In the converse experiment, WT bone marrow was transplanted into Acalabrutinib research buy irradiated CD39tg mice, limiting CD39 overexpression to the liver parenchyma. Prior to liver transplantation experiments, reconstitution in the thymus, spleen, and liver was assessed. In all three organs reconstitution of CD39tg, but not WT, bone marrow was incomplete, which was particularly striking within the liver (Fig. 1E). Consequently, only WT and CD39tg livers reconstituted with WT bone

marrow were used as donors for further liver transplantation studies. The serum ALT and IL-6 concentrations following prolonged cold ischemia and transplantation were not statistically different between the reconstituted WT and CD39tg donor liver, with 15,215 (±3,894) and 13,505 (±1,167) U/L, respectively, for

ALT (Fig. 1F) and 6,709 (±2,296) and 9,725 (±4,020) selleck compound pg/mL, respectively, for IL-6 (data not shown). These results suggest that overexpression of CD39 on liver parenchyma alone does not confer protection against hepatic IRI and implicates a mechanistic role for resident hepatic lymphocytes in this model. To investigate the poor reconstitution following CD39tg bone marrow transfer, hepatic leukocyte populations in unmanipulated mice were analyzed by flow cytometry. The CD4+ T cell, but not CD8+ T cell, population was significantly decreased in CD39tg livers compared to WT controls (Fig. 2A; Table 1). Analysis of hepatic invariant NKT (iNKT) cells with CD1d-tetramer showed profound deficiencies in CD39tg animals (Fig. 2B; Table 1). As about 80% of iNKT cells express CD4 on their surface,27 the relative numbers of hepatic CD4+ and CD4− iNKT cells among the resident lymphocytes was analyzed. Only CD4-expressing MCE iNKT cells were deficient with 0.03 × 106 (±0.01) CD39tg compared to 0.33 × 106 (±0.05) WT CD4+ iNKT (Fig. 2C,D). Analysis of splenic lymphocyte populations showed similar deficiencies in CD4+ T cell and iNKT cell

numbers (Fig. 2E,F; Table 1). Despite this, the proportion and number of regulatory T cells (Tregs), which also express the CD4 surface marker, were not deficient in the spleens from CD39 transgenic mice (Supporting Fig. 3A,B; Table 1). Splenic B cell and NK cell numbers were unaffected (Table 1). The function of the remaining CD4+ T cells and iNKT cells in CD39tg mice was tested. CFSE-stained splenocytes were cultured for 2 days in the presence of anti-CD3 and anti-CD28. CD39tg CD4+ T cells, but not CD8+ T cells, were hypoproliferative compared to WT cells with 64% (±3) dividing cells versus 85% (±2) (Fig. 3A,B). The function of iNKT cells was determined in vivo 2 hours post stimulation with αGalCer. Both intracellular staining for IFN-γ and IL-4 on liver leukocytes and serum concentration of IL-4 showed unresponsiveness of CD39tg iNKT cells to αGalCer (Fig. 3C,D).

8, 9 The real cause is not clear; it is postulated that there exists a selection pressure between the HCV viral genotype and host immune responses during evolution that might determine HCV genotype–specific treatment responses.10 Whether the driving force of selection applies to viral replication as well as the preference of the viral genotype distribution in terms of host genetic diversities warrants further molecular-based studies in the future. Chung-Feng Huang M.D* †, Chia-Yen Dai M.D., Ph.D* § ¶, Jee-Fu Huang M.D.* ¶ **, Wan-Long Chuang M.D., Ph.D.* ¶, Ming-Lung Yu M.D., Ph.D.* ‡ ¶,

* Hepatobiliary Division, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Smad inhibitor Kaohsiung, Taiwan, † Departments of Occupational Medicine, ‡ Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Ta- Tung Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, § buy Lumacaftor Graduate Institute of Medicine, ¶ Faculty of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ** Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiao-Kang Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. “
“Patients with underlying acute and chronic liver disease are at risk of morbidity and mortality after surgery. The magnitude of the risk is related to the severity of liver disease, the type of surgery

and the urgency of the surgery. The severity of liver disease as measured by the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score and the Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score can be used to risk stratify patients with liver disease undergoing surgery. Even in patients with well-preserved liver synthetic function, the presence of significant portal hypertension can lead to adverse outcomes after surgery, particularly

if it involves hepatic resection. Cardiac and abdominal surgery carry the greatest risk, particularly in emergent situations, and acute liver failure and acute alcoholic hepatitis are generally contraindications for any type of surgery. “
“We read with interest the recent analysis by Remien et al.1 of the prognostic accuracy of the Model for Acetaminophen-induced Liver Damage (MALD). By combining serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), creatinine, MCE公司 and international normalized ratio INR, the authors demonstrate a negative predictive value (NPV) of 100% for predicting death when applied to a mixed cohort of 53 acetaminophen overdoses. This complex model has several limitations to its use at present, including the difficulty in calculating the formula at the patients’ bedside, and in the use of serum AST, which may not always be routinely available in some centers. However, the study does highlight the importance of accurate triage when considering the potential need for liver transplantation following acetaminophen overdose. We similarly demonstrated an extremely high NPV following acetaminophen overdose by utilizing the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, where a SOFA score <7 by 96 hours following single timepoint overdose had a NPV of 98.2%.

Such survival rates are unknown amongst odontocetes. It seems more likely that the school stranded in 1981 was somehow reproductively compromised, and not typical of the population as a whole: only examination of further material from southern African false killer whales will resolve this issue. Both the shore-driven

and stranded samples are characterized by a hiatus in the age distribution of males (between 10 and 19 yr and 5 and 18 yr, respectively; Fig. 3) and an apparent gap between immature and mature males (i.e., few maturing individuals). Kasuya (1986) suggested that this discontinuity in shore-driven groups is due to the absence of males in the late maturing stage (two early maturing males were present but no late maturing males). However, the stranded St. Helena Bay school contained no early maturing but two late maturing

males, suggesting that the absence may involve maturing males in general. Koen Alonso et al. Osimertinib clinical trial (1999) reported that amongst 91 animals examined from a mass stranding of 181 false killer whales in Chile there were only large and small animals and that larger juveniles and subadults were absent: measurements given for a sample of 33 suggest this applied to both sexes. Kasuya and Marsh (1984) reported a similar shortage of maturing males for short-finned pilot whales stranded or caught off selleck chemicals the Pacific coast of Japan (and a scarcity of maturing and young mature males is also apparent in schools of long-finned pilot whales driven ashore at the

Faroe Islands; Desportes et al. 1993). However, unlike in Kasuya and Marsh’s (1984) study, there does not appear to be an aggregation of maturing males in any single shore-driven school in this study (although few in number). School 4 (which contained four males and only two females), had only one immature male, aged 1.5 yr, and three adult males, all over 26 yr of age. The dispersal pattern of male false killer whales from their natal school is unknown. The presence of maturing and mature males, albeit in small numbers, of various ages and body lengths in both samples suggests that some maturing males might leave their breeding school at least temporarily, but that at least one or MCE a few males may remain with, or return to their natal group, in line with the evidence for strong social bonds and long term association and philopatry (Acevedo-Gutierrez et al. 1997, Baird et al. 2008). Alternatively, these maturing and adult males may be unrelated to the rest of the group and have emigrated from other breeding schools. The formation of bachelor groupings like sperm whales, or as observed in at least one case for long-finned pilot whales (Desportes et al. 1994), has not yet been observed at mass strandings or in drive fisheries for false killer whales, leading to speculation that these males may rove singly or in very small groups.

Such survival rates are unknown amongst odontocetes. It seems more likely that the school stranded in 1981 was somehow reproductively compromised, and not typical of the population as a whole: only examination of further material from southern African false killer whales will resolve this issue. Both the shore-driven

and stranded samples are characterized by a hiatus in the age distribution of males (between 10 and 19 yr and 5 and 18 yr, respectively; Fig. 3) and an apparent gap between immature and mature males (i.e., few maturing individuals). Kasuya (1986) suggested that this discontinuity in shore-driven groups is due to the absence of males in the late maturing stage (two early maturing males were present but no late maturing males). However, the stranded St. Helena Bay school contained no early maturing but two late maturing

males, suggesting that the absence may involve maturing males in general. Koen Alonso et al. Pritelivir (1999) reported that amongst 91 animals examined from a mass stranding of 181 false killer whales in Chile there were only large and small animals and that larger juveniles and subadults were absent: measurements given for a sample of 33 suggest this applied to both sexes. Kasuya and Marsh (1984) reported a similar shortage of maturing males for short-finned pilot whales stranded or caught off Olaparib in vivo the Pacific coast of Japan (and a scarcity of maturing and young mature males is also apparent in schools of long-finned pilot whales driven ashore at the

