http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Researchers studying a large sample of adolescent American boys have found an association between metabolic syndrome, which is a complication of obesity, and elevated liver enzymes that mark potentially serious liver disease. http://www.physorg.com/news173459901.html Medicine & Health Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:30:07 EST news173459901 Previous studies revealed that HBV genotypes as well as mutations in the core promoter, precore or HBx gene have been shown to have an association with the clinical outcome of liver disease, however, this is still controversial. It is likely that this depends on the HBV genotype distribution in certain region. So far, there is no such data from Indonesia, which is a big country with a big population and a relatively high HBV carrier rate. http://www.physorg.com/news172329155.html Medicine & Health Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:50:01 EST news172329155 A team of scientists at the University of California, Riverside has found that even second-hand tobacco smoke exposure can result in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a common disease and rising cause of chronic liver injury in which fat accumulates in the liver of people who drink little or no alcohol. http://www.physorg.com/news171808160.html Medicine & Health Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:50:23 EST news171808160 Researchers from the University of Sydney, Australia determined that patients with a sedentary lifestyle who engage in routine physical activities lower their risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The lower risk of problems associated with fatty liver was not contingent upon weight loss, but a direct result from the increased aerobic exercise. The results of this study are published in the October issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. http://www.physorg.com/news171731410.html Medicine & Health Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:10:49 EST news171731410 Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered a genetic risk factor for severe liver disease in people with cystic fibrosis. Those who carry a particular variant of the SERPINA1 gene (also known as alpha-1-antitrypsin or alpha-1-antiprotease) are five times more likely to develop cirrhosis and other liver complications than patients who carry the normal version of the gene. http://www.physorg.com/news171649546.html Medicine & Health Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:40:02 EST news171649546 Patient race, gender and insurance status influence decisions about who will go on to receive liver transplants, according to a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study. Available online and published in the September issue of the American Journal of Transplantation, the study indicates that women, blacks and patients with Medicare who are in end-stage liver disease are less likely to be referred and evaluated for liver transplantation. http://www.physorg.com/news170937598.html Medicine & Health Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:40:26 EST news170937598 A national team of researchers led by scientists at Mayo Clinic has found that a common treatment for primary sclerosing cholangitis, a chronic liver disease, is not helpful for patients, according to a study published this month in the journal Hepatology. http://www.physorg.com/news170682180.html Medicine & Health Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:43:47 EST news170682180 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 1.5 to 2 million Americans are infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Prior studies have shown there to be significant racial differences in access to and outcomes of liver transplantation. Recently, doctors from across the U.S. conducted a multicenter retrospective-prospective study of the waitlist status and outcomes of liver transplant patients with HBV infection. http://www.physorg.com/news170659137.html Medicine & Health Fri, 28 Aug 2009 06:19:37 EST news170659137 New findings from nutrition researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggest that it's not whether body fat is stored in the belly that affects metabolic risk factors for diabetes, high blood triglycerides and cardiovascular disease, but whether it collects in the liver. http://www.physorg.com/news170346913.html Medicine & Health Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:20:04 EST news170346913 Long-standing liver disease has long been recognized to result in fragile bones with increased risk of fractures. In various international studies, the overall incidence has varied from 11% to 48%, with a fracture rate of 3%-44%. However, the reason for this is poorly understood. With liver transplantation becoming a viable option in liver disease and offering complete cure and long-term survival, bone disease is becoming the major determinant of survival and quality of life in these patients. http://www.physorg.com/news169120686.html Medicine & Health Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:30:02 EST news169120686 Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a blood-borne disease that causes inflammation of the liver and to which there is currently no vaccine available. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 3% of the world's population, approximately 170 million people, are infected with HCV and it is a leading cause of liver cirrhosis, end stage liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver transplantation. http://www.physorg.com/news168179353.html Medicine & Health Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:51:09 EST news168179353 A major clinical challenge is to find the best method to evaluate and to manage the increasing numbers of patients with chronic liver disease. Liver biopsy, due to its risks and limitations, is no longer considered mandatory as the first-line indicator of liver injury, and several markers have been developed as non-invasive alternatives. http://www.physorg.com/news168086414.html Medicine & Health Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:40:32 EST news168086414 (AP) -- A patient infected with hepatitis C has been found at a second Colorado hospital that employed a surgery technician accused of swapping her dirty syringes for ones filled with painkillers meant for patients. http://www.physorg.com/news167721073.html Medicine & Health Sat, 25 Jul 2009 07:00:01 EST news167721073 Findings from the largest study to date comparing the efficacy of competing treatments for chronic hepatitis C infection (HCV) show that the regimens are similar when it comes to safety and their ability to provoke long-term viral eradication, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center. Still, subgroup analysis reveals provocative data suggesting some approaches might be better than others for women and minorities. http://www.physorg.com/news167502970.html