Hepatology News and Research

RSS

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

Tenofovir gel reduces HIV by 39% in women: CAPRISA 004 study

Researchers who conducted a study testing a vaginal microbicide with an antiretroviral (ARV) drug called tenofovir found its use before and after sex was significantly more protective against HIV infection than a placebo gel among women at high risk of HIV. Results of the study, known as CAPRISA 004, are to be reported at the International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010) in Vienna and published online by the journal Science.

20 Jul 2010

Encorium CRO acquires Progenitor

Encorium Group, Inc., a full service multinational clinical research organization (CRO) conducting studies in over 30 countries for many of the world's leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, today announced that it has acquired Progenitor Holdings AG, a corporation organized in Switzerland and its wholly-owned subsidiaries organized in Mexico, Panama, Argentina, Chile, Switzerland, India and Hong Kong for cash and stock valued at EURO 1.7 million, plus earn-out consideration of cash and stock with a value of up to EURO 1.5 million.

19 Jul 2010

First-of-its-kind patient, healthcare provider support program for management of HE

Concentric Pharma Advertising, an independent healthcare advertising and marketing agency, announces the creation of Salix Pharmaceuticals' Hepatic Encephalopathy Living Program. H.E.L.P. launched May 24, 2010, and coincides with the launch of Xifaxan550 (rifaximin) for the management of patients 18 or older at risk for overt hepatic encephalopathy recurrence.

16 Jul 2010

DGP/tTG Screen assay may be best initial test for suspected celiac disease: Study

Diagnosis of celiac disease is based on a characteristic enteropathy in an intestinal biopsy and evidence that these changes are gluten-triggered. The appropriate use of simpler and more accurate tools would add reliability to the diagnosis of celiac disease. Thus, the celiac disease-related serology might have a key role in defining new diagnostic standards for celiac disease.

9 Jul 2010

Study suggests Perfusion CT as noninvasive tool in diagnosis of hepatic toxicity

Liver damage is common in patients with tumor following chemotherapy. Although early liver damage causes no symptoms and is reversible in most patients, it occasionally progresses to more severe liver impairment, which may be irreversible, it is thus necessary to demonstrate the presence and severity of drug-related parenchymal changes.

9 Jul 2010

Early knowledge of HCC response to TACE determines treatment success: Research article

Early knowledge of hepatocellular carcinoma response to transcatheter arterial chemoembolization is crucial for determining treatment success, timing of repeat treatment, and patient prognosis. Currently, magnetic resonance imaging is used 1-3 mo after treatment to evaluate anatomical tumor response, based upon changes in tumor size and contrast-agent enhancement. Alternatively, diffusion-weighted imaging can be used as a functional imaging technique to depict thermally induced motion of water molecules.

9 Jul 2010

Study finds EUS associated with improved outcomes in patients with localized pancreatic cancer

A new study has found that endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is associated with improved outcomes in patients with localized pancreatic cancer, possibly due to the detection of earlier cancers and improved stage-appropriate management, including more selective performance of curative intent surgery. This is the first study to analyze a large population-based cancer registry and demonstrate that EUS evaluation is associated with improved pancreatic cancer survival.

9 Jul 2010

Vitamin D receptor emerges as key player amid gut bacteria, scientists find

Within the human digestive tract is a teeming mass of hundreds of types of bacteria, a potpourri of microbes numbering in the trillions that help us digest food and keep bad bacteria in check.

8 Jul 2010

Local anesthetics have potential therapeutic effects on IBD: Research article

Inflammatory bowel disease is a disease of the gastrointestinal tract, mainly the intestines that may occur in the people who have genetic potential with a contribution of environmental factors. There has been no definitive medical treatment and drugs usually help the symptoms just to relieve.

8 Jul 2010

Researchers evaluate safety and feasibility of STARR procedure for ODS

Obstructed defecation syndrome represents a widespread clinical problem which frequently affects middle-aged females. Nevertheless, many of the previously established techniques are unsuitable for patients with ODS associated with simultaneous rectocele and rectal intussusception. Notably, STARR has been proposed as an alternative operation and a relatively noninvasive surgical technique for this difficult problem.

8 Jul 2010

Study reveals X+ allele of APOB gene as another risk factor of gallstone formation after gastrectomy

The cause of higher incidence of gallstone after radical gastrectomy still remains unknown. Almost all previous studies have attributed gallstone formation to gallbladder motility disorder after gastrectomy, But this theory cannot completely explain it. Is there any other risk factor of gallstone formation after gastrectomy?

