Brian M. Parker, Sanjay Bhatia, Zobair Younossi, J. Michael Henderson, John E. Tetzlaff – 30 December 2003 – Patients with end‐stage liver disease (ESLD) may be at increased risk for syncopal episodes based on their circulatory physiological state. Although a definitive cause for this is not known, several mechanisms have been proposed. In patients with ESLD, defecation syncope may result from a failure of short‐term neurocirculatory adaptation to the Valsalva maneuver in the face of a hyperdynamic circulatory state and a decreased effective intravascular volume.

Scott L. Nyberg, Jonathan R. Hibbs, Joseph A. Hardin, Jeffrey J. Germer, Jeffrey L. Platt, Carlos V. Paya, Russell H. Wiesner – 30 December 2003 – A porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV) has been shown to infect human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells in vitro. The PERV proviral sequence exists in the genome of all porcine cells, including hepatocytes used in a bioartificial liver (BAL). We examined the possibility of PERV infection in HEK293 cells during exposure to supernatant from cultured pig hepatocytes.

Nina Singh, David L. Paterson, Timothy Gayowski, Marilyn M. Wagener, Ignazio R. Marino – 30 December 2003 – Predictors of bacteremia and mortality in bacteremic liver transplant recipients were prospectively assessed. One hundred eleven consecutive episodes of fever or infections were documented in 59 patients over a 4‐year period. Forty‐nine percent (29 of 59 patients) of the patients had bacteremia, 39% (23 of 59 patients) had nonbacteremic infections, and 12% (7 of 59 patients) had fever of noninfectious cause.

Alan W. Hemming, Tim D. Sielaff, Steven Gallinger, Mark S. Cattral, Bryce R. Taylor, Paul D. Greig, Bernard Langer – 30 December 2003 – Because hepatic resection is generally a safe procedure, the indications for resection of noncolorectal nonneuroendocrine (NCNNE) hepatic metastases have broadened. The prognostic features of NCNNE metastases treated surgically were reviewed to define better the value of resection. A retrospective review of patients undergoing liver resection for NCNNE metastases between 1978 and 1998 was undertaken. Thirty‐seven patients were identified.

Sheung‐Tat Fan – 30 December 2003

Brian R. Davidson, Rakesh Rai, Ashim Nandy, Nilesh Doctor, Andrew Burroughs, Keith Rolles – 30 December 2003 – Advances in radiological and endoscopic techniques have allowed many biliary complications after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) to be managed without surgery. The influence of nonsurgical management on the outcome of patients requiring surgical revision has not been addressed. We reviewed our 10‐year experience (October 1988 to January 1998) of Roux‐en‐Y choledochojejunostomy (CDJ) to treat biliary complications after OLT.

Julius Spicák – 30 December 2003

30 December 2003

Josh Levitsky, Thomas W. Faust, Stanley M. Cohen, Helen S. Te – 30 December 2003

30 December 2003