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Scientists have stopped the ageing process in an entire organ for the first time, a study released today says. Published in today's online edition of Nature Medicine, researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University in New York City also say the older organs function as well as they did when the host animal was younger. The researchers, led by Associate Professor Ana Maria Cuervo, blocked the ageing process in mice livers by stopping the build-up of harmful proteins inside the organ's cells. As people age their cells become less efficient at getting rid of damaged protein...

Daily Glass Of Wine Could Improve Liver HealthFor individuals who reported drinking up to one glass of wine per day, as compared to no alcohol consumption, the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease was cut in half, according to a new study. (Credit: iStockphoto)ScienceDaily (May 22, 2008) — Researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine are challenging conventional thinking with a study showing that modest wine consumption, defined as one glass a day, may not only be safe for the liver, but may actually decrease the prevalence of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). The study, which appears in the...

Fast-Food Liver Damage Can Be Reversed, Experts SayDiets high in fast food can be highly toxic to the liver and other internal organs, but that damage can be reversed, says one of the country's leading experts on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, who offers four steps to undo the effects of a 'super-size me' diet. (Credit: iStockphoto/Marketa Ebert) ScienceDaily (May 2, 2008) — Diets high in fast food can be highly toxic to the liver and other internal organs, but that damage can be reversed, says one of the country’s leading experts on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, who offers four steps...

I have just received word that my niece is in the hospital and in very, very, very bad health. Her liver has failed and her kidneys are now failing. She is on the transplant list, but without a new liver she won’t be leaving the hospital. Please join with me in lifting her up to God for His healing and blessing, asking for a new liver for her. Prayers for her family are also appreciated.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Scientists in Japan have designed artificial molecules that when used with rats successfully reversed liver cirrhosis, a serious chronic disease in humans that until now can only be cured by transplants. Cirrhosis is the hardening or scarring of the liver, and is caused by factors such as heavy drinking and Hepatitis B and C. The disease is especially serious in parts of Asia, including China. Cirrhosis occurs when a class of liver cells starts producing collagen, a fibrous material that toughens skin and tendons. Such damage cannot be reversed although steps can be taken to prevent...

New Jersey would become the first state in the country to require people renewing or obtaining a driver's license to decide whether they are willing to become registered organ donors under a bill a Senate committee approved today. The "New Jersey Hero Act" (S755) also would make New Jersey the first state to require high school health classes to teach the importance of organ donation. The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee unanimously approved the bill over the objections of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. MVC Chief of Staff Denise Coyle said neither the commission's 30-year-old computer...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Jan. 28, 2008) -- Marines put their lives on the line in battle so that millions around them don’t have to. They’ve been doing this for 232 years, and continue, to this day, to sweat, bleed and fight to ensure the safety of this country. Putting one’s life on the line for another is a selfless act that comes straight from the heart. For Lance Cpl. Nathan J. Williamson, a warehouse clerk with Supply Company, 2nd Supply Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, being a live organ donor allowed him to save his mom’s life...

Remarkably, the death of overactive hepatic stellate cells may also allow recovery from liver injury and reversal of liver fibrosis. Our latest finding proves we can actually reverse the damage. Drug could benefit heavy drinkersScientists in California have made a breakthrough in the treatment of liver damage. They are developing a drug for cirrhosis of the liver, the scarring caused by severe alcohol abuse. The scientists have developed a drug that not only slows progression of the disease but also reverses damage to the organ. Their discovery, published in PLoS Online on December 26, opens the door to treating...

There's finally some hope for patients across the globe needing an urgent liver transplant but are unable to find a compatible donor organ. Scientists have, for the first time, found that stem cells, taken from the patients' bone marrow and injected into the diseased liver, can keep them alive until donor organs become available. Miraculously, the cells can also support liver function, until the organ is able to regenerate itself, eliminating the need for a transplant at all. The demand for liver donors is very high and many patients die waiting for one or are taken off because their condition...

We have been blessed tenfold by this gift of life. . . . It has been one of the most spiritual experiences we have ever experienced in our lives."     Terri Haverty, whose husband, Dan, donated part of his liver to Bishop William Weigand     The nausea began in 1981, three months after Bishop William Weigand became shepherd to Utah's 80,000 or so Catholics.     Others might just have wolfed down Maalox, but Weigand sensed he needed a doctor. Trouble was, he didn't know one. In fact, the shy bishop didn't know anyone yet, so he turned to Salt Lake...

