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.

Study reveals how a fat cell's immune response worsens obesity

When obesity occurs, a person's own fat cells can set off a complex inflammatory chain reaction that can further disrupt metabolism and weaken immune response--potentially placing people at higher risk of poor outcomes from a variety of diseases and infections, including COVID-19.

2 Jun 2020

No specific COVID-19-linked lesions found despite extensive organ injury

A recent paper published online on the preprint server medRxiv in May 2020 reports autopsy results on COVID-19 patients. The paper concludes that there were no specific hallmark lesions of COVID-19 in any of the many organs found to be injured by the infection in patients who died of the disease.

1 Jun 2020

Researchers identify risk factors for fatty liver disease

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have uncovered an unexpected connection between an imbalance of electrons in liver cells and many metabolic problems that increase the risk for conditions such as cardiovascular disease and fatty liver disease.

29 May 2020

Promising researchers to receive funding through AGA Research Foundation Awards Program

The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) is excited to announce the 17 researchers selected to receive funding through the AGA Research Foundation Awards Program.

27 May 2020

A key player in hepatitis A virus infection discovered

How hepatitis A virus manages to enter liver cells called hepatocytes and initiate infection had remained a mystery for fifty years until now.

26 May 2020

Montefiore and Einstein evaluate a new drug combination to fight COVID-19

Montefiore Health System Albert Einstein College of Medicine have begun the next stage of the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial (ACTT), to evaluate treatment options for people hospitalized with severe COVID-19 infection.

26 May 2020

Researchers find a 'skinny' gene

Some people may have trouble losing weight, while others find it hard to gain weight. Now, a team of scientists may have found the answer to why some people remain thin despite eating without restriction.

26 May 2020

Study reveals mechanism involved in the development of diabetes, fatty liver

A research group including Professor OGAWA Wataru (Division of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine) and Project Associate Professor HOSOOKA Tetsuya (Division of Development of Advanced Therapy for Metabolic Disease, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine) has clarified the mechanism underlying the development of diabetes and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a severe form of fatty liver.

22 May 2020

Environmental chemicals linked to changes in the gut microbiome and health

The microbes that inhabit our bodies are influenced by what we eat, drink, breathe and absorb through our skin, and most of us are chronically exposed to natural and human-made environmental contaminants.

21 May 2020

Study focuses on COVID-19 patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused nearly five million cases and over 327,000 deaths worldwide. The signs and symptoms of this disease are varied, although there are typical features which assist diagnosis.

20 May 2020

Diagnosis and treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), has released a special issue providing clinicians and researchers an up-to-date resource on the risk factors, natural history, diagnosis and treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

20 May 2020

MGH researchers identify potential molecular targets for ALD drug development

Alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) is a deadly condition affecting more than 150 million people worldwide with no treatment available besides transplant.

19 May 2020

DZD researchers discover additional genetic cause for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

In Germany about 18 million people suffer from non-alcoholic fatty liver. The causes of this disease are manifold and include environmental as well as genetic factors.

19 May 2020

ACTG initiates clinical trial to evaluate treatment for COVID-19

The AIDS Clinical Trials Group, the world's largest and longest established HIV research network, today announced the initiation of ACTG 5395, a clinical trial to evaluate whether the drug combination hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin can prevent hospitalization and death from COVID-19 (which is caused by infection with the virus SARS-CoV-2).

14 May 2020

A promising treatment for chronic inflammatory liver disease

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a rare, chronic, inflammatory disease of the bile ducts and is difficult to treat.

14 May 2020

Study uncovers how the body synthesizes triglycerides

Doctors regularly warn their patients that having high levels of triglycerides, a major dietary fat, can increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and fatty liver disease.

13 May 2020

Study shows why older individuals are vulnerable to COVID-19

A group of tiny RNA that should attack the virus causing COVID-19 when it tries to infect the body are diminished with age and chronic health problems, a decrease that likely helps explain why older individuals and those with preexisting medical conditions are vulnerable populations, investigators report.

13 May 2020

New drugs developed for treating polycystic hepatorenal diseases

Polycystic hepatorenal diseases are hereditary, genetic disorders characterized by the progressive development of multiple symptomatic cysts in the kidneys and/or liver which may cause alterations in the function of these organs and/or complications associated with their growth.

11 May 2020

Predicting the dose for repurposing nitazoxanide in COVID-19

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in May 2020 reports a model that could help evolve appropriate dosage protocols for future clinical trials of the repurposed drug nitazoxanide in COVID-19 prevention and treatment. The researchers say, “It was possible to achieve plasma and lung tizoxanide concentrations, using proven safe doses of nitazoxanide, that exceed the EC90 for SARS-CoV-2.”

7 May 2020

British Liver Trust urges people to drink responsibly during COVID-19 pandemic

The UK’s leading liver health charity, the British Liver Trust, is urging people to drink responsibly as in-store sales of alcohol rocket since lockdown began.

7 May 2020