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Hôpital Beaujon, Clichy, France.
Hepatology 2009;49:175–84.
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Editor’s note: Infection is a complication of decompensated cirrhosis, and the release of cytokines can cause a worsening of liver function (
Liver Int 2004;24:437–45). In the first article, the authors evaluated
ex vivo exposure to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) during the inflammatory response induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) [1]. HDL can neutralize LPS; as patients with cirrhosis have lower concentrations of HDL (
Eur J Clin Invest 1995;25:143–8), this may be relevant to susceptibility and response to infection.