Erin K. O'Neill, Sunana Sohi, Claire Smith, Joseph Ahn – 28 October 2009

Robert S. Brown – 28 October 2009

Shen Baiyong, Chen Bing, Zhang Weixia, Mao Huarong, Shen Chuan, Deng Xiaxing, Zhan Xi, Chen Hao – 28 October 2009 – Living‐donor liver transplantation (LDLT) has been considered an alternative method for treatment of patients with end‐stage liver disease. However, the characteristics of pharmacokinetics of mycophenolic acid (MPA) in patients who underwent LDLT were not clear. This study was designed to compare the pharmacokinetics of MPA and its metabolites between LDLT patients and deceased donor liver transplant (DDLT) patients after oral administration of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF).

Kazutoyo Morita, Akinobu Taketomi, Yuji Soejima, Toru Ikegami, Takasuke Fukuhara, Tomohiro Iguchi, Shigeyuki Nagata, Keishi Sugimachi, Tomonobu Gion, Ken Shirabe, Yoshihiko Maehara – 28 October 2009 – The occurrence of de novo hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after liver transplantation (LT) for advanced HCCs has been extremely limited. In this article, a case of de novo HCC in a liver graft with sustained hepatitis C virus clearance after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for multiple HCCs and hepatitis C cirrhosis is reported.

Michael G. Hughes, Hugo R. Rosen – 28 October 2009 – Hepatitis C is a leading etiology of liver cancer and a leading reason for liver transplantation. Although new therapies have improved the rates of sustained response, a large proportion of patients (∼50%) fail to respond to antiviral treatment, thus remaining at risk for disease progression. Although chimpanzees have been used to study hepatitis C virus biology and treatments, their cost is quite high, and their use is strictly regulated; indeed, the National Institutes of Health no longer supports the breeding of chimpanzees for study.

Wei‐Ting Kuo, Cheng‐Yuan Hsia, Che‐Chuan Loong, Chin‐Su Liu, Hsin‐Lin Tsai, Hsiou‐Shan Tseng, Rheun‐Chuan Lee, Mei‐Yung Tsou, Chew‐Wun Wu, Wing‐Yiu Lui – 28 October 2009 – Foreign residents seeking liver transplantation in China are not uncommon. The outcomes of these people have not been well reported, and the results remain unclear. A total of 64 adults [26 with end‐stage liver disease (ESLD) and 38 with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)] who underwent donation after cardiac death (DCD) liver transplantation in China during a 5‐year period were reviewed.

Alejandra Otero, Evaristo Varo, Jorge Ortiz de Urbina, Rafael Martín‐Vivaldi, Valentin Cuervas‐Mons, Ignacio González‐Pinto, Antoni Rimola, Angel Bernardos, Santiago Otero, Jorge Maldonado, Jose I. Herrero, Elena Barrao, Rosa Domínguez‐Granados – 28 October 2009 – This open‐label, randomized study compared the efficacy of a regimen of corticosteroids and tacrolimus (standard therapy group, n = 79) with a regimen of daclizumab induction therapy in combination with mycophenolate mofetil and tacrolimus (modified therapy group, n = 78) in primary liver transplant recipients.

Seong H. Ra, Jeffrey B. Kaplan, Charles R. Lassman – 28 October 2009 – Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) has been well characterized in native livers, but to our knowledge, no cases of FNH have been described in liver allografts. We review the clinicopathological features of 6 FNHs identified in 4 patients after orthotopic liver transplantation. There were 3 male patients and 1 female patient ranging in age from 2 to 63 years. The time from transplant to a diagnosis of FNH ranged from 15 to 118 months. Two patients presented with an incidental solitary liver nodule.

Avnish Kumar Seth, Pradhi Nambiar, Ajay Joshi, Ramanathan Ramprasad, Rajendra Choubey, Pankaj Puri, Mandapaka Murthy, Sudeep Naidu, Anupam Saha, Harjinder Bhatoe – 28 October 2009 – Organ donation following brain stem death is infrequent in India. There is no prospective study on prevalence of brain stem death and causes of non‐donation. Consecutive patients admitted to intensive care unit from Sep 2006 to Sep 2008 were studied prospectively. Families of those with brain stem death were approached for organ donation by transplant coordinator. Extensive awareness drive was launched.

Toshihiko Ikegami, Yuichi Masuda, Yasunari Ohno, Atsushi Mita, Akira Kobayashi, Koichi Urata, Yuichi Nakazawa, Shirou Miwa, Yasuhiko Hashikura, Shinichi Miyagawa – 28 October 2009 – We have previously reported that a graft volume (GV) > 30% of the recipient's standard liver volume (SLV) can meet the recipient's metabolic demands. Here we report our experience with adult‐to‐adult living donor liver transplantation using left side grafts < 35% of the recipient's SLV.