Liver Injury/Regeneration News

The FDA released a report today that Ocaliva has been incorrectly prescribed to some patients with moderate to severe liver impairment and may be tied to cases of liver injury and death.

A researcher at the University of Louisville has received $4.01 million grant distributed over eight years by the NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to develop research on whether environmental chemicals may be contributing to liver disease, according to a press release.

While patients with hepatitis B who received treatment had a significant initial decline in viral load and little to no change in FIB-4 score, patients with HBV who remained untreated had a gradual increase in FIB-4 score over time, including those who were immune inactive, and had little to no decrease in viral load, according to recently published data.

Molecular adsorbent recirculating system therapy, or MARS, successfully replaced hepatic function in patients with acute liver failure, which may provide support during recovery or prior to transplantation.

As research continues regarding health-related behavioral risks and their association with liver disease and mortality, recent reports have focused on alcohol consumption and abuse, including the importance of addiction therapy and abstinence for alcoholic hepatitis.

Ibuprofen is one of the most frequent causative agents listed in the Spanish and Latin-American registries of the Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network, according to a recently published study.

Alcohol use disorders, 12-month alcohol use and high-risk drinking is increasing in almost every population group in the United States, according to research recently published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Comparative data from the Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network Prospective Study showed that the most common drug-induced liver injury causative agents differ between African-Americans and Caucasians and that African-Americans were more likely to have severe cutaneous reactions and more severe liver injury.

An electronic universal screening procedure implemented by admitting nurses in the emergency room identified alcohol misuse, associating it with higher liver disease risk and providing a “teachable moment” for possible interventions for the patients.

Complete abstinence of alcohol consumption after an episode of alcoholic hepatitis improved long-term survival, according to data from a recently published study. The researchers advise that early initiation of addiction counseling may therefore also improve survival by avoiding recidivism.