Elke Ueberham, Rainer Löw, Uwe Ueberham, Kai Schönig, Hermann Bujard, Rolf Gebhardt – 30 December 2003 – Based on the tetracycline‐regulated gene expression system, a double‐transgenic mouse model for liver fibrosis was established in which the expression of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF‐β1) can be regulated deliberately by addition or removal of doxycycline hydrochloride to the drinking water. TGF‐β1 plasma levels in induced double‐transgenic mice reached values ranging from 250 to 1,200 ng/mL, being 10 to 30 times above the normal plasma levels.

Mikio Kajihara, Shinzo Kato, Yuka Okazaki, Yutaka Kawakami, Hiromasa Ishii, Yasuo Ikeda, Masataka Kuwana – 30 December 2003 – Thrombocytopenia is a common manifestation in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC), but its underlying mechanism remains controversial. This study examined the role of anti‐platelet autoimmunity in cirrhotic thrombocytopenia by determining the autoantibody response to GPIIb‐IIIa, a major platelet surface autoantigen recognized by anti‐platelet antibodies in patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP).

Juan Carlos García‐Pagán, Rosa Morillas, Rafael Bañares, Agustin Albillos, Candido Villanueva, Carme Vila, Joan Genescà, Manuel Jimenez, Manuel Rodriguez, Jose Luis Calleja, Joaquin Balanzó, Fernando Garcáa‐Durán, Ramón Planas, Jaume Bosch – 30 December 2003 – Nonselective β‐blockers are very effective in preventing first variceal bleeding in patients with cirrhosis. Treatment with isosorbide‐5‐mononitrate (IS‐MN) plus propranolol achieves a greater reduction in portal pressure than propranolol alone.

Steven W. M. Olde Damink, Rajiv Jalan, Nicolaas E. P. Deutz, Doris N. Redhead, Cornelis H. C. Dejong, Paula Hynd, Rosy A. Jalan, Peter C. Hayes, Peter B. Soeters – 30 December 2003 – Upper gastrointestinal (UGI) bleeding in cirrhosis is associated with enhanced ammoniagenesis, the site of which is thought to be the colon. The aims of this study were to evaluate interorgan metabolism of ammonia following an UGI bleed in patients with cirrhosis.

Masao Omata – 30 December 2003

Torkel Wadström, Waleed Abu Al‐Soud, Åsa Ljungh, Hans‐Olof Nilsson, Unne Stenram – 30 December 2003

Tatsuhiro Shibata, Makoto Chuma, Akiko Kokubu, Michiie Sakamoto, Setsuo Hirohashi – 30 December 2003 – Wnt signaling mediated by β‐catenin plays crucial roles in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma and other cancers such as colorectal cancer. β‐Catenin associates with T‐cell factor (TCF) transcription factors and functions as a transcriptional activator in the nucleus. By protein interaction screening, we identified EBP50, a cytoplasmic protein with 2 PDZ domains, as a β‐catenin‐associating molecule.

Alessandro Perrella, Giovanni Tarantino, Guglielmo Borgia, Paolo Conca, Paolo Sorrentino, Paola Ragucci, Raffaella Vecchione, Oreste Perrella – 30 December 2003

Carlo Merkel – 30 December 2003

Raghavakaimal Sreekumar, Barbara Rosado, Deborah Rasmussen, Michael Charlton – 30 December 2003 – Although the molecular basis for the pathophysiology of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is poorly understood, insulin resistance and mitochondrial dysfunction are physiologic hallmarks of this condition. We sought evidence of a transcriptional or pretranscriptional basis for insulin resistance and mitochondrial dysfunction through measurement of hepatic gene expression (messenger RNA [mRNA]) using high‐density synthetic oligonucleotide microarray analysis (Hu6800 GeneChip, Affymetrix, CA).