Liver News and Research

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Iron transport may contribute to diabetes

Scientists have been trying to explain the causes of diabetes for many years. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen and Novo Nordisk A/S have now shown that the increased activity of one particular iron-transport protein destroys insulin-producing beta cells. In addition, the new research shows that mice without this iron transporter are protected against developing diabetes.

21 Sep 2012

MiR-34a plays a key role in obesity

Scientists have identified a key molecular player in a chain of events in the body that can lead to fatty liver disease, Type II diabetes and other metabolic abnormalities associated with obesity. By blocking this molecule, the researchers were able to reverse some of the pathology it caused in obese mice.

21 Sep 2012

Endothelial colony-forming cells show promise against inflammatory bowel disease

New research shows that a special population of stem cells found in cord blood has the innate ability to migrate to the intestine and contribute to the cell population there, suggesting the cells' potential to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

20 Sep 2012

Light alcohol consumption may increase risk of certain cancers

The majority of observational studies have shown that alcohol intake, especially heavy drinking, increases a number of upper-aero-digestive tract (UADT) and other cancers, and even moderate drinking is associated with a slight increase in the risk of breast cancer.

19 Sep 2012

Diet, lack of AgRP-neurons can lead to obesity and diabetes

The absence of a specific type of neuron in the brain can lead to obesity and diabetes in mice report researchers in The EMBO Journal. The outcome, however, depends on the type of diet that the animals are fed.

19 Sep 2012

Cancer surpasses heart disease as leading cause of death among U.S. Hispanics

A new report from American Cancer Society researchers finds that despite declining death rates, cancer has surpassed heart disease as the leading cause of death among Hispanics in the U.S. In 2009, the most recent year for which actual data are available, 29,935 people of Hispanic origin in the U.S. died of cancer, compared to 29,611 deaths from heart disease.

18 Sep 2012

Water mineral content link to alcoholic liver disease

Low magnesium content in water supplies may contribute to the development of alcoholic liver disease, say the authors of a UK study.

17 Sep 2012

Healthcare costs could total more than household assets for elderly at end of life

For more than 25% of elderly US citizens, healthcare costs incurred during the last 5 years of life will amount to more than their total household assets, show data reported in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

17 Sep 2012

Limited positive effect of Tafamidis in neurological disorders

Tafamidis meglumine was approved in November 2011 for the treatment of transthyretin amyloidosis in adults.

17 Sep 2012

Jennerex Phase 2 JX-594 clinical data for hepatocellular carcinoma presented at ILCA meeting

Jennerex, Inc., a private, clinical-stage biotherapeutics company focused on the development and commercialization of first-in-class targeted oncolytic immunotherapies, presented Phase 2 clinical data of JX-594 delivered first intravenously and subsequently through intra-tumoral route demonstrating safety as well as disease control and tumor responses in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer, HCC).

17 Sep 2012

Sanford-Burnham scientist to receive NIH’s New Innovator Award

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of the Director today announced that Duc Dong, Ph.D., assistant professor at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham), will receive a New Innovator Award.

15 Sep 2012

UMDNJ, Proteonomix to conduct UMK-121 Phase 1 trial in end-stage liver disease

Proteonomix, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing therapeutics based upon the use of human cells and their derivatives, today announced it has entered into an agreement with Piscataway, N.J.-based University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) to conducted a Phase 1 clinical trial with its proprietary, patent-pending mobilization technology UMK-121 in patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD).

15 Sep 2012

Dynamic optical projection stereolithography can rapidly fabricate microscale 3D structures

Nanoengineers at the University of California, San Diego have developed a novel technology that can fabricate, in mere seconds, microscale three dimensional (3D) structures out of soft, biocompatible hydrogels.

14 Sep 2012

Hyperuricemia associated with more severe hepatic ATP depletion in response to fructose intake

Obese patients with type 2 diabetes who consume higher amounts of fructose display reduced levels of liver adenosine triphosphate (ATP)—a compound involved in the energy transfer between cells.

14 Sep 2012

UMass Amherst develops 'chemical nose' array to detect metastatic cancers

In the fight against cancer, knowing the enemy's exact identity is crucial for diagnosis and treatment, especially in metastatic cancers, those that spread between organs and tissues. Now chemists led by Vincent Rotello at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed a rapid, sensitive way to detect microscopic levels of many different metastatic cell types in living tissue. Findings appear in the current issue of the journal ACS Nano.

14 Sep 2012

Four new studies on the treatment of early breast cancer

Four new studies on the treatment of early breast cancer, spanning from diagnosis through surgery, were released today in advance of the 2012 Breast Cancer Symposium.

13 Sep 2012

University of Maryland study findings advance navel nephrectomy as standard of care

In the largest study of its kind, living donors who had a kidney removed through a single port in the navel report higher satisfaction in several key categories, compared to donors who underwent traditional multiple-port laparoscopic removal.

13 Sep 2012

Changes in physical characteristics of regulatory T cell can predict MDS progression risk

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues have discovered that changes in the physical characteristics of the effector memory regulatory T cell can predict the progression risk of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) to acute myeloid leukemia. The finding could improve prognostication for patients with MDS and better inform therapeutic decision making.

13 Sep 2012

Sanofi Aventis receives FDA approval for Aubagio to treat relapsing forms of MS

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Aubagio (teriflunomide), a once-a-day tablet for the treatment of adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

13 Sep 2012

Genzyme receives FDA approval for AUBAGIO to treat relapsing forms of MS

Genzyme, a Sanofi company, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved AUBAGIO (teriflunomide) as a new once-daily, oral treatment indicated for patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

13 Sep 2012