The late Pope John Paul II praying in front of the remains of Blessed Gorg Preca at the MUSEUM chapel in Blata l-Bajda in May 2001 The Congregation for Sainthood Causes in Rome has approved a second miracle that should lead to the canonisation of the Blessed Gorg Preca, the Archbishop's Curia said yesterday. The decision was taken following a discussion held at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican headed by Cardinal José Saraiva Martins on Tuesday. The decision was originally expected in the middle of last year but was delayed. Pope John Paul II beatified Dun Gorg in...

British scientists have grown the world's first artificial liver from stem cells in a breakthrough that will one day provide entire organs for transplant.The technique that created the 'mini-liver', currently the size of a one pence piece, will be developed to create a full-size functioning liver. Described as a 'Eureka moment' by the Newcastle University researchers, the tissue was created from blood taken from babies' umbilical cords just a few minutes after birth. As it stands, the mini organ can be used to test new drugs, preventing disasters such as the recent 'Elephant Man' drug trial. Using lab-grown liver tissue...

AN ARTIFICIAL liver has been grown for the first time from stem cells, it emerged last night.The breakthrough by British scientists is considered the vital first step towards creating a fully artificial liver that could be used to tackle ever-growing waiting lists for transplants within as little as ten years.

Adult kidney, liver cells can repair organs, studies say (ANSA) - Florence, September 6 - Two teams of Italian scientists have made important advances in stem-cell research that could pave the way for new treatments for kidney and liver disease. What is more, the researchers say the cells appear able to turn into an array of other body cells. Importantly, amid controversy over the use of embryos for stem-cell research, both discoveries were made in adults. A Florence team led by top immunologist Sergio Romagnani has identified kidney stem cells that have proved capable of helping damaged kidneys repair themselves....

/begin my excerptKim Jong-il in bad health, serious walking problem"Kim Jong-nam said to be involved in missile sales" (Kyungju = Yonhap News) Lee Seung-woo = Chung Hyung-geun, a Supreme Councilman of Hannara Party(conservative opposition) claimed, "Kim Jong-il has liver and heart problem, and is seriously diabetic, causing him to have a walking problem." Mr. Chung, a lawmaker on Intelligence Committee of National Assembly, made this comment while attending a dinner/conference at Ulsan branch of Hannara Party as one of the speakers, which was held at a resort in Kyungju. He went on to say, "As a result, Kim can only walk 20~30 meter at a time, and then take a...

FORT GORDON, Ga. (Army News Service, July 17, 2006) – Sgt. 1st Class Christine Shedrick shares a bond that few have with an in-law. “We’ve always been very close. Now we’re more like sisters than sisters-in-law,” said Shedrick of the 15th Regimental Signal Brigade, who donated 60 percent of her liver to Tammy Johnson on May 4. Johnson was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis five years ago. The disease blocks the bile ducts and leads to a hardening of the liver, which eventually stops functioning. “The only cure is to have a transplant,” said Johnson, who lives in El Paso,...

Sometimes two vices are better than one. Drinking large amounts of coffee protects the livers of people who drink large amounts of alcohol, a new study shows. The results partly explain why so many heavy alcohol drinkers escape cirrhosis of the liver, say the authors. The idea that coffee drinking might benefit alcohol users arose more than a decade ago, when cardiologist Arthur Klatsky and colleagues at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program in Oakland, California, noticed that fewer heavy drinkers were dying of cirrhosis--scarring that hardens the liver--than expected. A study at the time suggested coffee drinking might be...

OAKLAND, Calif. June 12 — Coffee may help protect the livers of heavy alcohol drinkers. In a cohort study of Kaiser Permanente members, drinking one to three cups of coffee a day was associated with a 40% decrease in the risk of alcoholic cirrhosis versus drinking less than one cup (P<0.001), according to a report in the June 13 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. Moreover, Arthur L. Klatsky, M.D., and colleagues at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research wrote that this protective effect appears to be dose-dependent. Those who drank four or more cups of coffee had an...

Acetaldehyde may be the culprit behind hangovers, according to new research from Japan. Alcohol consumption is an integral part of many cultures, not least the Japanese business culture, according to Masako Yokoyama of the Mitsukoshi Health and Welfare Foundation and colleagues. The problem many East Asians have in drinking alcohol is that their livers have a mutant form of the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2), which in other people eliminates the acetaldehyde formed by ethanol metabolism, but often fails to do its job properly in East Asians, which means they suffer worse hangovers as this toxic compound stays in their system...

A team of researchers has succeeded in engineering stem cells taken from tooth germ to quickly develop into liver or bone tissue, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology's Research Institute (AIST) for Cell Engineering said. A joint team of scientists from the institute and Osaka University succeeded in repairing damaged liver and bones in rats using stem cells taken from wisdom tooth germ. The finding raises hopes of developing regenerative medicine using wisdom teeth germ taken from people during orthodontic treatments. Tooth germ disappears as a tooth is formed, but that of a wisdom tooth stays in...

I've just been diagnosed with malignant carcinoid which has spread to the liver. Going for CT tomorrow to determine the extent of this thing. Please pray that we've found it in time and for my full recovery, and especially for strenght and comfort for my family. Thank you.

I am making a special request for a little 2 year-old boy, Aidan, who is fighting for his life. At the age of 10 months, little Aidan was diagnosed with Hepatoblastoma. Since this past December 6, he has been in ICU with massive organ and system failures in a Pittsburg hospital. He is receiving plasma phoresis daily to keep him in good health for liver transplant since it has been determined that his liver was irreparably damaged and therefore will not be able to be saved. Aidan has been placed on the transplant list. As he awaits a new liver,...

Earlier I posted a request for prayer for my in-laws, "Rich 'n Dot" here in Florida. One of Rich's diagnoses has come in, and he apparently has liver cancer. We don't know how advanced yet, that word comes tomorrow.Please pray for Rich's health: spiritual especially, but also his spirit and body! Dot needs prayer, too. She wouldn't even answer her phone yesterday, we had to find out through a third party what was happening. And my spouse, too, needs strength.Thanks, all. Just whisper a prayer when you think of it for all of us. God bless.RD

Hi friends. Please submit two individuals to your prayer list and prayer chains: "Rich" and "Dot", (my nicknames for them); my father-in-law and mother-in-law. Both are in their 70s.Rich is in intensive care; he's got clots in his heart and legs, beginning of cirrosis of the liver (he rarely drinks!) and a weird "spot" on his colon. The doc says Rich's prognosis is very serious, but treatable. Pray, too (and most importantly) for Rich to turn his heart fully to God. He's been distant, probably non-believing, for most of his life. His father became a cultist and left the family...

'Safe' painkiller is leading cause of liver failure 08 December 2005 NewScientist.com news service Alison Motluk A POPULAR over-the-counter painkiller is now the leading cause of acute liver failure in the US - and almost half of those cases are accidental overdoses. Paracetamol (or acetaminophen as it is known in the US) is used by millions of Americans each year, and is commonly thought to be safe. Until 1980, paracetamol was not even listed as a cause of acute liver failure. But between 1998 and 2003, the proportion of cases of liver failure caused by the drug nearly doubled. William...

A study published today in the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) journal Gastroenterology found that people at high risk for liver injury may be able to reduce their risk for developing chronic liver disease significantly by drinking more than two cups of coffee or tea daily. This preventative effect was only seen in people at higher risk for liver disease due to heavy alcohol intake, being overweight or having diabetes or iron overload. This is the first study to take a prospective look at the relationship between coffee and tea consumption and chronic liver disease in the general U.S. population. "While...

Adult Stem Cells Provide New Life for Livers By Michael Fumento Scripps Howard News Service, October 20, 2005 Copyright 2005 Scripps Howard News Service I have frequently written on the gulf between the "PROMISE" of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and the REALITY of therapy from adult stem cells (ASCs) – those already in our bodies and umbilical cord blood. ESCs get publicity; ASCs get results. The latest example: ASCs are now rebuilding human livers.  This is a healthy liver . . .   Until now, the only hope for persons with irreversible liver failure from such diseases as cirrhosis, which...

Over the last two years, more than 30 people died awaiting liver transplants at UCI Medical Center in Orange as the hospital turned down scores of organs that might have saved them ... Although patients may not know it, the UC Irvine medical center has not had a full-time liver transplant surgeon since July 2004... The center has performed just five liver transplants this year and has consistently fallen below the minimum number required by the federal government to maintain funding... Even when patients did get transplants, the report says, they did not fare as well as they should have....

LIFE STYLE EXTRA (UK) - British scientists have successfully repaired patients' damaged livers by using bone marrow stem cells from their own blood. The victim is first injected with a drug which stimulates their bone marrow to produce extra stem cells. The stem cells are then harvested from the blood and injected into a vein or artery leading directly to the liver. Although the researchers are unsure what the cells then do they seem to help repair any liver damage, reports New Scientist. The finding raises the prospect of regenerating diseased livers and avoid problems with current liver transplants where...

