Oxidative stress‐mediated down‐regulation of rat hydroxyacid oxidase 1, a liver‐specific peroxisomal enzyme

Stefania Recalcati, Lorenza Tacchini, Alessandra Alberghini, Dario Conte, Gaetano Cairo – 30 December 2003 – Hydroxyacid oxidase 1 (Hao1) is a liver‐specific peroxisomal enzyme that oxidizes glycolate to glyoxylate with concomitant production of H2O2. In Hao1 messenger RNA (mRNA), an iron‐responsive element (IRE) homologous to the sequence recognized by iron regulatory proteins (IRP), key regulators of iron homeostasis, is present, but the involvement of iron in Hao1 regulation remains unclear.

Hepatitis B virus X protein regulates transactivation activity and protein stability of the cancer‐amplified transcription coactivator ASC‐2

Hee Jeong Kong, Min Jung Park, SunHwa Hong, Hyun Jung Yu, Young Chul Lee, Young Hyun Choi, JaeHun Cheong – 30 December 2003 – Hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) is a transcriptional coactivator that plays a significant role in the regulation of genes involved in inflammation and cell survival. A recently identified cellular coactivator, activating signal cointegrator 2 (ASC‐2), is enriched in liver cancer cells and associates with many transcription factors that are active in hepatocytes.

Adenovirus‐mediated overexpression of follistatin enlarges intact liver of adult rats

Kazuaki Takabe, Lili Wang, Angela M. O. Leal, Leigh A. MacConell, Ezra Wiater, Tomoaki Tomiya, Akihiko Ohno, Inder M. Verma, Wylie Vale – 30 December 2003 – Under normal physiologic conditions, liver size is under strict regulatory control. Activin, a member of the transforming growth factor β (TGF‐β) superfamily, is expressed in the intact adult liver and is an inhibitor of hepatocyte growth. However, the exact role played by endogenous activin in maintaining the size of a normal adult liver has yet to be completely examined in vivo.

Interpreting the significance of drinking by alcohol‐dependent liver transplant patients: Fostering candor is the key to recovery

Robert M. Weinrieb, Deborah H.A. Van Horn, A. Thomas McLellan, Michael R. Lucey – 30 December 2003 – Few studies have examined the value of treating alcohol addiction either before or after liver transplantation. Nevertheless, most liver transplant programs and many insurance companies require 6 months to 1 year of abstinence from alcohol as a condition of eligibility for liver transplantation (the 6‐month rule). We believe there are potentially harsh clinical consequences to the implementation of this rule.

Successful liver transplantation in a patient with budd‐chiari syndrome caused by homozygous factor V leiden

Henkie P. Tan, Jay S. Markowitz, Warren R. Maley, William T. Merritt, Andrew S. Klein – 30 December 2003 – Budd‐Chiari syndrome (BCS) is a rare form of portal hypertension characterized by hepatic venous outflow obstruction. Although hematologic disorders are the most common cause of this syndrome, to date, 30% of the cases have been classified as idiopathic. Resistance to activated protein C caused by factor V Leiden is the most common cause of thrombophilia; its role in the pathogenesis of BCS is now becoming apparent.

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