8 Jul 2010

Report investigates clear cell ICC

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is a cancer of the bile duct in the liver. The clear cell subtype of ICC is a rare cancer; until now, only 8 cases have been reported. The number of reports is so small that a detail description of clear cell ICC is valuable.

8 Jul 2010

Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals receives FDA expanded labeling for INFERGEN

Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals, LLC, today received expanded labeling from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to include daily use of INFERGEN (Consensus Interferon) in combination with ribavirin (RBV) for retreatment of chronic hepatitis C patients. The expanded labeling targets hepatitis C patients who need retreatment.

6 Jul 2010

Study evaluates potential risks and benefits of moderate alcohol consumption

A discussion by renowned epidemiologist Kenneth Mukamal has recently been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, JAMA. It provides a discussion in response to a theoretical question, - if you are a 42 year old male, should you drink alcohol ( in moderation) for your health?

30 Jun 2010

Study investigates efficacy of SWV measurement in evaluation of NASH pathophysiology using ultrasound

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is manifestation of metabolic syndrome in the liver and is a pandemic over the globe especially in the developed countries, based on a high calorie diet and sedentary life style. As in the other types of chronic hepatitis, collagen fibers continuously accumulate in the liver through the course of NASH toward cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma development.

29 Jun 2010

Experts to discuss latest trends in treatments, diagnostic techniques for managing HCC

Today, world renowned experts have assembled in Dubrovnik, Croatia to discuss the latest trends in treatment and cutting edge research in diagnostic techniques that will shape the future management of hepatocellular carcinoma - the third most common cause of cancer-related death globally, and a leading cause of death among patients with liver cirrhosis.

28 Jun 2010

TLR4 may provide new strategy for treating patients with PDAC: Study

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is a highly malignant digestive tumor with a very poor prognosis. Hypoxia-inducible transcription factor-1α is involved in malignant progression in many solid tumors, including PDAC, upregulation of HIF-1α accelerates PDAC progression, but the exact regulatory mechanisms of HIF-1αin PDAC has not been unequivocally addressed.

28 Jun 2010

Antiviral therapy prevents recurrence of HCC, extends patients' lives, researchers report

Previous studies have shown that antiviral treatment reduces the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with chronic hepatitis B. But now, researchers from the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Thomas Jefferson University are reporting that the antiviral therapy also prevents recurrence of HCC and extends patients' lives.

25 Jun 2010

Researchers evaluate outcomes of SD and PD in patients with GISTs

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the digestive tract. However, the duodenal location is less common. Nowadays, surgery is still the only curative approach for GIST. Numerous procedures can be performed to remove duodenal GIST. Some of these operations are extensive and require difficult reconstruction (like pancreaticoduodenectomy; PD). One of the options is a more limited intervention: segmental duodenectomy.

25 Jun 2010

Research on safety of endoscopic piecemeal mucosal resection in treatment of large sessile colorectal polyps

Endoscopic resection of large sessile colorectal polyps is increasingly used as an alternative to surgery, but remains challenging because of its technical difficulty, the high risk of complications such as bleeding or perforation, and the possibility of coexisting malignancy.

25 Jun 2010

Hepatology News and Research

Further Reading

Tenofovir gel reduces HIV by 39% in women: CAPRISA 004 study

Encorium CRO acquires Progenitor

First-of-its-kind patient, healthcare provider support program for management of HE

DGP/tTG Screen assay may be best initial test for suspected celiac disease: Study

Study suggests Perfusion CT as noninvasive tool in diagnosis of hepatic toxicity

Early knowledge of HCC response to TACE determines treatment success: Research article

Study finds EUS associated with improved outcomes in patients with localized pancreatic cancer

Vitamin D receptor emerges as key player amid gut bacteria, scientists find

Local anesthetics have potential therapeutic effects on IBD: Research article

Researchers evaluate safety and feasibility of STARR procedure for ODS

Study reveals X+ allele of APOB gene as another risk factor of gallstone formation after gastrectomy

Report investigates clear cell ICC

Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals receives FDA expanded labeling for INFERGEN

Study evaluates potential risks and benefits of moderate alcohol consumption

Study investigates efficacy of SWV measurement in evaluation of NASH pathophysiology using ultrasound

Experts to discuss latest trends in treatments, diagnostic techniques for managing HCC

TLR4 may provide new strategy for treating patients with PDAC: Study

Antiviral therapy prevents recurrence of HCC, extends patients' lives, researchers report

Researchers evaluate outcomes of SD and PD in patients with GISTs

Research on safety of endoscopic piecemeal mucosal resection in treatment of large sessile colorectal polyps

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Latest News