Since the discovery of superoxide dismutase more than three decades ago, there has been rapid growth in the knowledge of oxidative stress and disease. This volume containing the proceedings of the 13th Yamaguchi Symposium on Liver Disease includes discussion of the direct cellular effects of hepatitis C virus (HCV) proteins on hepatocytes and reviews evidence that oxidative stress caused primarily by the HCV core protein plays a key role in disease pathogenesis. Also included are chapters on new aspects of oxidative stress and liver disease such as carbon monoxide as a regulator of liver microcirculation, hepatic iron accumulation and the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma, and oxidative stress in the absence of inflammation in hepatocarcinogenesis. This collection of papers from the Yamaguchi Symposium creates a valuable reference resource for physicians and hepatologists.