Volker Dries, Ingo von Both, Marion Müller, Guido Gerken, Peter Schirmacher, Margarete Odenthal, Ralf Bartenschlager, Uta Drebber, Karl‐Hermann Meyer zum Büschenfelde, Hans Peter Dienes – 30 December 2003 – The diagnosis of hepatitis C is based on serological testing for antibodies against various epitopes of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and detection of HCV RNA in serum, because anti‐HCV antibodies alone cannot discriminate patients who are infectious from those who have resolved the infection.

Claus Niederau, Stefan Lange, Tobias Heintges, Andreas Erhardt, Marlies Buschkamp, Dietmar Hürter, Marek Nawrocki, Lothar Kruska, Frank Hensel, Wolfgang Petry, Dieter Häussinger – 30 December 2003 – The prognosis of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is still ill‐defined. The present study prospectively evaluated mortality and complications in a large cohort of patients with chronic hepatitis C. The study included 838 anti‐HCV and HCV‐RNA–positive patients who were followed for 50.2 ± 26.9 months (mean ± SD; range, 6‐122 months) in a prospective protocol.

Naoyuki Kawahara, Mayumi Ono, Ken‐ichi Taguchi, Masahiro Okamoto, Mitsuo Shimada, Kenji Takenaka, Kenshi Hayashi, Dean F. Mosher, Keizo Sugimachi, Masazumi Tsuneyoshi, Michihiko Kuwano – 30 December 2003 – Cholangiocarcinoma (CCC) is relatively hypovascular, in contrast to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is often highly vascular.

Belén del Santo, Raquel Valdés, João Mata, Antonio Felipe, F. Javier Casado, Marçal Pastor‐Anglada – 30 December 2003 – Primary cultures of rat‐liver parenchymal cells show carrier‐mediated nucleoside uptake by a mechanism that mainly involves concentrative, Na+‐dependent transport activity. In contrast, the hepatoma cell line FAO shows high nucleoside transport activity, although it is mostly accounted for by Na+‐independent transport processes. This is associated with a low amount of sodium purine nucleoside transporter (SPNT) mRNA.

Arthur J. McCullough, Kevin D. Mullen, Satish C. Kalhan – 30 December 2003 – The metabolic fate of leucine's first and second carbon may be different depending on the tissue in which leucine is metabolized, as well as the prevailing hormonal milieu of that tissue. However, previous studies of leucine kinetics in humans have used only leucine labeled (as tracer) at the first carbon position.

Nobuyuki Morikawa, Makoto Suematsu, Takanori Kyokane, Nobuhito Goda, Yusuke Kumamoto, Taro Okitsu, Yuzuru Ishimura, Masaki Kitajima – 30 December 2003 – Although discontinuous total parenteral nutrition (d‐TPN) has recently been favored for clinical use over continuous total parenteral nutrition (c‐TPN) to ameliorate liver dysfunction, mechanisms for the protection against postoperative liver dysfunction remain unknown. This study aimed to examine differences in mitochondrial function in d‐TPN‐ and c‐TPN–pretreated livers during ischemia‐reperfusion.

Robert L. Owen – 30 December 2003

Valerie Paradis, Ingrid Laurendeau, Michel Vidaud, Pierre Bedossa, The METAVIR Group – 30 December 2003 – Several arguments suggest that most hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) occurring in human cirrhotic livers arise from large hepatocellular nodules or macronodules. Except for nodules with obvious features of HCC, there exist no consistent criteria enabling the differentiation between benign regenerative and neoplastic, potentially malignant macronodules. Surrogate markers able to accurately discriminate those lesions that will evolve toward a HCC are required.

Patrice Taourel, Pierre Blanc, Michel Dauzat, Myriam Chabre, Jean Pradel, Benoit Gallix, Dominique Larrey, Jean‐Michel Bruel – 30 December 2003 – To determine the relationship between quantitative Doppler parameters of portal, hepatic, and splanchnic circulation and hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG), variceal size, and Child–Pugh class in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis, we studied forty patients with proved alcoholic cirrhosis who underwent Doppler ultrasonography, hepatic vein catheterization, and esophagoscopy.

Ákos Zsembery, Carlo Spirlì, Anna Granato, Nicholas F. LaRusso, Lajos Okolicsanyi, Gaetano Crepaldi, Mario Strazzabosco – 30 December 2003 – Biliary epithelial cells (cholangiocytes) are responsible for rapid regulation of bile volume and alkalinity. Secretin and other hormones raising intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) concentrations promote biliary HCO3 secretion by stimulating apical Cl− channels and Cl−/HCO3− exchange (AE2).