W. Rogier ten Hove, Bart van Hoek, Ingeborg M. Bajema, Jan Ringers, Johan H.J.M. van Krieken, Emma L. Lagaaij – 30 December 2003 – The transplanted liver has been shown to be particularly capable of inducing tolerance. An explanation may be the presence of chimerism. Cells of donor origin have been found in recipient tissues after transplantation of any solid organ. Evidence for the presence of cells of recipient origin within the transplanted liver is very limited. We investigated whether nonlymphoid cells of recipient origin can be found within human liver allografts.

François Durand, Jacques Belghiti – 30 December 2003

Karen L. Hardinger, Bing Ho, Mark A. Schnitzler, Niraj Desai, Jeffrey Lowell, Surendra Shenoy, William Chapman, Jeffrey S. Crippin – 30 December 2003 – Bone disease has emerged as a serious and complex complication after liver transplantation. The purpose of this study is to determine risk factors for fracture and bone loss after liver transplantation. Dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry (DEXA) of the lumbar spine was performed routinely pretransplantation, 6 months posttransplantation, and at yearly intervals thereafter at our center.

Harvey J. Woehlck, Christopher P. Johnson, Allan M. Roza, Mark B. Adams – 30 December 2003 – Reperfusion syndrome during liver transplantation and anaphylaxis are clinical syndromes that share similarities in physiological responses. The liver and intestine contain a variety of immunologically active cells, including mast cells. The purpose of this study is to investigate the possibility that mast‐cell degranulation occurs routinely during transplantation and thereby contributes to hemodynamic instability and coagulopathy.

Mohamed H. Wali, Mathis Heydtmann, Rebecca F. Harrison, Bridget K. Gunson, David J. Mutimer – 30 December 2003 – Predictors of hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐related liver disease posttransplantation are still unclear. The impact of HCV genotype on outcome of transplantation has been studied, but conclusions are not in agreement. The role of HCV genotype 4 on the result of liver transplantation requires further study. The aim of this study is to examine the outcome of liver transplantation for patients with HCV genotype‐4 infection.

Emilio Fábrega, Covadonga García‐Suarez, Armando Guerra, Aitor Orive, Fernando Casafont, Javier Crespo, Fernando Pons‐Romero – 30 December 2003 – The enduring shortfall of organ donors has inspired the widespread utilization of hepatic allografts from donors with hepatitis B core antibodies in spite of the potential risk of transmitting hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection to the recipient. Here we report a protocol of naive recipients receiving livers from hepatitis B core antibody‐positive donors.

Tetsuya Kiuchi, Koichi Tanaka, Takashi Ito, Fumitaka Oike, Yasuhiro Ogura, Yasuhiro Fujimoto, Kohei Ogawa – 30 December 2003 – With the extensive use of living donor liver grafts in adult patients, controversy over small‐for‐size syndrome has escalated in recent years. Although several symptoms have been suggested as manifestations of the syndrome, small‐for‐size syndrome remains difficult to diagnose because these symptoms are neither specific nor inevitable. The occurrence of small‐for‐size syndrome also seems to depend on a number of recipient and graft factors.

Francis Colardyn – 30 December 2003 – The well‐known shortage of organs for transplantation can partly be managed with organs (or parts of them) from living donors. This form of organ donation is hampered by two important drawbacks: the harm to the donor and the lack of certainty that the donation is free of coercion. As often happens in medicine, both aspects have no clear solution. Therefore, all guarantees must be built into the processes leading to transplantation, under the control of peers.

Christoph E. Broelsch, Andrea Frilling, Giuliano Testa, Vito Cicinnati, Silvio Nadalin, Andreas Paul, Massimo Malago – 30 December 2003 – Key points

D W Crabb – 30 December 2003