Koichi Tsuneyama, Mitsue Yasoshima, Kenichi Harada, Katsushi Hiramatsu, M. Eric Gershwin, Yasuni Nakanuma – 30 December 2003 – Cluster of differentiation 1 (CD1) is a family of four distinct nonpolymorphic major histocompatibility complex class I‐like molecules that can present microbial nonpeptide lipid antigens to T cells. Among the CD1 gene family, CD1d is found in a wide range of tissues including the intestine and liver, and has been proposed to play an important role in mucosal immunity.

Francisco J. Gallego‐Rojo, Jorge L. Gonzalez‐Calvin, Manuel Muñoz‐Torres, Jose L. Mundi, Ramon Fernandez‐Perez, Dolores Rodrigo‐Moreno – 30 December 2003 – Previous studies suggest that low bone mass is a complication of alcoholic liver disease. Nevertheless, little is known about bone mass and bone metabolism in viral cirrhosis.

Gretchen S. Crary, Jeffrey H. Albrecht – 30 December 2003 – The p21 protein is a universal inhibitor of cyclin‐dependent kinases and of cell‐cycle progression and is involved in numerous growth‐inhibitory pathways in cell culture systems. Recent studies suggest that p21 regulates hepatocyte cell cycle progression in models of liver regeneration. The present study was designed to investigate the possible involvement of p21 in the control of hepatocyte proliferation in human liver diseases.

Hal F. Yee – 30 December 2003 – Hepatic stellate cell activation, thought to play a key role in fibrosis of the liver, is characterized by changes in cellular morphology. The intracellular signals regulating morphological alterations associated with stellate cell activation are uncertain. The ras‐like guanosine triphosphate–binding protein, rho, has recently emerged as an important regulator of the actin cytoskeleton, and consequently cell morphology.

Hans Fromm – 30 December 2003

Jens O. Karlsson, Martin L. Yarmush, Mehmet Toner – 30 December 2003 – Two characteristic elements of the acute‐phase response are an altered pattern of circulating hepatic proteins and fever. Whereas a fever‐induced heat shock response could affect expression of acute‐phase proteins in the liver, the effects of a modest temperature increase on protein secretion in interleukin‐6 (IL‐6)–stimulated HepG2 cells were investigated. The response of HepG2 cells to IL‐6 stimulation was significantly affected by heat treatment at 40°C.

Andres T. Blei – 30 December 2003

Xavier Forns, Sergi Ampurdanès, Josep M. Llovet, John Aponte, Llorenç Quintó, Eva Martínez‐Bauer, Miquel Bruguera, Jose Maria Sánchez‐Tapias, Juan Rodés – 30 December 2003 – Liver biopsy is required for staging hepatic fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C, but it is an expensive procedure with occasional complications and poor patient acceptance. This cohort study was designed to assess the accuracy of a noninvasive method aimed to discriminate between patients with and without significant liver fibrosis (stages 2‐4 versus 0‐1).

Giovanna M. Ledda‐Columbano, Monica Pibiri, Danilo Concas, Costanza Cossu, Marco Tripodi, Amedeo Columbano – 30 December 2003 – Cyclin D1 is considered to play a critical role in the progression from G1 to S phase of the cell cycle, and its overexpression is seen in many human tumors. However, previous studies in cell lines have shown that cyclin D1 is not sufficient to trigger cell replication.

Jules L. Dienstag – 30 December 2003 – The report of the 1997 National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference on hepatitis C endorsed pretreatment liver biopsy. We revisit the following questions: Does liver histology help determine the urgency of, and predict the likelihood of response to, antiviral therapy, and can surrogate markers supplant histological assessment?