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.

Kaiser Permanente study: Snapshot of the prevalence of extreme obesity in younger children

Extreme obesity is affecting more children at younger ages, with 12 percent of black teenage girls, 11.2 percent of Hispanic teenage boys, 7.3 percent of boys and 5.5 percent of girls now classified as extremely obese, according to a Kaiser Permanente study of 710,949 children and teens that appears online in the Journal of Pediatrics.

19 Mar 2010

Liver cancer: Treatment with intra-arterial yttrium-90 microspheres promising

An interventional radiology treatment-the use of intra-arterial yttrium-90 microspheres for liver cancer (also known as hepatocellular carcinoma)-shows promise in prolonging life for many patients with this devastating condition, according to researchers at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, Fla.

17 Mar 2010

International Liver Congress 2010: Achillion Pharmaceuticals' protease inhibitor abstract accepted for presentation

Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the discovery and development of treatments for the most challenging infectious diseases, today announced that its abstract titled "Virological Response, Safety, and Pharmacokinetic Profile Following Single- and Multiple-Dose Administration of ACH-0141625 Protease Inhibitor to Healthy Volunteers and HCV Genotype-1 Patients" has been accepted as a late breaking poster presentation at the International Liver Congress™ 2010 being held April 14-18 in Vienna, Austria.

17 Mar 2010

Insulin resistance in Hepatitis C patients: Mostly in muscle and not in liver

We have known for several years that Hepatitis C, a common cause of liver cirrhosis and cancer, also makes people three to four times more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.

10 Mar 2010

Differentiation of cirrhosis from inflammation in patients with ALD: Novel bedside criteria identified

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is the most common cause of liver cirrhosis in the Western world. Liver biopsy is currently considered the gold standard for assessing hepatic fibrosis or cirrhosis in these patients. However, it is an invasive procedure, with rare but potentially life-threatening complications and its accuracy is limited due to sampling error. Transient elastography (FibroScan-, FS) is a novel rapid and noninvasive method to assess liver fibrosis via measurement of liver stiffness (LS).

6 Mar 2010

Liver transplantation specialists form guidelines for allocation of organs for patients with HCC

Liver transplantation specialists recently convened to address U.S. guidelines for allocation of organs for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, liver cancer). Representatives from more than 130 U.S. transplant centers were invited to the conference and participants included 180 leaders in liver transplantation (LT) from the 50 most active centers.

5 Mar 2010

Short-term dose of losartan-M6PHSA reduces liver inflammation and fibrosis: Study

A recent study found that rats with advanced fibrosis that were administered a short-term dose of losartan-M6PHSA had reduced liver inflammation and fibrosis. Those animals treated with oral losartan alone did not experience a similar reduction in disease activity. Results of this study appear in the March issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

1 Mar 2010

Study shows ghrelin prevents acute liver damage, reduces oxidative stress and inflammation

Spanish researchers determined that rats treated with recombinant ghrelin displayed a reduction in liver fibrosis. Ghrelin, a stomach hormone, reduced the amount of fibrogenic cells by 25% in the treated rodents. Research further showed ghrelin prevented acute liver damage and reduced oxidative stress and inflammation in the animal models.

1 Mar 2010

Lack of knowledge and awareness impeding efforts to control HBV and HCV

A recent report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) confirmed that 3.5 to 5.3 million people (1-2 % of the U.S. population) have chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. Despite efforts by federal, state and local government agencies to control and prevent these diseases, they remain a serious public health concern. The major factor impeding efforts to control HBV and HCV is lack of knowledge and awareness among health care providers, social service professionals, members of the public, and policy-makers.

24 Feb 2010

Enrollment complete in Ocera Therapeutics' ASTUTE Phase 2B trial for mild hepatic encephalopathy

Ocera Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that the ASTUTE Study (AST-120 Used to Treat Hepatic Encephalopathy) has completed enrollment for its Phase 2B study ahead of schedule, with data expected mid 2010.

24 Feb 2010

FDA Gastrointestinal Drugs Advisory Committee supports approval of XIFAXAN 550 mg for management of HE

Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. today reported that the Gastrointestinal Drugs Advisory Committee of the FDA has recommended by a vote of 14 to 4 in favor of the approval of XIFAXAN® (rifaximin) Tablets, 550 mg for the maintenance of remission of hepatic encephalopathy (HE).

23 Feb 2010

HealthYes! expands life-saving mobile screening services to Oklahoma

HealthYes!®, a leading preventive medical screening company, is bringing its life-saving mobile screening services to Oklahoma. Leveraging the most medically advanced, state-of-the-art equipment and techniques in the industry, HealthYes! screens its clients for life-threatening medical conditions and diseases including: heart disease, stroke, abdominal aortic aneurysm, peripheral artery disease, diabetes and liver disease along with osteoporosis.