Insulin, a hormone long recognized as a generator of fat, also keeps fat in the liver under control, according to a new study in the July issue of Cell Metabolism. The newly discovered role for insulin may explain how an organ frequently flooded with the fat-building hormone normally stays trim and also suggests new dietary strategies and treatments to avoid fatty liver, a growing healthcare epidemic, said the researchers. Insulin produced by the pancreas allows cells to take up glucose from the bloodstream and burn it for energy. In the liver, insulin promotes the synthesis and storage of lipids and...

MIDI - A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS What would it take for a filibuster To be keeping you off of the court What if you left a girl so she would die For 10 hours you made no report Hey, that might just be extraordinary...hey, I think many of us would agree Yes, that would be extraordinary What if you're scared of your last Spanish test You'd not studied 'cause you're such a fool What if you hired a friend to take your test You got caught and you're thrown out of school Hey, that might just be...

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Indiana Parole Board voted unanimously Friday against a death-row inmate's request that his execution be delayed so he can donate part of his liver to an ailing sister. The board recommended that Gov. Mitch Daniels deny Gregory Scott Johnson's request for clemency or a 90-day reprieve from his execution, scheduled for early Wednesday. Johnson, who was convicted of the 1985 murder of 82-year-old Ruby Hutslar, said he wants time to donate part of his liver to his 48-year-old sister, Debra Otis, who lives in an Anderson nursing home. Board member Randall Gentry suggested that media attention...

LOMA LINDA, Calif. (AP) - A Marine who received a liver transplant because of a near-fatal infection that developed after his return from Iraq may now need a bone marrow transplant. Lance Cpl. Christopher LeBleu, 22, has a "high probability" of needing the transplant because he has developed aplastic anemia, which has caused his bone marrow to stop producing enough red blood cells to keep him alive, Loma Linda University Medical Center officials said Wednesday. The hospital appealed for blood donors with Type O blood to join a registry of potential bone marrow donors so doctors can find a potential...

I have 2 prayer requests. First is for a man at our church. His name is David and he has cancer everywhere. My dad just participated in David's laying of the hands after the service yesterday. It has worked before. Our church did this before for David and annointed his body with oil before a cancer surgery and when the doctors opened him up, they thought there was a mistake because they couldn't find the cancer anywhere. They thought they must have mixed up the scans. This was a couple of years ago. David is in the position now where...

The researchers, from Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, discovered a genetic ''master switch" in the liver that is turned on when people become obese. Obesity has long been linked to diabetes, but the reason, until now, has been unknown. Joslin researchers found that once on, this switch produces low-level inflammation, which disrupts the body's ability to process insulin, causing type 2 diabetes. Reasoning that aspirin-like drugs are used to quell inflammation, they successfully used the drugs, called salicylates, to eliminate the symptoms of type 2 diabetes in mice. Human tests are already underway in Boston, though no results have been...

Hi My friend's 19 year old son was taken from where he's stationed in Kansas to Omaha NE. The army is paying for my friend to fly which is good since she doesn't have much money. His name is Isaac. I just chatted with her for the first time in weeks yesterday and we even talked about Isaac since she had just finished reading the Wolves of Calla and the Dark Tower is among Isaac's favorite books and she started reading them as a way to stay connected. Then today I got an email from another friend asking for prayers...

Vitamin K is absolutely essential to build strong bones -- and it is proven to prevent heart disease. For several years, compelling evidence has shown that most people don't get enough vitamin K to protect their health through the foods they eat.Green leafy vegetables supply almost half of the vitamin K for the majority of Americans. Most foods considered rich in vitamin K have shown to have less vitamin K than previously thought. Despite this vital information, the majority of multi-vitamins don't contain any vitamin K at all -- and those that do don't contain enough.Recent research supporting vitamin...

The Washington Times www.washingtontimes.com FDA mulls availability of drug for cholesterolBy Tom RamstackTHE WASHINGTON TIMESPublished January 14, 2005 A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel is scheduled to recommend today whether a drug aimed at treating high cholesterol should be sold from store shelves like common remedies for headaches, colds and allergies.     Merck & Co. and Johnson & Johnson, in a joint venture, have asked the FDA to let them sell a low-dose version of cholesterol-lowering Mevacor directly to consumers.     During the first day of a two-day hearing yesterday at a Bethesda, Md., hotel, FDA drug advisers questioned whether...

