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.

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.

2 Oct 2013

Genetic study helps identify obese diabetes patients who are at risk of developing NAFLD

A groundbreaking study of nearly 2,300 extremely obese diabetes patients, led by the Translational Genomics Research Institute, has identified genes associated with unhealthy liver function.

2 Oct 2013

Data from Boehringer Ingelheim's HCV clinical program accepted for presentation at The Liver Meeting

New data from Boehringer Ingelheim's hepatitis C virus clinical development program have been accepted for presentation at the 64th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, also known as The Liver Meeting®, taking place November 1-5 in Washington, D.C.

1 Oct 2013

Canada should start screening 'Baby Boomers' for hepatitis C virus infection, say liver specialists

Canada should begin screening 'Baby Boomers' for the hepatitis C virus infection, since this age group is likely the largest group to have the illness, and most don't know they have it, say a group of liver specialists in the Toronto Western Hospital Francis Family Liver Clinic. Unlike many other chronic viral infections, early treatment makes hepatitis C curable.

1 Oct 2013

Lumena Pharmaceuticals initiates LUM001 clinical program in children with ALGS

Lumena Pharmaceuticals, a company developing oral therapeutics for rare liver diseases, today announced the initiation of a global clinical program to evaluate its drug candidate LUM001 in children with Alagille syndrome. The first patient has been dosed in the IMAGO Phase II study being conducted in the U.K., and enrollment of pediatric patients is expected to begin later this year in the ITCH Phase II study in the U.S.

26 Sep 2013

Simple traffic light test helps reduce drinking rates in people with risk of liver disease

A simple 'traffic light' test that detects hidden liver fibrosis and cirrhosis in high risk populations could reduce harmful drinking rates and potentially prevent hundreds of alcohol-related deaths a year.

25 Sep 2013

Quartette tablets now available in U.S. for prevention of pregnancy

Teva Women's Health, a U.S. subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., today announced that the recently approved Quartette (levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol and ethinyl estradiol) tablets are now available via prescription in the U.S. for the prevention of pregnancy.

24 Sep 2013

MRE imaging technique accurately detects chronic liver disease in children

A new, non-invasive imaging technique, magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), can now help physicians accurately detect fibrosis (scarring) in children with chronic liver disease - a growing problem due in part to increasing obesity rates.

21 Sep 2013

Domino transplant saves patient suffering from liver cancer

Tiffany Schwantes was going to die without a new liver. The 31-year old mother of two suffered from an aggressive form of liver cancer and, because of organ allocation rules, she could not be placed high enough on the liver transplant list to receive a new liver in a timely manner.

19 Sep 2013

Study finds low doses of vancomycin to be effective in treating serious C-difficile infection

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) treatment in a hospital setting using low dose oral vancomycin showed similar effectiveness compared to high dose, according to a new study by researchers at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

12 Sep 2013

Hepatitis C services in the UK: an interview with Louise Campbell, senior liver nurse at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

Within the UK there are several centres whose nurse specialists work to a best practice model, delivering care and achieving outcomes which are extremely high in areas of patient retention, adherence to medication and completion of the treatment regimen. With this they achieve cure rates which are some of the highest in the World.

9 Sep 2013

Inner-ear dysfunction can increase hyperactivity, say researchers

Behavioral abnormalities are traditionally thought to originate in the brain. But a new study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has found that inner-ear dysfunction can directly cause neurological changes that increase hyperactivity.

6 Sep 2013

Taiwan's HBV immunization program for newborns lowers chronic HBV carriers, incidence of HCC

"Hepatitis B virus infection causes infant fulminant hepatitis, and chronic HBV infection may progress to chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. Taiwan launched a nationwide HBV immunization program for newborns in July 1984, which has successfully lowered the prevalence of chronic HBV carriers, incidence of HCC, and mortality of IFH in vaccinated birth cohorts. The mortality of CLD before and after HBV immunization has never been examined," write Chun-Ju Chiang, Ph.D., of National Taiwan University, Taipei, and colleagues.

4 Sep 2013

Scientists identify new drugs that have potential to slow down progression of Parkinson's

New drugs which may have the potential to stop faulty brain cells dying and slow down the progression of Parkinson's, have been identified by scientists in a pioneering study which is the first of its kind.

4 Sep 2013

Insomnia linked to GERD in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Insomnia appears to be relatively common in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and may occur, at least in part, as a result of gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms, report researchers.

2 Sep 2013

Research findings could lead to new therapeutic approaches for liver cancer

Liver cancer (Hepatocellular Carcinoma, HCC) usually arises as the result of a chronic, inflammatory liver disease. The most common causes here are excessive alcohol consumption as well as a high-fat diet and also chronic infection with the hepatitis viruses B and C. In the course of the inflammatory process, the liver cells (hepatocytes) die more frequently due to programmed cell death.

30 Aug 2013

Pulmonary hypertension may be caused by molecular pathway that damages blood vessels

Pulmonary hypertension, a deadly form of high blood pressure that develops in the lungs, may be caused by an inflammation-producing molecular pathway that damages the inner lining of blood vessels, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

29 Aug 2013

ASD children appear to outgrow critical social communication disability

Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have shown that high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children appear to outgrow a critical social communication disability. Younger children with ASD have trouble integrating the auditory and visual cues associated with speech, but the researchers found that the problem clears up in adolescence.

29 Aug 2013

HCV treatment with sofosbuvir and ribavirin results in sustained virologic response

Treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection with the interferon-free regimen of sofosbuvir and ribavirin resulted in a high sustained virologic response rate in a patient population with unfavorable treatment characteristics, according to a study in the August 28 issue of JAMA.

28 Aug 2013

Liver Disease News and Research

Further Reading

Saint Luke's liver transplantation program receives CMS certification

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

Genetic study helps identify obese diabetes patients who are at risk of developing NAFLD

Data from Boehringer Ingelheim's HCV clinical program accepted for presentation at The Liver Meeting

Canada should start screening 'Baby Boomers' for hepatitis C virus infection, say liver specialists

Lumena Pharmaceuticals initiates LUM001 clinical program in children with ALGS

Simple traffic light test helps reduce drinking rates in people with risk of liver disease

Quartette tablets now available in U.S. for prevention of pregnancy

MRE imaging technique accurately detects chronic liver disease in children

Domino transplant saves patient suffering from liver cancer

Study finds low doses of vancomycin to be effective in treating serious C-difficile infection

Hepatitis C services in the UK: an interview with Louise Campbell, senior liver nurse at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

Inner-ear dysfunction can increase hyperactivity, say researchers

Taiwan's HBV immunization program for newborns lowers chronic HBV carriers, incidence of HCC

Scientists identify new drugs that have potential to slow down progression of Parkinson's

Insomnia linked to GERD in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Research findings could lead to new therapeutic approaches for liver cancer

Pulmonary hypertension may be caused by molecular pathway that damages blood vessels

ASD children appear to outgrow critical social communication disability

HCV treatment with sofosbuvir and ribavirin results in sustained virologic response

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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