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.

Using breath tests to diagnose liver diseases: an interview with Larry Cohen

It was back in the 1960s that scientists first started to understand that breath could be used to find out different things about diseases and other factors. I’m sure you’re familiar with alcohol breath testing, which was patented back in the ‘50s and has been used since the ‘60s.

19 Jan 2015

GenSpera reports encouraging results from mipsagargin Phase II study for HCC treatment

GenSpera Inc. today announced the encouraging results of a Phase II study of mipsagargin (G-202), an investigational agent for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

16 Jan 2015

AbbVie gets European Commission's approval to market VIEKIRAX + EXVIERA for HCV treatment

AbbVie announced that the European Commission has granted marketing authorizations for its all-oral, short-course, interferon-free treatment of VIEKIRAX (ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir tablets) + EXVIERA (dasabuvir tablets). The treatment has been approved with or without ribavirin (RBV) for patients with genotype 1 (GT1) chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, including those with compensated liver cirrhosis, HIV-1 co-infection, patients on opioid substitution therapy and liver transplant recipients.

16 Jan 2015

People with iron overload disease are more vulnerable to Vibrio vulnificus infections

Every summer, the news reports on a bacterium called Vibrio vulnificus found in warm saltwater that causes people to get sick, or die, after they eat raw tainted shellfish or when an open wound comes in contact with seawater.

15 Jan 2015

TERT mutations may make smokers more susceptible to emphysema

Mutations in a gene that helps repair damaged chromosome ends may make smokers — especially female smokers — more susceptible to emphysema, according to results of a new study led by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers.

14 Jan 2015

U-M researchers identify how amlexanox drug improves metabolism of sugar

Researchers at the University of Michigan have identified how a promising drug in clinical trials for the treatment of obesity and related metabolic disorders improves the metabolism of sugar by generating a new signal between fat cells and the liver.

13 Jan 2015

Johns Hopkins scientists use genome editing technology to alter human stem cells

A powerful “genome editing” technology known as CRISPR has been used by researchers since 2012 to trim, disrupt, replace or add to sequences of an organism’s DNA.

6 Jan 2015

Additional products seized from Calgary stores contain undeclared drug ingredients

Further to its recent Advisory, Health Canada has identified additional products seized from two Samson's Supplements stores in Calgary that pose a risk to health.

2 Jan 2015

Intriguing small molecule directs activity of key ‘clock proteins’

In research published in Nature Communications, Thomas Burris, Ph.D., chair of pharmacological and physiological science at Saint Louis University, reports intriguing findings about a small molecule that directs the activity of key "clock proteins," offering the potential to manage circadian rhythm and treat problems that are associated with its dysfunction, like sleep and anxiety disorders.

24 Dec 2014

EB Pharma licenses tipifarnib from Janssen to study potential new therapy for HDV

EB Pharma, LLC., a subsidiary of Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Inc., announced that it has executed an agreement with Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, for an exclusive license, to tipifarnib in the field of virology and a related, clinical stage back-up compound.

23 Dec 2014

Medical researchers at Saint Louis University bring hope to those in pain and sickness

This year, Saint Louis University medical researchers advanced their fields, contributing to human knowledge and bringing hope to those in pain and sickness.

23 Dec 2014

SLU investigators find promising candidates for new herpes virus treatments

Saint Louis University research findings published in the December issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy report a family of molecules known as nucleotidyltransferase superfamily (NTS) enzyme inhibitors are promising candidates for new herpes virus treatments.

19 Dec 2014

New study highlights importance of generating awareness about HCV testing, support and care

A new study shows that many patients infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) are lost during different stages of health care to manage the disease. This real-life' view of the HCV patient care continuum in a major U.S. urban area is published in Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, and highlights the importance of generating awareness among clinicians and at-risk groups about appropriate HCV testing, referral, support and care.

18 Dec 2014

Molecular signaling pathways in the gut influence NAFLD

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disorder and affects approximately 1 billion people worldwide. It is not clear how this disease develops, but recent studies suggest that the bacterial population in the gut influences NAFLD.

15 Dec 2014

HEPscreen Toolkit seeks to raise awareness on chronic viral hepatitis in Europe

A new toolkit on screening for chronic viral hepatitis seeks to raise awareness, improve knowledge and motivate public health professionals in Europe to take action. Knowledge and understanding of what works in screening for chronic hepatitis B/C has now been translated into practical and relevant tools, including videos and animations, to enable others to replicate successful screening programmes among at risk populations in their area.

14 Dec 2014

Sleep-related breathing problems, lack of sleep may increase risk of childhood obesity

Sleep-related breathing problems and chronic lack of sleep may each double the risk of a child becoming obese by age 15, according to new research from Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. The good news is that both sleep problems can be corrected.

11 Dec 2014

McMaster University researchers identify hormone that contributes to obesity, diabetes

Researchers from McMaster University have identified an important hormone that is elevated in obese people and contributes to obesity and diabetes by inhibiting brown fat activity.

8 Dec 2014

Ashish Nimgaonkar wins AGA-Boston Scientific Career Development Technology & Innovation Award

The American Gastroenterological Association Research Foundation is pleased to announce that Ashish Nimgaonkar, MBBS, MTech, MS, from John Hopkins University, has received the inaugural AGA-Boston Scientific Career Development Technology & Innovation Award. This award is graciously supported by a grant from Boston Scientific, a leading innovator of medical solutions.

5 Dec 2014

Leading medical experts across the UK call for radical scale up of liver disease treatment

Leading medical experts today [Thursday 27 November] warn that rising numbers of deaths from liver disease - already the UK's third commonest cause of premature death - will be unavoidable without radical improvements in treatment and detection services, and tougher government policies to control the excessive alcohol use and obesity responsible for much of the national burden of liver disease.

27 Nov 2014

SLU researcher discovers way to block pain pathway

In research published in the medical journal Brain, Saint Louis University researcher Daniela Salvemini, Ph.D. and colleagues within SLU, the National Institutes of Health and other academic institutions have discovered a way to block a pain pathway in animal models of chronic neuropathic pain including pain caused by chemotherapeutic agents and bone cancer pain suggesting a promising new approach to pain relief.