Faroe Islands; Desportes et al. 1993). However, unlike in Kasuya and Marsh’s (1984) study, there does not appear to be an aggregation of maturing males in any single shore-driven school in this study (although few in number). School 4 (which contained four males and only two females), had only one immature male, aged 1.5 yr, and three adult males, all over 26 yr of age. The dispersal pattern of male false killer whales from their natal school is unknown. The presence of maturing and mature males, albeit in small numbers, of various ages and body lengths in both samples suggests that some maturing males might leave their breeding school at least temporarily, but that at least one or MCE公司 a few males may remain with, or return to their natal group, in line with the evidence for strong social bonds and long term association and philopatry (Acevedo-Gutierrez et al. 1997, Baird et al. 2008). Alternatively, these maturing and adult males may be unrelated to the rest of the group and have emigrated from other breeding schools. The formation of bachelor groupings like sperm whales, or as observed in at least one case for long-finned pilot whales (Desportes et al. 1994), has not yet been observed at mass strandings or in drive fisheries for false killer whales, leading to speculation that these males may rove singly or in very small groups.

The process also offers the possibility of using the hepatocyte-like cells for toxicity screening during drug discovery. Additional Supporting Information may be found in the online version of this article. “
“Mucosal cancer of the gastrointestinal tract generally has extremely low risk of lymph node metastasis. Endoscopic resection therefore is a potentially curable treatment. Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) are techniques of local excision of neoplastic lesions confined to the mucosal layer. In this chapter the use of EMR/ESD is discussed, with a focus on current techniques. “
Snail, which is a transcription factor that controls the epithelial-to-mesenchymal

transition. According to our findings, HGF induces a rapid increase in the expression of the definitive endoderm Barasertib manufacturer markers, Sox17 and Foxa2. The cell morphology of the iPSC also quickly changes into a spiky shape. Furthermore, the transcription factor Snail, which is a strong repressor of transcription of the E-cadherin gene, is up-regulated by the endodermal induction medium containing HGF, but not by medium without HGF (data not shown). Therefore, further analysis of the molecular mechanism related to HGF activities during early embryonic development is important to controlling hepatic lineage formation. Using our protocol,

it is possible to bring about the rapid and efficient generation of mature cells that exhibited characteristics of hepatocytes. The Selleck Trichostatin A cytochrome P450 enzymes are critical enzymes associated with drug metabolism and the general metabolism of the human liver. The iPSC-derived hepatocyte cells expressed detectable enzyme activity for CYP3A4, which is the most important of the cytochrome P450s. This suggests strongly that these differentiated

cells have the potential to be applied during in vitro model drug screening. The in vitro differentiation system reported here that MCE allows the differentiation of hepatocyte-like cells has numerous advantages. First, it should be possible to use these cells to treat diseases. This is because the method creates hepatocyte-like cells from human iPSCs, and these iPSCs can be reprogrammed from patient somatic cells. Second, the process is very rapid and highly efficient. Using our system, the differentiation of human iPSCs into functional hepatocyte-like cells requires only 12 days. This will facilitate the development of therapeutic protocols. In conclusion, we have shown that human iPSCs can be directed to differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells in a rapid and efficient manner, through use of a three-step protocol. According to the gene expression pattern and functional analysis of the iPSC-derived hepatocyte-like cells, we believe that this study has advanced the hepatogenic differentiation field.

