Chuhan Chung, Jeanne Gottstein, Andres T. Blei – 30 December 2003 – Patients with fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) die with brain edema, exhibiting an increased cerebral blood flow (CBF) at the time of cerebral swelling. Mild hypothermia prevents brain edema in experimental models and in humans with FHF, an effect associated with normalization of CBF. To study the effects of alterations of CBF on the development of brain edema, we administered intravenous (IV) indomethacin to rats receiving an ammonia infusion after portacaval anastomosis.

Lorea Mendoza, Teresa Carrascal, Marco De Luca, Angela M. Fuentes, Clarisa Salado, Jerónimo Blanco, Fernando Vidal‐Vanaclocha – 30 December 2003 – The mechanism of intrasinusoidal arrest of circulating cancer cells, which is a critical step in liver metastasis, appears to be facilitated by tumor‐derived proinflammatory factors that increase sinusoidal cell adhesion receptors for cancer cells. However, how this prometastatic microenvironment is up‐regulated remains unknown.

Tim U. Krohne, Srinivas Shankara, Michael Geissler, Bruce L. Roberts, Jack R. Wands, Hubert E. Blum, Leonhard Mohr – 30 December 2003 – For gene therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the Escherichia coli purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP)/fludarabine suicide gene system may be more useful than the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase/ganciclovir (HSV‐tk/GCV) system as a result of a stronger bystander effect.

Rafik M.

Russell H. Wiesner, Ruud A.F. Krom – 30 December 2003

Sue V. McDiarmid – 30 December 2003

Vanessa M. Shami, Stephen H. Caldwell, Elizabeth E. Hespenheide, Kristen O. Arseneau, Stephen J. Bickston, B. Gail Macik – 30 December 2003 – Severe coagulopathy in fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) is difficult to correct by conventional means. Recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) is an antihemophilic factor that has shown promise in treating coagulopathy in liver disease. Our aim is to review our experience with rFVIIa in treating the coagulopathy of FHF and compare these results with those of conventional therapy.

Satheesh Nair, James Eason, George Loss – 30 December 2003 – Sirolimus, being nonnephrotoxic, is a viable alternative in patients who develop renal insufficiency caused by calcineurin inhibitors (CIs). The aim of this study is to determine whether there is improvement in renal function in liver transplant recipients after switching to sirolimus‐based immunosuppression. In this retrospective review, patients who were more than 3 years posttransplantation were selected.

Deepak V. Gopal, Hugo R. Rosen – 30 December 2003 – Progressive liver allograft injury related to hepatitis C virus (HCV) recurrence occurs in 20% to 30% of liver transplant recipients within the first 5 years. In particular, the subset of patients who develop the severe cholestatic variant has an extremely high mortality. We report our center's experience with 7 cholestatic patients who were treated with interferon alfa‐2b (3 million IU three times per week initially) in combination with ribavirin.

Gary L. Davis, James E. Albright, Suzanne F. Cook, Daniel M. Rosenberg – 30 December 2003 – Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is common and often results in slowly progressive liver disease. Although acute hepatitis C is now uncommon, most patients with acute infection have developed chronic hepatitis, and, therefore, the pool of infected patients is large. We used a modification of a previously described natural history model for HCV infection to project the number of cases of HCV infection, cirrhosis, and liver failure over the next 40 years.