The liver is a large organ that sits in the right upper abdomen, just under the right lung. It is one of the body's most "intelligent" organs in that it performs so many different functions at the same time. The liver makes proteins, eliminates waste material from the body, produces cholesterol, stores and releases glucose energy and metabolizes many drugs used in medicine. It also produces bile that flows through bile ducts into the intestine where it helps to digest food. This organ also has the ability to regenerate itself if it is injured or partially removed. Cirrhosis is scarring of the liver that involves the formation of fibrous (scar) tissue associated with the destruction of the normal architecture of the organ. Many types of chronic injury to the liver can result in scar tissue. This scarring distorts the normal structure and regrowth of liver cells. The flow of blood through the liver from the intestine is blocked and the work done by the liver, such as processing drugs or producing proteins, is hindered. Until recently, the most common cause of cirrhosis of the liver in the United States was attributed to alcohol abuse. Because of the rapid increase of hepatitis C virus infection, hepatitis C has now taken over first place (26%), with alcohol abuse falling to second place, but only slightly behind at 21%. This outstanding new book elucidates new and important research results from throughout the world.

Table of Contents:
Preface; Heart-Liver Interrelations: Cardiac Involvement in Liver Cirrhosis and Cardiovascular Congestive Hepatopathy (E. M. Zardi, A. Picardi, and A. Afeltra, University Campus Bio-Medico , Italy; D. M. Zardi, University of Rome La Sapienza , Italy); Copper Concentrations in the Public Drinking Water Supply and Possible Toxic Effects for Infants (B. P. Zietz and H. Dunkelberg, University of Gottingen, Germany); Pathogenetic Role of Thrombopoietin in Patients with Chronic Virus Hepatitis and Liver Cirrhosis (Frank Tacke, Christian Trautwein, Michael P. Manns, Arnold Ganser, and Patrick Schoffski, Hannover Medical School, Germany); Human Fetuin/á2HS-glycoprotein Levels in Sera of Patients with Liver Disease (Laszlo Kalabay, Zoltan Prohaszka, George Fust, Katalin Toth, Laszlo Graf, Laszlo Jakab, Terez Pozsonyi, Bela Fekete, Istvan Karradi, and Ferenc Szalay, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary; Zsuzsa Benko, Laszlo Telegady, Szent Laszlo Hospital, Hungary; Philippe Arnaud, Medical University of South Carolina); Characterization of Focal Hepatic Lesions Identified in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease by Using Low Acoustic Power Mode after Injection of Sulphur Hexafluoride-Filled Microbubble (Emilio Quaia, Mirdo D' Onofrio, Sabrina Caffarri, Francesca Degobbis, Alessandro Palumbo, and Roberto Pozzi Mucelli, University of Trieste, Italy); Computerized Morphometry in Liver Cirrhosis: Histological and Immunohistochemical Patterns, (Laura Vizzotto, Guido Sabatella, and Maria Goffredi, Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Milan, Italy; Maurizio Vertemati, Department of Endocrinology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Milan , Italy; Marcello Gambacorta and Ernesto Minola, Niguarda Hospital, Milan, Italy); Successful Liver Transplantation in Patients with Common Variable Immunodeficiency Concomitant with Liver Cirrhosis (Anna Macura-Biegun and Danuta Kowalczyk, Polish-American Institute of Pediatrics, Jagiellonian University Medical college, Poland; Isabelle Scheers and Etienne Sokal, Universite Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium); Periodontal Status of Liver Cirrhosis and Post-Transplantation Patients (Orit Oettinger-Barak, Shlomi Barak, Yaacov Baruch, and Eli E. Machtei, Rambam Medical Center, Israel); Prevention of Esophageal Variceal Rebleeding in Cirrhotic Patients- A Critical Analysis (Julio Pereira-Lima and Cesar Vivian Lopes, Santa Casa Hospital, Brazil); The Role of Impaired Gastric Accomodation in the Dyspeptic Symptoms of Alcoholic Cirrhotic Patients (Izbeki Ferrenc, Kiss Ildiko, and Wittmann Tibor, University of Szeged, Hungary); Effect of Biejiajian Oral Liquid (BOL) on Preventing and Treating Experimental Rat Hepatic Fibrosis (Li Yao, Zhen-Min Yao, and Tao Yu, Zhejiang College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China); Index.