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.

TGen, Geisinger Health System sign strategic research agreement

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

4 Feb 2010

Minimally invasive living donor liver retrieval for pediatric transplant

NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital is the only medical center in the United States to offer minimally invasive liver donation for pediatric transplantation. Surgeons use a laparoscopic technique to remove a section of liver from a living donor for implantation in a pediatric patient -- typically a parent donating to their child. The innovative approach promises dramatically improved recovery for the donor.

2 Feb 2010

Obesity related health complications more dangerous than risks associated with bariatric surgery

Bariatric weight-loss surgery may sound dangerous and complicated, but a Geisinger physician warns that the real danger may be a life of obesity.

30 Jan 2010

Most Britons not aware of the dangers of alcohol misuse

A government-funded advertising campaign launching today, backed by Cancer Research UK and other major health charities, aims to raise awareness of the unseen health damage caused by regular alcohol misuse.

28 Jan 2010

Transplant tourism: Ethical issues

A recent case study by doctors at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York examined the ethical issues posed by transplant tourism, an offshoot of medical tourism, which focuses solely on transplantation surgery. Many American transplant professionals frown on the practice of transplant tourism where patients travel to countries such as China, India, and the Philippines for their transplantation.

28 Jan 2010

Patients with NAFLD have higher overall mortality rate, say researchers

Researchers from the Karolinska Institute determined that patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have a higher overall mortality rate compared with the general population.

28 Jan 2010

TE can be accurately performed in majority of NAFLD patients to exclude advanced fibrosis

Researchers from France and Hong Kong determined that transient elastography (TE), a noninvasive, ultrasonic imaging modality, can be accurately performed in the majority of patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to exclude advanced fibrosis. Full findings of this study, funded by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, appear in the February issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

27 Jan 2010

WellWorld Science officially launches Livea in the U.S.

After more than 30 years of research and an extensive open-label weight loss study, WellWorld Science® announces the official U.S. launch of Livea®, a doctor-developed, non-prescription, patent-pending appetite-control supplement that is unlike any other dietary supplement on the market.

27 Jan 2010

The American Journal of Pathology: Highlights from February 2010 issue

A group led by Dr. Peter Lloyd Jones at the University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland; the University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO; and the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA has demonstrated that tenascin-C affects proto-oncogene function in breast cancer. Their report can be found in the February 2010 issue of The American Journal of Pathology.

22 Jan 2010

Treatment for metastatic tumor based on its unique protein makeup

Imagine if treatments for disease could be based not on a patient's diagnosis but instead on the characteristics of their tissue. By identifying and decoding the cryptic messages hidden deep inside the human proteome, scientists and physicians who study personalized medicine are seeking more effective treatments and disease management for patients.

18 Jan 2010

Public awareness campaign needed to curb health threats posed by hepatitis B and hepatitis C

Stepped-up vaccination requirements, a boost in resources for prevention and treatment, and a public awareness campaign similar to the effort that dispelled the stigma of HIV/AIDS are needed to curb the health threats posed by hepatitis B and hepatitis C, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine.

12 Jan 2010

AASLD supports IOM study that recommends ways to reduce viral hepatitis B and C

The American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) today reacted favorably to the release by they Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the report of "Hepatitis and Liver Cancer: A National Strategy for Prevention and Control of Hepatitis B and C." This landmark study evaluated the burden from viral hepatitis and current preventive and management practices and recommended ways to reduce new cases of hepatitis B and C and morbidity and mortality from chronic disease.

11 Jan 2010

Scientific societies to hold Experimental Biology 2010 meeting

Six scientific societies announced they will hold their annual meeting, Experimental Biology (EB 2010; www.experimentalbiology.org), April 24-28, 2010 in Anaheim, CA. The societies are the American Association of Anatomists (AAA), American Physiological Society (APS), American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP), American Society for Nutrition (ASN) and American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET).

9 Jan 2010

Jiangsu Government grants $1.8M for research and development of hUC-MSC technologies

The Jiangsu Government's Science and Technology Department has announced a $1.8 million grant - the Jiangsu Technological Achievements Transformational Grant - to support the research and development of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell (hUC-MSC) technologies. The grant recipient and administrator, Shenzhen Beike Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (http://www.beikebiotech.com ), is working with Jiangsu University and Nanjing University's Drum Tower Hospital to fulfill the grant's requirements.

9 Jan 2010

Quercetin may prevent hepatitis C infection; findings may lead to less toxic treatments

Researchers have identified two cellular proteins that are important factors in hepatitis C virus infection, a finding that may result in the approval of new and less toxic treatments for the disease, which can lead to liver cancer and cirrhosis.

6 Jan 2010

Increased coffee consumption linked to reduced hepatic fibrosis

Researchers from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) determined that patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) who consumed more than 308 mg of caffeine daily had milder liver fibrosis. The daily amount of caffeine intake found to be beneficial is equivalent to 2.25 cups of regular coffee.

5 Jan 2010

Successful RNA interference to turn off multiple genes raises hope for new liver disease treatments

Researchers at MIT and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals report this week that they have successfully used RNA interference to turn off multiple genes in the livers of mice, an advance that could lead to new treatments for diseases of the liver and other organs.

29 Dec 2009

High prevalence of type 2 diabetes may be linked to excess niacin intake

Facing the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes worldwide in the past few decades, one may ask what is wrong with humans. Geneticists tell us that the human genome has not changed markedly in such a short time.

23 Dec 2009

AlphaRx, Venturepharm sign supply agreement for ARX1088's API

AlphaRx Inc. announced today that it has signed an agreement that provides long-term supply of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) for ARX1088, an orally active interferon inducer intended for the adjunctive treatment of Hepatitis in China and other emerging markets. Under the agreement, Venturepharm will be the primary supplier of AlphaRx's worldwide requirements for the compound.

17 Dec 2009

Scientists identify protein switch that helps prevent liver cancer

A team of scientists from the UC San Diego School of Medicine and Osaka University in Japan have identified a protein switch that helps prevent liver damage, including inflammation, fibrosis and cancer. The findings suggest that a better understanding of how the protein, TAK1, works could lead to new insights into the development of liver disease and cancer.

15 Dec 2009