D R Gretch – 30 December 2003 – Diagnostic tests for hepatitis C can be divided into the following two general categories: 1) serological assays that detect antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti‐HCV); and 2) molecular assays that detect, quantify, and/or characterize HCV RNA genomes within an infected patient. Serological assays have been subdivided into screening tests for anti‐HCV, such as the enzyme immunoassay (EIA), and supplemental tests such as the recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA).

F C Bekkering, J T Brouwer, S W Schalm, A Elewaut – 30 December 2003

M Tacke, S Schmolke, V Schlueter, S Sauleda, J I Esteban, E Tanaka, K Kiyosawa, H J Alter, U Schmitt, G Hess, B Ofenloch‐Haehnle, A M Engel – 30 December 2003 – The second envelope protein (E2) of the hepatitis G virus (HGV) was expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and showed a molecular weight of approximately 60 to 70 kd, with 15 to 25 kd of the size contributed by N‐linked glycosylation. An enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using HGV‐E2 was developed to test for antibodies to this protein (anti‐E2) in human sera.

P Lampertico, E Del Ninno, A Manzin, M F Donato, M G Rumi, G Lunghi, A Morabito, M Clementi, M Colombo – 30 December 2003 – Short‐term interferon treatment of serum hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)‐negative carriers with serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA and histological features of chronic hepatitis B has been largely unsuccessful. In a pilot study of long‐term treatment, 42 such patients were randomly assigned to 6 million units of interferon alfa 2b (IFN‐α2b) three times per week for 24 consecutive months (n = 21, 4 with cirrhosis) or to no therapy (n = 21, 3 with cirrhosis).

C Yamamoto, N Enomoto, M Kurosaki, S Yu, J Tazawa, N Izumi, F Marumo, C Sato – 30 December 2003 – The extreme 5′‐proximal sequences of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome including the 5′untranslated region (5′UTR) and the first 30 nucleotides of the core region are highly conserved, and serve as an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) that initiates the cap‐independent translation of HCV polyprotein. Mutations in the IRES sequence have been shown to cause changes in the efficiency of protein translation in vitro.

A F Attili, R Capocaccia, N Carulli, D Festi, E Roda, L Barbara, L Capocaccia, A Menotti, L Okolicsanyi, G Ricci, L Lalloni, S Mariotti, C Sama, E Scafato – 30 December 2003 – The epidemiological associations of gallstone disease were evaluated in a general population sample of 29,584 individuals (15,910 men and 13,674 women; age range, 30‐39 years) belonging to 14 cohorts examined between December 1984 and April 1987.

M Kage, T Fujisawa, K Shiraki, T Tanaka, T Fujisawa, A Kimura, K Shimamatsu, E Nakashima, M Kojiro, M Koike, Y Tazawa, D Abukawa, M Okaniwa, H Takita, A Matsui, T Hayashi, T Etou, S Terasawa, K Sugiyama, H Tajiri, A Yoden, Y Kajiwara, M Sata, Y Uchimura – 30 December 2003 – Limited information is available regarding the histology of hepatitis C virus infection in children. The aim of this study was to determine the histological pattern of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in children, and liver biopsy specimens from 109 pediatric patients with CHC were examined.

E K Manesis, C Papaioannou, A Gioustozi, G Kafiri, J Koskinas, S J Hadziyannis – 30 December 2003 – To compare two interferon (IFN) schedules for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C, we followed 211 patients who received 3 million units IFN‐α2b thrice weekly for either 6 months (group 1; 85 patients) or 12 months (group 2; 126 patients), with a median follow‐up of 3.4 (0.1‐ 8.4) and 4.2 (0.7‐8.7) years, respectively. The biochemical and virological responses at the end of treatment were 34.1% and 16.5% versus 62.7% and 41.2% for the 6‐ and the 12‐month regimens, respectively.

A Colell, C Garcia‐Ruiz, A Morales, A Ballesta, M Ookhtens, J Rodes, N Kaplowitz, J C Fernandez‐Checa – 30 December 2003 – Ethanol intake depletes the mitochondrial pool of reduced glutathione (GSH) by impairing the transport of GSH from cytosol into mitochondria. S‐Adenosyl‐L‐methionine (SAM) supplementation of ethanol‐fed rats restores the mitochondrial pool of GSH. The purpose of the current study was to determine the effect of ethanol feeding on the kinetic parameters of mitochondrial GSH transport, the fluidity of mitochondria, and the effect of SAM on these changes.

R G Cameron, M G Neuman, L M Blendis – 30 December 2003 – Stellate cells have only recently received attention in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). We used electron microscopy and morphometry to perform a qualitative and quantitative examination of lipid‐storing activity of stellate cells in liver biopsies of 26 patients with noncirrhotic and cirrhotic PBC. Parallel with this study, a comparative analysis of the morphology of stellate cells in 51 patients with livers of normal histology was performed.