New Treatments for Liver Diseases Elaborated

Several diseases of the liver including serious conditions like cirrhosis and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have limited pharmacological treatments.

The December issues of AGA's journals -- Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Gastroenterology -- highlight important updates into treatments for these two debilitating diseases.

Liver Cancer - Types, Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, Prevention, Progosis
Liver or hepatic cancer is an abnormal growth of cells in the liver. The leading cause of the disease is cirrhosis or scarring of the liver tissue.

For access to any of these studies, or to speak with the study authors, please contact [email protected] or call 301-272-1603.

Promising Probiotic for Liver Disease A study published in Gastroenterology found that, over a six-month period, daily intake of the probiotic VSL#3® significantly improved liver function and reduced the risk of hospitalization in patients with cirrhosis. Patients who received the probiotic also had a reduction in the development of hepatic encephalopathy, the worsening of brain function that occurs when the liver is no longer able to remove toxic substances in the blood. There were no adverse events related to VSL#3.

The authors have no conflicts to disclose.

Fatty Liver Disease: A Growing Health Problem in India - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment
Non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the leading cause of liver dysfunction worldwide and is a rapidly growing health problem in India.

Drug Reduces Liver Fat Content in NAFLD Patients Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, researchers report that three months' administration of the fatty acid/bile acid conjugate Aramchol is safe, tolerable and significantly reduces liver fat content in patients with NAFLD. The reduction in liver fat content occurred in a dose-dependent manner and was associated with a trend of metabolic improvements, indicating that Aramchol is a candidate for the treatment of fatty liver-related diseases, currently an unmet need.

This research was supported by Galmed Medical Research, Ltd.

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Fibroscan for Fatty Liver Cirrhosis and Fibrosis - Causes, Symptoms, Treatment
Recently, Fibroscan has incorporated the noninvasive Controlled Attenuation Parameter technique to estimate the degree of fatty infiltration in the liver.
Resveratrol Does Not Benefit Patients with NAFLDReporting in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, researchers find that eight weeks administration of resveratrol did not induce therapeutic benefits in men with established NAFLD, compared with placebo. Caution is warranted for use in obesity with chronic liver disease until further research determines safety.

This research was supported by the Princess Alexandra Research Foundation, the Lions Medical Research Foundation, and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.

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Source-Eurekalert