Hepatology News and Research

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Hepatology is the branch of medicine that incorporates study of liver, gallbladder, biliary tree and pancreas as well as management of their disorders.

Liver disease tackled with dedicated unit at Imperial College London

Liver disease death rates are rising in the UK, in contrast to other common diseases such as heart disease and cancer, and the new Robert Hesketh Hepatology Clinical Research Facility aims to provide care and develop new therapies to reverse this trend.

1 Dec 2008

Children with constipation a significant health issue

According to new research conducted at Nationwide Children's Hospital, the burden of illness in children suffering from constipation, and the costs associated with this condition, are roughly of the same magnitude as those for asthma and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

24 Nov 2008

Discovery of stem cells with potential to regenerate injured liver tissue

A novel protein marker has been found that identifies rare adult liver stem cells, whose ability to regenerate injured liver tissue has the potential for cell-replacement therapy.

12 Nov 2008

Adalimumab therapy may reduce health-care costs for Crohn's disease patients

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a term that refers to both ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD).

12 Nov 2008

Most young adults under 50 unlikely need colorectal screening

Young adults without a family history of bowel disease are unlikely to develop adenomas, the colorectal polyps most likely to lead to cancer, according to new research directed by scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. The finding supports current cancer screening guidelines recommending adults in general undergo screening colonoscopies starting at age 50.

2 Oct 2008

Non-invasively measuring liver stiffness with transient elastography accurately identifies advanced liver disease without biopsy

Non-invasively measuring liver stiffness with transient elastography accurately diagnoses patients with late-stage liver disease, reports a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.

1 Sep 2008

Anti-itching drug clemizole shows promise against hepatitis C

The fight against the liver disease hepatitis C has been at something of an impasse for years, with more than 150 million people currently infected, and traditional antiviral treatments causing nasty side effects and often falling short of a cure. Using a novel technique, medical and engineering researchers at Stanford University have discovered a vulnerable step in the virus' reproduction process that in lab testing could be effectively targeted with an obsolete antihistamine.

31 Aug 2008

New studies examine use of the nucleoside polymerase inhibitor, R1626, to the standard therapy for hepatitis C

Two new studies examine the use of the nucleoside polymerase inhibitor, R1626, to the standard therapy for hepatitis C. The reports appear in the August issue of Hepatology, a journal published by John Wiley & Sons on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).

31 Jul 2008

Enzyme may explain how hepatitis C infection causes fatty liver

A key enzyme may explain how hepatitis C infection causes fatty liver - a buildup of excess fat in the liver, which can lead to life-threatening diseases such as cirrhosis and liver cancer, report University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and School of Medicine researchers.

10 Jul 2008

Home-based cognitive behavioral therapy relieves irritable bowel syndrome symptoms

Persons with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can relieve their symptoms as effectively by following a self-administered, at-home cognitive behavioral program as they can by undergoing a 10-week in-office program administered by a trained therapist, a new pilot study has shown.

25 Jun 2008

Scientists identify molecular trick that may explain part of Salmonella's fierceness

Salmonella is serving up a surprise not only for tomato lovers around the country but also for scientists who study the rod-shaped bacterium that causes misery for millions of people.

15 Jun 2008

Hepatitis C therapy peginterferon alfa-2b shows promise

The hepatitis C therapy peginterferon alfa-2b, when given as low-dose maintenance therapy, can prevent disease progression in certain patients who failed previous interferon-based hepatitis C therapies and have advanced liver disease, according to findings from a large, four-year study presented today at the 43rd annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL).

24 Apr 2008

Combining liver cancer treatments doubles survival rates

By combining the use of stents and photodynamic therapy, also called SpyGlass, physicians at the University of Virginia have been able to significantly increase survival rates for patients suffering from advanced cholangiocarcinoma, cancer of the liver bile duct.

16 Apr 2008

Protein sulfatase 2 a possible treatment target for liver cancer recurrence and survival

Deadly and difficult to treat, liver cancer has long resisted attempts by researchers to develop ways to prolong life and prevent recurrence.

11 Apr 2008

Patient interventions with low-income and minorities increases colonoscopy rates

Patient interventions are necessary to achieve higher rates of colorectal cancer screening in low-income and minority patients, according to two studies in the current issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology , the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.

2 Apr 2008

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease related to cardiovascular fitness

Patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have suboptimal levels of cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, body composition and physical fitness, according to a new study.

25 Mar 2008

Big increase in hepatitis C-related deaths in the United States

Hepatitis C-related deaths in the United States increased by 123 percent from 1995 through 2004, the most recent year for which data are available. Mortality rates peaked in 2002, then declined slightly overall, while continuing to rise among people 55 to 64 years old.

25 Mar 2008

BARACLUDE data show low resistance over 5 years in nucleoside-naive hepatitis B patients

New BARACLUDE (entecavir) data presented demonstrated a continued low incidence of resistance in nucleoside-naïve patients through five years of treatment. In the nucleoside-naïve chronic hepatitis B patients analyzed, no additional patient developed resistance in the fifth year (n=108).

25 Mar 2008

Combined therapeutic approach of stenting and photodynamic therapy improves survival in late stage liver cancer patients

A combined therapeutic approach of stenting and photodynamic therapy may improve survival rates for patients suffering from advanced liver bile duct cancer, according to a study published this month in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology , the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.

12 Mar 2008

Serum fibrosis markers correlate with liver fibrosis stage in patients with advanced chronic hep C

A prospective study of patients with advanced chronic hepatitis C (CHC) revealed that a 3-variable model of serum fibrosis markers, including serum HA, TIMP-1 and platelet count, could identify cirrhosis with better accuracy than other published models.

4 Mar 2008

Hepatology News and Research

Further Reading

Liver disease tackled with dedicated unit at Imperial College London

Children with constipation a significant health issue

Discovery of stem cells with potential to regenerate injured liver tissue

Adalimumab therapy may reduce health-care costs for Crohn's disease patients

Most young adults under 50 unlikely need colorectal screening

Non-invasively measuring liver stiffness with transient elastography accurately identifies advanced liver disease without biopsy

Anti-itching drug clemizole shows promise against hepatitis C

New studies examine use of the nucleoside polymerase inhibitor, R1626, to the standard therapy for hepatitis C

Enzyme may explain how hepatitis C infection causes fatty liver

Home-based cognitive behavioral therapy relieves irritable bowel syndrome symptoms

Scientists identify molecular trick that may explain part of Salmonella's fierceness

Hepatitis C therapy peginterferon alfa-2b shows promise

Combining liver cancer treatments doubles survival rates

Protein sulfatase 2 a possible treatment target for liver cancer recurrence and survival

Patient interventions with low-income and minorities increases colonoscopy rates

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease related to cardiovascular fitness

Big increase in hepatitis C-related deaths in the United States

BARACLUDE data show low resistance over 5 years in nucleoside-naive hepatitis B patients

Combined therapeutic approach of stenting and photodynamic therapy improves survival in late stage liver cancer patients

Serum fibrosis markers correlate with liver fibrosis stage in patients with advanced chronic hep C

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

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