Andrea Fabbri, Giampaolo Bianchi, Mara Brizi, Elisabetta Bugianesi, Donatella Magalotti, Marco Zoli, Giulio Marchesini – 30 December 2003 – Prostaglandins of the E (PGE) series have long been considered “catabolic” hormones, but recent data suggest that they may be secreted in critically ill patients to counteract stress hormones, stimulating protein synthesis. Their use is under scrutiny to improve hepatic microcirculation and as cytoprotective agents. We tested the effects of PGE1 on hepatic and whole‐body nitrogen metabolism in eight patients with cirrhosis.

Matthias Wettstein, Christian Weik, Claudia Holneicher, Dieter Häussinger – 30 December 2003 – Betaine was recently identified as an osmolyte in rat liver macrophages (Kupffer cells [KCs]) and sinusoidal endothelial cells (SECs). Betaine interferes with KC functions, such as phagocytosis, cytokine, and prostaglandin syntheses. As betaine is derived from choline, the present study was undertaken to evaluate osmosensitivity and cell heterogeneity of choline metabolism in rat liver.

Benedikt H. J. Pannen, Ferid Al‐Adili, Michael Bauer, Mark G. Clemens, Klaus K. Geiger – 30 December 2003 – We determined the functional role of nitric oxide (NO) and endothelins (ET), two potent vasoactive mediator systems in the liver, for the pathogenesis of sinusoidal perfusion failure and lethal hepatocyte injury after low‐flow ischemia/reperfusion in the isolated perfused rat liver.

Alberto Mattalia, Stefano Quaranta, Patrick S.C. Leung, Marzia Bauducci, Judy Van de Water, Pier Luigi Calvo, Franca Danielle, Mario Rizzetto, Aftab Ansari, Ross L. Coppel, Floriano Rosina, M. Eric Gershwin – 30 December 2003 – The detection of antimitochondrial antibodies (AMAs) is an important criterion for the diagnosis of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC).

Margherita Melegari, Pier Paolo Scaglioni, Jack R. Wands – 30 December 2003 – Hepatitis B virus (HBV) variant strains may develop during therapy for chronic infection with the nucleoside analog 2′,3′‐dideoxy‐3′‐thiacytidine (3TC). HBV mutants result from isoleucine (I) or valine (V) substitutions in the methionine (M) of the YMDD motif in the viral reverse‐transcriptase catalytic domain.

Souhei Ohguchi, Harushige Nakatsukasa, Toshihiro Higashi, Kozo Ashida, Kazuhiro Nouso, Masahiko Ishizaki, Naoki Hino, Yoshiyuki Kobayashi, Shuji Uematsu, Takao Tsuji – 30 December 2003 – For an approach of gene therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), transcriptional regulatory sequence (TRS) of either α‐fetoprotein (AFP) or albumin has been used for targeting cancer cells. To examine the feasibility of using TRSs of these genes for possible gene therapy of HCCs, the cellular distribution of AFP and albumin gene transcripts was studied in 25 cases of surgically removed human HCCs.

Christian Weik, Ulrich Warskulat, Johannes Bode, Thorsten Peters‐Regehr, Dieter Häussinger – 30 December 2003 – Compatible organic osmolytes, such as betaine and taurine are involved in the regulation of Kupffer cell (KC) function, but nothing is known about osmolytes in liver endothelial cells. This was investigated here by studying the effect of aniso‐osmotic exposure of rat liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (SEC) on osmolyte transport and the messenger RNA (mRNA) levels for the transport systems for betaine (BGT1), taurine (TAUT), and myo‐inositol (SMIT).

Hiroshi Kuriyama, Shizuya Yamashita, Iichiro Shimomura, Tohru Funahashi, Masato Ishigami, Katsumi Aragane, Kouji Miyaoka, Tadashi Nakamura, Kaoru Takemura, Zhiwei Man, Kiyotaka Toide, Natsuki Nakayama, Yoji Fukuda, Marie C. Lin, John R. Wetterau, Yuji Matsuzawa – 30 December 2003 – The liver plays a central role in lipoprotein metabolism. In particular, very‐low density lipoprotein (VLDL) is assembled in the hepatocytes and secreted into the blood circulation. The VLDL is then catabolized to low‐density lipoprotein by lipoprotein lipase and hepatic triglyceride lipase.

Esteban Mezey – 30 December 2003

Tracey A. Rouault – 30 December 2003