The process also offers the possibility of using the hepatocyte-like cells for toxicity screening during drug discovery. Additional Supporting Information may be found in the online version of this article. “
“Mucosal cancer of the gastrointestinal tract generally has extremely low risk of lymph node metastasis. Endoscopic resection therefore is a potentially curable treatment. Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) are techniques of local excision of neoplastic lesions confined to the mucosal layer. In this chapter the use of EMR/ESD is discussed, with a focus on current techniques. “
Snail, which is a transcription factor that controls the epithelial-to-mesenchymal

transition. According to our findings, HGF induces a rapid increase in the expression of the definitive endoderm BMS-777607 markers, Sox17 and Foxa2. The cell morphology of the iPSC also quickly changes into a spiky shape. Furthermore, the transcription factor Snail, which is a strong repressor of transcription of the E-cadherin gene, is up-regulated by the endodermal induction medium containing HGF, but not by medium without HGF (data not shown). Therefore, further analysis of the molecular mechanism related to HGF activities during early embryonic development is important to controlling hepatic lineage formation. Using our protocol,

it is possible to bring about the rapid and efficient generation of mature cells that exhibited characteristics of hepatocytes. The selleck screening library cytochrome P450 enzymes are critical enzymes associated with drug metabolism and the general metabolism of the human liver. The iPSC-derived hepatocyte cells expressed detectable enzyme activity for CYP3A4, which is the most important of the cytochrome P450s. This suggests strongly that these differentiated

cells have the potential to be applied during in vitro model drug screening. The in vitro differentiation system reported here that 上海皓元医药股份有限公司 allows the differentiation of hepatocyte-like cells has numerous advantages. First, it should be possible to use these cells to treat diseases. This is because the method creates hepatocyte-like cells from human iPSCs, and these iPSCs can be reprogrammed from patient somatic cells. Second, the process is very rapid and highly efficient. Using our system, the differentiation of human iPSCs into functional hepatocyte-like cells requires only 12 days. This will facilitate the development of therapeutic protocols. In conclusion, we have shown that human iPSCs can be directed to differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells in a rapid and efficient manner, through use of a three-step protocol. According to the gene expression pattern and functional analysis of the iPSC-derived hepatocyte-like cells, we believe that this study has advanced the hepatogenic differentiation field.

No baseline serum samples were available for sequencing in the remaining

18 patients. The recently published nomenclature for amino acid positions in the HBV polymerase gene was used.16 With nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the primers 252 (5′-AGACTCGTGGTGGACTTCTCT-3′) and 1309 (5′-AGAATGTTTGCTCCAGACC-3′) as external primers and 377 (5′-GGATGTGTCTGCGGCGTTT-3′) and 998 (5′ACGTTGACAGACTTTCCAATC-3′) as internal primers, a PCR product bridging region from codon rt88 to codon rt282 was amplified. The PCR products were separated on 2% Y-27632 price agarose gel (NuSieve 3:1; FMC, Rockland, ME), eluted with Gene-Clean (Bio 101, Vista, CA), and directly sequenced using a BigDye Terminator Cycle Sequencing Ready Reaction Kit (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA) with an automated sequencer (ABI-Prism; Applied Biosystems). The derived sequences of both strands of the amplification products

were investigated for all mutations described Epigenetics inhibitor to be associated with resistance against LAM and telbivudine as rtV173L, rtL180M, and rtM204I/V/S, against entecavir as rtT184G, rtS202I, and rtM250V, and against ADV as rtA181V/T and rtN236T. HBV genotypes were determined by sequence alignment of the overlapping HBsAg with HBV sequences derived from GenBank.17 For statistical data analysis, SPSS software for Windows, release 11.0 (Chicago, IL), was used. HBV DNA initially measured in copies/mL was converted to the base 10 logarithmic scale, with a lower limit of detection of 400 copies/mL, corresponding to 2.6 log10. For the primary endpoint, the time until the HBV DNA level reached <400 copies/mL was estimated using Kaplan-Meier methodology, and time to event subgroup comparisons were performed using the Log-Rank test. Categorical data were analyzed with the two-sided Fisher exact test. To determine the influence of baseline HBV DNA levels, the cohort

was divided into patients with high and low HBV DNA levels, using a threshold of 107 copies/mL. Baseline characteristics of the 131 eligible patients are shown in Table 1. In total, 101 of these patients received TDF for at least 12 months and the median 上海皓元医药股份有限公司 time on TDF treatment was 23 months (range, 6–60 months). TDF treatment resulted in a decrease from a mean of 7.6 ± 1.4 log10 copies/mL to undetectable HBV DNA levels in 79% of all patients during the observation period. To assess the long-term efficacy of TDF treatment, the probability of achieving undetectable HBV DNA levels was calculated for all timepoints of TDF treatment by Kaplan-Meier analysis (Fig. 1). A Kaplan-Meier analysis, which describes a binary outcome, could be applied because during the observation period no reincrease of HBV DNA levels after suppression to undetectable levels was observed in any of the patients.

