Walther Honscha, Kerstin U. Dötsch, Nadine Thomsen, Ernst Petzinger – 30 December 2003 – We have cloned two complementary DNAs (cDNAs), RL‐Mtx‐1 and RL‐Mtx‐2, corresponding to the bile acid‐ sensitive methotrexate carrier from rat liver by direct full‐length rapid amplification of cDNA ends polymerase chain reaction (RACE‐PCR) using degenerated primers that were deduced from published sequences of tumor cell methotrexate transporters. When expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes and cosM6 cells, both clones mediate methotrexate and bumetanide transport.

Stanislas Pol, Bertrand Nalpas, Marc Bourlière, Patrice Couzigou, Albert Tran, Armand Abergel, Jean‐Pierre Zarski, Pierre Berthelot, Christian Bréchot – 30 December 2003 – The purpose of this study was to compare interferon‐alfa alone (12‐month course with high initial doses) with a combination of interferon‐alfa and ribavirin in patients infected with genotype 1b.

Neil D. Theise, Young Nyun Park, Swan N. Thung – 30 December 2003

Katarína Vajdová, Renáta Smreková, Csilla Mišlanová, Marián Kukan, Martina Lutterová – 30 December 2003 – With increasing time of cold preservation, levels of high‐energy nucleotides in the liver are reducing. The authors hypothesized that cold preservation sensitizes hepatocyte function to ischemic injury occurring during graft rewarming and that the injury can be prevented by short‐term reperfusion. Rat livers were cold‐preserved in University of Wisconsin solution for 0 to 18 hours and ischemically rewarmed for 0 to 45 minutes to simulate the implantation stage of transplantation.

Toshiki Sakamoto, Tsukasa Ezure, John Lunz, Noriko Murase, Hirokazu Tsuji, John J. Fung, Anthony J. Demetris – 30 December 2003 – Liver hematopoietic progenitor cells (LHPC) and liver epithelial progenitor cells (LEPC) share a remarkable number of growth and differentiation‐controlling receptor‐ligand signaling systems. These likely account for the ability of the liver to support hematopoiesis in fetal life, and possibly for suggestions that LHPC can differentiate into hepatocytes.

Mindie H. Nguyen, Ruel T. Garcia, Peter W. Simpson, Teresa L. Wright, Emmet B. Keeffe – 30 December 2003 – α‐Fetoprotein (AFP) is frequently used as a diagnostic marker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Most available data concerning AFP come from studies of patients with chronic hepatitis B or other chronic liver diseases of mixed etiologies. Limited data concerning the diagnostic value of AFP for hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐related HCC have to date come only from Asian and European studies, and results are conflicting.

Mark S. Sulkowski, David L. Thomas, Shruti H. Mehta, Richard E. Chaisson, Richard D. Moore – 30 December 2003

Albert J. Czaja, Deborah K. Freese – 30 December 2003

Alexandra Henrion‐Caude, Cyril Flamant, Michel Roussey, Chantal Housset, Antoine Flahault, Anthony A. Fryer, Katarina Chadelat, Richard C. Strange, Annick Clement – 30 December 2003 – Liver disease in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) is inconstant and has not yet been clearly related to any specific risk factor.

Dirk Graf, Anna Kordelia Kurz, Roland Reinehr, Richard Fischer, Gerald Kircheis, Dieter Häussinger – 30 December 2003 – Bile acid–induced apoptosis plays an important role in the pathogenesis of cholestatic liver disease, and its prevention is of therapeutic interest. The effects of betaine were studied on taurolithocholate 3‐sulfate (TLCS) and glycochenodeoxycholate (GCDC)‐induced apoptosis in rat hepatocytes in vitro and in vivo.