Kenneth E. Sherman, Maria Sjogren, Robin L. Creager, Melissa A. Damiano, Stephen Freeman, Scot Lewey, Dirk Davis, Spencer Root, Frederick L. Weber, Kamal G. Ishak, Zachary D. Goodman – 30 December 2003 – Hepatitis C is a major cause of liver disease leading to cirrhosis. Although interferon (IFN) is the only approved therapy, treatment is characterized by low response rates and dose‐limiting side effects.

Alison L. Doughty, Jenean D. Spencer, Yvonne E. Cossart, Geoffrey W. McCaughan – 30 December 2003 – Viral recurrence is universal after transplantation for hepatitis C infection. This may lead to difficulties in differentiating allograft dysfunction caused by chronic rejection from hepatitis C virus (HCV) recurrence. Cases of severe cholestatic hepatitis have also been reported in conjunction with reinfection of the graft with HCV. Patients receiving transplants for HCV‐related liver disease were studied before and after transplantation by HCV RNA quantitation of serial serum samples.

Gideon Hirshfield, Jane D. Collier, Karen Brown, Craig Taylor, Thomas Frick, Trevor P. Baglin, Graeme J.M. Alexander – 30 December 2003 – The most commonly detected hypercoagulable state involves an abnormal factor V protein synthesized by the liver in which arginine at position 506 is replaced by glutamine as a result of a single‐point mutation in the factor V gene (factor V Leiden). Liver transplantation is complicated by hepatic vascular thrombosis in up to 15% of cases, resulting in graft loss in most instances.

Annarosa Floreani,, Walter Fries, Giovanni Luisetto, Patrizia Burra, Stefano Fagiuoli, Patrizia Boccagni, Giovanni Roselli Della Rovere, Mario Plebani, Antonio Piccoli, Remo Naccarato – 30 December 2003 – Bone mineral density (BMD) and mineral metabolism were assessed in 54 patients with end‐stage liver disease who were evaluated for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) and assessed 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery in 26 patients who underwent OLT.

Jeffrey S. Plotkin,, R. Michael Benitez, Paul C. Kuo, Mary J. Njoku, Linda A. Ridge, James W. Lim, Charles D. Howell, Jacqueline M. Laurin, Lynt B. Johnson – 30 December 2003 – This study attempts to evaluate the efficacy of dobutamine stress echocardiography for preoperative cardiac risk stratification in patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation. Two hundred twenty consecutively submitted patients were evaluated in preparation for orthotopic liver transplantation. Dobutamine stress echocardiography was performed in 80 patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease.

Afonso Ribeiro, Lawrence J. Burgart, David M. Nagorney, Gregory J. Gores – 30 December 2003 – Liver adenomatosis is defined by the presence of multiple hepatic adenomas (more than three lesions). The natural history and treatment of liver adenomatosis are not yet well defined. The Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN) experience with liver adenomatosis in the past 11 years was reviewed and a rational treatment approach is presented. Records from patients with liver adenomatosis and hepatic adenoma seen at the Mayo Clinic from January 1986 to June 1997 were reviewed.

Antonio García‐Herola, Martín Prieto, Sonia Pascual, Marina Berenguer, Bartolomé López‐Viedma, José Mir, Juan Jes Vilchez, Joaquín Berenguer – 30 December 2003 – Familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy is an inherited form of amyloidosis associated with a mutant form of a protein called transthyretin. The Methionine‐30 variant is the most frequent mutation observed. This disorder is caused by deposition of this protein as amyloid in several organs, such as the heart, kidneys, and peripheral nervous system.

Luigi Buscarini, Elisabetta Buscarini – 30 December 2003

Bruce Y. Tung, Frank J. Farrell, Timothy M. McCashland, Robert G. Gish, Bruce R. Bacon, Emmet B. Keeffe, Kris V. Kowdley – 30 December 2003 – Patients with hepatic iron overload who undergo orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) have a worse 1‐year survival than those who undergo transplantation for other indications; the long‐term outcome in this population is unknown. The purpose of this study is to report long‐term follow‐up after OLT in a cohort of patients with hepatic iron overload.

Robert B. Feller, Jennifer A. McDonald, Kenneth J. Sherbon, Geoffrey W. McCaughan – 30 December 2003 – Patients with end‐stage liver disease have low bone‐turnover osteoporosis, and there is often further bone loss of 20% to 30% after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Bone recovery after OLT has been reported, but data are limited. We undertook studies to determine whether bone recovery continues in the long term. Twenty‐eight adult patients alive at least 5 years after OLT were studied (14 men, 14 women).