Bettina Grasl‐Kraupp, Walter Rossmanith, Branislav Ruttkay‐Nedecky, Leonhard Müllauer, Bettina Kammerer, Wilfried Bursch, Rolf Schulte‐Hermann – 30 December 2003 – Transforming growth factor β1 (TGF‐β1) has been implicated as inhibitor of cell proliferation and a potent inducer of apoptosis in vitro and in vivo after the administration of high doses. To assess the role of endogenous TGF‐β1, we quantitated the cytokine and its receptors in rat liver during regenerative and hyperplastic growth, regression by apoptosis, and in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Laura Falasca, Anna Favale, Giampiero Gualandi, Gennaro Maietta, Laura Conti Devirgiliis – 30 December 2003 – The present study reports the effects of retinoic acid (RA) on cultured fetal rat hepatocytes. We show that RA treatment induces both differentiation and apoptosis. Hepatocytes cultured for 48 hours in the presence of 5 μmol/L RA form junctional complexes in the areas of contact between neighboring cells and develop bile canaliculi, typical features of mature and well‐differentiated cells.

Roberto Burioni, Paola Plaisant, Aldo Manzin, Domenico Rosa, Valeria Delli Carri, Francesca Bugli, Laura Solforosi, Sergio Abrignani, Pietro E. Varaldo, Giovanni Fadda, Massimo Clementi – 30 December 2003 – Demonstration of antibodies inhibiting key viral functions is the basis for the design of an effective vaccine. Dissection of the human antibody response by repertoire cloning may be a powerful means to address this issue. In this study, a panel of human monoclonal recombinant Fab fragments specific for hepatitis C virus (HCV) E2 envelope protein was generated.

Tracey A. Rouault – 30 December 2003

Esteban Mezey – 30 December 2003

Hiroshi Kuriyama, Shizuya Yamashita, Iichiro Shimomura, Tohru Funahashi, Masato Ishigami, Katsumi Aragane, Kouji Miyaoka, Tadashi Nakamura, Kaoru Takemura, Zhiwei Man, Kiyotaka Toide, Natsuki Nakayama, Yoji Fukuda, Marie C. Lin, John R. Wetterau, Yuji Matsuzawa – 30 December 2003 – The liver plays a central role in lipoprotein metabolism. In particular, very‐low density lipoprotein (VLDL) is assembled in the hepatocytes and secreted into the blood circulation. The VLDL is then catabolized to low‐density lipoprotein by lipoprotein lipase and hepatic triglyceride lipase.

Christian Weik, Ulrich Warskulat, Johannes Bode, Thorsten Peters‐Regehr, Dieter Häussinger – 30 December 2003 – Compatible organic osmolytes, such as betaine and taurine are involved in the regulation of Kupffer cell (KC) function, but nothing is known about osmolytes in liver endothelial cells. This was investigated here by studying the effect of aniso‐osmotic exposure of rat liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (SEC) on osmolyte transport and the messenger RNA (mRNA) levels for the transport systems for betaine (BGT1), taurine (TAUT), and myo‐inositol (SMIT).

Souhei Ohguchi, Harushige Nakatsukasa, Toshihiro Higashi, Kozo Ashida, Kazuhiro Nouso, Masahiko Ishizaki, Naoki Hino, Yoshiyuki Kobayashi, Shuji Uematsu, Takao Tsuji – 30 December 2003 – For an approach of gene therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), transcriptional regulatory sequence (TRS) of either α‐fetoprotein (AFP) or albumin has been used for targeting cancer cells. To examine the feasibility of using TRSs of these genes for possible gene therapy of HCCs, the cellular distribution of AFP and albumin gene transcripts was studied in 25 cases of surgically removed human HCCs.

Margherita Melegari, Pier Paolo Scaglioni, Jack R. Wands – 30 December 2003 – Hepatitis B virus (HBV) variant strains may develop during therapy for chronic infection with the nucleoside analog 2′,3′‐dideoxy‐3′‐thiacytidine (3TC). HBV mutants result from isoleucine (I) or valine (V) substitutions in the methionine (M) of the YMDD motif in the viral reverse‐transcriptase catalytic domain.

Alberto Mattalia, Stefano Quaranta, Patrick S.C. Leung, Marzia Bauducci, Judy Van de Water, Pier Luigi Calvo, Franca Danielle, Mario Rizzetto, Aftab Ansari, Ross L. Coppel, Floriano Rosina, M. Eric Gershwin – 30 December 2003 – The detection of antimitochondrial antibodies (AMAs) is an important criterion for the diagnosis of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC).