Yasuharu Imai, Masahiko Ohsawa, Hideo Tanaka, Shinji Tamura, Hiroyuki Sugawara, Jun Kuyama, Kazuto Fukada, Takeshi Yonezawa M.D., Yuji Matszawa – 30 December 2003

Stuart Raaka, Kier V. Huehnergarth, Kris V. Kowdley, Mary P. Bronner – 30 December 2003

María de Luján Alvarez, Juan Pablo Cerliani, Juan Monti, Cristina Carnovale, María Teresa Ronco, Gerardo Pisani, María Cristina Lugano, María Cristina Carrillo – 30 December 2003 – To determine whether interferon alfa (IFN‐α) prevents in vivo oncogenesis in very‐early‐stage cancer cells, we evaluated the action of IFN‐α2b over preneoplastic foci in rats.

Christina Ziemann, Dirk Schäfer, Gudrun Rüdell, Georg F. Kahl, Karen I. Hirsch‐Ernst – 30 December 2003 – Overexpression of mdr1‐type P‐glycoproteins (P‐gps) is thought to contribute to primary chemotherapy resistance of untreated hepatocellular carcinoma. However, mechanisms of endogenous multidrug resistance 1 (mdr1) gene activation still remain unclear.

Anup Ramachandran, Ramamoorthy Prabhu, Simmy Thomas, Jayasree Basivi Reddy, Anna Pulimood, Kunissery A. Balasubramanian – 30 December 2003 – Cirrhosis is associated with altered gastrointestinal function, and bacterial translocation from the gut plays an important role in the etiology of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) seen in this condition. Although alterations in gut motility and intestinal permeability are recognized in cirrhosis, the intestinal damage at the cellular and subcellular levels is not well understood.

Rafael Bañares, Agustín Albillos, Diego Rincón, Sonia Alonso, Mónica González, Luis Ruiz‐del‐Arbol, Magdalena Salcedo, Luis‐Miguel Molinero – 30 December 2003 – Endoscopic therapy, involving either injection sclerosis or band ligation, is considered the intervention of first choice for acute variceal bleeding (AVB). Pharmacologic agents have also been shown to be highly effective in the control of the bleeding episode.

Tanja Bauer, Klaus Weinberger, Wolfgang Jilg – 30 December 2003 – Several naturally occurring variants of immunogenic T cell epitopes were identified within the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). The effect of these variants on the cellular immune response was studied in individuals vaccinated against HBV. Class‐II restricted T‐cell responses of 30 vaccinees were analyzed after stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with 4 synthetic peptides representing the 4 T‐cell epitopes of HBsAg known as of yet.

Elwyn Elias, Liver Failure, Liver Disease – 30 December 2003

Martin I. Prince, Amanda Chetwynd, Peter Diggle, Mikala Jarner, Jane V. Metcalf, Oliver F. W. James – 30 December 2003 – The incidence of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) varies widely between regions. However, little is known about variation within regions and the degree to which this may reflect environmental risk factors. The aim of this study was to describe the spatial distribution of cases of PBC in a defined region of Northeast England over a defined period, and to assess the magnitude of any departure from random spatial distribution.

Anna Ludovica Fracanzani, Larry Burdick, Mauro Borzio, Massimo Roncalli, Nicola Bonelli, Franco Borzio, Alessandra Maraschi, Gemino Fiorelli, Silvia Fargion – 30 December 2003 – Hepatocellular carcinogenesis in cirrhosis is a multistage process that includes large regenerative nodules, dysplastic nodules, and hepatocarcinoma. The aim of this study was to establish whether contrast‐enhanced Doppler ultrasonography (US) is able to distinguish between early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and small nonmalignant nodules in cirrhosis.