Disclosures: Brian P. Lam – Advisory Committees or Review Panels: BMS; Speaking and Teaching: Gilead; Stock Shareholder: Gilead The following people have nothing to disclose: Zobair Younossi, Mendel Singer, Linda Henry, Sharon L. Hunt, Thomas Jeffers, Spencer Frost Background: Healthcare costs have precipitously increased over the last decade and the economic burden of cirrhosis is no exception. We aimed to examine trends in inpatient charges amongst patients with different ACP-196 etiologies of cirrhosis to determine the main drivers of cirrhosis related healthcare expenditures. Methods: We identified patients >=18 years of age, admitted

with any diagnostic code containing “cirrhosis” in the HCUP NIS data ALK inhibitor from 2002-2010. Our primary outcome was total inpatient charges. Patient and hospital characteristics were analyzed for trends using ordinary least squares regression modeling. Results: 781,700 patients with cirrhosis

were admitted to US hospitals participating in the NIS between 2002-2010. Of these, 370,728 (47.4%) had a diagnosis of alcoholic cirrhosis (AC). Admissions increased by 30% between 2002-2010 for patients with AC. Total charges for AC increased 100% over the time period from $1 billion to $2 billion, accounting for approximately 50% of all inpatient cirrhosis related charges during the time period (Figure 1). Disease severity in AC patients has increased in recent years [Elixhauser comorbidity index rose from 2.6 (95% CI 2.6-2.6) in 2002 to 3.6

(95% CI 3.5-3.6) in 2010], and the mean length of stay has remained greater than that of other etiologies of cirrhosis [7.0 (95% CI 6.9-7.1) in 2002 dropping to 6.1 (95% CI 6.0-6.1) in 上海皓元 2010 (p<0.001). Summary: Alcohol misuse is the main cause of cirrhosis among hospitalized patients and is the main driver of increased healthcare expenditures among this population. Higher number of admissions, declining length of stay and fewer procedures done for alcoholic cirrhosis suggests that the high total cost is driven primarily by volume. Strategies aimed at early detection of alcoholic liver disease and improvement in patient management may yield the greatest benefit in reducing cirrhosis related healthcare expenditures. Disclosures: Monica Schmidt – Grant/Research Support: Merck & Co.; Patent Held/Filed: HCCplex; Stock Shareholder: PleX Diagnostics Ramon Bataller – Advisory Committees or Review Panels: Sandhill; Consulting: VTI Alfred S. Barritt – Grant/Research Support: Salix Pharmaceuticals; Speaking and Teaching: Abbott Molecular The following people have nothing to disclose: Paul H. Hayashi Background: Early outpatient follow-up after hospitalization reduces the rate of readmission in other chronic conditions. However, follow-up after cirrhosis hospitalization and its association with readmission rates is unknown.

Disclosures: Brian P. Lam – Advisory Committees or Review Panels: BMS; Speaking and Teaching: Gilead; Stock Shareholder: Gilead The following people have nothing to disclose: Zobair Younossi, Mendel Singer, Linda Henry, Sharon L. Hunt, Thomas Jeffers, Spencer Frost Background: Healthcare costs have precipitously increased over the last decade and the economic burden of cirrhosis is no exception. We aimed to examine trends in inpatient charges amongst patients with different mTOR inhibitor etiologies of cirrhosis to determine the main drivers of cirrhosis related healthcare expenditures. Methods: We identified patients >=18 years of age, admitted

with any diagnostic code containing “cirrhosis” in the HCUP NIS data selleck chemical from 2002-2010. Our primary outcome was total inpatient charges. Patient and hospital characteristics were analyzed for trends using ordinary least squares regression modeling. Results: 781,700 patients with cirrhosis

were admitted to US hospitals participating in the NIS between 2002-2010. Of these, 370,728 (47.4%) had a diagnosis of alcoholic cirrhosis (AC). Admissions increased by 30% between 2002-2010 for patients with AC. Total charges for AC increased 100% over the time period from $1 billion to $2 billion, accounting for approximately 50% of all inpatient cirrhosis related charges during the time period (Figure 1). Disease severity in AC patients has increased in recent years [Elixhauser comorbidity index rose from 2.6 (95% CI 2.6-2.6) in 2002 to 3.6

