Liver Transplant News and Research

RSS

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.

Paracetamol poisoning soars over the past decade in Australia

Paracetamol is one of the most common painkillers and antipyretics used in Australia. However, a new study hopes for the restriction in the access to the drug, due to a serious spike in paracetamol poisonings.

2 Sep 2019

Discovery of new liver cell could make liver transplants redundant

Researchers at King's College London have used single cell RNA sequencing to identify a type of cell that may be able to regenerate liver tissue, treating liver failure without the need for transplants.

26 Jul 2019

Giving antibiotics prior to liver transplant leads to better liver function

A UCLA-led research team has found that giving mice antibiotics for 10 days prior to a liver transplant leads to better liver function after the surgery.

23 Jul 2019

Living-donor liver transplant offers advantages over deceased-donor, research finds

Living-donor liver transplant offers numerous advantages over deceased-donor transplant, including better three-year survival rates for patients and lower costs, according to new research from the UPMC Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

12 Jul 2019

Researchers identify genetic mutation that causes fatal response to HAV infection

Researchers have identified a genetic mutation that caused an 11-year-old girl to suffer a fatal reaction to infection with the Hepatitis A virus.

18 Jun 2019

Researchers describe the impact of chronic hepatitis D on parts of the immune system

Approximately one out of every ten people with hepatitis B are coinfected with hepatitis D, which is among the most serious liver conditions.

15 May 2019

New link found between NAFLD and rare pregnancy complication

A new link has been found between a rare and serious condition that typically presents as itchy palms during pregnancy and the world's most common chronic liver disease, according to research presented at Digestive Disease Week® 2019.

9 May 2019

Study finds identical alcohol relapse rates among liver transplant recipients regardless of sobriety period

For decades, patients with liver disease related to alcohol use have been told they must be sober for six months before they can get a liver transplant.

26 Apr 2019

Advances in deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s could lead to treatments for other disorders

A new paper published in Nature Reviews Neurology suggests that recent advances in deep brain stimulation for Parkinson disease could lead to treatments for conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, Gilles de la Tourette syndrome and depression.

8 Apr 2019

Hepatitis C-infected thoracic organs can be safely transplanted, study finds

Infectious diseases experts and transplant physicians and surgeons at Brigham and Women's Hospital have blocked the transmission of hepatitis C from infected organ donors to recipients in need of hearts or lungs.

4 Apr 2019

Study uncovers genetic variant associated with liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C patients

A new study from The Westmead Institute for Medical Research has identified a genetic variant associated with liver fibrosis (scarring) in chronic hepatitis C patients. This finding is a step toward reducing the number of patients requiring liver transplants.

3 Apr 2019

Study provides insights on liver injury in men taking body building supplements

In a study reported in Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 44 men with liver injury, attributed to over-the-counter bodybuilding supplements, experienced a uniform and distinctive pattern of signs and symptoms that were often prolonged, difficult to treat, and accompanied by disability and weight loss.

3 Apr 2019

Researchers identify first genetic defect linked to biliary atresia

A nationwide consortium of researchers has identified the first genetic defect linked to biliary atresia, a mysterious liver disease that is the leading cause for liver transplantation in children.

5 Mar 2019

Researchers are developing and testing novel gene therapy to cure Crigler-Najjar syndrome

Crigler-Najjar syndrome affects about one in a million people at birth. Because of a defective gene, these individuals lack an essential enzyme in their liver to eliminate bilirubin, a toxic bile pigment that accumulates in all body tissues causing jaundice and potentially leading to irreversible and lethal neurological damage.

28 Feb 2019

Large-scale clinical trial begins to study liver transplantation between people with HIV

The first large-scale clinical trial to study liver transplantation between people with HIV has begun at clinical centers across the United States. The HOPE in Action Multicenter Liver Study will determine the safety of this practice by evaluating liver recipients for potential transplant-related and HIV-related complications following surgery.

15 Feb 2019

Use of liver grafts from older donors decreased despite better outcomes in recipients

More than 10 percent of patients waiting for a liver transplant die each year. This observational study looked at trends in the transplantation of livers from older donors and outcomes in recipients of these older livers from 2003 to 2016.

14 Feb 2019

Standard method for ranking liver transplant waitlists may not prioritize the sickest candidates

A new study has uncovered that the standard method for ranking patients on the waitlist for lifesaving liver transplantation may not prioritize some of the sickest candidates for the top of the list.

25 Jan 2019

Alcohol-linked disease overtakes hep C as top reason for liver transplant

An estimated 17,000 Americans are on the waiting list for a liver transplant, and there's a strong chance that many of them have alcohol-associated liver disease. ALD now edges out hepatitis C as the No. 1 reason for liver transplants in the United States, according to research published Tuesday in JAMA Internal Medicine.

23 Jan 2019

Study analyzes vaccine-preventable infections in children who receive solid organ transplants

Children who receive solid organ transplants are hospitalized due to vaccine-preventable infections at rates that are significantly higher than the general population, according to a newly published study by University of Colorado School of Medicine researchers.

15 Jan 2019

Research suggests possible way to improve survival in African-Americans undergoing liver transplant

Among African-American adults undergoing liver transplant to treat liver cancer, patients whose organ donor was also African-American lived significantly longer than those with a racially unmatched donor, report authors of a new study using national data.

10 Jan 2019