Tousif Pasha, Sherine Gabriel, Terry Therneau, E. Rolland Dickson, Keith D. Lindor – 30 December 2003 – The risk of a major complication from “blind” percutaneous liver biopsy is reported to be in the range of 0.24% to 3.8%. In a recent randomized trial, patients whose liver biopsies were performed with ultrasonography had a significant reduction in complications requiring hospitalization compared with patients without ultrasound‐guided biopsies (0.5% vs. 2.2%, P < .05).

Gladys Tapia, Pilar Troncoso, Monica Galleano, Virginia Fernandez, Susana Puntarulo, Luis A. Videla – 30 December 2003 – This study tested the hypothesis that acute iron overload (500 mg/kg) alters Kupffer cell functioning by promoting free radical reactions associated with the respiratory burst of liver macrophages, assessed in the isolated perfused rat liver under conditions of Kupffer cell stimulation by carbon infusion and inactivation by gadolinium chloride pretreatment.

Shigeru Yoshioka, Masaru Miyazaki, Hiroaki Shimizu, Hiroshi Ito, Koji Nakagawa, Satoshi Ambiru, Nobuyuki Nakajima, Yasuichiro Fukuda – 30 December 2003 – This study was designed to evaluate the use of hepatic venous hemoglobin oxygen saturation (Shvo2) as an indicator of hepatic oxygen supply‐demand relation and also regenerative status of the liver after partial hepatectomy in rats. We assessed the Shvo2 levels for 7 days, as well as hepatic hemodynamics, oxygen consumption, DNA synthesis and energy charge of the remnant liver for 3 days after 50% hepatectomy or sham operation.

Jaime Gosálvez, Elena Rodríguez‐Iñigo, José L. Ramiro‐Díaz, Javier Bartolomé, José F. Tomás, Horacio Oliva, Vicente Carreño – 30 December 2003 – Although several reports concerning the detection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) by in situ hybridization have been published, there are no data concerning the relative viral load in infected hepatocytes or about its relation with serum viremia levels. To address these issues, liver biopsies from 10 patients with chronic hepatitis C were analyzed by in situ hybridization and digital image analysis of hybridization signals.

Brigitte Vollmar, Sören Siegmund, Michael D. Menger – 30 December 2003 – Quantitative data defining the relationship between the hepatic microcirculation and the development of liver pathological changes could provide a basis for a better understanding of fibrogenic processes, such as cirrhosis.

Yasuharu Ikeda, Mitsuo Shimada, Hirofumi Hasegawa, Tomonobu Gion, Kiyoshi Kajiyama, Ken Shirabe, Katsuhiko Yanaga, Kenji Takenaka, Keizo Sugimachi – 30 December 2003 – We evaluated the effect of diabetes mellitus on the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma after an elective hepatic resection. Of the 342 patients who underwent a hepatic resection between April 1985 and March 1995, 87 (25.4%) were diabetic. Postoperative morbidity was more common among diabetics than among nondiabetics (36.0% vs. 22.5%, P = .0239).

Katsuhisa Noda, Eiji Miyoshi, Naofumi Uozumi, Shusaku Yanagidani, Yoshitaka Ikeda, Cong‐xiao Gao, Kunio Suzuki, Harumasa Yoshihara, Masumi Yoshikawa, Kiyoshi Kawano, Norio Hayashi, Masatsugu Hori, Naoyuki Taniguchi – 30 December 2003 – The α1‐6 fucosylated α‐fetoprotein (AFP) present in serum of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been employed for the differential clinical diagnosis of HCC from chronic liver diseases. The molecular mechanism by which this alteration occurs, however, remains largely unknown.

Manuel J. Rivas, Shigeki Arii, Masaharu Furutani, Tomika Harada, Masaki Mizumoto, Hiroyuki Nishiyama, Jun Fujita, Masayuki Imamura – 30 December 2003 – Macrophage metalloelastase, a member of the human matrix metalloproteinase family, is believed to play an important role in angiostatin generation, which, in experimental studies, has an antiangiogenic function and is a key molecule in tumor dormancy. However, no clinical studies have been reported regarding the correlation between human macrophage metalloelastase (HME) gene expression and angiostatin production.

Marcelo G. Roma, Vicki Stone, Robert Shaw, Roger Coleman – 30 December 2003 – The effect of vasopressin (VP) on canalicular function and hepatocellular morphology, with particular regard to actin cytoskeletal organization and the concomitant plasma membrane bleb formation, was studied in isolated rat hepatocyte couplets.

William E. Delaney, Harriet C. Isom – 30 December 2003 – A novel transient mechanism for studying hepatitis B virus (HBV) gene expression and replication using recombinant HBV baculovirus to deliver the HBV genome to HepG2 cells was generated. In HBV baculovirus infected HepG2 cells, HBV transcripts, and intracellular and secreted HBV antigens are produced; replication occurs as evidenced by the presence of high levels of intracellular replicative intermediates and protected HBV DNA in the medium.