Herdis Bender, Monique Y. Wiesinger, Carolin Nordhoff, Caroline Schoenherr, Claude Haan, Stephan Ludwig, Ralf Weiskirchen, Nobuyuki Kato, Peter C. Heinrich, Serge Haan – 29 July 2009 – Interleukin‐27 (IL‐27) is a cytokine belonging to the IL‐6/IL‐12 cytokine family. It is secreted by antigen‐presenting cells, strongly acts on T cells, and also stimulates innate immune cells. In most studies, the effects of IL‐27 on T cells were investigated; however, not much is known about possible effects of IL‐27 on other cell types.

M. Isabel Fiel, Thomas Schiano – 29 July 2009

Giada Sebastiani, Alfredo Alberti – 29 July 2009

Laudio Puoti, Lia Bellis, Riccardo Guarisco – 29 July 2009

Leo L. Studach, Lova Rakotomalala, Wen‐Horng Wang, Ronald L. Hullinger, Stefano Cairo, Marie‐Annick Buendia, Ourania M. Andrisani – 29 July 2009 – Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is linked to development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The HBV X protein (pX) is implicated in HCC pathogenesis acting as a weak oncogene or a cofactor in hepatocarcinogenesis. pX induces DNA re‐replication, DNA damage, and partial polyploidy in a poorly differentiated, immortalized hepatocyte cell line.

André A. S. Dick, Austin L. Spitzer, Catherine F. Seifert, Alysun Deckert, Robert L. Carithers, Jorge D. Reyes, James D. Perkins – 29 July 2009 – Controversies exist regarding the morbidity and mortality of patients undergoing liver transplantation at the extremes of the body mass index (BMI). A review of the United Network for Organ Sharing database from 1987 through 2007 revealed 73,538 adult liver transplants.

Harm Hoekstra, Carlijn I. Buis, Robert C. Verdonk, Christian S. van der Hilst, Eric J. van der Jagt, Elizabeth B. Haagsma, Robert J. Porte – 29 July 2009 – Biliary reconstruction using Roux‐en‐Y choledochojejunostomy has been suggested as a risk factor for the development of nonanastomotic biliary strictures (NAS) after liver transplantation. Roux‐en‐Y reconstruction, however, is preferentially used in patients transplanted for primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), and the disease itself is also associated with a higher incidence of NAS.

Peter F. Whitington – 29 July 2009

Jon‐Erik C. Holty, Michael K. Gould, Laura Meinke, Emmet B. Keeffe, Stephen J. Ruoss – 29 July 2009 – Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) causes substantial morbidity and mortality in liver transplant recipients. We examined the efficacy of isoniazid latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (LTBI) treatment in liver transplant recipients and reviewed systematically all cases of active MTB infection in this population. We found 7 studies that evaluated LTBI treatment and 139 cases of active MTB infection in liver transplant recipients.

Haitao Zhao, Ruoyu Miao – 29 July 2009