Johnnie Stevens is not one to shy away from a fight. As a young man, he fought with the 761st Tank Battalion to help cut the German supply lines that kept American troops pinned down during the Battle of the Bulge. For his heroism, he won the Bronze Star, and more recently, mention in the book "Brothers in Arms," by former NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anthony Walton. A movie based on the book is coming. But instead of reveling in the glory of his accomplishments, Stevens, now 84, finds himself fighting another battle -- one that could cost him...

MIDI - MASTER OF THE HOUSE It's a machine...quite a machine...it's the most putrid thing I have seen Come take a look...please take a look...it's in my book You'll be concluding they're really mean...so very mean They abuse their wives and lead sordid lives But there is one who's clearly the most obscene Bastard of the house...that is Teddy K That should sum up well the things I've got to say He's a piece of work...he's the worst of all At the bar he'll always be at final call I am surely not a psychic...but I have a real...

<p>NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey (AP) -- Living in a college dorm can mean little privacy and exposure to a lot of booze. That can make it a tough place for young adults who are in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction.</p>

SEATTLE, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- New, experimental technology allows doctors to kill cancers deep inside the body with high-intensity ultrasound instead of scalpels and other surgical instruments, researchers report. The procedure promises to give patients too ill to face conventional surgery a chance to fight their disease, and further applications of the technology -- called high-intensity focused ultrasound -- someday could save the lives of accident trauma victims or soldiers on the battlefield. "We are in the very early days of using this technique to treat liver cancers," said Gail ter Haar, head of therapeutic ultrasound at London's Royal Marsden...

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. Dec. 15 — Route 11 was closed for almost six hours Sunday after a tractor-trailer jackknifed, spilling roughly 32,000 pounds of liver onto the highway and a business parking lot. The driver of the truck told police he thought another vehicle might have bumped his truck's back end. When the truck driver hit the brakes, the vehicle jackknifed and crashed into a ditch in front of the Bloomsburg Carpet plant, spilling its load into the parking lot. There were no injuries in the crash, which happened at about 2:45 p.m.

<p>True meaning of giving ST. LOUIS (AP) — A divorced man donated part of his liver to his ex-wife earlier this year — at the suggestion of his new fiancee. Doctors at St. Louis University Hospital said the transplant may have saved Vivian Corrie's life. Corrie, of Troy, Ill., learned in 1995 that she had primary biliary cirrhosis, a genetic liver disease that can lead to life-threatening complications. Five years later, Corrie's brother discovered he had the same disease. Before he could receive a transplant, he died in 2001 at 56.</p>

Genetic "smart bomb" knocks out hepatitis   19:00 20 April 03   NewScientist.com news service   Human liver cells harbouring the hepatitis C virus can be selectively targeted and destroyed by a new gene therapy approach, according to new research. The key is a genetically-engineered "suicide" gene, delivered aboard a harmless virus, which is triggered only when it enters a hepatitis-infected cell. The two current treatments for the debilitating liver disease - alpha interferon and ribavarin - can reduce the level of infection, say researchers, but the virus usually comes back. The new gene therapy approach could one day "offer the potential of...

YORK, Neb. -- Calvin Stock's life was saved by a liver transplant three years ago, and he would hate to see anyone else lose their chance at survival because a convicted killer was ahead of them on the transplant list. But that's exactly what could happen, Stock says, because of Carolyn Joy's conditional approval to be included on the list of 118 Nebraskans and 17,300 people nationwide waiting for new livers. "She made her choice. It sounds real cruel to say that, but nonetheless, we all have choices in our life," said Stock, a 68-year-old retired Lexington farmer. Joy, convicted...

MIDI - MOON RIVER - No. 26611 Bob's liver…she will rip it out Of that there is no doubt, you'll see It sounds corny…he was horny He saw her online and he called Tiffany Bob's liver…it will not last long Let's celebrate in song…oh boy His money's worth he surely got…yes, Tiffany was hot Her bottom he would swat Bob's liver…goodbye (soothing melodic tones for a long painful time - advance to 2:40) Bob's liver…may have company More anger we can see…it's true For extra sex…his spleen is next His gonads perhaps will be joining them too Bob's liver…it...

<p>A controversial blood plasma sold by the American Red Cross to thousands of hospitals has been linked to the deaths of six liver transplant recipients in Los Angeles in 2000, according to warning letters sent by the Food and Drug Administration earlier this year.</p>