Liver News and Research

RSS

SAA protein plays a key role in chronic inflammation and lung damage in COPD

Sufferers of smoking related lung diseases could have their debilitating symptoms reduced following the discovery of a potential new treatment.

13 Jan 2012

Lack of iron early in life can affect brain's physical structure

Iron is a popular topic in health news. Doctors prescribe it for medical reasons, and it's available over the counter as a dietary supplement. And while it's known that too little iron can result in cognitive problems, it's also known that too much promotes neurodegenerative diseases. Now, researchers at UCLA have found that in addition to causing cognitive problems, a lack of iron early in life can affect the brain's physical structure as well.

12 Jan 2012

Orange juice fungicide contamination scare

The United States has temporarily halted shipments of imported orange juice from all countries and said it would destroy or ban products containing even low levels of a banned fungicide.

12 Jan 2012

Low-glycemic-load diet reduces C-reactive protein associated with chronic disease

Among overweight and obese adults, a diet rich in slowly digested carbohydrates, such as whole grains, legumes and other high-fiber foods, significantly reduces markers of inflammation associated with chronic disease, according to a new study by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

12 Jan 2012

Prevalence of cirrhosis may climb among older Americans

Older patients with cirrhosis have significant functional disability, require twice the amount of informal caregiving, and contribute added strain on the health care system, according to U-M research published in Hepatology.

11 Jan 2012

Precise diagnostic algorithm for fibrosis in HCV patients reduces need for liver biopsy

A new classification for diagnosing fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) has shown to be as accurate as currently used algorithms, but required no further liver biopsy.

11 Jan 2012

New fibrosis classification improves accuracy of diagnosis in Hepatitis C

A new classification for diagnosing fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) has shown to be as accurate as currently used algorithms, but required no further liver biopsy. The study appearing in the January issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, details a method that synchronously combines two fibrosis tests, providing a non-invasive and more precise fibrosis diagnosis.

10 Jan 2012

Cirrhosis burden expected to climb in frail population

New research shows that older Americans with cirrhosis have significantly worse health status and greater functional disability compared to those without this potentially deadly disease. In fact, findings now published in Hepatology, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, show that elderly patients with cirrhosis require twice the amount of informal caregiving and contribute added strain on the health care system. Given the increase in obesity and aging of those with hepatitis C (HCV), researchers expect the prevalence of cirrhosis to climb in this frail population.

10 Jan 2012

Statins may raise type 2 diabetes risk

A new study suggests statin medications used to lower cholesterol may raise the risk of diabetes to a slight extent. Study authors advise patients not to stop taking their medications without talking to a doctor, because statins' proven power to prevent heart attacks and strokes outweighs any potential increase in type 2 diabetes risk.

10 Jan 2012

At least two alcohol free days per week recommended

Those who drink regularly are advised to abstain from alcohol for at least two days a week. A committee of MPs has found current drinking guidelines are unclear and need to be revised. Currently the “sensible limits” for drinking, which were defined 25 years ago, are 21 units of alcohol a week for men and 14 for women. But the report by the Science and Technology Committee found many people do not know how much a unit is.

9 Jan 2012

miRagen, Silence partner to assess delivery potential of novel miRNA-based therapeutics

Silence Therapeutics plc, a leading RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics company, announces that it has signed an agreement with miRagen Therapeutics, Inc., to assess the delivery potential of Silence's proprietary DBTC delivery system with miRagen's novel microRNA-based therapeutics.

9 Jan 2012

Silence completes siRNA research work with AstraZeneca, MedImmune

Silence Therapeutics plc, a leading RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics company, announces the successful completion of its research work under the Research Collaboration and Delivery Collaboration with its partner AstraZeneca and its biologics arm, MedImmune.

7 Jan 2012

Poor nutrition in the womb can increase risk of type 2 diabetes in later life

Researchers funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council have shown one way in which poor nutrition in the womb can put a person at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other age-related diseases in later life.

7 Jan 2012

SPIE to honor CCNY professor with Britton Chance Biomedical Optics Award

A scientific innovator from The City College of New York (CCNY) whose research unites the divergent fields of medicine, biology and high-speed laser physics will be honored this month for his pioneering work in biomedical optics by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics.

7 Jan 2012

Alnylam files CTA with the U.K. MHRA to initiate ALN-TTR02 Phase I trial in ATTR

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that it has filed a Clinical Trial Application (CTA) with the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to initiate a Phase I clinical trial with ALN-TTR02, an RNAi therapeutic targeting transthyretin (TTR) for the treatment of TTR-mediated amyloidosis.

7 Jan 2012

Annual screening tests do not decrease deaths from prostate cancer

There's new evidence that annual prostate cancer screening does not reduce deaths from the disease, even among men in their 50s and 60s and those with underlying health conditions, according to new research led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

6 Jan 2012

Isis announces results from ISIS-TTRRx Phase 1 study on TTR amyloidosis

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today results from a Phase 1 study with ISIS-TTRRx. The results demonstrated that treatment with ISIS-TTRRx produced dose-dependent statistically significant reductions of greater than 80 percent in transthyretin (TTR) protein.

6 Jan 2012

UCSD surgeons perform west coast's first ex-vivo liver resection

A team led by Alan Hemming, MD, transplant surgeon at UC San Diego Health System, has successfully performed the west coast's first ex-vivo liver resection, a radical procedure to completely remove and reconstruct a diseased liver and re-implant it without any tumors. The procedure saved the life of a 27-year old mother whose liver had been invaded by a painful tumor that crushed the organ and entangled its blood supply.

6 Jan 2012

Researchers identify potential target for schistosomiasis vaccine

In the complicated life cycle of ancient flatworms that cause schistosomiasis, Case Western Reserve University researchers have identified a gene activator crucial to development of the parasites within humans - a potential target for a vaccine.

6 Jan 2012

Hepatitis C vaccine succeeds in an early phase clinical trial

An early phase clinical trial of a hepatitis C vaccine has shown promising results, according to researchers at Oxford University. The virus causing Hepatitis C is a difficult one since it changes its appearance, making creation of a vaccine against it a challenge.

5 Jan 2012