Catherine A. Lázaro, Emma J. Croager, Claudia Mitchell, Jean S. Campbell, Changpu Yu, Jessica Foraker, Jonathan A. Rhim, George C. T. Yeoh, Nelson Fausto – 30 December 2003 – Cultured human hepatocytes have broad research and clinical applications; however, the difficulties in culturing rodent and human hepatocytes are well known. These problems include the rapid loss of the hepatocytic phenotype in primary culture and the limited replicating capacity of the cultured cells.

Seong‐Hwan Chang – 30 December 2003

Ali Canbay, Ariel E. Feldstein, Hajime Higuchi, Nate Werneburg, Annette Grambihler, Steve F. Bronk, Gregory J. Gores – 30 December 2003 – Hepatocyte apoptosis by death receptors, hepatic inflammation, and fibrosis are prominent features of liver diseases. However, the link between these processes remains unclear. Our aim was to ascertain whether engulfment of apoptotic bodies by Kupffer cells promotes hepatic inflammation and fibrosis. Isolated murine Kupffer cells efficiently engulfed apoptotic bodies generated from UV‐treated mouse hepatocytes.

Tatyana Kalinina, Alicja Iwanski, Hans Will, Martina Sterneck – 30 December 2003 – Hepatitis B virus with a G145R mutation in the small surface protein is considered the quintessential immune escape mutant because it frequently is found in vaccinated individuals with breakthrough infections and liver transplant recipients under anti‐hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) immunoglobulin prophylaxis. Nowadays the prevalence of the variant progressively increases.

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

Fin Stolze Larsen, Gitte Strauss, Kirsten Møller, Bent Adel Hansen – 30 December 2003 – The absence of cerebral blood flow autoregulation in patients with fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) implies that changes in arterial pressure directly influence cerebral perfusion. It is assumed that dilatation of cerebral arterioles is responsible for the impaired autoregulation. Recently, frontal blood flow was reported to be lower compared with other brain regions, indicating greater arteriolar tone and perhaps preserved regional cerebral autoregulation.

Mario Rizzetto, Alfredo Marzano – 30 December 2003 – Key Points

Pertti Pere, Krister Höckerstedt, Helena Isoniemi, Leena Lindgren – 30 December 2003 – The autoregulation of cerebral blood flow (CBF) is impaired in patients with end‐stage liver disease and encephalopathy. These patients are vulnerable to sudden deterioration of cerebral perfusion and oxygenation during liver transplantation. We compared CBF and metabolism during liver transplantation without venovenous bypass and 24 hours postoperatively in 9 patients with acute liver failure (ALF) and 16 patients with chronic liver disease.

Sammy Saab, Paul Martin, George Y. Soliman, Gustavo A. Machicado, Bennett E. Roth, Gregg Kunder, Steven‐Huy B. Han, Douglas G. Farmer, R. Mark Ghobrial, Ronald W. Busuttil, Rudolph A. Bedford – 30 December 2003 – This study presents the long‐term sequelae of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)‐managed biliary leakage in patients who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) and compares the relative efficacy, safety, and charges of nasobiliary drainage (NBD) versus biliary stenting (BS).

Patrick S. Kamath, Herschel A. Carpenter, Ricardo V. Lloyd, Michael A. McKusick, Jeffery L. Steers, David M. Nagorney, Virginia M. Miller – 30 December 2003 – Endothelin‐1 (ET‐1) may mediate increased resistance to hepatic sinusoidal blood flow. We evaluated the hepatic distribution of ET‐1 in patients with idiopathic portal hypertension (IPH), in which liver architecture may be normal, and in patients with cirrhosis, in which distortion of hepatic sinusoidal architecture is prominent.