Gary L. Davis – 30 December 2003 – Alpha interferon therapy of chronic hepatitis C is typically accompanied by a biphasic decrease in hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA levels: an initial rapid decline during the first 24 to 48 hours, and a second more gradual decline during the following weeks. The rate of second‐phase decline correlates with ultimate response to interferon treatment. Thus, assessment of early virological response (EVR) may predict outcome.

Leonhard Mohr, Julia I. Schauer, Raymond H. Boutin, Darius Moradpour, Jack R. Wands – 30 December 2003 – Gene therapy approaches for the treatment of malignant tumors will require high‐level expression of therapeutic genes in tumors compared with normal tissues. This may be achieved either by targeted gene delivery to tumor cells or by the use of tumor‐specific promoters.

Jean Henrion, Philippe Minette, Lucien Colin, Michael Schapira, Andre Delannoy, Francis R. Heller – 30 December 2003 – Out of a prospective series of 142 consecutive episodes of hypoxic (ischemic) hepatitis (HH), we identified 17 episodes associated with an acute exacerbation of chronic respiratory failure (CRF) without left cardiac failure.

Thomas M. Berghaus, Andreas Baron, Andreas Geier, Rolf Lamerz, Gustav Paumgartner, Peter Conzen – 30 December 2003

Piotr Milkiewicz, Charles O. Mills, Marcelo G. Roma, Jalal Ahmed‐Choudhury, Elwyn Elias, Roger Coleman – 30 December 2003 – The monohydroxy bile acid, taurolithocholate (TLC), causes cholestasis in vivo and in isolated perfused livers. It is also cholestatic in vitro and, in this study using isolated rat hepatocyte couplets, causes a reduction of the accumulation of (fluorescent) bile acid in the canalicular vacuoles (cVA) of this polarized cell preparation.

Hugo R. Rosen, Joseph P. Madden, Paul Martin – 30 December 2003 – In the current era of critical‐organ shortage, one of the most controversial questions facing transplantation teams is whether hepatic retransplantation, which has historically been associated with increased resource utilization and diminished survival, should be offered to a patient whose first allograft is failing. Retransplantation effectively denies access to orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) to another candidate and further depletes an already‐limited organ supply.

Françoise Lunel, Pascale Cresta, Damien Vitour, Christopher Payan, Bruno Dumont, Lionel Frangeul, Dorothée Reboul, Christine Brault, Jean‐Charles Piette, Jean‐Marie Huraux – 30 December 2003 – Several studies have shown a relationship between pretreatment hepatitis C virus (HCV) viral load and the response to interferon (IFN) therapy, creating a need for quantitative HCV‐RNA assays.

David E. Jones, Oliver F. James, Bernard Portmann, Alastair D. Burt, Roger Williams, Mark Hudson – 30 December 2003 – Two patients undergoing liver transplantation for classical end‐stage primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) are described, who went on to develop de novo autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) in the transplanted liver. The presentation, in both instances, was with malaise and lethargy. Markedly elevated serum transaminases were found, together with a raised serum IgG and/or globulin fraction and histological features on liver biopsy typical of AIH.

Götz Kallien, Kerstin Lange, Eduard F. Stange, Jürgen Scheibner – 30 December 2003 – 3‐Hydroxy‐3‐methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG‐CoA) reductase inhibitors have been reported to suppress biliary cholesterol secretion and saturation. It remains unproven whether this is mediated by inhibition of cholesterol synthesis. Therefore, the effect of a long‐term administration of pravastatin on cholesterogenesis and on biliary lipid secretion was investigated in seven healthy volunteers. Placebo or 40 mg of pravastatin were taken daily at bedtime for 5 weeks using a double‐blind crossover design.

Ilana Harman‐Boehm, Leonid Zingman, Nir Hilzenrat – 30 December 2003