Lei Zhao, Su Yin Lim, Alex N. Gordon‐Weeks, Thomas T. Tapmeier, Jae Hong Im, Yunhong Cao, John Beech, Danny Allen, Sean Smart, Ruth J. Muschel – 18 October 2012 – Liver metastasis from colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer mortality. Myeloid cells play pivotal roles in the metastatic process, but their prometastatic functions in liver metastasis remain incompletely understood. To investigate their role, we simulated liver metastasis in C57BL/6 mice through intrasplenic inoculation of MC38 colon carcinoma cells.

Bibo Ke, Xiu‐Da Shen, Naoko Kamo, Haofeng Ji, Shi Yue, Feng Gao, Ronald W. Busuttil, Jerzy W. Kupiec‐Weglinski – 18 October 2012 – Dendritic cells (DCs) are critical mediators of immune responses that integrate signals from the innate immune system to orchestrate adaptive host immunity. This study was designed to investigate the role and molecular mechanisms of STAT3‐induced β‐catenin in the regulation of DC function and inflammatory responses in vitro and in vivo.

Muhammad N. Zahid, Marine Turek, Fei Xiao, Viet Loan Dao Thi, Maryse Guérin, Isabel Fofana, Philippe Bachellier, John Thompson, Leen Delang, Johan Neyts, Dorothea Bankwitz, Thomas Pietschmann, Marlène Dreux, François‐Loïc Cosset, Fritz Grunert, Thomas F. Baumert, Mirjam B. Zeisel – 18 October 2012 – Scavenger receptor class B type I (SR‐BI) is a high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) receptor highly expressed in the liver and modulating HDL metabolism.

Ya‐Hui Chen, Mei‐Hwei Chang, Chin‐Sung Chien, Shang‐Hsin Wu, Chun‐Hsien Yu, Hui‐Ling Chen – 18 October 2012 – The potential lineage relationship between hepatic oval cells, small hepatocyte‐like progenitor cells (SHPCs), and hepatocytes in liver regeneration is debated. To test whether mature hepatocytes can give rise to SHPCs, rats with dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV) chimeric livers, which harbored endogenous DPPIV‐deficient hepatocytes and transplanted DPPIV‐positive hepatocytes, were subjected to retrorsine treatment followed by partial hepatectomy (PH).

Qiong‐Zhu Dong, Xiao‐Fei Zhang, Yue Zhao, Hu‐Liang Jia, Hai‐Jun Zhou, Chun Dai, Hai‐Jing Sun, Yi Qin, Wei‐De Zhang, Ning Ren, Qing‐Hai Ye, Lun‐Xiu Qin – 18 October 2012 – Osteopontin (OPN) plays a crucial role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasis. However, little is known about the impact of OPN polymorphisms on cancer progression. In this study, we first identified the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the OPN promoter region by direct sequencing in 30 HCCs, and then evaluated the prognostic values of the selected ones in two large cohorts of 826 HCC patients.

Roongruedee Chaiteerakij, Ju Dong Yang, William S. Harmsen, Seth W. Slettedahl, Teresa A. Mettler, Zachary S. Fredericksen, W. Ray Kim, Gregory J. Gores, Rosebud O. Roberts, Janet E. Olson, Terry M. Therneau, Lewis R. Roberts – 11 October 2012 – The associations between diabetes, smoking, obesity, and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) risk remain inconclusive. Metformin is purportedly associated with a reduced risk for various cancers. This case‐control study evaluated risk factors for ICC and explored the effects of metformin on ICC risk in a clinic/hospital‐based cohort.

Stephen Caldwell, Kyle L. Hoehn, Young S. Hahn – 11 October 2012

Santiago Sánchez‐Cabús, Constantino Fondevila, David Calatayud, Joana Ferrer, Pilar Taurá, José Fuster, Juan Carlos García‐Valdecasas – 11 October 2012 – Adult living donor liver transplantation (aLDLT) is associated with surgical risks for the donor and with the possibility of small‐for‐size syndrome (SFSS) for the recipient, with both events being of great importance.

Lixin Zhu, Susan S. Baker, Chelsea Gill, Wensheng Liu, Razan Alkhouri, Robert D. Baker, Steven R. Gill – 11 October 2012 – Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a serious liver disease associated with obesity. Characterized by metabolic syndrome, hepatic steatosis, and liver inflammation, NASH is believed to be under the influence of the gut microflora. Here, the composition of gut bacterial communities of NASH, obese, and healthy children was determined by 16S ribosomal RNA pyrosequencing.

Shin Hwang, Ki‐Hun Kim, Dae‐Yeon Kim, Kyoung‐Mo Kim, Chul‐Soo Ahn, Deok‐Bog Moon, Tae‐Yong Ha, Gi‐Won Song, Dong‐Hwan Jung, Jung‐Man Namgoong, Gil‐Chun Park, David C. Cronin, Sung‐Gyu Lee – 8 October 2012 – In liver transplantation, a left lateral section (LLS) graft may have an unusual variant left hepatic vein (LHV) anatomy. This study was designed to analyze the incidence of unusual LHV variants and to determine technical methods for effective reconstruction in infant recipients weighing approximately 10 kg or less.