 |
|
|
|
|
 |
Last Updated: Oct 23, 2008 - 2:17:34 PM |
Latest Research
:
Gastroenterology
:
Liver
:
Hepatitis
Factors for developing IPF in Hepatitis C patients
There is little or no information on the yearly cumulative incidence and risk factors on the development rate of Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in patients with HCV.A research team led by Yasuji Arase from Toranomon Hospital of Japan addresses this, and the study will be published on October 14, 2008 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology.
Oct 23, 2008 - 2:12:44 PM
|
Latest Research
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC scientific director elected to Institute of Medicine
David H. Perlmutter, MD, scientific director and physician-in-chief at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, has been elected to the prestigious Institute of Medicine (IOM).
Oct 13, 2008 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
How to prevent liver damage induced by anti-tuberculosis treatment?
About one third of the world's population has latent tuberculosis and roughly 9 million cases of active tuberculosis emerge annually resulting in 2-3million deaths. Most new cases occur in the most populated nations like India and China. Combination chemotherapy containing Isoniazid (INH), Rifampicin (RMP), Pyrazinamide (PZA) with or without ethambutol for initial 2 months followed by a continuation phase of 4-6 months of Isoniazid and Rifampicin is the preferred regimen for successful treatment and for preventing acquired resistance. Drug induced hepatotoxicity is a potentially serious adverse effect of antituberculosis (ATT) regimen. A higher risk of hepatotoxicity has been reported in Indian patients (up to 11.5%) than in their western counterpart (up to 4.3%). The only measure available for managing hepatotoxicity is stopping the offending agents, once there is an evidence of liver damage and reintroducing the same after normalization of liver enzymes. Preventive therapy of contacts causes severe hepatotoxicity more often than curative treatment of clinical tuberculosis. Search for non-toxic and highly effective new compounds for treating tuberculosis or an effective vaccine conferring sustained protective immunity have yet not seen the face of success.
Sep 19, 2008 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
:
Gastroenterology
:
Liver
small intestinal bacteria overgrowthplays a role in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease?
An article recently published in the January 14 issue of the World Journal of Gastroenterology has great significance for NASH. This article will undoubtedly bring about new pathogenesis and treatment of NASH.
Feb 22, 2008 - 7:09:07 AM
|
Latest Research
Scientists using laser light to detect potential diseases via breath samples, says new study
By blasting a person's breath with laser light, scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Colorado at Boulder have shown that they can detect molecules that may be markers for diseases like asthma or cancer.
Feb 18, 2008 - 5:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Europe's most common genetic disease is a liver disorder
Much less widely known than the dangerous consequences of iron deficiencies is the fact that too much iron can also cause problems. The exact origin of the genetic iron overload disorder hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) has remained elusive. In a joint effort, researchers from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and the University of Heidelberg, Germany, have now discovered that HH is a liver disease. They report in the current issue of Cell Metabolism that the disorder develops when a crucial gene is lacking in liver cells.
Feb 6, 2008 - 8:55:00 PM
|
Latest Research
:
Gastroenterology
:
Liver
Ginsenosaide Rb1 (R1)- chinese medicine ingredient found to protect liver
A study by Han Jing-Yan et al discovered Ginsenosaide Rb1 (R1) is able to prevent hepatic microcirculatory disturbance and subsequent liver injury in mice induced by intestine ischemia and reperfusion (I/R). R1 is one of the major effective ingredients of Panax notoginseng (PN), a traditional Chinese herb medicine frequently included in various compound Chinese medicines for treatment of liver injury and numerous other diseases in China and other Asian countries.
Jan 16, 2008 - 1:48:31 PM
|
Latest Research
Research reveals secrets of alcohol's effect on brain cells
NEW YORK (Dec. 7, 2007) -- Alcohol triggers the activation of a variety of genes that can influence the health and activity of brain cells, and new research from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City sheds light on how that process occurs.
Dec 7, 2007 - 5:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Hepatitis C treatment reduces the virus but serious liver problems may progress
Patients with chronic hepatitis C and advanced liver disease who did not respond to previous standard therapy experienced significant decreases in their liver enzymes, viral levels, and liver inflammation following treatment with long-term pegylated interferon. However, the treatment did not slow or prevent the progression of serious liver disease. These findings come from the clinical trial, Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment Against Cirrhosis (HALT-C) and were reported at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease in Boston on November 5, 2007. HALT-C is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with additional support from Hoffmann-La Roche Inc.
Nov 6, 2007 - 5:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Portal vein thrombosis is common in extraportal vein obstruction
Among the 118 patients with portal vein thrombosis, noncirrhotic and nontumoral extrahepatic portal vein obstruction are young and present with well tolerated bleed. Cirrhosis and tumor related portal vein thrombosis patients are older and have grim prognoses. Hypercoagulable state as a cause of portal vein thrombosis is less common. The idiopathic group comprises the second largest number of patients.
Oct 12, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Can liver cirrhosis be partially cured?
The diffusion of hepatitis C virus infection worldwide is astonishing. Liver cirrhosis is present in at least 10-20% of these infected patients, with highly increasing health care and emotional costs. In patients with compensated (early stage) hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis, antiviral combined therapy offers an interesting rate of response, ending in viral clearance. Unfortunately post-therapy data on different aspects of the illness, such as the residual liver function, measured as Total Overnight Salivary Caffeine Assessment (TOSCA, a liver test of microsomal function), and hepatic hemodynamics to indirectly evaluate the portal hypertension, measured as the Resistive Index of Splenic Artery (SARI) at Ultra Sound Doppler are still lacking, because to date only the survival rate and hepato-carcinoma appearance have been studied in depth.
Oct 10, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Immune system modulation can halt liver failure in animals
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have a developed a totally new approach to treating liver failure – manipulating the immune response. If the results of the animal study can be applied in human patients, the approach may be able to keep patients alive until donor organs become available or to support liver function until the organ can regenerate itself, eliminating the need for a transplant. The findings are being reported in the journal PLOS One.
Sep 25, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Inhaling nitric oxide helps transplant success
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Administering inhaled nitric oxide (NO) during surgery helps protect liver transplant patients from organ failure, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
Aug 29, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
New cancer fighter may help ICU patients beat infections
HSP 90 inhibitors, which are finding favor in fighting cancer, may also help battle overwhelming infection in intensive care patients, researchers say.
Aug 27, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Age alone does not increase risk of death following liver transplant among selected septuagenarians
Advanced age alone does not appear to be associated with the risk of death following liver transplant, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Aug 20, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Metabolic study in mice could lead to 'good cholesterol' boosters
Researchers have identified a new player in the control of so-called “good” cholesterol that circulates in the bloodstream and reduces heart attack risk, according to a report in the August issue of Cell Metabolism, a publication of Cell Press. Should the metabolic pathway uncovered in mice operate similarly in humans, the new discovery could point the way to therapies that protect against heart disease by boosting concentrations of the beneficial high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C).
Aug 7, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Study shows radiofrequency ablation highly effective in treating kidney tumors
The patients underwent CT-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) at Wake Forest Baptist for kidney tumors ranging in size from 0.6 cm to 8.8 cm. A total of 125 tumors in 104 patients were treated over the period 2000 to 2006. In all of the patients, a biopsy had confirmed the presence of renal cell carcinomas (RCC), a common type of renal malignancy.
Aug 1, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Antibody retards growth and induces death in liver cancer cells
PITTBURGH, July 11 – Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine report a significant new advance in the search for an effective treatment for human liver cancer in the July issue of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. Using a newly available monoclonal antibody, they demonstrated significant reductions in tumor cell proliferation and survival in human and mouse hepatocellular cancer (HCC) cell lines. According to the researchers, this finding has significant implications not only for the treatment of liver cancer but for a number of different types of cancer.
