Richard B. Freeman, Erick B. Edwards – 30 December 2003 – Factors associated with the risk for mortality once placed on the liver transplant waiting list and how this risk relates to center‐specific waiting time and transplant activity have not been adequately evaluated. We performed this study to determine the association between center‐specific waiting time and waiting list mortality among liver transplant candidates stratified by medical urgency at the time of registration.

J. Eileen Hay – 30 December 2003

I. Lautenschlager, K. Höckerstedt, H. Jalanko, R. Loginov, K. Salmela, E. Taskinen, J. Ahonen – 30 December 2003 – Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is one of the suggested risk factors for chronic allograft rejection. Clinical and experimental studies have shown that CMV is somehow implicated in rejection mechanisms and in the generation of graft arteriosclerosis, characteristic of chronic rejection. In liver transplantation, there is also evidence of an association between CMV and vanishing bile duct‐syndrome (VBDS), which is characteristic of chronic liver allograft rejection.

Kenneth A. Somberg – 30 December 2003

A Kwon, S K Ha‐Kawa, S Uetsuji, T Inoue, Y Matsui, Y Kamiyama – 30 December 2003 – Technetium‐99m‐diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acidgalactosyl human serum albumin (Tc‐GSA) is a new liver scintigraphy agent which binds to the asialoglycoprotein receptors. We evaluated the preoperative assessment for hepatectomy using Tc‐GSA liver scintigraphy. Ninety patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were admitted for elective hepatectomy.

A Fabbri, G P Bianchi, G Marchesini – 30 December 2003

30 December 2003

E B Haagsma, G P Smit, K E Niezen‐Koning, A S Gouw, L Meerman, M J Slooff – 30 December 2003 – Type III glycogen storage disease (GSD) is a disorder of carbohydrate metabolism caused by a deficiency of debranching enzyme. Different subtypes with different clinical pictures have been recognized. During childhood and early adulthood, the symptoms generally regress, and normal adulthood appears possible in most patients without symptoms or signs of cirrhosis. We report on an adult patient with GSD who developed endstage cirrhosis and a small hepatocellular carcinoma.

Henrik Toft Sørensen, Søren Friis, Jørgen H. Olsen, Ane Marie Thulstrup, Lene Mellemkjær, Martha Linet, Dimitrios Trichopoulos, Hendrik Vilstrup, Jørn Olsen – 30 December 2003 – Cancer risk in patients with cirrhosis could be modified by factors such as changes in hormonal levels, impaired metabolism of carcinogens, or alteration of immunological status. We investigated the risk of liver and various forms of cancer in patients with cirrhosis in a follow‐up study.

Koert P. De Jong, Rudi Stellema, Arend Karrenbeld, Jan Koudstaal, Annette S. Gouw, Wim J. Sluiter, Paul M. J. G. Peeters, Maarten J. H. Slooff, Elisabeth G. E. De Vries – 30 December 2003 – To determine whether the expression of transforming growth factor α (TGF‐α), its receptor (epidermal growth factor receptor [EGFr]), p53 nuclear protein, and proliferation influences prognosis of patients with liver metastases, a study was performed in 45 liver metastases and 33 corresponding primary colorectal carcinomas in patients referred for liver surgery.