http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Researchers from Israel have determined that more than half of liver transplant recipients develop post-transplantation metabolic syndrome (PTMS), placing them at greater risk for cardiovascular disease. Prior to transplantation only 5% of the patients were diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, but rates of obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, hypertension, and diabetes were significantly higher post transplantation. Full details of this retrospective-prevalence study are available in the January 2011 issue of Liver Transplantation. http://phys.org/news213530780.html Medicine & Health Thu, 06 Jan 2011 10:06:38 EST news213530780 New research shows that anti-microbial medications are a common cause of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) leading to acute liver failure (ALF), with women and minorities disproportionately affected. While ALF evolves slowly, once it does occur a spontaneous recovery is unlikely; however liver transplantation offers an excellent survival rate. Full findings of this ten-year prospective study are published in the December issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. http://phys.org/news210345029.html Medicine & Health Tue, 30 Nov 2010 13:40:01 EST news210345029 The transplant community was largely unaware of sub-standard transportation practices for donor organs until a number of fatal air crashes took the lives of transplant personnel, calling attention to procurement aviation safety. A new report highlighting the need for improved safety measures in organ procurement travel appears in the December issue of Liver Transplantation, a peer-reviewed journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). http://phys.org/news209300656.html Medicine & Health Thu, 18 Nov 2010 11:30:01 EST news209300656 A new study from the University of Washington reported obese children are at increased mortality risk in later years following primary liver transplantation (LT). Pediatric patients who are thin or severely thin, experience an early mortality risk—within the first year post-LT. Details of the ten-year survival analysis are published in the November issue of Liver Transplantation, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). http://phys.org/news207493188.html Medicine & Health Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:10:02 EST news207493188 Italian researchers report that liver transplant candidates who have a strong religious connection have better post-transplant survival. This study also finds that religiosity—regardless of cause of death—prolongs the life span of individuals who underwent liver transplantation. Full findings are now available online and in the October issue of Liver Transplantation. a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). http://phys.org/news205058211.html Medicine & Health Thu, 30 Sep 2010 09:50:01 EST news205058211 The first clinical trials on a new investigational drug being developed to treat infections caused by Hepatitis C virus have been successfully completed. http://phys.org/news202626638.html Medicine & Health Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:11:06 EST news202626638 Researchers at the University of Michigan and Arbor Research Collaborative for Health, both in Ann Arbor, have identified geographic variation as a key factor accounting for disparities in access to liver transplantation among racial and ethnic groups. Full details appear in the September issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). http://phys.org/news201433189.html Medicine & Health Thu, 19 Aug 2010 10:40:03 EST news201433189 Patients who receive a liver transplant due to alcoholic liver disease need to demonstrate periods of abstinence and often attend addiction treatment before transplantation. However, alcohol use disorders can recur, as can other diseases requiring transplantation, and thus alcohol use after liver transplantation is not uncommon. A new study published today in the American Journal of Transplantation reveals that those at highest risk to drink alcohol post transplant, especially in patterns that will damage their health, can be identified potentially preventing relapse. http://phys.org/news201362416.html Medicine & Health Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:00:01 EST news201362416 Adding a direct acting anti-viral drug to the standard treatment regimen for hepatitis C significantly increases the cure rate in the most difficult to treat patients, according to a research report published Monday in the online edition of the journal The Lancet. http://phys.org/news200234595.html Medicine & Health Sun, 08 Aug 2010 18:30:01 EST news200234595 Benign biliary strictures after liver transplantation are usually treated by repeated endoscopic interventions or surgery. A group of researchers in Australia reported the outcome of two patients with refractory anastomotic biliary strictures, who had successful temporary placement of a prototype removable covered self-expandable metal stent. http://phys.org/news199976441.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Aug 2010 15:00:02 EST news199976441 Vanishing bile duct syndrome (VBDS) is an important cause of jaundice, and results from destruction of bile ducts in the liver. However, this syndrome is rare in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection. Nevirapine, an anti-retroviral that is being increasingly used, was implicated as the cause of VBDS in a patient described in a recent report. http://phys.org/news199706046.html Medicine & Health Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:00:07 EST news199706046 Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco propose that treatments used on liver cancers beyond the established Milan criteria for liver transplantation may be appropriate for all patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who are listed for transplantation. Full details appear in the August issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). http://phys.org/news199553785.html Medicine & Health Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:20:01 EST news199553785 Researchers at Erasmus MC University Medical Centre in The Netherlands found that cyclosporine treatment is a significant risk factor for the development of de novo cancer in liver transplant patients. Full details appear in the July issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). http://phys.org/news196597438.html Medicine & Health Thu, 24 Jun 2010 12:00:05 EST news196597438 A team led by researchers from the Center for Engineering in Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has developed a technique that someday may allow growth of transplantable replacement livers. In their report that will be published in Nature Medicine and is receiving early online release, the investigators describe using the structural tissue of rat livers as scaffolding for the growth