Liver Disease News and Research

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The liver is one of the largest solid organs of the body. It is located in the upper right part of the abdomen. Most of the organ lies under cover of the rib cage.

SLU VTEU awarded $5.8 million NIH contract to support 'omics' research initiative

Saint Louis University's Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit has received a five-year, $5.8 million contract from the National Institutes of Health to support an "omics" research initiative to study the safety and effectiveness of vaccines and other ways to fight infectious diseases.

30 Oct 2015

SLU hepatologist receives $150,000 grant to study preventative strategies for TPN-associated disorders

When a child is born prematurely, providing nutrition intravenously can be lifesaver. Unfortunately it can also cause liver damage down the road.

29 Oct 2015

Watching too much TV increases risk of death

On average, 80% of American adults watch 3.5 hours of television per day and multiple observational studies have demonstrated a link between TV viewing and poorer health. In this new study published in the December issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, investigators reported an association between increasing hours of television viewing per day and increasing risk of death from most of the major causes of death in the United States.

28 Oct 2015

Reducing sugar intake reverses chronic metabolic diseases in children

Reducing consumption of added sugar, even without reducing calories or losing weight, has the power to reverse a cluster of chronic metabolic diseases, including high cholesterol and blood pressure, in children in as little as 10 days, according to a study by researchers at UC San Francisco and Touro University California.

27 Oct 2015

Viking successfully completes safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetic study of VK5211 in elderly subjects

Viking Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel, first-in-class or best-in-class therapies for metabolic and endocrine disorders, today announced the successful completion of a short-term safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic study of VK5211 in healthy elderly subjects. VK5211, the company's lead program for muscle and bone disorders, is an orally available, non-steroidal selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) being developed for the treatment of patients recovering from non-elective hip fracture surgery.

20 Oct 2015

Being a grandparent good for your health, says SLU geriatrician

Note to Mimi, Didi, Gigi, G-Ma and the rest of the gang who have swapped out your own pet names for Grandma: Being a grandparent is good for your health. So says Angela Sanford, M.D., assistant professor of geriatrics at Saint Louis University.

20 Oct 2015

Study could lead to better understanding of metabolic processes behind type 2 diabetes

Scientists in Sweden have discovered that human intestinal flora regulates the levels of the body's main antioxidant, glutathione, which fights a host of diseases. The findings could lead to new probiotic-delivering foods, and a better understanding of the metabolic processes behind diseases such as type 2 diabetes.

19 Oct 2015

European liver patients’ association launches call to action report for the treatment of heapatic encephalopathy

ELPA today launched a new call to action report ‘Time to DeLiver: Getting a Grip on HE’ at the European Parliament in Brussels. This is the first report from Europe to highlight the significant burden of hepatic encephalopathy on patients, their carers, families and society.

14 Oct 2015

Men on effective HIV therapy less likely to get HBV infection, shows research

Previous studies of individuals with HIV have suggested that HIV drug regimens that included drugs active against hepatitis B virus (HBV) can decrease the risk of infection with the liver-damaging HBV.

13 Oct 2015

Immune submits Bertilimumab IND application to FDA for treatment of Bullous Pemphigoid

Immune Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has submitted an Investigational New Drug Application in the U.S. to expand recruiting for its first in class lead product candidate, Bertilimumab, for the treatment of Bullous Pemphigoid (BP).

7 Oct 2015

Mercy open new Endoscopy Suite to promote and practice gastrointestinal health

Mercy Medical Center has announced the opening of a new, state-of-the-art Endoscopy Suite to promote and practice gastrointestinal health. The unique, high-tech suite is located on the 2nd floor of Mercy's Mary Catherine Bunting Center at 345 St. Paul Place. Bunting Endoscopy will be under the direction of Dr. Paul J. Thuluvath, Medical Director of The Melissa L. Posner Institute for Digestive Health & Liver Disease at Mercy.

6 Oct 2015

Understanding HCV disease progression rates among PWID

The Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a chronic blood-borne viral infection that affects an estimated 160 million people, or 2-3% of the population world-wide. Alarmingly, chronic HCV infection accounts for one-quarter of the cases of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). If HCV is left untreated, chronic liver disease will occur in 60-70% of the cases, cirrhosis in 5-20% of the cases, and 1-5% will die from decompensated cirrhosis or HCC.

6 Oct 2015

U.S 2nd Annual Obesity Summit: 35 major U.S. health societies see how they can treat obesity

Representatives from 35 major health and medical organizations including, the American Diabetes Association (ADA), American Medical Association (AMA), American Heart Association (AHA), American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) convened for a second annual summit in Chicago to identify opportunities for collaboration in treating obesity. “The National Obesity Summit on the Provision of Care for the Obese Patient” was hosted by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).

4 Oct 2015

Einstein researchers awarded $2.9 million NIH grant to promote healthy sleep among preschoolers

An estimated 25 to 50 percent of preschoolers do not get enough healthy sleep. Now, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine have been awarded a five-year, $2.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to promote healthy sleep among these children. The investigators will partner with Head Start, the early childhood program for disadvantaged preschool children and their families.

1 Oct 2015

SLU participates in Phase III clinical trial to treat early-onset preeclampsia

Saint Louis University is participating in a Phase III clinical trial for a drug to treat early-onset preeclampsia in pregnant women that could increase the length of pregnancy, resulting in improved fetal outcomes and reduced infant mortality.

26 Sep 2015

PHE-led study shows England has huge opportunity for lowest disease burden, preventive public health

For the first time, a new PHE led study published in The Lancet ranks the diseases and risk factors that cause death and disability in England compared with other high-income countries, revealing the nation’s potential to have the lowest total disease burden (years of life lost to death and lived with disability) in the world.

16 Sep 2015

Immune Pharmaceuticals’ CEO establishes stock trading plan

Immune Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that its Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Daniel Teper, has established a stock trading plan with respect to the purchases of up to an aggregate of $250,000 of shares of Immune common stock in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act and other applicable federal securities laws and regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

16 Sep 2015

Prolonged sitting time, reduced physical activity contribute to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Prolonged sitting time as well as reduced physical activity contribute to the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in a study of middle-aged Koreans.

15 Sep 2015

NYUCN researchers study sexual transmission of HCV among HIV-positive MSM

While sexual contact is not the most efficient means of hepatitis C (HCV) transmission, there have been several reports of outbreaks of sexually transmitted HCV in HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM). HCV infections are more likely to become persistent and to lead to progressive liver disease in people who are HIV-infected, even if they are receiving HIV treatment. Factors underlying these infections in HIV-positive MSM are only partially understood.

14 Sep 2015

Chronic alcohol consumption disrupts liver molecular circadian clock, leads to alcoholic liver disease

The activity of an organ in the body changes through the day and is governed by its internal clock, also known as a circadian clock. Staying on a circadian schedule is important for health, and disruptions lead to disease.

11 Sep 2015