Jul 11, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Why liver cancer is more prevalent in males than in females
Production of a protein that promotes inflammation appears to be linked to the higher incidence of liver cancer in men than in women, researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have determined in mouse studies. Their discovery that female mice produce far less of the protein called interleukin-6 (IL-6) in response to liver injury than males do, and that production of this protein is suppressed by estrogen, may point the way to therapies to reduce the incidence of liver cancer in males. IL-6 contributes to the chronic liver inflammation that leads to cancer.
Jul 5, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Ablation procedure proves safe, effective and fast
Multiple-electrode radiofrequency ablation is a safe and effective way of treating patients with liver cancer that can be completed in less time than current ablation techniques, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
Jun 29, 2007 - 5:02:00 PM
|
Latest Research
Could statins be a new option for hepatitis C patients?
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 20, 2007) -- Research presented today at Digestive Disease Week? 2007 (DDW?) demonstrates the potential of statins, important cholesterol management therapies, for improving the management of hepatitis C ? a disease that affects nearly four million Americans. Although there have been no new treatments for hepatitis C since the introduction of pegylated interferon in 2001, the opportunity to develop a new generation of therapies that offer better outcomes may be imminent. DDW is the largest international gathering of physicians and researchers in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery.
May 22, 2007 - 10:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
New Mayo Clinic MRI technology enables noninvasive liver diagnoses
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- 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. The findings will be presented this week at the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Annual Meeting in Berlin, Germany, and Digestive Disease Week 2007 in Washington, D.C.
May 22, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Mice, men make livers differently
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Scientists often study mice as a model for human biology and disease, because their basic biological processes are assumed to be essentially the same as those of humans.
May 21, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Cure for hepatitis C announced by VCU researcher
RICHMOND, Va. (May 21, 2007) – The use of peginterferon alone, or in combination with ribavirin, points to a cure for hepatitis C, the leading cause of cirrhosis, liver cancer and the need for liver transplant, a Virginia Commonwealth University researcher said today.
May 21, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Hepatitis C increases risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Hepatitis C infection is associated with an increased risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (malignancy involving lymphatic tissue) of 20 percent to 30 percent, and a three-fold increase in the risk of another type of lymphoma, according to a study in the May 9 issue of JAMA.
May 8, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Risk of lymphoma increases with hepatitis C virus infection
People infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) are at an increased risk of developing certain lymphomas (cancers of the lymphatic system), according to a study published in the May 8, 2007, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and Baylor College of Medicine, found that HCV infection increased the risk of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma by 20 percent to 30 percent. The risk of developing Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (a rare type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma) went up by 300 percent and the risk for cryoglobulinemia, a condition marked by abnormal levels of certain antibodies in the blood, was also elevated for those with HCV infections.
May 8, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Keeping the immune system from starting a 'food fight'
After every meal, the body must prevent the immune system from launching an all-out fight against food. Now, researchers report the identity of a nutrient floodgate that serves to protect against such an inflammatory immune response. Their findings appear in the May 4, 2007 issue of the journal Cell, a publication of Cell Press.
May 3, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Mailman School of Public Health researchers report blood DNA can be early predictor of liver cancer
Researchers at Columbia UniversityÂ’s Mailman School of Public Health have discovered a means for early detection of liver cancer. Using DNA isolated from serum samples as a baseline biomarker, the scientists examined changes in certain tumor suppressor genes that have been associated with the development of liver carcinomas. This is the first study to prospectively examine potential biomarkers for early detection of liver cancer in high-risk populations, including those with chronic hepatitis B and C virus infections.
Apr 15, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Blood sugar's manufacture limited by building blocks' supply
Researchers have discovered a factor that controls blood sugar's manufacture in a novel way: by limiting the supply of its building blocks. The findings are reported in the April issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, published by Cell Press.
Apr 3, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
:
Gastroenterology
:
Liver
Survival rates after liver transplants
Survival rates are similar among patients with hepatitis B who are listed for liver transplantation, whether or not they have hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), according to a new study in the March 2007 issue of Liver Transplantation. An accompanying editorial suggests that these results affirm the current policy on the allocation of donor livers.
Mar 2, 2007 - 12:58:22 PM
|
Latest Research
Putting an old drug to a new use
We all know that iron deficiencies are dangerous, but also too much iron is bad for our health. Our body stores excess iron in various tissues, where it can lead to organ failure and even death if not treated before irreversible damage has occurred. Researchers from the Innsbruck Medical University, the University of Heidelberg, Germany, and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) now made a surprising discovery that may lead to new therapeutic approaches to treating such disorders. In this week's online issue of the journal Nature Medicine they report that a compound that was frequently used to treat high blood pressure can reverse iron overload in mouse models and has the potential to treat similar conditions in humans.
Feb 12, 2007 - 5:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
New culture method for hepatitis C virus uses primary hepatocytes and patient serum
Seattle, WA -- Researchers open the way for improved study of hepatitis C virus by devising a novel virus culture system that allows replication of patient-isolated virus in nontransformed hepatocytes, instead of culture-adapted virus strains in transformed cell lines. The related report by Lázaro et al, Hepatitis C virus replication in transfected and serum-infected cultured human fetal hepatocytes, appears in the February issue of The American Journal of Pathology.
Jan 23, 2007 - 5:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Gene chip discovery may lead to individualized treatment for 5 hereditary liver diseases
CINCINNATI -- Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have developed the first gene chip to use in the early diagnosis of at least five hereditary liver diseases, to detect genetic causes of jaundice in children and adults, and potentially to lead to personalized treatment options.
Dec 21, 2006 - 5:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Phototherapy for neonatal jaundice associated with increased risk of skin moles in childhood
Children who received light therapy (phototherapy) for jaundice as infants appear to have an increased risk of developing skin moles in childhood, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Some types of moles are risk factors for developing the skin cancer melanoma.
Dec 18, 2006 - 5:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Study highlights new and cheaper way to treat heroin addiction
Costly methadone treatment for heroin addicts could be replaced by a substitute painkiller that is half the price, safer and less toxic.
Dec 7, 2006 - 5:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
New drug helps hepatitis C patients start antiviral therapy
DURHAM, N.C. -- A new drug that stimulates the production of blood platelets can enable patients infected with hepatitis C virus to take other antiviral medications they previously could not take to fight the disease, according to the results of a clinical trial led by a Duke University Medical Center researcher.
Oct 30, 2006 - 5:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Genetic disorder linked to rapid lung function decline in some World Trade Center rescue workers
A rare genetic disorder known as alpha-1 antitrypsin (A1AT) deficiency may predispose patients to developing lung conditions, but a new rapid-response test could help identify patients with the deficiency before significant lung damage has occurred.
Oct 23, 2006 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and UPMC surgeons save two lives with domino transplant
Transplant surgeons at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and UPMC have saved two patients with life-threatening liver conditions utilizing a technique known as a domino transplant. It is only the nation's second domino transplant involving a patient with maple syrup urine disease (MSUD).
Oct 2, 2006 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Transfusion-free surgical program reduced use of blood products for all liver transplant patients
Development of a transfusion-free surgical program for Jehovah's Witness patients undergoing liver transplantation also has helped reduce the overall use of blood products for non-Jehovah's Witnesses undergoing the procedure, according to a study in the September issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Sep 18, 2006 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
:
Gastroenterology
:
Liver
MR Elastography may help in early diagnosis of liver fibrosis
Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a new technique for using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to accurately measure the hardness or elasticity of the liver. First tests show this technology -- called MR Elastography (MRE) -- holds great promise for detecting liver fibrosis, a common condition that can lead to incurable cirrhosis if not treated in time.
Sep 8, 2006 - 5:11:00 PM
|
Latest Research
Combined liver-kidney transplant beneficial for patients with dual organ disease
Combined liver and kidney transplant appears to benefit patients with diseases in both organs, including those with a condition known as hepatorenal syndrome who have been receiving dialysis for more than two months, according to an article in the August issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Aug 21, 2006 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Genes linked to daily flux in drug toxicity
Those so-called PAR-domain basic leucine zipper transcription factors (PAR bZip) are known to accumulate in body tissues, including the liver and kidneys, in a highly circadian manner, the researchers said. Circadian refers to biological variations within a roughly 24 hour period.
