Christopher Y. Chen, Benjamin Y. Winer, Deborah Chavez, Bernadette Guerra, Kathleen M. Brasky, Stacey Eng, Eduardo Salas, Danny Tam, Joe H. Simmons, Christian R. Abee, William E. Delaney, Alexander Ploss, Robert E. Lanford, Christian Voitenleitner – 3 January 2020 – Development of curative therapies for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection will likely require new animal models. Here, we evaluate HBV infection in squirrel monkeys based on the high‐sequence homology of the HBV receptor, Na+/taurocholate co‐transporting peptide (NTCP), between humans and squirrel monkeys.

Kaori Ishiguro, Irene K. Yan, Laura Lewis‐Tuffin, Tushar Patel – 3 January 2020 – By exploiting their biological functions, the use of biological nanoparticles such as extracellular vesicles can provide an efficient and effective approach for hepatic delivery of RNA‐based therapeutics for the treatment of liver cancers such as hepatocellular cancer (HCC). Targeting liver cancer stem cells (LCSC) within HCC provide an untapped opportunity to improve outcomes by enhancing therapeutic responses.

Min Zhu, Lin Li, Tianshi Lu, Hyesun Yoo, Ji Zhu, Purva Gopal, Sam C. Wang, Matthew R. Porembka, Nicole E. Rich, Sofia Kagan, Mobolaji Odewole, Veronica Renteria, Akbar K. Waljee, Tao Wang, Amit G. Singal, Adam C. Yopp, Hao Zhu – 3 January 2020

Hannele Yki‐Järvinen – 3 January 2020

Joan Ericka Flores, Shivakumar Chitturi, Sarah Walker – 3 January 2020 – Selective androgenic receptor modulators (SARMs) have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration but they are heavily promoted as alternatives to androgenic anabolic steroids. We present two cases of liver injury associated with SARMs.

Ayumi Kiso, Yukiko Toba, Susumu Tsutsumi, Sayaka Deguchi, Keisuke Igai, Saki Koshino, Yasuhito Tanaka, Kazuo Takayama, Hiroyuki Mizuguchi – 2 January 2020 – Single nucleotide polymorphisms in Tolloid‐like 1 (TLL1) and the expression of TLL1 are known to be closely related to hepatocarcinogenesis after hepatitis C virus elimination or liver fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. TLL1 is a type of matrix metalloprotease and has two isoforms in humans, with the short isoform showing higher activity.

Nicole J. Kim, Meredith Pearson, Philip Vutien, Feng Su, Andrew M. Moon, Kristin Berry, Pamela K. Green, Emily C. Williams, George N. Ioannou – 2 January 2020 – Outcomes related to alcohol use after hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment are unknown in the direct‐acting antiviral (DAA) era. We assessed levels of alcohol use before and after HCV treatment and their association with long‐term outcomes in a cohort of U.S. veterans. In this retrospective cohort analysis, 29,037 patients who initiated DAA regimens between 2013 and 2015 were followed for a mean of 3.04 years.

Parth Shah, Vinay Sundaram, Einar Björnsson – 2 January 2020 – Biologics are among the most commonly prescribed medications for several chronic inflammatory diseases. Tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitors, more so than other agents, have been observed to cause drug‐induced liver injury. Additionally, because the approval and popularity of checkpoint inhibitors have grown, similar patterns of liver injury have been documented, with a majority of cases describing immune‐mediated hepatitis.

Yurika Kotoh, Yutaka Suehiro, Issei Saeki, Tomomi Hoshida, Masaki Maeda, Takuya Iwamoto, Toshihiko Matsumoto, Isao Hidaka, Tsuyoshi Ishikawa, Taro Takami, Shingo Higaki, Ikuei Fujii, Chieko Suzuki, Yoshitaro Shindo, Yukio Tokumitsu, Hiroaki Nagano, Isao Sakaida, Takahiro Yamasaki – 2 January 2020 – Liquid biopsies are not used in practice for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Epi proColon is the first commercial blood‐based test for colorectal cancer screening based on methylated DNA testing of the septin 9 gene (SEPT9).

Shivali S. Joshi, Carla S. Coffin – 2 January 2020 – The hepatitis B virus (HBV) is an important human pathogen. Unvaccinated infants infected through mother‐to‐child transmission (MTCT) are at >95% risk of developing serum hepatitis B surface antigen‐positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB).