Copyright 2008 Medical News Today Latest Liver Disease / Hepatitis News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/liver_disease/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Thu, 24 Jul 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115975.php Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York have found that sorafenib (Nexavar) helps patients with advanced liver cancer live about 44 percent longer compared with patients who did not receive the anti-cancer drug. The findings, published in the July 23rd, 2008 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, is a significant advance in the management of liver cancer, which is the third cause of cancer death globally, often resulting in death within a year of diagnosis. Wed, 23 Jul 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115848.php Jennerex, Inc. (San Francisco, CA and Ottawa, Ontario), and its South Korean partner Green Cross Corp., announced that novel findings from a Phase I clinical trial of its first-in-class lead product JX-594 demonstrated that the product was well-tolerated and resulted in clear anti-cancer efficacy in patients with liver cancer. Three patients with advanced treatment-refractory hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were treated with JX-594. Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115669.php Patients with the hepatitis C virus who receive a liver from a donor older than age 60 do not experience a higher rate of transplant failure, death, or recurrent disease in the following five years, according to a study published in the July issue of Archives of Surgery. The most common reason for liver transplants among adults in the United States is cirrhosis of the liver caused by the hepatitis C viral infection. Sun, 20 Jul 2008 12:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115502.php Ninety-six per cent of children who have received liver transplants from living relations are still alive five years after surgery, according to research published in the July issue of the British Journal of Surgery. The findings by the Institute of Liver Studies at King's College Hospital, London, are based on the 50 living related liver transplants (LRLT) carried out on children by the hospital between 1993 and 2006. Sun, 20 Jul 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115552.php Roche also announces start of NCORE study to determine best length of treatment in patients who do not experience a rapid response Roche announced that the European Commission has approved a shortened, 16-week course of treatment with Pegasys (peginterferon alfa-2a (40 KD)) plus Copegus (ribavirin) for certain hepatitis C patients. Wed, 16 Jul 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115173.php NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell clinician-scientists are studying how a new drug might be used to treat chronic hepatitis B infection (HBV). Clevudine is a compound that may provide a longer lasting viral suppression after treatment is stopped, compared to drugs currently prescribed to treat HBV. This new compound is being studied in subjects with chronic HBV who have never been treated before by one of the current standard medications for HBV. Thu, 10 Jul 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114541.php A new study in the journal Psychophysiology reveals that men, but not women, vaccinated in the morning produced a better peak antibody response to both hepatitis A and the influenza strain. Led by Anna Catriona Phillips of the University of Birmingham, researchers assessed the response to a hepatitis A vaccine in young healthy adults and also examined responses to the annual influenza vaccination in older community-based adults. Thu, 10 Jul 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114525.php Concerns over the increasing number of hepatitis C cases in the past four months has brought together African Americans in the fields of medicine, social work and advocacy to the nation's capitol to discuss its implications in their community. The AACLA summit took place at the Capital Hilton hotel, June 26-29, 2008, hosted by its Chief Executive Officer and President, Johanna Blanding-Koskinen, and included key health providers of the African American community: Mark Colomb, Ph. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114357.php LifeCycle Pharma A/S (OMX:LCP) announced positive top-line results from a completed Phase II clinical study of LCP-Tacro tablets in stable liver transplant patients which are in line with earlier data announced for stable kidney transplant patients. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114341.php A key enzyme may explain how hepatitis C infection causes fatty liver - a buildup of excess fat in the liver, which can lead to life-threatening diseases such as cirrhosis and liver cancer, report University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and School of Medicine researchers. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114315.php Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc., a leader in diagnostic imaging, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved EOVIST(R) (Gadoxetate Disodium) Injection, a gadolinium-based contrast agent, for intravenous use in T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the liver to detect and characterize lesions in adults with known or suspected focal liver disease. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114312.php The French National Agency for Research on AIDS and Viral Hepatitis (ANRS), with the support of Pharmasset, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRUS) and Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD), has initiated the first head-to-head study of clevudine and Viread(R) (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) administered separately, versus their combination, for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in non-cirrhotic patients. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114292.php The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Bayer Schering Pharma's magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent Primovist® (gadoxetate disodium) for the detection and characterization of liver lesions in adults with known or suspected focal liver disease. The product will be marketed in the United States under the name EOVIST®; it is currently marketed as Primovist outside the U.S. and as EOB Primovist in Japan. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114206.php A civil grand jury last week recommended that Stanislaus County, California, create a needle exchange program to decrease the number of hepatitis C and HIV infections, the Modesto Bee reports. According to the grand jury report, the county is on pace to record 620 new hepatitis C cases this year, up from 519 in 2007. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114151.php Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ANDS) announced that it is resuming clinical investigation of the Toll-Like Receptor-7 (TLR7) mechanism for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Based on preclinical pharmacology testing and the results of completed 13-week GLP animal toxicology studies, Anadys has received clearance to initiate a clinical trial of ANA773, the Company's oral TLR7 agonist prodrug, under a clinical trial application (CTA) in the Netherlands. Sat, 05 Jul 2008 07:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113984.php Scientists of the University of Granada, in collaboration with the University of Leon, have confirmed that stem cells from human umbilical cord blood can be an appropriate therapy for the treatment of hepatic diseases such as hepatitis, and therefore mean an effective alternative to bone marrow. Fri, 04 Jul 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113964.php Inovio Biomedical Corporation (AMEX:INO), a leader in enabling the development of DNA vaccines using electroporation-based DNA delivery, announced today that its partner, Tripep AB, reported additional interim results from its ongoing phase I/II clinical study of its ChronVac-C® therapeutic DNA vaccine, which is delivered using Inovio's electroporation-based DNA delivery system. Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113870.php Movetis NV, a European specialist pharmaceutical company, announced that M0002 is progressing to phase IIb following positive results of a phase IIa multiple-dosing trial for the treatment of ascites, the accumulation of fluid in the abdomen in patients with liver cirrhosis resulting from liver conditions such as hepatitis C, hepatitis B or alcoholism. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113834.php More than 170 physicians and health care professionals specializing in the treatment of liver metastases gathered May 2-3 in Chicago for the fourth annual clinical symposium on liver-directed microsphere therapy. The symposium, sponsored by the Goshen Center for Cancer Care, was supported by an educational grant provided by Sirtex Medical. Sirtex manufactures SIR-Spheres microspheres, the only FDA-approved microsphere therapy for colorectal liver metastases. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113828.php Affymetrix Inc. (Nasdaq:AFFX) announced that a team of researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany is using Affymetrix' Whole Transcript (WT) gene expression technology to better understand the molecular basis of drug-induced liver injury (DILI). The ultimate goal of the project is to develop a diagnostic array that can detect signals of liver toxicity earlier and more accurately than traditional techniques. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113727.php Children should be vaccinated against hepatitis to prevent the spread of medicine-resistant strains of the disease, according to a report published by The Association of The British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI). Strains of Hepatitis B are becoming increasingly resistant to treatment, according to the report, Target Hepatitis, which states that the disease can be prevented through the widespread use of vaccines. Currently no mass vaccination programmes exist in the UK. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113424.php Can split liver transplantation reliably yield grafts for two adults? Experts consider this question alongside new findings about the procedure in the July issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal by John Wiley & Sons. The articles are also available online at Wiley Interscience (http://www.interscience.wiley.com/). Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113318.php Celsion Corporation (NASDAQ: CLN) announced that the interim results from its second Phase I liver cancer confirmation study of ThermoDox in combination with Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA) treating patients with primary and metastatic liver cancer were presented at both Oral and Poster presentation at the WCIO 2008 and Best of ASCO® conference. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113195.php Patients with hepatitis B who did not respond to lamivudine therapy had a better virological response after switching to entecavir for a year. Continuing the drug for an additional year led to even more clinical improvement without significant side effects, according to 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). Sun, 29 Jun 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113219.php Celsion Corporation (NASDAQ: CLN) announced today that the interim results from its second Phase I liver cancer confirmation study of ThermoDox in combination with Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA) treating patients with primary and metastatic liver cancer were presented at both Oral and Poster presentation at the WCIO 2008 and Best of ASCO® conference.