Hepatology News and Research

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Hepatology is the branch of medicine that incorporates study of liver, gallbladder, biliary tree and pancreas as well as management of their disorders.

First molecular test developed to detect eosinophilic esophagitis

Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have developed the first molecular test to diagnose eosinophilic esophagitis, a chronic upper gastrointestinal disorder. The incidence of EoE has skyrocketed since it was first characterized two decades ago.

22 Nov 2013

Research: Introducing solid food with breast milk could reduce food allergies in babies

Introducing solid food with breast milk after the 17th week of birth could reduce food allergies in babies, according to University of Southampton research.

20 Nov 2013

AGA, Covidien partner to improve lives of people struggling with digestive diseases

The American Gastroenterological Association Institute announced today that Covidien, a leading global provider of health-care products, recently agreed to expand its corporate grant to the AGA Institute.

19 Nov 2013

Patients treated with high-risk endoscopic procedure less likely to be admitted in hospital

Patients who seek treatment from physicians who more frequently perform a high-risk endoscopic procedure are less likely to be admitted to the hospital or require a repeat procedure. Unfortunately, 90 percent of physicians performing these procedures do very few of them.

19 Nov 2013

Genovate, ScinoPharm to jointly develop new-generation oral Hepatitis B drug Livepro

Genovate Biotechnology Co. Ltd. and ScinoPharm Taiwan Ltd. announced today that they have jointly developed the highly potent oral generic drug Livepro (Entecavir), representing a new generation of drugs for the treatment of Hepatitis B. It is expected to be commercially available by the end of the year in Taiwan, accounting for more than NT$2 billion (US$70 million) worth of market opportunity.

11 Nov 2013

Study examines effectiveness of minimally invasive endoscopic procedure for removing esophagus

Use of a minimally invasive endoscopic procedure to remove superficial, early stage esophageal cancer is as effective as surgery that takes out and rebuilds the esophagus, according to a study by researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida. The research, published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, examined national outcomes from endoscopic treatment compared to esophagectomy, surgical removal of the esophagus.

8 Nov 2013

Researchers discover relationship between TGFb signalling pathways and CXCR4 in HCC

Researchers from the Biological clues of the invasive and metastatic phenotype group of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) led by Isabel Fabregat have discovered the relationship between the TGFb signalling pathways and CXCR4 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) .

7 Nov 2013

Pivotal Phase III STARTVerso data shows efficacy of faldaprevir in genotype-1 infected HCV patients

Boehringer Ingelheim today announced new data from its Phase III clinical trial programme, STARTVerso, which evaluates faldaprevir in combination with pegylated interferon and ribavirin (PegIFN/RBV).

5 Nov 2013

Boehringer Ingelheim's Phase II trial of interferon-free hepatitis C treatment shows promising results

Interim data presented today show that all patients (13/13) who reached their 4-week post-treatment follow-up have undetectable levels of hepatitis C virus (SVR4) after completing a 12-week regimen of faldaprevir, deleobuvir, PPI-668 and ribavirin.

4 Nov 2013

Simple tool to identify patients at risk of engaging in "medication tradeoffs" after liver transplantation

Researchers at Northwestern University and Emory University propose a simple tool to identify patients who are at risk of engaging in "medication tradeoffs." The study authors address the problem of patients with financial hardship who make the regular choice of meeting basic needs such as buying food rather than paying for medications after receiving a liver transplant.

4 Nov 2013

Protective effect of estrogen in women with NASH against development of severe fibrosis

New research suggests that estrogen protects women with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) from severe liver fibrosis. According to the study published online in Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, men are at higher risk of more severe fibrosis compared to women prior to menopause, but liver fibrosis severity is similar in men and post-menopausal women.

30 Oct 2013

Three cups of coffee per day reduce liver cancer risk by more than 50%

Coffee consumption reduces risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of liver cancer, by about 40 percent, according to an up-to-date meta-analysis published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

23 Oct 2013

New study illustrates impact of oral nutrition supplement use in pediatric hospitalized patients

A new study has found that the use of oral nutritional supplements provided to pediatric patients during hospitalization was associated with a decrease in length of stay of 14.8 percent and a decrease in hospital stay costs of $1,768 per patient.

12 Oct 2013

Researchers discover how Fra-1 protein protects the liver from drug-induced liver damage

Drug abuse and alcohol are some of the most frequent causes of liver damage, particularly in developed countries. Such kind of liver damage can cause irreversible liver failure and even cancer. Researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre have discovered an important new protective role of the Fra-1 protein, which neutralizes the damage caused by agents, such as the analgesic drug acetaminophen (Paracetamol).

12 Oct 2013

AGA partners with PENTAX Medical to improve patient care via innovative medical technologies

The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute announced a new partnership with PENTAX Medical. PENTAX Medical will provide substantial funding over three years to stimulate innovation that will advance the science and practice of gastroenterology and improve patient outcomes.

11 Oct 2013

NUS, A*STAR establish joint center to study role of nutrition and development in health, disease in Asia

The National University of Singapore (NUS) and A*STAR will be jointly establishing the S$148 million Singapore Centre for Nutritional Sciences, Metabolic Diseases, and Human Development (SiNMeD).

11 Oct 2013

New injection device delivers optimum treatment dose to hepatitis C patients

A new injection device, ViraferonPeg Clearclick, has launched in the UK today for hepatitis C patients to accurately titrate and self-administer their weekly dose of ViraferonPeg (peginterferon alfa-2b).

5 Oct 2013

Radiofrequency ablation leads to remission of dysplastic Barrett's esophagus

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) leads to remission for 91 percent of patients with dysplastic Barrett's esophagus, according to new figures published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

3 Oct 2013

Saint Luke's liver transplantation program receives CMS certification

The liver transplantation program at Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City has received certification by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. The certification is an important step in enhancing the hospital's ability to care for Medicare-covered patients suffering from end-stage liver disease, and attract other insurers who base their coverage on the CMS certification.

2 Oct 2013

Researchers develop renal risk index to predict post-transplant end-stage renal disease

End-stage renal disease is one of the major public health problems among solid organ transplant recipients that is associated with death after transplant and high cost of care.