B Casanova, M Prieto, E Deya, C Gisbert, J Mir, J Berenguer, J J Vilchez – 30 December 2003 – Cyclosporine A (CyA)‐related cortical blindness is an uncommon complication of CyA therapy in patients undergoing liver transplantation. Characteristically, neurological symptoms associated with CyA treatment usually regress after cyclosporine withdrawal. We present a case of a liver transplant recipient in whom discontinuation of CyA therapy has resulted in only partial clinical improvement, and cortical blindness remains after 1 year of follow‐up.

M R Lucey, K A Brown, G T Everson, J J Fung, R Gish, E B Keeffe, N M Kneteman, J R Lake, P Martin, S V McDiarmid, J Rakela, M L Shiffman, S K So, R H Wiesner – 30 December 2003 – This report summarizes a recent meeting cosponsored by the American Society of Transplant Physicians and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases to formulate minimal criteria by which patients with severe liver disease will be placed on the waiting list for liver transplantation.

A M De Wolf, V Scott, R Bjerke, Y Kang, D Kramer, A Miro, J J Fung, F Dodson, T Gayowski, I R Marino, L Firestone – 30 December 2003 – Patients with moderate and severe pulmonary hypertension have a very high mortality rate when undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation. Because nitric oxide has been successful in reducing pulmonary artery pressures in certain patients with pulmonary hypertension, the efficacy of NO inhalation (40 and 80 ppm) in 4 patients with pulmonary hypertension associated with liver disease was determined.

J H Hoofnagle, M Lombardero, Y Wei, J Everhart, R Wiesner, R Zetterman, A J Yun, L Yang, J P Kim – 30 December 2003 – The hepatitis G virus is a newly discovered flavivirus that has been linked to acute and chronic hepatitis of unknown cause. We determined the prevalence of hepatitis G virus infection in 179 selected patients undergoing liver transplantation at three centers participating in the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Liver Transplantation Database.

A De Wolf – 30 December 2003

P A Sheiner, L K Schluger, S Emre, S N Thung, J Y Lau, S R Guy, M E Schwartz, C M Miller – 30 December 2003 – Recurrence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) after orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) may be mild or may lead to progressive liver disease requiring retransplantation (re‐OLT). Results of re‐OLT for hepatitis C are not well known. We analyzed outcomes in 14 patients retransplanted for recurrent hepatitis C. All had evidence of recurrent hepatitis on multiple biopsies.

J Alexander, A Greenough, A Baker, M Rela, N Heaton, D Potter – 30 December 2003

Neil Kaplowitz – 30 December 2003

30 December 2003

Helmut M. Diepolder, Norbert H. Gruener, Jonathan Heeney – 30 December 2003 – To define the early events that determine the outcome of acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, we compared the course of viremia with the peripheral and intrahepatic T cell response and intrahepatic cytokine profile in six acutely infected chimpanzees. Three different outcomes were observed after peak viral titers were reached: sustained viral clearance, transient viral clearance followed by chronic infection, and chronic infection that persisted at initial peak titers.