Nyberg – Grant/Research Support: Merck, Roche/Genentech, Vertex, Bristol Myers Squibb, Gilead, Pharmasset, Abbott; Speaking and Teaching: Merck Thomas J. Urban – Patent Held/Filed: Schering Plough “
“The gastrointestinal tract is protected by a mucus barrier with both secreted and cell-surface mucins contributing to the exclusion of luminal microbes and toxins. Alterations in the structure and/or quantity of mucins alter the barrier function of mucus and could Lapatinib in vivo play roles in initiating and maintaining mucosal

inflammation in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), and in driving cancer development in the intestine. The aim of this review is to focus on the roles of the mucins in IBD. The polymorphisms of mucin genes that have been associated with

Epigenetics inhibitor susceptibility to IBD, and alterations in mucin expression as well as factors that regulate production of the mucins in IBD, are summarized. Data from animal models of intestinal inflammation, which support the importance of mucins in IBD and cancer development, are also discussed. “
“Liver biopsy remains the most definitive test in assessing the severity of liver disease. The most important complication of liver biopsy is bleeding which occurs in 0.1-0.3% of patients. Exchange of information between the clinician and the pathologist is imperative in liver biopsy interpretation because the findings on liver biopsy are often not specific for a diagnosis. Paracentesis is the most

efficient way of determining diagnosis in patients presenting with ascites. Bleeding occurs in 0.3% of patients undergoing paracentesis. Intravenous albumin should be administered to patients undergoing removal of more than five liters of ascites fluid. “
“Type III interferons (IFN) (IFN-λ1, -λ2, -λ3/interleukin [IL]-29, -28A, -28B) are cytokines with type I IFN-like antiviral activities. Most cells have expressed both type I and III IFN following Toll-like receptor (TLR) stimulation or viral infection, whereas the ability of cells to respond to IFN-λ was restricted to a specific subset medchemexpress of cells. It was reported that signal transduction pathway of IFN-λ was similar to that of IFN-α/β although a receptor adapted by IFN-λ were distinct from that of IFN-α/β. However, the clinical significance and the role of each IFN-λ were unclear. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of the human whole genome revealed several single nucleotide polymorphism sites (SNP) strongly associated with the response to pegylated IFN-α (PEG-IFN) plus ribavirin (RBV) treatment in chronic hepatitis C patients. The SNP, which are located near the IL-28B gene of chromosome 19, were discovered simultaneously by three independent studies opening a new prospective in hepatitis C research.