Anna D. Kosinska, Leila Pishraft‐Sabet, Weimin Wu, Zhong Fang, Marzena Lenart, Jieliang Chen, Kirsten K. Dietze, Cong Wang, Thekla Kemper, Yong Lin, Shiou‐Hwei Yeh, Jia Liu, Ulf Dittmer, Zhenghong Yuan, Michael Roggendorf, Mengji Lu – 13 March 2017 – Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection shows significant gender‐related differences in pathogenesis, disease progression, and development of hepatocellular carcinoma. The gender‐associated differences in HBV replication and viral protein levels may be associated with distinct HBV‐specific immune responses in the host.

Femke Stelma, Meike H. van der Ree, Marjan J. Sinnige, Anthony Brown, Leo Swadling, J. Marleen L. de Vree, Sophie B. Willemse, Marc van der Valk, Paul Grint, Steven Neben, Paul Klenerman, Eleanor Barnes, Neeltje A. Kootstra, Hendrik W. Reesink – 11 March 2017 – MicroRNA‐122 is an important host factor for the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Treatment with RG‐101, an N‐acetylgalactosamine‐conjugated anti‐microRNA‐122 oligonucleotide, resulted in a significant viral load reduction in patients with chronic HCV infection. Here, we analyzed the effects of RG‐101 therapy on antiviral immunity.

Luigia Florimonte, Massimo Iavarone, Massimo Castellani, Mariagiulia Longo, Francesco Pallotti, Lorenzo Maffioli, Eva Orunesu, Riccardo Benti – 10 March 2017

Ryan J. Schulze, Karuna Rasineni, Shaun G. Weller, Micah B. Schott, Barbara Schroeder, Carol A. Casey, Mark A. McNiven – 10 March 2017 – Alcohol consumption is a well‐established risk factor for the onset and progression of fatty liver disease. An estimated 90% of heavy drinkers are thought to develop significant liver steatosis. For these reasons, an increased understanding of the molecular basis for alcohol‐induced hepatic steatosis is important.

Luigia Florimonte, Massimo Iavarone, Massimo Castellani, Mariagiulia Longo, Francesco Pallotti, Lorenzo Maffioli, Eva Orunesu, Riccardo Benti – 10 March 2017

Norie Yamada, Ryuichi Sugiyama, Sayuri Nitta, Asako Murayama, Minoru Kobayashi, Chiaki Okuse, Michihiro Suzuki, Kiyomi Yasuda, Hiroshi Yotsuyanagi, Kyoji Moriya, Kazuhiko Koike, Takaji Wakita, Takanobu Kato – 9 March 2017 – The emergence of resistance mutations in the reverse transcriptase gene of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is associated with treatment failure. Entecavir (ETV) is one of the most potent anti‐HBV reagents; it has a very low resistance rate and is used as the first‐line treatment for chronic hepatitis B.

This webinar will review this latest controversy regarding the increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence in patients receiving direct acting antiviral agents for the treatment of HCV. Recent studies have suggested that HCC recurrence is increased in HCV patients receiving direct antiviral agents.Michael D. Leise (Moderator) Dr.

Francesca Campagna, Sara Montagnese, Lorenzo Ridola, Marco Senzolo, Sami Schiff, Michele De Rui, Chiara Pasquale, Silvia Nardelli, Ilaria Pentassuglio, Carlo Merkel, Paolo Angeli, Oliviero Riggio, Piero Amodio – 8 March 2017 – Screening for hepatic encephalopathy (HE) that does not cause obvious disorientation or asterixis (minimal HE [MHE]/grade 1 HE) is important. We examined if the animal naming test (ANT1) (maximum number of animals listed in 1 minute) is useful in this context.

Lei Wang, Wen Zhang, Chang‐Hui Ge, Rong‐Hua Yin, Yang Xiao, Yi‐Qun Zhan, Miao Yu, Chang‐Yan Li, Zhi‐Qiang Ge, Xiao‐Ming Yang – 8 March 2017 – Toll‐like receptor‐5 (TLR5) signaling regulates the immune privileged status of the liver and is involved in hepatic immune disorders. However, the role of TLR5 has not yet been investigated in experimental models of concanavalin A (Con A)–mediated liver injury. Here, we show that TLR5 is highly up‐regulated in the hepatic mononuclear cells of mice during Con A–induced hepatitis.

Xiaojiaoyang Li, Runping Liu, Jing Yang, Lixin Sun, Luyong Zhang, Zhenzhou Jiang, Puneet Puri, Emily C. Gurley, Guanhua Lai, Yuping Tang, Zhiming Huang, William M. Pandak, Phillip B. Hylemon, Huiping Zhou – 8 March 2017 – The multidrug resistance 2 knockout (Mdr2–/–) mouse is a well‐established model of cholestatic cholangiopathies. Female Mdr2–/– mice develop more severe hepatobiliary damage than male Mdr2–/– mice, which is correlated with a higher proportion of taurocholate in the bile.