Stephan Krähenbühl, Eric P. Brass, Charles L. Hoppel – 30 December 2003 – Carnitine biosynthesis was investigated in rats with secondary biliary cirrhosis induced by bile duct ligation (BDL) for 4 weeks (n = 5) and in pair‐fed, sham‐operated control rats (n = 4). Control rats were pair‐fed to BDL rats, and all rats were fed an artificial diet with negligible contents of carnitine, butyrobetaine, or trimethyllysine. Biosynthesis of carnitine and its precursors was determined by measuring their excretion in urine and accumulation in the body of the animals.

Fatma Abdel‐Aziz, Mostafa Habib, Mostafa K. Mohamed, Mohamed Abdel‐Hamid, Foda Gamil, Salah Madkour, Nabiel N. Mikhail, David Thomas, Alan D. Fix, G. Thomas Strickland, Wagida Anwar, Ismail Sallam – 30 December 2003 – This report describes a cross‐sectional survey of the prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti‐HCV) in a rural Egyptian community in the Nile Delta. One half of the village households were systematically selected and examined by questionnaire and testing sera for anti‐HCV and HCV RNA.

Juan Jos Arrieta, Elena Rodriguez‐Iñigo, Mercedes Casqueiro, Javier Bartolomé, Felix Manzarbeitia, Montserrat Herrero, Margarita Pardo, Vicente Carreño – 30 December 2003 – Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that there is a correlation between oral lichen planus and chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. HCV RNA has been recently detected in epithelial cells from oral lichen planus lesions by reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR).

Karin Fattinger, Valentino Cattori, Bruno Hagenbuch, Peter J. Meier, Bruno Stieger – 30 December 2003 – The antibiotics, rifamycin SV and rifampicin, are known to interfere with hepatic bile salt and organic anion uptake. The aim of this study was to explore which transport systems are affected. In short‐term–cultured rat hepatocytes, low concentrations (10 μmol/L) of both compounds inhibited mainly sodium‐independent taurocholate uptake, whereas higher concentrations (100 μmol/L) also inhibited sodium‐dependent taurocholate uptake.

Giuseppe Colucci – 30 December 2003

Neil D. Theise, Manjunath Nimmakayalu, Rebekah Gardner, Peter B. Illei, Glyn Morgan, Lewis Teperman, Octavian Henegariu, Diane S. Krause – 30 December 2003 – It has been shown in animal models that hepatocytes and cholangiocytes can derive from bone marrow cells. We have investigated whether such a process occurs in humans. Archival autopsy and biopsy liver specimens were obtained from 2 female recipients of therapeutic bone marrow transplantations with male donors and from 4 male recipients of orthotopic liver transplantations from female donors.

Carl Albrecht Schirren, Maria‐Christina Jung, Joern Tilman Gerlach, Thomas Worzfeld, Gustavo Baretton, Maxim Mamin, Norbert Hubert Gruener, Michael Houghton, Gerd Rudolf Pape – 30 December 2003 – Virus‐specific CD4+ T‐cell response at the site of inflammation is believed to play a decisive role for the course of viral disease. In hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, the majority of studies focused on the peripheral blood T‐cell response. In this study we analyzed intrahepatic virus‐specific CD4+ T‐cell response and compared this with that in the peripheral blood.

Yun‐Fan Liaw, Sun‐Lung Tsai, Rong‐Nan Chien, Chau‐Ting Yeh, Chia‐Ming Chu – 30 December 2003 – Asian lamivudine trial has shown that hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion rate during 1 year of lamivudine therapy was only 16% but was 64% in the subgroup of patients with a pretherapy serum alanine transaminase (ALT) level over 5 times the upper limit of normal (ULN). To test whether ALT rebound following corticosteroid priming enhances response to lamivudine therapy, a pilot study was conducted in 30 patients with ALT levels less than 5× ULN (43‐169; N < 36 U/L).

Luis Felipe Barros, Andrés Stutzin, Andrea Calixto, Marcelo Catalán, Joel Castro, Claudio Hetz, Tamara Hermosilla – 30 December 2003 – Necrosis, as opposed to apoptosis, is recognized as a nonspecific cell death that induces tissue inflammation and is preceded by cell edema. In non‐neuronal cells, the latter has been explained by defective outward pumping of Na+ caused by metabolic depletion or by increased Na+ influx via membrane transporters.

Steve J. Cheng, Peter A. L. Bonis, Joseph Lau, Nhu Q. Pham, John B. Wong – 30 December 2003 – The efficacy of interferon (IFN) combined with ribavirin for the treatment of patients with hepatitis C who failed to respond to initial IFN therapy is not well established. The primary goal of this study was to perform a systematic review of the literature evaluating the efficacy of combination therapy in nonresponders. Studies were retrieved from MEDLINE, abstracts of scientific meetings, and review of the bibliographies of retrieved studies.