(95% CI 3.5-3.6) in 2010], and the mean length of stay has remained greater than that of other etiologies of cirrhosis [7.0 (95% CI 6.9-7.1) in 2002 dropping to 6.1 (95% CI 6.0-6.1) in 上海皓元 2010 (p<0.001). Summary: Alcohol misuse is the main cause of cirrhosis among hospitalized patients and is the main driver of increased healthcare expenditures among this population. Higher number of admissions, declining length of stay and fewer procedures done for alcoholic cirrhosis suggests that the high total cost is driven primarily by volume. Strategies aimed at early detection of alcoholic liver disease and improvement in patient management may yield the greatest benefit in reducing cirrhosis related healthcare expenditures. Disclosures: Monica Schmidt – Grant/Research Support: Merck & Co.; Patent Held/Filed: HCCplex; Stock Shareholder: PleX Diagnostics Ramon Bataller – Advisory Committees or Review Panels: Sandhill; Consulting: VTI Alfred S. Barritt – Grant/Research Support: Salix Pharmaceuticals; Speaking and Teaching: Abbott Molecular The following people have nothing to disclose: Paul H. Hayashi Background: Early outpatient follow-up after hospitalization reduces the rate of readmission in other chronic conditions. However, follow-up after cirrhosis hospitalization and its association with readmission rates is unknown.

Disclosures: Brian P. Lam – Advisory Committees or Review Panels: BMS; Speaking and Teaching: Gilead; Stock Shareholder: Gilead The following people have nothing to disclose: Zobair Younossi, Mendel Singer, Linda Henry, Sharon L. Hunt, Thomas Jeffers, Spencer Frost Background: Healthcare costs have precipitously increased over the last decade and the economic burden of cirrhosis is no exception. We aimed to examine trends in inpatient charges amongst patients with different C59 wnt concentration etiologies of cirrhosis to determine the main drivers of cirrhosis related healthcare expenditures. Methods: We identified patients >=18 years of age, admitted

with any diagnostic code containing “cirrhosis” in the HCUP NIS data Selleckchem Vincristine from 2002-2010. Our primary outcome was total inpatient charges. Patient and hospital characteristics were analyzed for trends using ordinary least squares regression modeling. Results: 781,700 patients with cirrhosis

were admitted to US hospitals participating in the NIS between 2002-2010. Of these, 370,728 (47.4%) had a diagnosis of alcoholic cirrhosis (AC). Admissions increased by 30% between 2002-2010 for patients with AC. Total charges for AC increased 100% over the time period from $1 billion to $2 billion, accounting for approximately 50% of all inpatient cirrhosis related charges during the time period (Figure 1). Disease severity in AC patients has increased in recent years [Elixhauser comorbidity index rose from 2.6 (95% CI 2.6-2.6) in 2002 to 3.6

(95% CI 3.5-3.6) in 2010], and the mean length of stay has remained greater than that of other etiologies of cirrhosis [7.0 (95% CI 6.9-7.1) in 2002 dropping to 6.1 (95% CI 6.0-6.1) in 上海皓元 2010 (p<0.001). Summary: Alcohol misuse is the main cause of cirrhosis among hospitalized patients and is the main driver of increased healthcare expenditures among this population. Higher number of admissions, declining length of stay and fewer procedures done for alcoholic cirrhosis suggests that the high total cost is driven primarily by volume. Strategies aimed at early detection of alcoholic liver disease and improvement in patient management may yield the greatest benefit in reducing cirrhosis related healthcare expenditures. Disclosures: Monica Schmidt – Grant/Research Support: Merck & Co.; Patent Held/Filed: HCCplex; Stock Shareholder: PleX Diagnostics Ramon Bataller – Advisory Committees or Review Panels: Sandhill; Consulting: VTI Alfred S. Barritt – Grant/Research Support: Salix Pharmaceuticals; Speaking and Teaching: Abbott Molecular The following people have nothing to disclose: Paul H. Hayashi Background: Early outpatient follow-up after hospitalization reduces the rate of readmission in other chronic conditions. However, follow-up after cirrhosis hospitalization and its association with readmission rates is unknown.