Jonathan Larkin, Marcia M. Clayton, Jie Liu, Mark A. Feitelson – 30 December 2003 – Epidemiologic observations show a higher frequency of hepatitis B virus (HBV) serologic markers in chronic alcoholics compared with the general population. This may be the result of an increased susceptibility of alcoholics to infection and/or to an ethanol‐mediated stimulation of HBV gene expression and replication. To test the latter hypothesis, HBV transgenic SCID mice, which support consistent levels of virus replication, were fed with a standard Lieber‐DiCarli or isocaloric diet for 5 weeks.

Man‐Fung Yuen, Erwin Sablon, Chee‐Kin Hui, He‐Jun Yuan, Hilde Decraemer, Ching‐Lung Lai – 30 December 2003 – Factors associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA breakthrough and the significance of YMDD variants without the presence of wild‐type YMDD during prolonged lamivudine treatment are unknown. We studied the amino acid sequence of codon 552 (YMDD motif) and codon 528 by means of a line probe assay in 159 chronic HBV patients (median follow‐up 29.6 months).

Pilar Cejudo‐Martín, Josefa Ros, Miguel Navasa, Javier Fernández, Guillermo Fernádez‐Varo, Luis Ruiz‐del‐Arbol, Francisca Rivera, Vicente Arroyo, Juan Rodés, Wladimiro Jiménez – 30 December 2003 – Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is a common complication of cirrhotic patients with ascites that usually results in renal failure and death despite the efficacy of the current antibiotic therapy. The pathogenesis of these phenomena is poorly known but it has been related to the production of vasoactive cell mediators locally acting on the splanchnic vasculature.

Maria Francesca Donato, Eliana Arosio, Ersilio Del Ninno, Guido Ronchi, Pietro Lampertico, Alberto Morabito, Maria Rita Balestrieri, Massimo Colombo – 30 December 2003 – The prevalence, risk factors, and clinical significance of high liver cell proliferative activity were investigated in 208 well‐compensated cirrhotic patients (150 men; 50 years; 135 with chronic hepatitis C) who had been under prospective surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with annual abdominal ultrasound (US) and serum α‐fetoprotein (AFP) determination.

Liang Qiao, Kevin Leach, Robert McKinstry, Donna Gilfor, Adly Yacoub, Jong Sung Park, Steven Grant, Philip B. Hylemon, Paul B. Fisher, Paul Dent – 30 December 2003 – Previously, we have linked prolonged intense mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAP kinase; MAPK) signaling in hepatocytes to increased expression of p21Cip‐1/WAF1/MDA6 (p21) and p16INK4a (p16), that leads to a p21‐dependent growth arrest. In this study, we investigated the impact of hepatitis B virus X protein (pX) expression on MAPK‐modulated cell cycle progression in primary mouse hepatocytes.

Gianfranco Alpini, Yoshiyuki Ueno, Shannon S. Glaser, Marco Marzioni, Jo Lynne Phinizy, Heather Francis, Gene LeSage – 30 December 2003 – Bile acids (BA) enter cholangiocytes by the Na+‐dependent apical BA transporter (ABAT). By this mechanism, taurocholate (TC) and taurolithocholate (TLC) increase cholangiocyte proliferation. No in vivo studies exist regarding the anatomical sites involved in BA‐regulation of cholangiocyte growth. Specific cholangiocyte subpopulations participate in BA‐regulated proliferation.

Jinlin Hou, Zhanghui Wang, Jinjun Cheng, Yulong Lin, George K. K. Lau, Jian Sun, Fuyuan Zhou, Jenny Waters, Peter Karayiannis, Kangxian Luo – 30 December 2003 – Previous studies have suggested that hepatitis B virus (HBV) variants may account for the presence of HBV DNA in hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)‐negative patients (occult HBV infection). However, it is not known how widespread these variants are and how they influence the course of liver disease.

Peter Ujhazy, Daniel Ortiz, Suniti Misra, Shohua Li, James Moseley, Hugh Jones, Irwin M. Arias – 30 December 2003 – Mutations in the FIC1 gene constitute the molecular defect in familial intrahepatic cholestasis I (Fic1 [Byler's disease]) and benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis. This report describes the localization of Fic1 in rat liver and intestine, as well as biochemical and transfection studies that support its function as an energy‐dependent aminophospholipid translocase.

Robert A. de Man, Leonieke M. M. Wolters, Frederik Nevens, David Chua, Morris Sherman, Cing L. Lai, Adrian Gadano, Youngmee Lee, Fransesco Mazzotta, Neil Thomas, Deborah DeHertogh – 30 December 2003 – Entecavir is an oral antiviral drug with selective activity against hepatitis B virus (HBV). We conducted a randomized, placebo‐controlled, dose‐escalating study in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection in which we evaluated the efficacy and safety of entecavir given for 28 days. Follow‐up was 24 weeks.

Angeline Bartholomeusz, Stephen Locarnini – 30 December 2003