S W Schalm, G Fattovich, J T Brouwer – 30 December 2003 – The management of both compensated and decompensated cirrhosis caused by hepatitis C must be viewed in the context of the natural history of the disease. The prognosis of compensated cirrhosis caused by hepatitis C is relatively good. In a recent retrospective study, after 5 years of follow‐up evaluation, 18% of patients had developed hepatic decompensation and 7% hepatocellular carcinoma. Overall 5‐year survival rate was 91%.

Frederik Nevens, Rami Bustami, Ilse Scheys, Emmanuel Lesaffre, Johan Fevery – 30 December 2003 – Predictive criteria for a first variceal hemorrhage lack substantial accuracy. Cross‐sectional studies suggest a close relationship between variceal pressure (VP) and the occurrence of variceal bleeding. In the present prospective cohort study, the significance of VP measurement for prediction of a first variceal bleed was assessed. Eighty‐seven patients with cirrhosis and large esophageal varices who had never developed variceal bleeding were followed for 12 months.

Ming‐Chih Hou, Paul A. Cahill, Shuangmin Zhang, Yi‐Ning Wang, Richard J. Hendrickson, Eileen M. Redmond, James V. Sitzmann – 30 December 2003 – Portal hypertension (PHT) is characterized by splanchnic hyperemia due to enhanced production of vasodilator substances. Enhanced vasodilation and increased splanchnic blood flow contribute to the elevated portal pressure characteristic of PHT. The aim of this study was to determine whether cyclooxygenase (Cox) expression is altered in PHT vessels and whether chronic inhibition of this enzyme impacts on splanchnic blood flow in PHT.

Masaya Shiomi, Yoshiyuki Wakabayashi, Tsuyoshi Sano, Yuichi Shinoda, Yuji Nimura, Yuzuru Ishimura, Makoto Suematsu – 30 December 2003 – This study aimed to examine whether nitric oxide (NO) plays a causal role in endotoxin‐induced dysfunction of biliary transport. Rats were treated with intraperitoneal injection of endotoxin (O111B4, 4 mg/kg). At 2 hours, the liver was excised and perfused ex vivowith taurocholate (TC)‐containing Krebs‐Ringer solution under monitoring bile output and NO2in the perfusate and tissue cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) levels as indices of NO production.

Masato Chiba, Andreas J. Schwab, Carl A. Goresky, K. Sandy Pang – 30 December 2003 – The hepatocellular entry of 4‐methylumbelliferyl sulfate (4MUS) a highly ionized and highly bound anion capable of futile cycling, was examined in the single‐pass albumin‐free perfused rat liver preparation. Desulfation of 4MUS to 4‐methylumbelliferone (4MU) was verified in vitro to be a low‐affinity, high‐capacity process (Km= 731 μmol/L;Vmax= 414 nmol min−1g−1 liver).

Anders Lindblad, Hans Glaumann, Birgitta Strandvik – 30 December 2003 – The efficacy of 2 years of treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in cystic fibrosis (CF)‐associated liver disease was evaluated by liver biopsies and liver function tests in 10 patients aged 8 to 28 years. The metabolism of UDCA was investigated by analysis of urinary bile acids with fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FABMS) and gas‐liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Eight patients responded with normalization of liver function tests (LFT) and all with decreased serum levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG).

Ulrike Protzer‐Knolle, Uta Naumann, Ralph Bartenschlager, Thomas Berg, Uwe Hopf, Karl‐Hermann Meyer zum Büschenfelde, Peter Neuhaus, Guido Gerken – 30 December 2003 – “Escape” variants of hepatitis B virus (HBV) can cause infection despite previous immunization. These viruses show alterations of the immunogenic major hydrophilic loop of the HBV small surface protein (s‐protein).

Barbara J. Philips, Ian R. Armstrong, Anthony Pollock, Alistair Lee – 30 December 2003 – Changes in cerebral hemodynamics and metabolism associated with anesthesia and liver transplantation may present particular hazards for patients with cirrhosis. Fifteen patients undergoing liver transplantation were studied, 7 of whom had encephalopathy. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured at the start of surgery, during veno‐venous bypass and post reperfusion, using a method based on the Kety‐Schmidt method.

Yuko Miyazawa, Hiroko Tsutsui, Hidekazu Mizuhara, Hiromi Fujiwara, Kenji Kaneda – 30 December 2003 – Concanavalin A (Con A) stimulation induces T‐cell activation–associated hepatic injury. This study is designed to show the involvement of microcirculatory disturbance in the pathogenesis.

Martin Lechmann, Kazumoto Murata, Jujin Satoi, John Vergalla, Thomas F. Baumert, T. Jake Liang – 30 December 2003 – We have recently described the production of hepatitis C virus–like particles (HCV‐LPs) in insect cells that resemble the putative virions. Here we evaluate the humoral and cellular immunogenicity of the virus‐like particles with or without viral p7 protein, a small viral polypeptide that resides between the structural and nonstructural regions of the HCV polyprotein and whose function has not been defined.