18 Feb 2010

Childhood obesity: Strongest predictor of premature death

In a study now being published in The New England Journal of Medicine, Associate Professor Paul Franks of Umeå University in Sweden, in collaboration with researchers in the US, shows how childhood obesity, together with other risk factors for cardiovascular disease, affects premature death.

16 Feb 2010

Mayo Clinic Health Letter features comprehensive coverage of the liver

The liver, the largest internal organ, is the body's ultimate multitasker. While the liver is not glamorous or sentimental -- there are no love songs about a broken liver -- it simultaneously plays a key role in the body's metabolic, digestive and regulatory systems.

12 Feb 2010

New screening system developed to discover molecules that block HCV life cycle

A newly designed system of identifying molecules for treating hepatitis C should enable scientists to discover novel and effective therapies for the dangerous and difficult-to-cure disease of the liver, says Zhilei Chen, a Texas A&M University assistant professor of chemical engineering who helped develop the screening system.

12 Feb 2010

$NovaShunt initiates study to evaluate AFS for refractory ascites patients$

NovaShunt initiates study to evaluate AFS for refractory ascites patients

NovaShunt today announced the initiation of its pivotal multi- center clinical study named PIONEER, a Prospective, multi-center, open label, non-randomized study to Investigate the safety and perfOrmance of the Automated Fluid ShuNt in patiEnts with ascitEs and diuretic Resistance.

11 Feb 2010

Drug used to treat parasites in animals may offer new treatment for river blindness, study finds

"Closantel, an older drug used to treat a parasitic liver disease in animals, may prove effective at combating river blindness in humans, a major cause of infection-related blindness, U.S. researchers said on Monday," Reuters reports (Steenhuysen, 2/8).

10 Feb 2010

HealthYes! brings mobile screening services to Colorado

HealthYes!®, a leading preventive medical screening company, is bringing its life-saving mobile screening services to Colorado. Leveraging the most medically advanced, state-of-the-art equipment and techniques in the industry, HealthYes! screens its clients for life-threatening medical conditions and diseases including: heart disease, stroke, abdominal aortic aneurysm, peripheral artery disease, diabetes and liver disease along with osteoporosis.

10 Feb 2010

IgM/IgG ratio is useful in diagnosing primary biliary cirrhosis

Previous studies have shown that assessment of immunoglobulin subclasses in plasma cells by immunohistochemistry (IHC) may be useful in the histopathologic evaluation of autoimmune liver diseases. However, further studies are necessary in order to validate the diagnostic utility of IgM and IgG immunohistochemistry in this specific scenario.

10 Feb 2010

Geisinger Health System and TGen sign research agreement

Geisinger Health System and the Translational Genomics Research Institute today announced the signing of a strategic research agreement that provides a focused look at the gaps in clinical medicine where biomedical research can make a difference.

4 Feb 2010

Liver Disease News and Research

Further Reading

Kaiser Permanente study: Snapshot of the prevalence of extreme obesity in younger children

Liver cancer: Treatment with intra-arterial yttrium-90 microspheres promising

International Liver Congress 2010: Achillion Pharmaceuticals' protease inhibitor abstract accepted for presentation

Insulin resistance in Hepatitis C patients: Mostly in muscle and not in liver

Differentiation of cirrhosis from inflammation in patients with ALD: Novel bedside criteria identified

Liver transplantation specialists form guidelines for allocation of organs for patients with HCC

Short-term dose of losartan-M6PHSA reduces liver inflammation and fibrosis: Study

Study shows ghrelin prevents acute liver damage, reduces oxidative stress and inflammation

Lack of knowledge and awareness impeding efforts to control HBV and HCV

Enrollment complete in Ocera Therapeutics' ASTUTE Phase 2B trial for mild hepatic encephalopathy

FDA Gastrointestinal Drugs Advisory Committee supports approval of XIFAXAN 550 mg for management of HE

HealthYes! expands life-saving mobile screening services to Oklahoma

Childhood obesity: Strongest predictor of premature death

Mayo Clinic Health Letter features comprehensive coverage of the liver

New screening system developed to discover molecules that block HCV life cycle

NovaShunt initiates study to evaluate AFS for refractory ascites patients

Drug used to treat parasites in animals may offer new treatment for river blindness, study finds

HealthYes! brings mobile screening services to Colorado

IgM/IgG ratio is useful in diagnosing primary biliary cirrhosis

Geisinger Health System and TGen sign research agreement

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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