of tissue regenerated from liver cells introduced through a novel reseeding process. http://phys.org/news195645553.html Medicine & Health Sun, 13 Jun 2010 13:00:08 EST news195645553 The liver scarring of [alpha]1-antitrypsin (AT) deficiency, the most common genetic cause for which children undergo liver transplantation, might be reversed or prevented with a medication that has long been used to treat seizures, according to findings from Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine that will published in Science and are available online today through the Science Express website. http://phys.org/news194793999.html Medicine & Health Thu, 03 Jun 2010 14:27:46 EST news194793999 Researchers at the UCLA Medical Center found that antiviral therapy during compensated cirrhosis, when compared with all other strategies, is the most cost-effective approach to treating patients with advanced liver disease due to hepatitis C (HCV) infection. Full details appear in the June issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). http://phys.org/news194179638.html Medicine & Health Thu, 27 May 2010 12:10:03 EST news194179638 The first clinical trials have started on a new investigational drug, discovered by researchers at Cardiff University, which is being developed to treat infections caused by Hepatitis C virus. http://phys.org/news193051473.html Medicine & Health Fri, 14 May 2010 10:24:53 EST news193051473 The molecular adsorbent recirculating system (MARS) is used in the treatment of liver failure patients to enable either native liver recovery or as a bridging treatment to liver transplantation. A recent study from Finland suggests that MARS treatment is both less costly and more effective than standard medical therapy in acute liver failure patients. http://phys.org/news192876736.html Medicine & Health Wed, 12 May 2010 10:10:04 EST news192876736 For patients in need of a liver transplant, their choice of a transplant center can make a noteworthy difference in their outcomes, according to a Mayo Clinic study presented at the American Transplant Congress under way May 1-5 in San Diego. http://phys.org/news192083460.html Medicine & Health Mon, 03 May 2010 06:40:02 EST news192083460 Heart and liver transplant recipients are at particularly high risk of developing lung cancer after receiving the donated organ, researchers report at the 2nd European Lung Cancer Conference. They are advising doctors to screen for such cancers in these patients to maximize the chance of detecting the malignancy early. http://phys.org/news191926394.html Medicine & Health Sat, 01 May 2010 09:53:25 EST news191926394 Researchers at the University of Cambridge found that liver transplant recipients develop premature immune senescence, the normal process by which the immune system ages and becomes less effective. Full details appear in the May issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). http://phys.org/news191752978.html Medicine & Health Thu, 29 Apr 2010 09:44:34 EST news191752978 (PhysOrg.com) -- Physicians at Packard Children's Hospital believe they are the first to cure an infant of a serious disorder using prenatal infusions followed by liver transplant after his birth. http://phys.org/news191512703.html Medicine & Health Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:20:04 EST news191512703 After his heart transplant in 2005, Ramon Llenado underwent a biopsy every week, then every month, then every three months. Most heart transplant patients face a lifetime of these invasive tests, which involve snipping out tiny pieces of heart to check for possible organ rejection. http://phys.org/news191069089.html Medicine & Health Thu, 22 Apr 2010 10:00:02 EST news191069089 Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have identified a new tumor-promoting gene that may play a key role in the development of liver cancer. Levels of the gene's expression are significantly higher in more than 90 percent of patients with the disease compared to their healthy counterparts. http://phys.org/news190913891.html Medicine & Health Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:39:04 EST news190913891 Results from two studies presented today at the International Liver Congress 2010 have shown that treatment with extracorporeal devices may not confer a survival advantage for severe liver failure patients, despite positive dialysis effects. However, results among a small sub-group of patients show promise. http://phys.org/news190632132.html Medicine & Health Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:30:04 EST news190632132 Results from two French studies presented today at the International Liver Congress 2010 press conference will help inform clinical practice in the treatment of patients with severe or acute alcoholic hepatitis. http://phys.org/news190631367.html Medicine & Health Fri, 16 Apr 2010 10:30:01 EST news190631367 Two major transplant centers in Hong Kong and South Korea released results from their paired donor exchange programs for living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). A single paired exchange, performed by the Hong Kong team under emergency circumstances, was a success. The Korean team reported 16 donor exchanges conducted over a 6-year period were successful. Full details of this novel approach to organ transplantation appear in the April issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). http://phys.org/news189338525.html Medicine & Health Thu, 01 Apr 2010 11:02:28 EST news189338525 A team of scientists including University of Utah researchers has discovered that binding of a potent inhibitor of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) to the genetic material of the virus causes a major conformational change that may adversely affect the ability of the virus to replicate. This discovery, published in the March 29 early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provides a potential new target for structure-based design of new hepatitis C treatments. http://phys.org/news189086790.html Medicine & Health Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:00:01 EST news189086790 A recent study found that sirolimus-based immunosuppression following liver transplantation in patients with non-resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer) significantly increases survival rates for this patient population. Results of this study appear in the April issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). http://phys.org/news188731529.html Medicine & Health Thu, 25 Mar 2010 10:25:46 EST news188731529 A research team from the National Taiwan University Hospital has evaluated the efficiency of transplanted hepatocyte (liver) cells in animal models severely damaged by two kinds of chemical toxicity to see whether and how transplanted hepatocytes were able to efficiently repopulate the toxin-induced, severely damaged livers. http://phys.org/news184254407.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:20:01 EST news184254407