, Luis Grande, Gloria Gómez, Antonio Rimola, Alberto Marco, Emilio Gelpí, Joan Roselló‐Catafau, Carmen Peralta – 30 December 2003 – This study was designed to evaluate whether ischemic preconditioning could confer protection against liver and lung damage associated with liver transplantation. The effect of preconditioning on the xanthine/xanthine oxidase (XOD) system in liver grafts subjected to 8 and 16 hours of cold ischemia was also evaluated.

Antony F. McDonagh – 30 December 2003

Roland Reinehr, Richard Fischer, Dieter Häussinger – 30 December 2003 – Sensitization of the endothelin‐A receptor (ETA) occurs during HSC transdifferentiation, but the underlying mechanisms remained unclear. Sensitization of ETA was studied in quiescent and activated hepatic stellate cells (HSC) at the levels of receptor phosphorylation, localization, endothelin (ET)‐1‐induced Ca2+ signals, and cell contraction.

Angels Escorsell, Angels Ginès, Josep Llach, Joan C. García‐Pagán, Josep M. Bordas, Jaume Bosch, Joan Rodés – 30 December 2003 – Many daily activities cause acute elevations of intra‐abdominal pressure (IAP). In portal hypertensive cirrhotic patients, increased IAP increases absolute portal pressure and azygos blood flow, suggesting that it may have detrimental consequences at the esophageal varices. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of increased IAP on variceal pressure, size, and wall tension.