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Positive results from Phase II clinical trial of INT-747 announced

Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced positive results from a 165 patient, placebo controlled, double-blind Phase II clinical trial of INT-747 in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC).

27 Oct 2009

New diabetes algorithm released by AACE for the management of type 2 diabetes

A new, first-of-its-kind diabetes algorithm created to help achieve glycemic (blood sugar) control in type 2 patients was published online today in the September/October edition of Endocrine Practice.

22 Oct 2009

U.S. Pharmacopeial fellowships awarded to 6 students

New research focused on the quality of key medicines and their use as well as increasingly popular botanicals is being sponsored by the U.S. Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention under its 2009� Fellowship Program.

21 Oct 2009

First high-throughput analysis of Salmonella Typhi gene

For the first time, researchers are able to look at the need for every gene in a bacterial cell in a single experiment. The new method will transform the study of gene activity and the search for weaknesses in bacterial armouries.

19 Oct 2009

Olympic gold medal winner Lisa Leslie and Covidien launch new liver cancer education program

Four-time Olympic gold medal winner and three-time WNBA Most Valuable Player Lisa Leslie is teaming with Covidien, a leading global provider of healthcare products, to launch an educational program and Web site, www.MyLiverCancerOptions.com, that provide information to help patients and their families understand the treatment options available to manage liver cancer.

15 Oct 2009

Delays contribute to unnecessary ER visits and additional imaging services in symptomatic gallstone treatment

Getting patients to the operating room more quickly could cut by half the amount paid for hospital treatment of painful gallstones, researchers reported today at the 2009 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons.

15 Oct 2009

FDA provides 510(k) clearance for Boston Scientific's WallFlex Biliary RX covered stents

Boston Scientific Corporation today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its WallFlex(®) Biliary RX fully and partially covered stents for the palliative treatment of malignant bile duct strictures. The WallFlex Biliary RX uncovered stent was cleared by the FDA in 2006.

6 Oct 2009

Universal bilirubin screening can reduce jaundice incidence in newborns

Screening all newborns for excessive bilirubin in the blood can significantly decrease the incidence of severe jaundice which, in extreme cases, can lead to seizures and brain damage, according to researchers at UCSF Children's Hospital and Kaiser Permanente's Division of Research in Oakland, CA.

28 Sep 2009

Study to determine the outcomes and complications of ERCP in a community practice to appear in GIE journal

A new study from researchers in Minnesota found that endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) performed in a community hospital setting results in complication rates that compare favorably with those of academic centers while achieving technical success at or above the performance levels recommended by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE)/American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Task Force.

17 Sep 2009

Paper discussing the mechanism of the selective TGR5 agonist INT-777 published in Cell Metabolism

Bile acids are known to be key regulators of lipid, glucose and overall energy metabolism. Bile acid activation of the G protein-coupled receptor TGR5 has been shown to induce energy expenditure in muscle and brown fat, thereby conferring resistance to weight gain.

2 Sep 2009

Health Net urges Americans to have their blood cholesterol measured

Tomorrow, September 1, marks the start of National Cholesterol Education Month. In support of this educational effort, Health Net, Inc., (NYSE: HNT) is encouraging those who haven't yet done so, to have their blood cholesterol measured and, if it's high, to embark on a cholesterol-lowering program.

31 Aug 2009

High dosage of ursodeoxycholic acid does not help PSC patients

A national team of researchers led by scientists at Mayo Clinic has found that a common treatment for primary sclerosing cholangitis, a chronic liver disease, is not helpful for patients, according to a study published this month in the journal Hepatology.

29 Aug 2009

Relationship between the CD14 variation and the formation of portal lymphoid aggregates discovered

It is still unknown why the natural history of chronic disease caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV), which currently infects 3% of the world's population, varies from mild in some patients to rapidly progressing in others. Age, sex, alcohol consumption and liver sensitivity to gut-derived bacterial endotoxins, were the early factors defined to enhance the risk of fibrosis progression.

27 Aug 2009

Research indicates that acute hepatocellular injury in cholelithiasis and cholecystitis without choledocholithiasis is mild and transient

Acute hepatocellular injury is a commonly encountered phenomenon in patients with cholelithiasis and concomitant common bile duct (CBD) stones. However, in clinical practice, it seemed to occur also in cholelithiasis patients without evidence of CBD stones. Its incidence and final outcome necessitated clarification.

26 Aug 2009

USPTO grants MultiCell Technologies patent for its Fa2N-4 and Ea1C-35 immortalized human hepatocyte cell lines

MultiCell Technologies, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: MCET) announced today it has been granted U.S. patent 7,566,567 by the United States of America Patent and Trademark Office covering its Fa2N-4 and Ea1C-35 immortalized human hepatocyte cell lines.

20 Aug 2009

Study unveils detrimental effects of high-dose ursodeoxycholic acid on patients with PSC

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is an uncommon chronic liver disease characterized by progressive inflammation and destruction of the bile ducts. The disease progresses slowly, usually leading to biliary cirrhosis, portal hypertension and liver failure over a 10-15 year period. PSC is a common cause of adult cholestatic liver diseases and a primary source behind many of the liver transplantations in U.S. adults. At least 70% of PSC cases are associated with chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), usually ulcerative colitis. Currently, there is no cure for PSC and prospective treatments remain ineffective.

20 Aug 2009

Gallbladder emptying in primary sclerosing cholangitis patients

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is an idiopathic chronic cholestatic inflammatory liver disease characterized by diffuse fibrosing inflammation of intra- and/or extrahepatic bile ducts, resulting in bile duct obliteration, biliary cirrhosis, and eventually hepatic failure. One of the most common symptoms at the time of presentation of PSC is mild to severe abdominal pain localized in the right upper quadrant. However, the mechanisms responsible for the abdominal pain in PSC are not fully understood.

10 Aug 2009

Noninvasive screening test detects digestive cancers in multiple organs

Mayo Clinic researchers have demonstrated that a noninvasive screening test can detect not only colorectal cancer but also the common cancers above the colon -- including pancreas, stomach, biliary and esophageal cancers. This is one of more than 100 Mayo Clinic studies being presented at Digestive Disease Week 2009 in Chicago, May 30 - June 4.

2 Jun 2009

Trial results show better survival for gallbladder and bile duct cancer

Combining two chemotherapy drugs for advanced gallbladder and bile duct cancer improves survival by a third, according to results from a Cancer Research UK funded trial presented today at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference.