Liver Transplant News and Research

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When a patient presents with end stage liver disease or liver failure he or she may be considered for a liver transplantation. The first step in this is often a rigorous assessment and being placed on a waiting list.

Revolutionary approach could save lives of sickest patients waiting for liver transplant

There's new hope for patients with liver disease who are waiting for a donor liver to become available for transplantation.

15 Dec 2016

Study provides insights into biology of protein implicated in kidney disease

Investigators have discovered important information about apolipoprotein L1 (ApoL1), which can contribute to the development of various forms of kidney disease.

9 Dec 2016

Newcastle scientists develop promising new test to identify patients with rare liver disease

Newcastle scientists and medics have developed a promising new test to identify patients with a rare liver disease who will not respond to standard treatment, allowing earlier intervention with alternatives.

2 Dec 2016

NASPGHAN clinical practice guidelines recommend screening test for NAFLD in obese children

A screening test for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)--a serious condition that may have lifelong health consequences--is recommended for all obese children aged nine to eleven years, according to clinical practice guidelines developed by the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition.

1 Dec 2016

Over-the-counter and prescription pain medications linked to drug-induced liver injury

More than 1,000 medications, with acetaminophen being the most common, have been associated with drug-induced liver injury.

30 Nov 2016

Women more susceptible to damaging effects of alcohol, says Houston Methodist expert

"One drink a day might be too much for a woman who has a genetic pre-disposition to cirrhosis of the liver," said Howard Monsour, M.D., chief of hepatology at Houston Methodist Hospital "One drink for a woman has about twice the effect as it does for the same amount consumed by a man."

22 Nov 2016

Many Canadian territories restrict access to medications for treating hepatitis C, study finds

A study conducted by Canadian and Australian researchers shows that nearly everywhere in Canada, the provinces and territories impose obstacles to reimbursement of new direct-acting antivirals (DAA) to treat hepatitis C by because of their cost.

14 Oct 2016

Common drug for allergies and asthma could prevent fibrosis, reduce need for liver transplants

A drug commonly used for the prevention of allergies and asthma someday could find new use in preventing liver disease and reducing the need for transplants, according to new research published in the October 2016 edition of the scientific journal Hepatology.

12 Oct 2016

Mayo Clinic article provides better understanding on potentially devastating liver disease

An article published today in the New England Journal of Medicine updates the medical community on a potentially devastating liver disease that afflicts approximately 29,000 Americans.

22 Sep 2016

Bile acid transporter inhibitors can prevent NASH in mice, study shows

Drugs that interfere with bile acid recycling can prevent several aspects of NASH (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis) in mice fed a high-fat diet, scientists from Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta have shown.

21 Sep 2016

Scientists generate functional tissue-engineered liver from adult stem and progenitor cells

A research team led by investigators at The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles has generated functional human and mouse tissue-engineered liver from adult stem and progenitor cells.

31 Aug 2016

Cell-free DNA test could help identify liver transplant patients with acute rejection

Today, researchers presented findings at the 68th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting that DNA found circulating in the bloodstream—known as cell-free DNA—can be used to identify liver transplant patients with acute rejection with greater accuracy than conventional liver function tests.

1 Aug 2016

Researchers test new approach to treat metabolic diseases without organ transplant

With a shortage of donor organs, Mayo Clinic is exploring therapeutic strategies for patients with debilitating liver diseases. Researchers are testing a new approach to correct metabolic disorders without a whole organ transplant. Their findings appear in Science Translational Medicine.

27 Jul 2016

Study shows how Medicaid expansion affects health insurance coverage of liver transplant recipients

Researchers have found that Medicaid expansion increased Medicaid enrollment among people who received liver transplants funded by commercial insurance. The findings are published inLiver Transplantation.

27 Jul 2016

Diabetes drug metformin could help reduce toxic acid levels linked to MSUD

Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD) is a rare inherited metabolic disorder involving the dysfunction of an enzyme which breaks down three essential amino acids: leucine, isoleucine and valine.

6 Jul 2016

Highly efficient bacterial agent could improve treatment of Wilson disease

In the 'Journal of Clinical Investigation', scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München describe a small peptide that very efficiently binds excess copper from liver cells. This molecule comes from a bacterium's bag of tricks and could be suitable for treating Wilson disease.

21 Jun 2016

Scientists use new technique to repair fibrotic liver cells within the organ

Advances in stem cell research have made it possible to convert patients' skin cells into heart cells, kidney cells, liver cells and more in the lab dish, giving researchers hope that one day such cells could replace organ transplantation for patients with organ failure.

3 Jun 2016

Increasing number of sickest liver transplant candidates delisted from wait list, study finds

The sickest liver transplant candidates should be first in line when a donor liver becomes available, but transplant centers are increasingly removing these individuals from the waiting list, considering them "too sick to transplant," an analysis of nationwide transplant data finds. The study appears online as an "article in press" on the Journal of the American College of Surgeons website in advance of print publication.

29 Apr 2016

Cancer survivors at risk of death after organ transplant

People who had cancer before receiving an organ transplant were more likely to die of any cause, die of cancer or develop a new cancer than organ recipients who did not previously have cancer, a new paper has found. However, the increased risk is less than that reported in some previous studies.

22 Apr 2016

Researchers find prevalence of steatosis in liver transplant recipients

Researchers have characterized the prevalence and risk factors of fatty liver disease in patients who undergo liver transplantation. The findings, which are published in Liver Transplantation, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, could have important implications for safeguarding transplant recipients' health.

6 Apr 2016