Y Matsuda, K Matsumoto, A Yamada, T Ichida, H Asakura, Y Komoriya, E Nishiyama, T Nakamura – 30 December 2003 – Liver fibrosis/cirrhosis is characterized by hyper‐accumulation of fibrous tissue components and is commonly observed in later or terminal states of chronic hepatic diseases. In ongoing work, we found that the administration of human recombinant hepatocyte growth factor (hrHGF) suppressed the onset of liver fibrosis/cirrhosis in several distinct models and accelerated the recovery from liver fibrosis/cirrhosis in rats.

A A Nanji, A Rahemtulla, T Daly, S Khwaja, L Miao, S Zhao, S R Tahan – 30 December 2003 – Based on studies that show a role for the low‐density lipoprotein (LDL)‐receptor in arachidonic acid delivery and eicosanoid synthesis in macrophages, the present study investigated the effect of cholesterol supplementation on pathological changes and thromboxane (TX) synthesis in alcoholic liver injury. Male Wistar rats were intragastrically fed ethanol with either corn oil or fish oil for 1 month. Control rats received isocaloric amounts of dextrose instead of ethanol.

R Carini, G Bellomo, M De Cesaris, E Albano – 30 December 2003 – Glycine has been shown to prevent hepatocyte death induced by anoxia and by several toxic agents. However, the mechanisms responsible for such a cytoprotective effect have not yet been entirely clarified. We have previously shown that an uncontrolled increase in intracellular Na+ is critical for hepatocyte killing induced by adenosine triphosphate (ATP) depletion.

M Runnegar, X Wei, N Berndt, S F Hamm‐Alvarez – 30 December 2003 – To understand the regulation of receptor‐mediated endocytosis in hepatocytes, we have used two specific inhibitors of serine‐threonine protein phosphatases (PP), microcystin (MCYST) and okadaic acid (OKA) as probes to alter protein phosphorylation in hepatocytes. We have then examined the impact of these changes on the specific binding and uptake of transferrin (Tf) in hepatocytes. The measurement of PP activity in hepatocyte lysates showed that OKA and MCYST shared a common inhibition of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A).

N P Lam, A U Neumann, D R Gretch, T E Wiley, A S Perelson, T J Layden – 30 December 2003 – To determine if the clearance of hepatitis C genotype 1 virus (HCV) is dependent on the dose of interferon alfa‐2b (IFN‐α2b), the acute clearance of HCV after a single dose of either 3, 5, or 10 mIU of IFN‐α was compared in patients with chronic hepatitis C. HCV‐RNA levels following IFN‐α administration were measured. At 24 hours, mean percentage serum viral reduction was 41.4%, 63.7%, and 85.5% for 3, 5, and 10 mIU, respectively (P < .001).

M S Khuroo – 30 December 2003

T Tanaka, N Yamanaka, T Oriyama, K Furukawa, E Okamoto – 30 December 2003 – This study was performed to investigate factors determining tumor pressure (TP) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and a correlation of pressure gradient between TP and portal vein pressure (PVP) with tumor spread. TP and hepatic tissue pressure (HTP) were measured in 70 patients who underwent hepatic resection for HCC. Changes in TP after hepatic artery occlusion (HAO) or portal vein occlusion (PVO) were observed.

A Tsukahara, S Seki, T Iiai, T Moroda, H Watanabe, S Suzuki, T Tada, H Hiraide, K Hatakeyama, T Abo – 30 December 2003 – Mouse liver contains both IL‐2Rβ‐ (or low positive) high T‐cell receptor (TCR(hi)) cells and IL‐2Rβ+ intermediate TCR (TCR(int)) cells. TCR(int) cells consist of natural killer 1.1 (NK1)+ and NK1‐ subsets. NK1‐ TCR(int) cells increase constantly with age whereas TCR(hi) cells decrease. NK1+ TCR(int) cell proportions in the liver increase until middle age and decrease thereafter.

J Napoli, D Prentice, C Niinami, G A Bishop, P Desmond, G W McCaughan – 30 December 2003 – Chronic hepatic regeneration constitutes an important part of the cirrhotic process. The factors regulating chronic hepatic regeneration, however, remain unclear.

H Nakano, H Nagasaki, A Barama, K Boudjema, D Jaeck, K Kumada, M Tatsuno, Y Baek, N Kitamura, T Suzuki, M Yamaguchi – 30 December 2003 – Abundant fat in the liver has been implicated in poor outcome after liver transplantation or liver surgery, but the reasons for this association are still unclear. The aim of the present study was to examine mechanisms that may be involved in hepatic dysfunction after ischemia‐reperfusion (I/R) of the steatotic rat liver. Steatosis was produced by a choline‐methionine‐deficient (CMDD) diet.