Axel Heinemann, Friedel Wischhusen, Klaus Püschel, Xavier Rogiers – 30 December 2003 – Living donor and split‐liver transplantation techniques require the calculation of a standard liver volume (SLV) as a reference point for the minimal volume necessary for the recipient. We therefore examined whether a widely used formula developed on the basis of a Japanese population sample was also adequate for the Caucasian population. The documentation of volumes of 1332 autopsy livers from a German Forensic Medicine Department was used to create a formula for an SLV for the Caucasian population.

Frank Vinholt Schiødt, Stig Bondesen, Klaus Müller, Allan Rasmussen, Allan Hjortrup, Preben Kirkegaard, Bent Adel Hansen, Niels Tygstrup, Peter Ott – 30 December 2003 – Serum levels of the actin scavenger Gc‐globulin (group‐specific component, vitamin D–binding protein), a member of the albumin multigene family, are decreased in severe liver disease but have not been evaluated in relation to liver transplantation. We measured Gc‐globulin and Gc‐globulin–actin complex ratio daily for 2 weeks after transplantation in 17 patients with end‐stage liver disease.

M. Susan Mandell – 30 December 2003

Alighieri Mazziotti – 30 December 2003

Ashokkumar B. Jain, Randeep Kashyap, Jorge Rakela, Thomas E. Starzl, John J. Fung – 30 December 2003 – The introduction of tacrolimus has shown decreased rates of acute and steroid‐resistant rejection after liver transplantation (LTx). The aim of the present study is to examine the long‐term efficacy and safety of tacrolimus in primary liver transplant recipients. The first 121 consecutive adults (aged >16 years) who underwent primary LTx at a single center from August 1989 to February 1990 were followed up until August 1997.

Karin W. Houben, John L. McCall – 30 December 2003 – Liver resection is the treatment of choice for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurring in the absence of underlying chronic liver disease. Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is reserved for patients with unresectable disease but remains controversial. The aim of this study was to review the published literature on OLT for HCC in patients without coexisting chronic liver disease. A Medline‐based search identified 126 patients reported in 16 papers over the last 32 years.

Stephen M. Riordan, Roger Williams – 30 December 2003

Kenneth E. Sherman, Joelle Sickler, Jaime Aranda‐Michel, Frederick L. Weber, Stephen Martin, James Whiting, Douglas Hanto – 30 December 2003 – Hepatitis C recurrence after liver transplantation is a serious problem, leading to increased graft loss and morbidity in some individuals. Treatment with interferon and other agents is controversial and not highly efficacious. The use of an effective antiviral agent to reduce or eliminate viral burden is desirable.

Frank V. Schiødt, Evren Atillasoy, A. Obaid Shakil, Eugene R. Schiff, Cary Caldwell, Kris V. Kowdley, Risë Stribling, Jeffrey S. Crippin, Steven Flamm, Kenneth A. Somberg, Hugo Rosen, Tim M. McCashland, J. Eileen Hay, William M. Lee, the Acute Liver Failure Study Group – 30 December 2003 – Little information is available on acute liver failure (ALF) in the United States. We gathered demographic data retrospectively for a 2‐year period from July 1994 to June 1996 on all cases of ALF from 13 hospitals (12 liver transplant centers).

Sally E. Tarbell, Beverly Kosmach – 30 December 2003 – Although liver transplantation has become an effective treatment for end‐stage liver disease and liver/intestine transplantation is becoming an increasingly viable procedure for end‐stage short‐gut syndrome in children, little is known about the impact of these procedures on the child's family. Examination of the impact of these transplantations on the family is needed to identify psychosocial factors that may adversely affect the child's physical and emotional health and to plan for preventive interventions.