Bastian Hoechst, Torsten Voigtlaender, Lars Ormandy, Jaba Gamrekelashvili, Fei Zhao, Heiner Wedemeyer, Frank Lehner, Michael P. Manns, Tim F. Greten, Firouzeh Korangy – 27 August 2009 – Several immune suppressive mechanisms that evade the host immune response have been described in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); one of these mechanisms is expansion of myeloid‐derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). MDSCs have been shown to inhibit T cell responses in tumor‐bearing mice, but little is known about these cells in humans.

Manal M. Hassan, James L Abbruzzese – 27 August 2009

Ching‐Sheng Hsu, Ding‐Shinn Chen, Jia‐Horng Kao – 27 August 2009

Olav A. Gressner – 27 August 2009 – Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have reported that increased coffee consumption is associated with a slower progression of fibrogenesis in patients with chronic and particularly alcoholic liver disease and a reduced incidence of heptocellular carcinoma. However, a causal mechanistic explanation was pending.

Janin Henkel, Frank Neuschäfer‐Rube, Andrea Pathe‐Neuschäfer‐Rube, Gerhard P. Püschel – 27 August 2009 – Hepatic insulin resistance is a major contributor to fasting hyperglycemia in patients with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Circumstantial evidence suggests that cyclooxygenase products in addition to cytokines might contribute to insulin resistance. However, direct evidence for a role of prostaglandins in the development of hepatic insulin resistance is lacking.

Udayan Apte, Vasiliki Gkretsi, William C. Bowen, Wendy M. Mars, Jian‐Hua Luo, Shashikiran Donthamsetty, Ann Orr, Satdarshan P.S. Monga, Chuanyue Wu, George K. Michalopoulos – 27 August 2009 – Following liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy, liver grows back precisely to its original mass and does not exceed it. The mechanism regulating this “hepatostat” is not clear and no exceptions have been found to date. Although pathways initiating liver regeneration have been well studied, mechanisms involved in the termination of liver regeneration are unclear.

Anna S. F. Lok, Brian J. McMahon – 27 August 2009

Maximilian Hatting, Christian Trautwein, Francisco Javier Cubero – 27 August 2009

Renxue Wang, Huey‐Ling Chen, Lin Liu, Jonathan A. Sheps, M. James Phillips, Victor Ling – 27 August 2009 – Bile salt export pump (BSEP; ATP‐binding cassette, subfamily B, member 11) mutations in humans result in progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis type 2, a fatal liver disease with greatly reduced bile flow. However in mice, Bsep knockout leads only to mild cholestasis with substantial bile flow and up‐regulated P‐glycoprotein genes (multidrug resistance protein 1a [Mdr1a] and Mdr1b).

Peter Fickert, Andrea Fuchsbichler, Martin Wagner, Dagmar Silbert, Kurt Zatloukal, Helmut Denk, Michael Trauner – 27 August 2009 – The intermediate filament cytoskeleton of hepatocytes is composed of keratin (K) 8 and K18 and has important mechanical and nonmechanical functions. However, the potential role of the K8/K18 network for proper membrane targeting of hepatocellular adenosine triphosphate–binding cassette transporters and bile formation is unknown.