Palliative care in end‐stage liver disease: Time to do better?

Chiara Mazzarelli, Wendy M. Prentice, Michael A. Heneghan, Luca S. Belli, Kosh Agarwal, Mary D. Cannon – 5 May 2018 – Optimal involvement of palliative care (PC) services in the management of patients with decompensated cirrhosis and end‐stage liver disease (ESLD) is limited. This may result from both ignorance and the failure to recognize the spectrum and unpredictability of the underlying liver condition.

Virtual Consultations Through the Veterans Administration SCAN‐ECHO Project Improves Survival for Veterans With Liver Disease

Grace L. Su, Lisa Glass, Elliot B. Tapper, Tony Van, Akbar K. Waljee, Anne E. Sales – 5 May 2018 – Access to specialty care has been associated with improved survival in patients with liver disease but universal access is not always feasible. Methods of care delivery using virtual modalities including the SCAN‐ECHO (Specialty Access Network‐Extension of Community Healthcare Outcome) program were implemented by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to address this need but limited data are available on patient outcomes.

Ad Libitum Mediterranean and Low‐Fat Diets Both Significantly Reduce Hepatic Steatosis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Catherine Properzi, Therese A. O'Sullivan, Jill L. Sherriff, Helena L. Ching, Garry P. Jeffrey, Rachel F. Buckley, Jonathan Tibballs, Gerry C. MacQuillan, George Garas, Leon A. Adams – 5 May 2018 – Although diet‐induced weight loss is first‐line treatment for patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), long‐term maintenance is difficult. The optimal diet for improvement in either NAFLD or associated cardiometabolic risk factors, regardless of weight loss, is unknown.

Outcome of Antiviral Immunity in the Liver Is Shaped by the Level of Antigen Expressed in Infected Hepatocytes

Katrin Manske, Nina Kallin, Verena König, Annika Schneider, Sandra Kurz, Miriam Bosch, Meike Welz, Ru‐Lin Cheng, Bertram Bengsch, Katja Steiger, Ulrike Protzer, Robert Thimme, Percy A. Knolle, Dirk Wohlleber – 5 May 2018 – The liver bears unique immune properties that support both immune tolerance and immunity, but the mechanisms responsible for clearance versus persistence of virus‐infected hepatocytes remain unclear. Here, we dissect the factors determining the outcome of antiviral immunity using recombinant adenoviruses that reflect the hepatropism and hepatrophism of hepatitis viruses.

Potential Clinical Targets in Hepatopulmonary Syndrome: Lessons From Experimental Models

Sarah Raevens, Michael B. Fallon – 5 May 2018 – Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a relatively common and potentially severe pulmonary complication of cirrhosis with increased risk of mortality. In experimental models, a complex interaction between pulmonary endothelial cells, monocytes, and the respiratory epithelium, which produces chemokines, cytokines, and angiogenic growth factors, causes alterations in the alveolar microvasculature, resulting in impaired oxygenation.

Baicalein Targets GTPase‐Mediated Autophagy to Eliminate Liver Tumor–Initiating Stem Cell–Like Cells Resistant to mTORC1 Inhibition

Raymond Wu, Ramachandran Murali, Yasuaki Kabe, Samuel W. French, Yi‐Ming Chiang, Siyu Liu, Linda Sher, Clay C. Wang, Stan Louie, Hidekazu Tsukamoto – 5 May 2018 – Drug resistance is a major problem in the treatment of liver cancer. Mammalian Target of Rapamycin 1 (mTORC1) inhibitors have been tested for the treatment of liver cancer based on hyperactive mTOR in this malignancy. However, their clinical trials showed poor outcome, most likely due to their ability to upregulate CD133 and promote chemoresistance.

Virtual Consultations Through the Veterans Administration SCAN‐ECHO Project Improves Survival for Veterans With Liver Disease

Grace L. Su, Lisa Glass, Elliot B. Tapper, Tony Van, Akbar K. Waljee, Anne E. Sales – 5 May 2018 – Access to specialty care has been associated with improved survival in patients with liver disease but universal access is not always feasible. Methods of care delivery using virtual modalities including the SCAN‐ECHO (Specialty Access Network‐Extension of Community Healthcare Outcome) program were implemented by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to address this need but limited data are available on patient outcomes.

The impact of diet‐induced hepatic steatosis in a murine model of hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury

Kim H. H. Liss, Kyle S. McCommis, Kari T. Chambers, Terri A. Pietka, George G. Schweitzer, Sara L. Park, Ilke Nalbantoglu, Carla J. Weinheimer, Angela M. Hall, Brian N. Finck – 5 May 2018 – The prevalence of obesity‐associated nonalcoholic fatty liver disease has significantly increased over the past decade, and end‐stage liver disease secondary to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis has become 1 of the most common indications for liver transplantation. This both increases the demand for organs and decreases the availability of donor livers deemed suitable for transplantation.

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