Zobair M. Younossi, Mendel E. Singer, John G. McHutchison, Kenneth M. Shermock – 30 December 2003 – Treatment of chronic hepatitis C with Interferon (IFN) α2b monotherapy results in 10% to 15% sustained virological response (SVR). Combining IFN with ribavirin increases this response. In this analysis, using the Markov model, 6 treatment strategies for chronic hepatitis C (previously untreated) were compared on the basis of incremental cost per additional quality‐adjusted life years ($/QALY).

Alan Cahill, Gabriel J. Stabley, Xiaolan Wang, Jan B. Hoek – 30 December 2003 – Chronic ethanol consumption adversely affects the respiratory activity of rat liver mitochondria. It causes increased cellular production of oxygen radical species and selectively decreases mitochondrial glutathione (GSH) levels. Here we show, using Southern hybridization techniques on total rat genomic DNA, that long‐term (11‐13 months) ethanol feeding, using the Lieber‐DeCarli diet, results in a 36% (P < .05; n = 4) decrease in hepatic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) levels when compared with paired controls.

Abdelmajid Sabile, Gabriel Perlemuter, Fulvia Bono, Kyoko Kohara, France Demaugre, Michinori Kohara, Yoshiharu Matsuura, Tatsuo Miyamura, Christian Bréchot, Giovanna Barba – 30 December 2003 – Several lines of evidence suggest that hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein may modulate cellular transduction signals and alter lipid metabolism. We have investigated the binding of HCV core protein to cellular proteins by combining 2 yeast hybrid, confocal, and surface plasmon resonance assays.

Ran Oren, Mariana D. Dabeva, Anthony N. Karnezis, Petko M. Petkov, Richard Rosencrantz, Jaswinder P. Sandhu, Steven F. Moss, Shaobai Wang, Ethel Hurston, Ezio Laconi, Peter R. Holt, Swan N. Thung, Liang Zhu, David A. Shafritz – 30 December 2003 – Recently, we reported near‐complete repopulation of the rat liver by transplanted hepatocytes using retrorsine (RS), a pyrrolizidine alkaloid that alkylates cellular DNA and blocks proliferation of resident hepatocytes, followed by transplantation of normal hepatocytes in conjunction with two‐thirds partial hepatectomy (PH).

Michael J. Krowka, Robert P. Frantz, Michael D. McGoon, Cathy Severson, David J. Plevak, Russell H. Wiesner – 30 December 2003 – Pulmonary hypertension associated with increased pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and occurring in the setting of portal hypertension is referred to as “portopulmonary hypertension.” Intravenous epoprostenol (prostacyclin) is a potent pulmonary and systemic vasodilator with antithrombotic properties. It can decrease PVR and pulmonary artery pressure in patients with primary (idiopathic) pulmonary hypertension.

Nathalie Théret, Kaisa Lehti, Orlando Musso, Bruno Clément – 30 December 2003 – Fibrosis occurs in most chronic liver injuries and results from changes in the balance between synthesis and degradation of extracellular matrix components. In fibrotic livers, there is a markedly increased activity of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2), a major enzyme involved in extracellular matrix remodeling. We have previously shown that hepatic stellate cells secrete latent MMP2 and that MMP2 activation occurs in coculture of hepatic stellate cells and hepatocytes concomitantly with matrix deposition.

Patrick S. Kamath, Gertrude M. Tyce, Virginia M. Miller, Brooks S. Edwards, Duane K. Rorie – 30 December 2003 – Factors that increase resistance to blood flow through the hepatic sinusoids when portal hypertension occurs in the absence of significant hepatic fibrosis are not completely understood. Experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that endothelin‐1 (ET‐1) is one of the humoral factors that increases sinusoidal vascular resistance in a bile duct– ligated noncirrhotic portal hypertensive (BDL) rat.

Mario U. Mondelli, Antonella Cerino, Antonella Lisa, Sabrina Brambilla, Laura Segagni, Agostino Cividini, Morena Bissolati, Gabriele Missale, Giorgio Bellati, Annalisa Meola, Bruno Bruniercole, Alfredo Nicosia, Giovanni Galfrè, Enrico Silini – 30 December 2003 – Sequence heterogeneity of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is unevenly distributed along the genome, and maximal variation is confined to a short sequence of the HCV second envelope glycoprotein (E2), designated hypervariable region 1 (HVR1), whose biological function is still undefined.

Yun‐Fan Liaw, Rong‐Nan Chien, Chau‐Ting Yeh, Sun‐Lung Tsai, Chia‐Ming Chu – 30 December 2003 – Lamivudine is a potent inhibitor of hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication, but its long‐term use may be associated with HBV tyrosine‐methionine‐aspartate‐aspartate (YMDD) motif mutation. To examine the clinical features and course after emergence of YMDD mutants, 55 patients who received lamivudine therapy over 104 weeks at our unit were assayed for YMDD mutation(s). Thirty‐two of them were found to have the YMDD mutation.

Hiroshi Dobashi, Shuhji Seki, Yoshiko Habu, Takashi Ohkawa, Seiichiro Takeshita, Hoshio Hiraide, Isao Sekine – 30 December 2003 – Although bacterial superantigens have been well characterized as potent stimulators of T cells, their role in natural killer (NK)‐type cells remains largely unknown. In the present study, we examined the effect of bacterial superantigens on mouse liver NK cells and NK1.1 Ag+ (NK1+) T cells.