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.

Interim data from phase IIa clinical trial of IDX184 in HCV-infected patients

Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of drugs for the treatment of human viral diseases, today announced interim data from a 14-day, phase IIa clinical trial evaluating IDX184, a novel liver-targeted nucleotide prodrug of 2'-methyl guanosine monophosphate, in HCV-infected patients.

15 Apr 2010

Obese children have stiffer arteries than leaner counterparts

Children with more body fat and less endurance than their fitter, leaner counterparts have stiffer arteries at a young age, Medical College of Georgia researchers said.

12 Apr 2010

Study shows promising basis for development of effective liver-cancer screening test

Liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the world and one of the deadliest cancers since it is rarely diagnosed until late in its development.

12 Apr 2010

Combination telaprevir treatment beneficial for retreatment of hepatitis C

A study co-authored by a Saint Louis University researcher found telaprevir, a protease inhibitor, combined with standard hepatitis C treatment, cures a significantly higher number of difficult-to-treat patients than standard treatment alone. The findings were published in the April issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

9 Apr 2010

Hepatitis C infected donor kidneys thrown away despite urgent need

More than half of donor kidneys in the United State infected with hepatitis C are thrown away, despite the need among hepatitis C patients who may die waiting for an infection-free organ, Johns Hopkins research suggests.

2 Apr 2010

2010 DDW conference to highlight breakthrough research on GI health

Thousands of physicians, researchers and academics from around the world will gather in New Orleans in early May for Digestive Disease Week- (DDW-), the premiere scientific conference in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery.

2 Apr 2010

Liver function tests misinterpreted in majority of children's hospitals

New research led by physician-scientists at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine shows that the test most commonly used to screen pediatric patients for chronic liver disease is often incorrectly interpreted in many children's hospitals throughout the United States.

2 Apr 2010

New research may help advance treatment strategies for common liver disease

A research article published in the journal PloS Pathogens could lead to improvements in the production of vaccines for hepatitis A, the most widespread viral disease in the world.

26 Mar 2010

Hepatic encephalopathy drug XIFAXAN 550 mg tablets receives FDA marketing approval

Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted marketing approval for XIFAXAN 550 mg tablets for reduction in risk of overt hepatic encephalopathy recurrence in patients 18 years of age or older. HE is a serious disorder caused by chronic liver failure, resulting in cognitive, psychiatric and motor impairments. This approval was supported by findings from the largest randomized trial of maintenance therapy in HE conducted to date, which assessed the efficacy and safety of XIFAXAN 550 mg tablets and demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful reduction in the risk of overt HE recurrence.

25 Mar 2010

Xifaxan drug receives FDA approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the use of Xifaxan for reduction in the risk of the recurrence of overt hepatic encephalopathy (HE) in patients with advanced liver disease.

25 Mar 2010

Researchers devise simple water test to check for herbicide clomazone

University of California, Davis, scientists are helping rice farmers in Uruguay stop polluting their waterways -- including drinking-water sources and a globally valuable nature reserve.

23 Mar 2010

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

Liver Disease News and Research

Further Reading

Interim data from phase IIa clinical trial of IDX184 in HCV-infected patients

Obese children have stiffer arteries than leaner counterparts

Study shows promising basis for development of effective liver-cancer screening test

Combination telaprevir treatment beneficial for retreatment of hepatitis C

Hepatitis C infected donor kidneys thrown away despite urgent need

2010 DDW conference to highlight breakthrough research on GI health

Liver function tests misinterpreted in majority of children's hospitals

New research may help advance treatment strategies for common liver disease

Hepatic encephalopathy drug XIFAXAN 550 mg tablets receives FDA marketing approval

Xifaxan drug receives FDA approval

Researchers devise simple water test to check for herbicide clomazone

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

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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