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A study on tri-modality therapy (START-FIT)has found that nearly 50% of patients with inoperable locally advanced liver cancer, can be cured through this innovative approach. Liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer globally with more than 900,000 new cases every year and is the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality. However, only 30% is eligible for curative treatment, while the rest could solely be managed with non-curative option due to large tumor size, or vascular invasion etc. The research team focused on these 70% inoperable cases and developed a new treatment modality to improve their chance of cure. A...

A study has revealed that caffeine, polyphenols, and other natural products found in coffee may help reduce the severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among overweight people with type 2 diabetes (T2D). NAFLD is a collective term for liver disorders caused by a build-up of fat in the liver. These can lead to liver fibrosis, which can progress to cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) and liver cancer. NAFLD is not the result of excessive alcohol consumption, but is instead often the result of an unhealthy lifestyle with little exercise and a high-calorie diet. Study participants with higher coffee intake...

About 10 percent of patients with psoriasis have a high risk for advanced liver fibrosis, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published online. Tanat Yongpisarn and colleagues examined the prevalence of psoriasis patients who have a high or low risk for advanced liver fibrosis and examined risk factors for liver fibrosis using data from observational studies identified from a systematic literature review. The researchers found that the pooled prevalence was 9.66 percent for patients with psoriasis at high risk for advanced liver fibrosis, while the pooled prevalence was 77.79 percent for patients at low risk for advanced liver fibrosis....

SANTA CRUZ — New details have emerged around organs found mysteriously discarded on Ocean Street last week, though several questions remained unanswered. Santa Cruz resident Ar’Mani McCoy told the Sentinel that on the morning of Dec. 15, she was returning home from a dentist appointment via a stop at Ferrell’s. Along the way, she spotted smeared blood below a heart, lying on the sidewalk. Nearby was a crushed paper cup and a plastic grocery store bag filled with blood and what turned out to have a liver inside. McCoy said her first response was that what she was seeing must...

Story at-a-glance: * A carnivore or meat-only diet can be uniquely beneficial for some people, especially those struggling with autoimmune diseases, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, chronic pain and mental health disorders * It can also be used as a detox strategy for three to 12 months * One of the primary benefits of a carnivore diet — as long as you focus on red meat and limit chicken and pork — is that it’s a really low in omega-6 fat, which is the most harmful type of fat and a primary driver of chronic disease * You’re also removing most...

Over the course of the last several decades, the rate of obesity has progressively increased and is now one of the leading causes of death worldwide—650 million adults are classified as obese. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines obesity as the accumulation of excessive fat in the body creating risks for a healthy life. The main causes: changing diets and lifestyles. But what are bad eating habits doing to our blood vessels? A research team led investigated how obesity impacts blood vessels' structure at a molecular level. The team's research illustrates that metabolic disease affects blood vessels in different organs...

Leprosy is one of the world's oldest diseases but the bacteria that cause it may also have the surprising ability to grow and regenerate a vital organ. Scientists have discovered that parasites associated with leprosy can reprogram cells to increase the size of a liver in adult animals without causing damage, scarring or tumors. The findings suggest the possibility of adapting this natural process to renew aging livers and increase healthspan in humans. Experts say it could also help regrow damaged livers, thereby reducing the need for transplantation, which is currently the only curative option for people with end-stage scarred...

Researchers joined efforts to use machine learning and management of patients with cirrhosis to develop a non-invasive algorithm that can help clinicians identify patients with cirrhosis at highest risk for severe complications. There are two clinical stages of liver cirrhosis: compensated and decompensated. Patients with compensated liver cirrhosis have very few or even no symptoms. However, patients may progress decompensated cirrhosis, which occurs with severe complications. Unfortunately, the measurement of the risk of decompensation in patients with compensated cirrhosis currently requires an invasive procedure. i.e., the measurement of the hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG). An elevated HVPG ≥10 mmHg is...

New research identifies the importance of the protein adropin in preventing stiffness in the arteries of people with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Arterial stiffness is a condition associated with aging and insulin resistance, a chronic condition associated with obesity, and is a major contributor in the development of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke. Adropin, a protein produced by the liver and other tissues, is involved in maintaining energy balance in the body and the metabolism of fat and sugar. Previous studies have suggested that adropin also plays a role in regulating cardiovascular health. People with chronic conditions...

Scientists have identified the cell of origin of combined liver/biliary duct carcinomas, a rare type of cancer of the liver. The pro-inflammatory immune messenger interleukin 6 (IL-6) was found to be the driver of carcinogenesis. Blocking of IL-6 reduced both the number and size of tumors in mice. Liver cancer includes hepatocellular carcinoma, intrahepatic carcinoma of the bile duct, and a mixed form, combined liver/biliary duct cacrinoma (cHCC/CCA). The cells of cHCC/CCA exhibit features of both forms of cancer. This rare cHCC/CCA is considered very aggressive and responds extreme poorly to current treatments. The team found cHCC/CCA develops from degenerate...

