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.

In mice, drug protects against diabetes and atherosclerosis

Blocking a single protein with an experimental drug prevented and treated both type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis in laboratory mice that had been fed unhealthy diets and were genetically predisposed to these common killers, according to an article published online in Nature.

8 Jun 2007

Singapore too finds poison Chinese toothpaste

Singapore is the latest country to question China's food safety standards after Chinese-made toothpaste was found to contain diethylene glycol, or DEG, a poisonous chemical used in solvents and anti-freeze.

7 Jun 2007

When HIV and liver disease co-exist

Since successful antiretroviral therapies have made HIV a treatable condition, more HIV patients who are also infected with hepatitis B or C are experiencing the progression of their liver disease.

3 Jun 2007

Avoid Chinese toothpaste!

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today warned consumers to avoid using tubes of toothpaste labeled as made in China, and issued an import alert to prevent toothpaste containing the poisonous chemical diethylene glycol (DEG) from entering the United States.

3 Jun 2007

FASgen announces new diagnostic test for steatohepititis

FASgen Inc. announced it has successfully expanded the potential use for its serum FAS (fatty acid synthase) ELISA diagnostic research test, FAS-Detect ELISA for the identification of Non-Alcoholic Steatophepititis (NASH).

1 Jun 2007

Co-infection of HIV and HCV a significant health concern due to increasing prevalence

Researchers at Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) have found that persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), who also have alcohol problems, were negatively affected by co-infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

28 May 2007

High-fat and sugar-sweetened diet compounded by a sedentary lifestyle will have severe health repercussions

It's research that may have you thinking twice before upgrading to the large size at your favorite fast food joint.

24 May 2007

Magnetic resonance elastography enables noninvasive liver diagnoses

Two recent Mayo Clinic studies have found that magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), a new imaging technique invented at Mayo Clinic, is an accurate tool for non-invasive diagnosis of liver diseases.

24 May 2007

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals to initiate new Bavituximab HCV trial

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals has announced it has filed a new clinical trial protocol with the FDA to study bavituximab in patients co-infected with HCV and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

18 May 2007

Custom stents hold microcapsules to treat diabetes

Johns Hopkins undergraduates have invented a device to improve cell therapy for diabetes patients by anchoring transplanted insulin-producing cells inside a major blood vessel.

7 May 2007

Nutrient "floodgate" protects against inflammatory immune response

After every meal, the body must prevent the immune system from launching an all-out fight against food.

4 May 2007

HCV patients survival after liver transplantation is not improving

For liver transplant recipients without hepatitis C (HCV), survival has improved over time.

4 May 2007

Racial disparities in treatment of patients with cirrhosis and complications of portal hypertension

African-American and Hispanic patients hospitalized for complications of portal hypertension were less likely to undergo a palliative shunt, prompt endoscopy, or liver transplantation compared to white patients, according to a new study in the May issue of Hepatology, a journal published by John Wiley & Sons on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).

2 May 2007

Liver stiffness indicates severe portal hypertension in patients with hepatitis C-related cirrhosis

Measuring liver stiffness using transient elastography can predict severe portal hypertension in patients with hepatitis C-related cirrhosis, according to a new study in the May issue of Hepatology, the official journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).

2 May 2007

New test for liver disease

A researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine has helped confirm the reliability of a new test for liver disease that is ushering in the long-promised era of personalized medicine based on each individual's genetic makeup.

30 Apr 2007

Link found between bile duct obstruction and bile duct cancer

When bile duct cancer cells were placed in the liver of animals with bile duct obstruction, they grew more rapidly than identical cells placed in animals without bile duct obstruction.

30 Apr 2007

Liver center leading record number of studies to tackle hepatitis C

While many research institutions are suffering from funding cuts, Drs. Bruce R. Bacon and Adrian M. Di Bisceglie are chugging away with their usual tenacity.

27 Apr 2007

Schering-Plough announces ZETIA spproved in Japan

Schering-Plough Corporation has announced that Schering-Plough K.K., the company's country operation in Japan, has received marketing approval for ZETIA (ezetimibe), a novel cholesterol-lowering agent that inhibits the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine.

20 Apr 2007

Geisinger Health System launches study on obesity and related liver problem

Relying on one of the largest collections of liver tissue samples ever acquired by a single organization, Geisinger Health System researchers have embarked on a massive study of one of the fastest growing liver problems.

17 Apr 2007