Liver News and Research

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Smoking a lot more harmful than previously thought

The U.S. Surgeon General has released a new comprehensive report on smoking and health, revealing for the first time that smoking causes diseases in nearly every organ of the body. Published 40 years after the surgeon general's first report on smoking -- which concluded that smoking was a definite cause of three serious diseases -- this newest report finds that cigarette smoking is conclusively linked to diseases such as leukemia, cataracts, pneumonia and cancers of the cervix, kidney, pancreas and stomach.

30 May 2004

Blueprint for rational design of vaccines that induce desired T-cell responses

Investigators from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have conducted studies in mice to gain a new picture of how the immune system’s “killer” T cells are prompted to destroy infected cells. Their insights provide a blueprint for rational design of vaccines that induce desired T-cell responses.

27 May 2004

Smoking causes diseases in nearly every organ of the body

U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona today released a new comprehensive report on smoking and health, revealing for the first time that smoking causes diseases in nearly every organ of the body.

27 May 2004

Cigarette smoking linked to leukemia

Cigarette smoking has been linked to acute myelogenous leukemia, according to The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General, released today.

27 May 2004

New study challenges current thinking about varied response to hepatitis C treatment in different racial groups

Results of a new study published in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine show that in patients who have chronic hepatitis C, genotype 1 -- the most common form of the disease and difficult to treat successfully -- non-Hispanic whites achieved one of the highest response rates reported to date, but response rates in African Americans were significantly lower.

27 May 2004

Link between oral bacterium and premature babies

For years, scientists have noticed a particular oral bacterium can be found in the amniotic fluid of about 20 percent of women with premature babies.

27 May 2004

Human Genome Sciences has begun dosing patients with chronic hep C drug

Human Genome Sciences, Inc. announced today that it has begun dosing patients in a Phase 2 clinical trial of Albuferon™ (albumin-interferon alpha) in patients with chronic hepatitis C who are naïve to interferon-alpha treatments.

27 May 2004

Anemia is a major determinant of fatigue in patients with cirrhosis

Fatigue is a common complaint among patients with cirrhosis with many possible contributing factors, including severity of liver disease, anemia, and cardiopulmonary complications.

27 May 2004

Research may lead to elimination of surface-induced thrombus formation

A University of Missouri-Rolla researcher’s investigation into how proteins adhere to surfaces may lead the elimination of surface-induced thrombus formation, a phenomenon known to cause blood clots in artificial arteries, valves and veins.

26 May 2004

Diet is responsible for up to 80,000 cases of cancer each year in the UK

Dr Tim Key, a principal scientist on the European diet study EPIC, says that around a third of these can be put down to alcohol and obesity alone. However, Dr Key says that the exact causes of the remaining two thirds are largely unknown.

24 May 2004

Research shows that treatment with nitric oxide after storage may dramatically improve the viability of transplanted livers

About 5,000 liver transplants are performed annually in the United States, and a key factor ensuring success is maintaining a healthy donor organ that can function effectively in the recipient. However, transplanted livers typically incur substantial damage when blood flow is restored to the organ after the transplant.

24 May 2004

New treatment for dry eye syndrome (keratoconjunctivitis sicca)

Researchers in the department of ophthalmology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson played an important role in the development of Restasis, the first alternative to artificial tears for the treatment of dry eye syndrome.

21 May 2004

WHO reports likely Ebola case in Sudan

As of 10 May, WHO reported cases of Ebola haemorrhagic fever syndrome in Hai-Cuba, Yambio, Western Equatoria Region, south Sudan. A rapid assessment team is in the field to investigate the situation. Clinical samples have been collected and preliminary results are expected soon.

21 May 2004

Obese women more likely to have pregnancy complications and caesarean sections than women of average weight

The controlled study is one of the largest ever to look at obesity in pregnancy, following more than 16,000 pregnant women at 14 medical centers across the country.

20 May 2004

Causes of hepatitis and potential therapies that may improve care presented in study

Hepatitis, a potentially serious disease caused by a virus that attacks the liver, is a major problem worldwide. Hepatitis A is generally food-borne, while hepatitis B and C spread primarily through parenteral or sexual routes. Hepatitis B and C can be life-long, potentially deadly chronic infections.

19 May 2004

Caffeinated beverages may benefit some people who are at high-risk for liver disease

According to new research presented today at Digestive Disease Week, drinking caffeinated beverages may benefit some people who are at high-risk for liver disease. Conversely, a study by researchers from India found that soda drinkers, who represent a huge percentage of the American population, may actually have an increased risk of developing esophageal cancer.

19 May 2004

Fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in obese children has distinct characteristics different from those found in adults

Potentially life-threatening non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in obese children has distinct characteristics, often different from those found in adults, according to a University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine study led by Jeffrey Schwimmer, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics.

19 May 2004

Benitec acquires Avocel to focus on rapid development of hepatitis C therapeutics

Benitec Ltd. today announced the acquisition of Avocel, Inc. of Sunnyvale, CA, a leading RNAi therapeutics company, and the establishment of its wholly-owned US subsidiary, Benitec, Inc. Through the acquisition, Benitec gains its first in-house advanced therapeutic development program using DNA-directed RNAi (ddRNAi) to target the Hepatitis C virus.

18 May 2004

Interventional radiologists now are able to treat using minimally invasive procedures

Interventional radiologists at Temple University Hospital now are able to treat many patients with minimally invasive procedures not available only a few years ago. “Conditions that used to require extensive surgery now take an hour or less, and patients leave with a bandaid and walk home,” says Gary Cohen, M.D., Section Chief of Interventional Radiology and Vice Chairman of Radiology. “How can you beat that?”

17 May 2004

Regional review boards improve liver transplant allocation

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) currently utilizes scores based on the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) or Pediatric End-Stage Liver Disease (PELD) to prioritize patients waiting for liver transplants.

17 May 2004

Liver News and Research

Smoking a lot more harmful than previously thought

Blueprint for rational design of vaccines that induce desired T-cell responses

Smoking causes diseases in nearly every organ of the body

Cigarette smoking linked to leukemia

New study challenges current thinking about varied response to hepatitis C treatment in different racial groups

Link between oral bacterium and premature babies

Human Genome Sciences has begun dosing patients with chronic hep C drug

Anemia is a major determinant of fatigue in patients with cirrhosis

Research may lead to elimination of surface-induced thrombus formation

Diet is responsible for up to 80,000 cases of cancer each year in the UK

Research shows that treatment with nitric oxide after storage may dramatically improve the viability of transplanted livers

New treatment for dry eye syndrome (keratoconjunctivitis sicca)

WHO reports likely Ebola case in Sudan

Obese women more likely to have pregnancy complications and caesarean sections than women of average weight

Causes of hepatitis and potential therapies that may improve care presented in study

Caffeinated beverages may benefit some people who are at high-risk for liver disease

Fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in obese children has distinct characteristics different from those found in adults

Benitec acquires Avocel to focus on rapid development of hepatitis C therapeutics

Interventional radiologists now are able to treat using minimally invasive procedures

Regional review boards improve liver transplant allocation

Achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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