Medicine & Health Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:36:53 EST news167502970 Scientists have linked an overactive response by one of the immune system's key weapons against infection - natural killer, or NK, cells - to the onset of biliary atresia in infants, a disease where blocked bile ducts can cause severe liver damage and death. http://www.physorg.com/news167476968.html Medicine & Health Wed, 22 Jul 2009 10:40:02 EST news167476968 (PhysOrg.com) -- Selenium is a trace element crucial to life -- too little or too much of it is fatal. In the July 17 issue of the journal Science, researchers at Yale University and University of Illinois at Chicago detail the molecular mechanisms that govern its metabolism in the human body. http://www.physorg.com/news166972917.html Biology Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:22:24 EST news166972917 Prolonged use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) to treat people infected with both HIV and hepatitis B (HBV) helps to better control the hepatitis B infection and could delay or prevent liver complications, according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. http://www.physorg.com/news166878819.html Medicine & Health Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:50:01 EST news166878819 Since its introduction in 1993, molecular adsorbent recirculating system (MARS) albumin dialysis has been a subject of research, with the hope of treating effectively patients with acute liver failure. The impact of MARS treatment on outcome as well as clinical and laboratory variables has been investigated widely in small non-randomized studies. However, larger studies with longer follow-up time are required to determine the true usefulness of MARS treatment in different liver failure etiologies. http://www.physorg.com/news166271522.html Medicine & Health Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:32:27 EST news166271522 Counseling patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) on how to increase physical activity leads to health benefits that are independent of changes in weight. These findings are in a new study in the July issue of Hepatology, a journal published by John Wiley & Sons on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). http://www.physorg.com/news165671139.html Medicine & Health Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:20:03 EST news165671139 Diets high in protein and cholesterol are associated with a higher risk of hospitalization or death due to cirrhosis or liver cancer, while diets high in carbohydrates are associated with a lower risk. These findings are in the July issue of Hepatology, a journal published by John Wiley & Sons on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). http://www.physorg.com/news165671019.html Medicine & Health Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:44:01 EST news165671019 (PhysOrg.com) -- More than half of all deaths of people of working age in Russia are caused by alcohol, according to research by Oxford University and the Russian Cancer Research Centre in Moscow. The results of the case-control study are published in The Lancet. http://www.physorg.com/news165240883.html Medicine & Health Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:20:01 EST news165240883 (AP) -- Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs appears to be a step closer to returning to work, as a doctor gave him an "excellent prognosis" after receiving a liver transplant at a Tennessee hospital. http://www.physorg.com/news165054526.html Technology Wed, 24 Jun 2009 10:00:03 EST news165054526 (AP) -- Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs has an "excellent prognosis" after receiving a liver transplant at a Tennessee hospital, a doctor confirmed Tuesday. http://www.physorg.com/news165038077.html Technology Wed, 24 Jun 2009 04:55:09 EST news165038077 The physical and mental health needs of juvenile offenders should be treated as a priority if offenders held in detention have any real hope of rehabilitation, according to new research from the University of Adelaide, Australia. http://www.physorg.com/news164624485.html Medicine & Health Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:01:51 EST news164624485 In a multi-center trial led by a Saint Louis University researcher, investigators found that a new combination therapy of daily consensus interferon and ribavirin helps some hepatitis C patients who have not responded to previous treatment. The findings, published in the June issue of Hepatology, offer a new option for hepatitis C patients, and may be effective even for those patients with factors that make their condition difficult to treat. http://www.physorg.com/news164360551.html Medicine & Health Tue, 16 Jun 2009 09:10:01 EST news164360551 The first artificial organ for liver patients that uses immortalized human liver cells, the Extracorporeal Liver Assist Device, or ELAD(R), is a bedside system that treats blood plasma, metabolizing toxins and synthesizing proteins just like a real liver does. http://www.physorg.com/news163163349.html Medicine & Health Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:11:49 EST news163163349 A blood-pressure medicine has been shown to reverse the effects of early-stage liver failure in some patients. http://www.physorg.com/news163061294.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:48:39 EST news163061294 Intestinal permeability and an overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine are both associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). These findings are revealed in a new study in the June issue of Hepatology, a journal published by John Wiley & Sons on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). http://www.physorg.com/news162828727.html Medicine & Health Fri, 29 May 2009 15:12:36 EST news162828727 A new study is the first to show that there is a previously unrecognized role for environmental pollution in liver disease in the general U.S. adult population. This work builds upon the groups' previous research demonstrating liver disease in highly-exposed chemical workers. The study is being presented during Digestive Disease Week 2009 (DDW), the largest international gathering of physicians and researchers in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery. http://www.physorg.com/news162815194.html Medicine & Health Fri, 29 May 2009 11:27:06 EST news162815194 Two new studies address donor factors that could affect outcomes for liver transplant recipients, particularly those with chronic hepatitis C (HCV). One found that donor steatosis, or fat in the liver, does not affect liver disease progression or three-year survival in recipients with or without HCV. However, transplants from people higher on the Donor Risk Index did adversely affect the outcomes of HCV-positive recipients more than recipients without HCV. http://www.physorg.com/news162740009.html Medicine & Health Thu, 28 May 2009 14:33:52 EST news162740009