Jul 5, 2006 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
:
Gastroenterology
:
Liver
Why does prolonged IV feeding damage the liver?
Children who cannot eat on their own because of intestinal failure must rely on parenteral nutrition (PN), an intravenous method of feeding. Unfortunately, long-term PN can cause life-threatening liver disease, especially in infants, for reasons that have been unknown. Many infants who develop this complication die within a year of diagnosis, unless they can be weaned off PN or receive a liver/small intestine transplant. In the July issue of Pediatrics, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston report saving two babies' lives – with one able to come off a liver-transplant list – simply by changing the type of fat used in the PN solution.
Jul 3, 2006 - 11:20:00 PM
|
Latest Research
Speeding discovery of the 'human cancer genome'
As a demonstration of the value of such strategic comparisons between species, the researchers report promising finds: one of the research teams identified two genes that can--in some circumstances--conspire to produce liver cancer, while the second uncovered a gene important to the spread of melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. Such functionally important genes, and the larger genetic pathways of which they are a part, are also those with the most promise as potential targets for cancer drugs, according to the researchers.
Jun 28, 2006 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
:
Gastroenterology
:
Liver
Coffee may reduce risk of alcoholic cirrhosis
Drinking coffee may be related to a reduced risk of developing the liver disease alcoholic cirrhosis, according to a report in the June 12 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Cirrhosis progressively destroys healthy liver tissue and replaces it with scar tissue. Viruses such as hepatitis C can cause cirrhosis, but long-term, heavy alcohol use is the most common cause of the disease in developed countries, according to background information in the article. Most alcohol drinkers, however, never develop cirrhosis; other factors that may play a role include genetics, diet and nutrition, smoking and the interaction of alcohol with other toxins that damage the liver.
Jun 13, 2006 - 1:33:00 PM
|
Latest Research
Coffee drinking associated with lower risk for alcohol-related liver disease
Cirrhosis progressively destroys healthy liver tissue and replaces it with scar tissue. Viruses such as hepatitis C can cause cirrhosis, but long-term, heavy alcohol use is the most common cause of the disease in developed countries, according to background information in the article. Most alcohol drinkers, however, never develop cirrhosis; other factors that may play a role include genetics, diet and nutrition, smoking and the interaction of alcohol with other toxins that damage the liver.
Jun 12, 2006 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
MUHC announces a transplant first in Quebec
Combined heart/liver transplants are so rare that the best technique for a combined implantation has not yet been elucidated, says Dr. Kevin Lachapelle, a Cardiac Surgeon at the MUHC, who performed the combined procedure with Dr. Peter Metrakos (Liver Surgeon). Historically these procedures are done separately, but because both organs were procured from Quebec City at the same time by MUHC Drs. Ergina and Paraskevas and because sequential transplants can have a profound negative effect on the heart, we decided a simultaneous implantation offered the best hope of success.
Jun 8, 2006 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Gene first linked to rare disease may trigger skin cancer, other tumors
The disease familial cylindromatosis results from the loss of a gene called CYLD, causing tumors known as cylindromas to develop in hair-follicle cells. Earlier studies indicated a role for CYLD in inflammation, but the mechanism behind the gene's control over tumor growth had remained uncertain.
May 18, 2006 - 4:00:00 AM
|
Latest Research
:
Gastroenterology
:
Liver
:
Hepatitis
Chronic hepatitis in pediatric liver transplant patients
A new study on the long-term outcome of children undergoing liver transplants found that chronic hepatitis (CH) was common and that it was not detectible using standard blood tests. The presence of autoantibodies (antibodies that attack the body's own tissues) in these patients indicates that although not fully understood, CH may be related to the immune response.
May 3, 2006 - 1:22:00 AM
|
Latest Research
Bile acids, receptor key in regenerating livers
Studies by researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in a report that appears in today's issue of the journal Science suggest that they may have been on the right track.
Apr 13, 2006 - 4:00:00 AM
|
|
|
|
|
