Adeno‐associated virus‐mediated expression of apolipoprotein (a) kringles suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma growth in mice

Kyuhyun Lee, Sung‐Tae Yun, Young‐Gun Kim, Yeup Yoon, Eui‐Cheol Jo – 20 April 2006 – Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) constitutes more than 90% of all primary liver cancers. HCC is a hypervascular tumor that develops from dedifferentiation of small avascular HCC and is therefore a good target for anti‐angiogenic gene therapy.

Outcome of patients with hepatitis B virus and human immunodeficiency virus infections referred for liver transplantation

Norah A. Terrault, Jonathan T. Carter, Laurie Carlson, Michelle E. Roland, Peter G. Stock – 20 April 2006 – The outcome of patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) referred for liver transplantation (LT) is unknown. A high frequency of lamivudine‐resistant (LAM‐R) HBV infection may increase the risk of liver‐related death pre‐transplantation and prophylaxis failure post‐transplantation.

Isolated right hepatic vein obstruction after piggyback liver transplantation

Federico Aucejo, Charles Winans, J. Michael Henderson, David Vogt, Bijan Eghtesad, John J. Fung, Mark Sands, Charles M. Miller – 20 April 2006 – The “piggyback” technique for liver transplantation has gained worldwide acceptance. Still, complications such as outflow obstruction have been observed, usually attributable to technical errors such as small‐caliber anastomosis of the suprahepatic vena cava, twisting, or kinking.

Pegylated interferon–induced immune‐mediated hepatitis post–liver transplantation

Nickolas Kontorinis, Kaushik Agarwal, Nassim Elhajj, M. Isabel Fiel, Thomas D. Schiano – 20 April 2006 – A 55‐year‐old Caucasian male developed a well characterized autoimmune hepatitis after completing treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin for recurrent hepatitis C. We hypothesize that pegylated interferon triggered a severe form of immune‐mediated hepatitis.

Liver disease in Egypt: Hepatitis C superseded schistosomiasis as a result of iatrogenic and biological factors

G. Thomas Strickland – 20 April 2006 – In Egypt, schistosomiasis was traditionally the most important public health problem and infection with Schistosoma mansoni the major cause of liver disease. From the 1950s until the 1980s, the Egyptian Ministry of Health (MOH) undertook large control campaigns using intravenous tartar emetic, the standard treatment for schistosomiasis, as community‐wide therapy. This commendable effort to control a major health problem unfortunately established a very large reservoir of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the country.

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Domenico Sansonno, Felicia Anna Tucci, Valli De Re, Gianfranco Lauletta, Michele Montrone, Massimo Libra, Franco Dammacco – 20 April 2006

Genomic response to interferon‐α in chimpanzees: Implications of rapid downregulation for hepatitis C kinetics

Robert E. Lanford, Bernadette Guerra, Helen Lee, Deborah Chavez, Kathleen M. Brasky, Catherine B. Bigger – 20 April 2006 – The mechanism of the interferon‐alpha (IFN‐α)‐induced antiviral response during hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapy is not completely understood. In this study, we examined the transcriptional response to IFN‐α in uninfected chimpanzees after single doses of chimpanzee, human, or human‐pegylated IFN‐α. Liver and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) samples were used for total genome microarray analysis.

A novel multidrug‐resistance protein 2 gene mutation identifies a subgroup of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis and pruritus

Annarosa Floreani, Isabella Carderi, Angela Variola, Erik Rosa Rizzotto, James Nicol, Nora V. Bergasa – 20 April 2006 – A single nucleotide polymorphism characterized by the substitution of valine for glutamate (V1188E) in exon 25 of the multidrug resistance protein 2 gene was found in a group of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis. This heterozygous mutation was significantly associated with the presence of pruritus. (HEPATOLOGY 2006;43:1152–1154.)

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