José Santos‐Álvarez, Carmen González‐Yanes, Víctor Sánchez‐Margalet – 30 December 2003 – Pancreastatin (PST), a recently discovered regulatory peptide derived from chromogranin A, has been shown to have a glycogenolytic effect in the hepatocyte that is mediated by increasing intracellular calcium. Our previous studies on pancreastatin signaling suggested that PST receptor is coupled to some G proteins in the plasma membrane of the hepatocyte. The nature of this interaction was investigated using antisera against Gq/11α by different approaches.

Maria Jose Moran, Antonio Fontanellas, Eric Brudieux, Isabelle Hombrados, Victor de Ledinghen, Patrice Couzigou, Hubert de Verneuil, Rafael Enriquez De Salamanca – 30 December 2003 – Porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) is caused by a decreased activity of the hepatic enzyme uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase (URO‐D). This deficiency causes overproduction, hepatic deposition, and increased excretion of uroporphyrin. Iron overload and hepatic viral infections are considered aggravating factors of the disease.

Nynke R. Koopen, Henk Wolters, Rick Havinga, Roel J. Vonk, Peter L. Jansen, Michael Müller, Folkert Kuipers – 30 December 2003 – To test the hypothesis that impaired activity of the bile canalicular organic anion transporting system mrp2 (cmoat) is a key event in the etiology of 17α‐ethinylestradiol (EE)‐induced intrahepatic cholestasis in rats, EE (5 mg/kg subcutaneously daily) was administered to male normal Wistar (NW) and mrp2‐deficient Groningen Yellow/Transport‐deficient Wistar (GY/TR−) rats.

Shigeru Kakumitsu, Hiroshi Shijo, Masanori Yokoyama, Tetsuhiro Kim, Nobuo Akiyoshi, Kazuhiro Ota, Katsuhiko Kubara, Makoto Okumura, Kazuhide Inoue – 30 December 2003 – Nitric oxide (NO) is known to play an important role in modulating both the hepatic and mesenteric circulation under physiological and pathological conditions. We investigated how l‐arginine, a precursor of NO, modifies the hepatic and mesenteric circulation in patients with cirrhosis. The study design was a single‐blind controlled study.

C. Hezode, C. Cazeneuve, O. Coué, J. M. Pawlotsky, E. S. Zafrani, S. Amselem, D. Dhumeaux – 30 December 2003

A. S. Knisely, Nelson B. Freimer – 30 December 2003

Douglas K. Owens – 30 December 2003

Renee C. Lin, Michael J. Fillenwarth, Xiangnan Du – 30 December 2003 – We recently identified ▵4‐3‐ketosteroid‐5β‐reductase as the 37 kd liver protein which is highly susceptible to acetaldehyde modification in rats continuously fed alcohol. The 5β‐reductase is a key enzyme involved in bile acid synthesis. We report here that the ability to degrade 7α‐hydroxy‐4‐cholesten‐3‐one (HCO) was lower in the liver cytosol of alcohol‐fed rats than in control animals, suggesting an inhibition of the 5β‐reductase enzyme activity by acetaldehyde modification.

H L Bonkovsky – 30 December 2003 – Because current standard therapy of chronic hepatitis C with α interferon is less than ideal, numerous other approaches have been studied. Iron in the liver, particularly that found in vascular endothelial cells of portal tracts, has been associated with decreased responsiveness to α interferon therapy. Iron reduction alone, generally achieved by therapeutic phlebotomy, regularly has been associated with biochemical improvement (decrease in serum alanine aminotransferase), but not with virological improvement.

G L Davis, J Y Lau – 30 December 2003 – Alpha interferon is the only drug that has been shown to be effective in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C, but only half of patients respond, either transiently or permanently. Pretreatment features that are associated with a greater likelihood of response to short courses of interferon include low hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA levels, viral genotypes 2 or 3, and the absence of fibrosis or cirrhosis on liver biopsy. Each of these features is more predictive of sustained response (SR) than the end‐of‐treatment response (ETR).