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.

Gilead announces expansion of global access program for HIV medications

Gilead Sciences, Inc. announced today an expansion of its global access program in an effort to provide accelerated access to Gilead medicines for the treatment of HIV/AIDS.

12 Jul 2011

Infected astrocytes can cause neuroAIDS

A longstanding medical mystery - why so many people with HIV experience memory loss and other cognitive problems despite potent antiretroviral therapy - may have been solved by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

2 Jul 2011

Aflatoxin treatment project in Kenya faces challenge in marketing product to poor farmers

IRIN examines an 18-month project in Kenya testing a maize treatment aimed at controlling "a deadly fungus, aflatoxin," which has the potential to cause cancer, immune system suppression, growth retardation, liver disease and death among the "literally billions of people in the developing world" who are chronically exposed to the fungus.

2 Jul 2011

Gene PNPLA3 offers potential therapeutic target in chronic hepatitis C liver damage

New research confirms that a variant on the patatin-like phospholipase-3 (PNPLA3) gene increases risk of steatosis and fibrosis progression in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV). The PNPLA3 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs 738409 may represent an important genetic predictor and potential therapeutic target in chronic HCV liver damage.

29 Jun 2011

Prototype small molecule drugs could suppress hepatitis C

Targeted multi-drug treatments for hepatitis C patients that could stop the virus in its tracks have come a step closer, thanks to researchers at the University of Leeds, UK.

29 Jun 2011

Combination therapies inhibiting P7 could prevent spread of HCV

British researchers have identified specific resistance mutations for two classes of p7 inhibitor, which may explain their lack of effectiveness in clinical trials combined with current standard of care.

29 Jun 2011

Eating more soluble fiber and engagement in moderate activity reduces belly fat

All fat is not created equal. Unsightly as it is, subcutaneous fat, the fat right under the skin, is not as dangerous to overall health as visceral fat, the fat deep in the belly surrounding vital organs.

27 Jun 2011

Incivek-combination therapy increases chances of HCV patients achieving viral cure

The drug Incivek, when given in combination with two other medications, can dramatically increase the chances of people chronically infected with untreated genotype 1 hepatitis C virus achieving a viral cure. That's the finding of a study published in the June 23rd issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

23 Jun 2011

Telaprevir drug shows promise in curing hepatitis C infection

The drug telaprevir (Incivek) provides a dramatic improvement in the treatment of the most common form of hepatitis C infection, says an international team of investigators led by Dr. Ira M. Jacobson of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

23 Jun 2011

Foods and lifestyles that cause most weight gain: Study

New research shows that eating more potato chips and French fries and watching too much TV are likely to lead to a bigger weight gain over the years than the weight change associated with eating more of other foods.

23 Jun 2011

Angioplasty may be an option for liver transplant candidates with heart disease

A small, retrospective study determined that percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was safe in patients with significant coronary artery disease (CAD) who were referred for liver transplantation. Larger studies are needed to determine the effectiveness of angioplasty in patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD). Details of the study are available in the July issue of Liver Transplantation, published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

22 Jun 2011

Study finds PCI safe and feasible option for End-Stage Liver Disease patients with significant heart disease

22 Jun 2011

Medivir initiates TMC649128 phase Ib trial in chronic hepatitis C

Medivir AB, the emerging research-based specialty pharmaceutical company focused on infectious diseases, today announces the start of a phase Ib clinical trial with TMC649128 intended for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

22 Jun 2011

Study sheds new light on body's immune response to hepatitis A, C viruses

A surprising finding in a study comparing hepatitis C virus (HCV) with hepatitis A virus (HAV) infections in chimpanzees by a team that includes scientists from the Texas Biomedical Research Institute sheds new light on the nature of the body's immune response to these viruses.

21 Jun 2011

Acura, Pfizer receive FDA approval for OXECTA Tablets to manage severe pain

Pfizer Inc. and Acura Pharmaceuticals Inc. announce the marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of OXECTATM Tablets CII.

20 Jun 2011

Targeting activity of PKD1 may be beneficial for treatment of polycystic kidney, liver disease

A single gene is central in the development of several forms of polycystic kidney and liver disease, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in the June 19 issue of Nature Genetics.

20 Jun 2011

Galectin strengthens cancer drug patent portfolio in Europe

Galectin Therapeutics Inc. today announced that the European Patent Office has granted the Company a new patent, No. 02731178.6, "Co-administration of a Polysaccharide with a Chemotherapy for the Treatment of Cancer".

15 Jun 2011

Liver stiffness measurement could replace liver biopsy for evaluation of hepatitis C

Non-invasive tests for liver fibrosis, such as liver stiffness measurement or the FibroTest, can predict survival of patients with chronic hepatitis C, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.

15 Jun 2011

Alios, Vertex sign worldwide license agreement to develop new hepatitis C combination medicines

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated and Alios BioPharma, Inc. today announced an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement that will add two distinct nucleotide analogues to Vertex's hepatitis C portfolio.

13 Jun 2011

Mortality from all causes higher among hepatitis C-infected patients, study finds

Although liver-related mortality among those infected with hepatitis C is well-documented, little is known about deaths in these patients that are not related to liver problems. A new study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and now available online sought to determine mortality from all causes, including liver- and non-liver related deaths among hepatitis C patients in the general U.S. population. The analysis found mortality from all causes to be higher in these patients.

10 Jun 2011

Liver Disease News and Research

Further Reading

Gilead announces expansion of global access program for HIV medications

Infected astrocytes can cause neuroAIDS

Aflatoxin treatment project in Kenya faces challenge in marketing product to poor farmers

Gene PNPLA3 offers potential therapeutic target in chronic hepatitis C liver damage

Prototype small molecule drugs could suppress hepatitis C

Combination therapies inhibiting P7 could prevent spread of HCV

Eating more soluble fiber and engagement in moderate activity reduces belly fat

Incivek-combination therapy increases chances of HCV patients achieving viral cure

Telaprevir drug shows promise in curing hepatitis C infection

Foods and lifestyles that cause most weight gain: Study

Angioplasty may be an option for liver transplant candidates with heart disease

Study finds PCI safe and feasible option for End-Stage Liver Disease patients with significant heart disease

Medivir initiates TMC649128 phase Ib trial in chronic hepatitis C

Study sheds new light on body's immune response to hepatitis A, C viruses

Acura, Pfizer receive FDA approval for OXECTA Tablets to manage severe pain

Targeting activity of PKD1 may be beneficial for treatment of polycystic kidney, liver disease

Galectin strengthens cancer drug patent portfolio in Europe

Liver stiffness measurement could replace liver biopsy for evaluation of hepatitis C

Alios, Vertex sign worldwide license agreement to develop new hepatitis C combination medicines

Mortality from all causes higher among hepatitis C-infected patients, study finds

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 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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