Stefan Zeuzem, Jung‐Hun Lee, Alexa Franke, Brigitte Rüster, Otto Prümmer, Günter Herrmann, W. Kurt Roth – 30 December 2003 – Although several virus‐ and host‐related predictive factors for the response to interferon alfa (IFN‐α) have been defined in patients with chronic hepatitis C, no pretreatment parameter can definitely predict the response to antiviral treatment. Assessment of the initial response by quantification of serum hepatitis C virus RNA before and 4 weeks after initiation of therapy may be a clinically applicable and reliable parameter to predict long‐term response.

Nader Ghebranious, Stewart Sell – 30 December 2003 – The relative contribution to development of hepatocellular carcinoma of the mouse equivalent to the human p53ser249 mutation, found in human hepatocellular carcinoma associated with aflatoxin (AFB1) exposure, is compared with other major risk factors in a transgenic mouse model. Transgenic p53ser246 mice, expressing the mutant protein gene under the control of a truncated albumin promoter, were bred to mice lacking p53 (p53−/−) and to transgenic mice expressing hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg).

Christian Mottet, Cornel C. Sieber, André Nauer, Jürgen Drewe, Ronald Fried, Finn Larsen, Christoph Beglinger – 30 December 2003 – Because of their vasoactive effects, somatostatin and its analogs are increasingly used in the management of complications of chronic liver diseases such as variceal bleeding. Postprandial hyperemia augments splanchnic blood flow, subsequently increasing portal pressure. The aim of this study was to explore effects of the somatostatin analog, lanreotide, on food‐stimulated hemodynamic parameters in healthy human subjects.

Jian Wu, Pei Liu, Jian‐Liang Zhu, Sivaramaiah Maddukuri, Mark A. Zern – 30 December 2003 – To improve liposome‐directed therapy of liver disease and gene delivery, it would be beneficial to selectively target hepatocytes. For this purpose, conventional liposomes (CL) were labeled with asialofetuin (AF), an asialoglycoprotein. The biodistribution of AF‐labeled liposomes (AF‐L) in mice and their incorporation into rat hepatocytes, and their potential use in acute liver injury, were investigated.

Yasuo Yamaguchi, Fujio Matsumura, Motohiro Takeya, Osamu Ichiguchi, Jun‐Ichi Kuratsu, Tadashi Horiuchi, Eiji Akizuki, Teishi Matsuda, Kazutoshi Okabe, Hajime Ohshiro, Jian Liang, Katsutaka Mori, Shinwa Yamada, Kiyoshi Takahashi, Michio Ogawa – 30 December 2003 – Intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1) is important in neutrophil‐dependent injury. We investigated the effects of monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1) produced by Kupffer cells on ICAM‐1 expression after ischemia‐reperfusion in rat liver by occluding the portal vein for 30 minutes.

Anne‐Marie Préaux, Ariane Mallat, Jeanne Tran Van Nhieu, Marie‐Pia d'Ortho, Rosalind M. Hembry, Philippe Mavier – 30 December 2003 – Matrix metalloproteinase‐2 (MMP‐2) is involved in extracellular matrix remodeling. It is secreted as a proenzyme and activated by membrane type‐MMPs (MT‐MMP), such as MT1‐MMP. In liver fibrosis, MMP‐2 is highly expressed in myofibroblasts and may have a profibrogenic role. The mechanisms of its activation in the liver are still unclear.

Solange Bresson‐Hadni, Stéphane Koch, Isabelle Beurton, Dominique‐Angèle Vuitton, Brigitte Bartholomot, Stephan Hrusovsky, Bruno Heyd, Danièle Lenys, Anne Minello, Marie C. Becker, Claire Vanlemmens, Georges‐André Mantion, Jean‐Philippe Miguet – 30 December 2003 – Between 1986 and 1991, 21 patients received liver grafts in our center for incurable alveolar echinococcosis (AE). The aim of this study was to analyze the long‐term results in 15 of these 21 patients who survived more than 1 year after undergoing a liver transplantation (LT).

Kazushi Sugimoto, Katsuya Shiraki, Takeshi Ito, Katsuhiko Fujikawa, Koujiro Takase, Yukihiko Tameda, Masami Moriyama, Takeshi Nakano – 30 December 2003 – CD40, a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) family, plays a crucial role in the survival, proliferation, and differentiation in B cells. However, the expression of CD40 other than in B cells has not been well studied. Therefore, we investigated the expression and function of CD40 in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs).

Sharon Cookson, Patrizia K. Constantini, Michael Clare, James A. Underhill, Will Bernal, Albert J. Czaja, Peter T. Donaldson – 30 December 2003 – Genetic involvement in type 1 autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is indicated by a marked female preponderance and strong, well‐established, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) associations. These associations, however, are not universal and a number of genes outside the major histocompatibility complex may also play a role in susceptibility to type 1 AIH.

Don C. Rockey – 30 December 2003