Hiroyuki Yoshidome, Atsushi Kato, Michael J. Edwards, Alex B. Lentsch – 30 December 2003 – Ischemia/reperfusion injury of the liver requires the participation of proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and adhesion molecules, many of which are regulated by the transcription factor nuclear factor κB (NFκB). The anti‐inflammatory cytokine, interleukin‐10 (IL‐10) affects inflammatory reactions, at least in part, through inhibitory effects on the transcription factor, NFκB.

G. Aravinda Upadhya, Steven M. Strasberg – 30 December 2003 – Cold preservation induces the secretion of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) by hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells (SECs). These enzymes are important mediators of cold preservation injury. The purpose of this study was to determine if low temperature caused actin disassembly in SECs and whether actin disassembly was required for secretion of MMPs under these conditions.

Markus Selzner, Carlos A. Camargo, Pierre‐Alain Clavien – 30 December 2003 – The effects of ischemia on the regenerative capacity of the liver after major tissue loss remain unclear. Interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) has been shown to confer protection in models of normothermic ischemia and reperfusion injury and to initiate hepatocyte proliferation after major hepatectomy.

B. Le Bail, J. Carles, J. Saric, C. Balabaud, P. Bioulac‐Sage – 30 December 2003

Christophe Hézode, Christophe Duvoux, Georgios Germanidis, Françoise Roudot‐Thoraval, Anne‐Laure Vincens, Philippe Gaulard, Daniel Cherqui, Jean‐Michel Pawlotsky, Daniel Dhumeaux – 30 December 2003 – It has been suggested that hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection could be associated with B‐cell clonal expansion. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between lymphoproliferative disorders and HCV infection in liver transplant recipients. We studied 157 patients receiving a liver transplant between January 1989 and May 1997 with a follow‐up longer than 3 months.

Don C. Rockey – 30 December 2003

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.

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).

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).

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.