A new report from a team of researchers at the University of Washington, Seattle, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham indicates that one of the main complications of liver transplantation can be treated very simply by allowing the transplant recipients to inhale nitric oxide (NO) during the operation in which they received their new liver.

Researchers at Ohio State University are developing technology for keeping liver cells alive and functioning normally inside bioartificial liver-assist devices (BLADs).

Cancer of the liver is very difficult to detect, and it is a major cause of death in Asia and Africa, with rising incidence in Western countries as well. Now, VIB researchers connected to Ghent University, in collaboration with research centers in Beijing and Shanghai in China, have developed a test to detect liver cancer in an early stage.

Cognitive impairment is one of the neurological effects in patients with hepatic encephalopathy (abnormal brain function due to severe liver disease). For the first time, a new study showed that treatment with an anti-inflammatory improves cognitive function in rats induced with chronic liver failure.

Magnetic resonance CAD is useful in diagnosing fibrosis of the liver, according to a recent study conducted by radiologists at Gifu University School of Medicine in Gifu, Japan.

A new study on the effect of the anti-obesity drug rimonabant on liver function in obese rats found that it reduced markers of liver damage, decreased levels of pro-inflammatory proteins, and improved lipid profiles.

Investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have discovered how a single molecular "on switch" triggers gene activity that might cause effects ranging from learning and memory capabilities to glucose production in the liver.

Blocking a single protein with an experimental drug prevented and treated both type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis in laboratory mice that had been fed unhealthy diets and were genetically predisposed to these common killers, according to an article published online at Nature on June 6, 2007.

Diabetic patients with NAFLD are at risk for progressive liver disease. In this study, researchers examined connections between white adipose tissue in the abdomen and medical disorders including insulin resistance (IR, inadequate response to insulin) and diabetes mellitus in patients with obesity and NAFLD to evaluate whether cell signaling pathway profiles within WAT are associated with the presence of IR and whether they can predict the resolution of DM after weight loss.

Patients with liver disease often suffer from other related illnesses, including type-2 diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure, among others. Research presented today at Digestive Disease Week® 2007 (DDW®) explores the many unknowns of liver disease by examining new liver biomarkers, understanding disease complications and assessing novel treatments for their disease-fighting potential.

School of Population Health Professors Jake Najman and Gail Williams and Stockholm University's Professor Robin Room examined death rates among Australian men from liver cirrhosis between 1981 and 2002.

Percutaneous imaging guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of hepatocellular carcinoma is a safe and effective technique, with benefits such as reduced post-procedural pain and length of hospital stay, according to a study conducted by researchers from Changi General Hospital in Singapore.