Exposure to a synthetic chemical found widely in the environment is linked to non-viral hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer, according to a study. The chemical, called perfluooctane sulfate or PFOS, is one of a class of man-made chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. These chemicals, which are used in a wide range of consumer and industrial products, are sometimes called forever chemicals because they break down very slowly and accumulate in the environment and human tissue, including the liver. Prior research in animals has suggested that PFAS exposure increases the risk of liver cancer,...

Physicians and researchers conducted a study of patients over the age of 70 with a type of liver cancer called hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and how the outcomes of ablative treatments compare to liver transplants. Hepatocellular carcinoma is a cancer that starts in the liver, and when found early enough, can be treated with different therapies. The optimal therapy for these early stage HCC's is liver transplantation. Unfortunately, the need for donated livers far exceeds the demand. Numerous factors are considered when any patient is being considered for a liver transplant. Surgical data has shown that older patients have poorer outcomes...

Treating liver cancer tumors to shrink them in order to allow the patient to qualify for a liver transplant leads to excellent 10-year post-transplant outcomes, according to research. The results validate current national policies around transplant eligibility. Selection of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer, for transplant has been guided for more than two decades by standards known as the Milan criteria. The Milan criteria state that transplantation should be performed in those with a single tumor of five centimeters or less in diameter or three tumors that are each three centimeters or less...

The results, according to the researchers, have significant implications for the early detection and treatment of kidney and liver disease in certain individuals. Scientists have identified a new liver and kidney disease In a groundbreaking finding, researchers have identified a new disease that may provide hope to people suffering from unexplained liver and kidney issues. The inherited condition known as TULP3-related ciliopathy, which results in kidney and liver failure in both children and adults, has been identified by researchers at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom. There are many causes of kidney and liver organ failure, which may be...

A research group shows that people with fatty liver disease are expected to live almost three years shorter than the general population. People who have been diagnosed with so-called fatty liver, run an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and loss in life expectancy, compared to the general population. These patients have approximately a 2.8 years shorter expected survival, based on collected data from a large number of Swedish patients. However, the risk of death after a heart attack or stroke is still comparable to people without fatty liver. The results of the study are important because they can be...

The 700kHz, 260-element histotripsy ultrasound array transducer. (Marcin Szczepanski, Michigan Engineering) =================================================================== Rats afflicted with liver cancer have demonstrated the efficacy of a fascinating, non-invasive treatment. Using focused ultrasound, scientists have managed to destroy up to 75 percent of the volume of a liver tumor. The treatment also seems to trigger the rats' immune systems into taking over and clearing the rest. In 80 percent of the animals, the cancer seemed to be destroyed, with no sign of metastases or recurrence in the three months they were monitored for, the researchers said. The treatment, called histotripsy, is currently being trialed...

Dozens of children in the UK and Europe, as well as some in the U.S., have come down with symptoms of hepatitis not currently explained by known causes. Theories for the outbreak include the resurgence of an existing but usually quieter germ, complications of covid-19, or even the arrival of a novel or mutated virus. Hepatitis is most often caused by a group of five unrelated viruses (hepatitis A through E), but it’s actually a formal term for any kind of liver inflammation. Various infectious diseases, heavy alcohol use, toxins, and even certain medications can all cause hepatitis. Symptoms range...

A new shows remission from type 2 diabetes is possible for people with lower BMIs. Results show a staggering 70% of participants with lower bodyweights went into type 2 remission through diet-induced weight loss, despite not living with obesity or overweight. The Counterpoint study first showed that shedding fat from inside the pancreas and liver was key to remission from type 2 in people living with obesity or overweight. To find out if losing excess fat could also help people with BMIs in the healthy range go into remission from type 2 diabetes, Professor Roy Taylor put people with the...

Before there were #couplegoals, there was local actor Pierre Png who famously donated a part of his liver to his then-girlfriend Andrea De Cruz. In 2002, Andrea — a TV actress and host at the time — suffered liver failure after taking Slim 10 slimming pills and Pierre saved her with the donation. It was also the first liver transplant where the Ministry of Health allowed non-related living donors to donate. Cut to December 2021 when Pierre made an Instagram post saying that Andrea's health had taken "a turn for the worst" earlier in the year, but the couple later...

Company President Brent Jones on Wednesday called for stores to stop selling the product “throughout the United States until the issue is resolved.” “Our goal is to diligently work with the FDA to achieve a swift resolution,” a statement from Jones said. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned consumers, restaurants and retailers not to drink, cook with, sell or serve the product, the Southern Nevada Health District said in a statement posted Tuesday. Real Water is marketed in boxy blue plastic bottles as mineral-rich and “alkalized” and “infused with negative ions.” Acute non-viral hepatitis is a liver inflammation that...