Hans‐Peter Bode, LiFu Wang, Doris Cassio, M. Fatima Leite, Marie V. St‐Pierre, Keiji Hirata, Keisuke Okazaki, Marvin L. Sears, Paolo Meda, Michael H. Nathanson, Jean‐François Dufour – 30 December 2003 – Hepatocytes and other digestive epithelia exchange second messengers and coordinate their functions by communicating through gap junctions. However, little is known about intercellular communication in cholangiocytes. The aim of this study was to examine expression and regulation of gap junctions in cholangiocytes.

David Bernstein – 30 December 2003

Man‐Fung Yuen, Ronnie Tung‐Ping Poon, Ching‐Lung Lai, Sheung‐Tat Fan, Chung‐Mau Lo, Ka‐Wah Wong, Wai Man Wong, Benjamin Chun‐Yu Wong – 30 December 2003 – Although various types of treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been tried, the prognosis remains dismal, especially in patients with advanced stage of the disease. Somatostatin analogues exert antitumor effects. HCC have been shown to exhibit somatostatin receptors. The present randomized placebo‐controlled study aimed at examining the efficacy of long‐acting octreotide (Sandostatin LAR) for the treatment of advanced HCC.

Stephen O. Brennan, Ghassan Maghzal, Benjamin L. Shneider, Ronald Gordon, Margret S. Magid, Peter M. George – 30 December 2003 – The proposita and her sister had chronically elevated liver function test results, and needle biopsy specimens showed scattered eosinophilic inclusions within the hepatocytes. On immunoperoxidase staining, the inclusions reacted strongly with anti‐fibrinogen antisera; on electron‐microscopic (EM) examination, the material appeared confined to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and was densely packed into tubular structures with a swirling fingerprint appearance.

Adnan Said, Nasia Safdar, Michael Lucey – 30 December 2003

George K. Michalopoulos, William C. Bowen, Karen Mulè, Juan Carlos Lopez‐Talavera, Wendy Mars – 30 December 2003 – Organoid cultures of hepatocytes in the presence of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) display characteristic histologic organization. Biliary epithelium covers the surface of the tissue exposed to the culture medium. Hepatocytes, stellate cells and endothelial cells compose the underlying structures.

Massimo Roncalli, Paolo Bianchi, Barbara Bruni, Luigi Laghi, Annarita Destro, Sonia Di Gioia, Leandro Gennari, Maurizio Tommasini, Alberto Malesci, Guido Coggi – 30 December 2003 – One of the main regulatory pathways reported to be altered in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is that of cell cycle control involving RB1 gene‐related cell inhibitors. We investigated p14ARF, p15INK4B, p16INK4A, p18INK4C, and RB1 genes in a series of HCCs and associated cirrhosis with the goal of ascertaining their pattern of inactivation by gene methylation.

Mounia Tannour‐Louet, Arlette Porteu, Sophie Vaulont, Axel Kahn, Mireille Vasseur‐Cognet – 30 December 2003 – The spatiotemporal control of somatic mutagenesis in mice is considered a promising step to determine the function of a given gene product in a defined population of cells at any given time during animal life and also to generate better mouse models of human diseases.

Chung‐Mau Lo, Henry Ngan, Wai‐Kuen Tso, Chi‐Leung Liu, Chi‐Ming Lam, Ronnie Tung‐Ping Poon, Sheung‐Tat Fan, John Wong – 30 December 2003 – This randomized, controlled trial assessed the efficacy of transarterial Lipiodol (Lipiodol Ultrafluide, Laboratoire Guerbet, Aulnay‐Sous‐Bois, France) chemoembolization in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Juan B. Miñana, Luis Gómez‐Cambronero, Ana Lloret, Federico V. Pallardó, Juan Del Olmo, Amparo Escudero, José M. Rodrigo, Antonio Pellíin, Juan R. Viña, José Viña, Juan Sastre – 30 December 2003 – Apoptosis plays an important role in the progression of alcohol‐induced liver disease to cirrhosis. Oxidative stress is an early event in the development of apoptosis. The major aim of this study was to study the conditions in which oxidative stress occurs in chronic alcoholism and its relationship with apoptosis of hepatocytes.