Marianna Storto, Ugo de Grazia, Thomas Knöpfel, Pier Luigi Canonico, Agata Copani, Plinio Richelmi, Ferdinando Nicoletti, Mariapia Vairetti – 30 December 2003 – Western blot analysis of protein extracts from rat liver revealed the presence of the mGlu5 receptor, one of the G‐protein–coupled receptors activated by glutamate (named “metabotropic glutamate receptors” or mGlu receptors). mGlu5 expression was particularly high in extracts from isolated hepatocytes, where levels were comparable with those seen in the rat cerebral cortex.

Leonhard Mohr, Srinivas Shankara, Seung‐Kew Yoon, Tim U. Krohne, Michael Geissler, Bruce Roberts, Hubert E. Blum, Jack R. Wands – 30 December 2003 – Expression of viral or bacterial enzymes in tumor cells to convert nontoxic prodrugs into highly toxic metabolites is an attractive gene‐therapeutic approach for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The Escherichia coli purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) converts purine analogs into freely diffusible metabolites, which are highly toxic to dividing and nondividing cells.

Andrew K. Diehl – 30 December 2003

Mahbub H. Khan, Geoffrey C. Farrell, Karen Byth, Rita Lin, Martin Weltman, Jacob George, Dev Samarasinghe, James Kench, Songal Kaba, Evelyn Crewe, Chris Liddle – 30 December 2003 – To identify variables that are independent predictors of adverse outcomes in chronic hepatitis C, we analyzed a cohort of 455 patients followed for a median of 4.7 years.

Wulf Otto Böcher, Eithan Galun, Hadar Marcus, Nili Daudi, Dov Terkieltaub, Daniel Shouval, Hanns Friedrich Löhr, Yair Reisner – 30 December 2003 – In chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection weak antiviral immune responses are associated with viral persistence. We studied possible immune deficits underlying the lack of serum antibodies of such patients against the HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) in a novel human/mouse chimeric model.

Lisa M. Colletti, Maranne E. Green, Marie D. Burdick, Robert M. Strieter – 30 December 2003 – Hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) results in a neutrophil‐dependent lung and liver injury. The process of neutrophil recruitment and activation in this injury is at least partially dependent on the presence of the ELR+ CXC chemokines. Other investigations have shown that ELR− CXC chemokines can block ELR+ CXC chemokine neutrophil recruitment and activation in vitro.

Neil D. Theise, Sunil Badve, Romil Saxena, Octavian Henegariu, Stewart Sell, James M. Crawford, Diane S. Krause – 30 December 2003 – Following a report of skeletal muscle regeneration from bone marrow cells, we investigated whether hepatocytes could also derive in vivofrom bone marrow cells. A cohort of lethally irradiated B6D2F1 female mice received whole bone marrow transplants from age‐matched male donors and were sacrificed at days 1, 3, 5, and 7 and months 2, 4, and 6 posttransplantation (n = 3 for each time point).

María Pérez‐Paramo, Javier Muñoz, Agustín Albillos, Isabel Freile, Francisca Portero, Martín Santos, José Ortiz‐Berrocal – 30 December 2003 – Bacterial translocation appears to be an important mechanism in the pathogenesis of spontaneous infections in cirrhosis. Cirrhotic patients are commonly treated with β‐adrenoceptor blockers, but the impact of this treatment in the factors promoting bacterial translocation has not been investigated.

Naga Chalasani, Arthur Baluyut, Ayaaz Ismail, Atif Zaman, Gagan Sood, Reem Ghalib, T. M. McCashland, K. Rajender Reddy, Xaralambos Zervos, Mann A. Anbari, Helena Hoen – 30 December 2003 – Patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) have a significantly increased risk of developing cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Risk factors for developing such a complication are not well defined. We conducted a multicenter, case‐control study to determine the risk factors and possible predictors for CCA in patients with PSC.

Makoto Suematsu, Yuzuru Ishimura – 30 December 2003