The Global Burden of Disease study revealed that both cirrhosis and liver cancer were among the top 20 causes for mortality, but when these 2 forms of end-stage liver disease are taken together, liver disease moves into the top 10, with levels of mortality and morbidity similar to those exerted by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, tuberculosis, and malaria [1, 2]. On a global scale,...

The APC/C gets Trim'd down for apoptosis H uang et al. describe how the anaphase-promoting complex (APC/C) limits cell death and how this inhibition is relieved following DNA damage. Bcl-2 family proteins such as Bax stimulate apoptosis by promoting the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria. A protein called modulator of apoptosis-1 (MOAP-1) helps activate Bax, but this protein is usually d...

We read with interest the recent commentary by Friedrich and coworkers [1], in which they consider whether the current evidence supports treatment for severe sepsis with drotrecogin alfa (activated). They conclude that the survival benefit is weak in patients with severe sepsis treated with activated protein C (APC) [1]. However, this conclusion has a number of limitations. First, the authors h...