Imagine a day when scientists are able to alter the DNA of organisms in the lab in the search for answers to a host of questions. Or imagine a day when doctors treat genetic disorders by administering drugs designed to alter a patient's genome. It may sound like science fiction, but with the development of genome-editing proteins like Cas9 and CRISPR, it could one day become science fact. Before that happens, however, scientists must overcome a number of challenges, including how to improve the specificity of these proteins- the rate at which genome-editing proteins ...

A more intellectually demanding job may be the key to living longer after developing young-onset dementia, according to health researchers. Degeneration of the frontal and temporal parts of the brain leads to a common form of dementia affecting people under the age of 65. It results in changes in personality and behavior and problems with language, but does not affect memory. "[Our] study suggests that having a higher occupational level protects the brain from some of the effects of this disease, allowing people to live longer after developing the disease," said Lauren ...

An international team of scientists is calling for urgent and temperature patterns in mountain regions after compiling evidence that high elevations could be warming faster than previously thought. Without substantially better information, people risk underestimating the severity of a number of already looming environmental challenges, including water shortages and the possible extinction of some alpine flora and fauna, according to the research team, which includes Henry Diaz and Imtiaz Rangwala from CIRES, the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences ...

Shetland ponies' immune response to insect bites is helping scientists understand how people could be prevented from developing allergies. The horse immune system can respond to midge bites in a way that prevents - rather than triggers - allergic reactions, researchers say. The ponies' immune response to midge bites is similar to what happens in people with allergies, the team says. Understanding what triggers allergic reactions could help researchers come up with ways to stop people developing sensitivities. It was previously thought that ponies which do not suffer ...

April 23, 2015, Vienna, Austria: A drug approved to treat type 2 diabetes could prove to be a powerful new treatment option for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), according to research presented today at The International Liver CongressTM 2015. Results from a randomised controlled trial showed liraglutide met the primary endpoint of histological clearance of NASH, and a reduction in the progression of fibrosis. The research was supported by the Wellcome Trust and the NIHR. In the Liraglutide Efficacy and Action in NASH (LEAN) trial, overweight patients with biopsy-confirmed ...

April 23, 2015, Vienna, Austria: Phase III results revealed today at The International Liver Congress™ 2015 show that once-daily treatment with daclatasvir (DCV) plus sofosbuvir (SOF) resulted in an overall 97% sustained virologic response (SVR) at 12 weeks post-treatment in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV co-infection, including cirrhotic patients. HIV co-infection more than triples the risk of hepatitis C-related liver disease, liver failure and liver-related death. Co-infection can also complicate the management of HIV infection. In the ALLY-2 ...

April 23, 2015, Vienna, Austria: A new study presented today at The International Liver Congress™ 2015 shows that by using genomic analyses to understand how and when carcinogenic mutations occur in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), it is possible to identify specific molecular profiles. It is hoped that these molecular profiles will help identify which patients would benefit from specific anticancer treatments. Using exome sequencing - a technique for sequencing all the protein-coding genes in a genome - the study identified relationships between environmental ...

April 23, 2015, Vienna, Austria: Results presented today at The International Liver Congress™ 2015 show that the use of the fixed-dose combination of ledipasvir/sofosbuvir (LDV/SOF) in combination with ribavirin (RBV) was well tolerated and demonstrated high sustained virologic response rates 12 weeks post treatment (SVR12) in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection who have decompensated liver disease (cirrhosis) or have undergone liver transplantation. SOLAR 2 data are presented for 328 HCV genotype-1 or -4 treatment-naive or treatment-experienced ...

April 23, 2015, Vienna, Austria: Results revealed today at The International Liver Congress™ 2015 show that vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol) is an effective treatment for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NASH occurs when the liver becomes inflamed due to the accumulation of fat. Over time, persistent inflammation can lead to the formation of fibrous scar tissue in the liver and around its blood vessels, which can eventually cause cirrhosis. A pooled analysis of data from two randomised trials comparing vitamin E versus placebo, and the placebo group from another ...

April 23, 2015, Vienna, Austria: As many as half of people infected with viral hepatitis have suffered discrimination and one-quarter admit that family members have avoided physical contact with them after finding out they had the infection. A shocking patient survey presented at The International Liver CongressTM 2015 has shown the devastating impact the infection has on their daily lives. Research conducted with the Ministry of Health in Brazil questioned 1,217 people infected with hepatitis B or C in Europe and America using an online survey tool. The aim of the research ...

April 23, 2015, Vienna, Austria: Data presented today at The International Liver Congress™ 2015 demonstrates that remogliflozin etabonate, an investigational drug in type 2 diabetes, is a potential treatment option for the management of patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In clinical studies, remogliflozin etabonate was shown to significantly improve insulin sensitivity and beta cell function, as well as reduce body weight and levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT). In pre-clinical studies, remogliflozin ...

April 23, 2015, Vienna, Austria: New data from an ongoing Phase III trial revealed today at The International Liver CongressTM 2015 show that the use of hepatitis C immune globulin (HCIG, Civacir®) can effectively prevent hepatitis C virus (HCV) recurrence in patients following a liver transplant (LT). The data demonstrate that intravenous Civacir given both peri- and post-LT prevents HCV-reinfection in patients who also received antiviral therapy (AVT) before their transplant operation. Civacir is a hepatitis C immune globulin (HCIG) produced from pooled plasma ...

April 23, 2015, Vienna, Austria: Results from a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of silymarin, which is derived from the milk thistle plant, have shown that this herbal remedy may be a useful treatment option for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). An interim analysis of the study, revealed today at The International Liver Congress™ 2015, shows a significantly higher percentage of patients experienced NASH resolution and improvement in fibrosis after 48 weeks of treatment with silymarin compared to placebo. NASH occurs when the liver becomes inflamed ...

April 23, 2015, Vienna, Austria: Many countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region are facing limitations in conducting chronic viral hepatitis disease surveillance, assessing the burden of disease and measuring the impact of interventions, according to results revealed today at The International Liver Congress™ 2015. The study highlights that less than one-third (27%) of WHO European Member States have national strategies in place that contain a surveillance component. Furthermore, only 64% have a national surveillance system for chronic hepatitis ...

April 23, 2015, Vienna, Austria: A new study revealed today at The International Liver CongressTM 2015 shows that sofosbuvir (SOF)-based regimens are effective and well tolerated in hepatitis C and HIV co-infected, cirrhotic patients. Sustained virologic response at 4 weeks (SVR4) was observed in 98% of patients and in 95% at 12 weeks (SVR12). The results are particularly encouraging as this patient group is considered difficult-to-treat and has a high mortality rate. The study included 142 patients of different hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes who were initiated onto ...

April 23, 2015, Vienna, Austria: Interim data presented today at The International Liver CongressTM 2015 from the HCV-TARGET study show that all-oral, direct-acting antiviral therapy for hepatitis C (HCV) is well tolerated and highly effective in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. Sustained virologic response (SVR) at 4 weeks was shown to be: sofosbuvir/ribavirin: 75%; sofosbuvir/simeprevir: 77%; sofosbuvir/simeprevir/ribavirin: 81%. These results demonstrate that all-oral, direct-acting antiviral regimens are better tolerated and achieve higher rates of SVR in HCV ...

April 23, 2015, Vienna, Austria: Data revealed today at The International Liver Congress™ 2015 highlights the impact of delaying treatment for the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Researchers found that treatment delays have a serious detrimental effect on treatment efficacy, increasing the risk of morbidity and mortality among patients. The study was conducted using retrospective patient data from the Veterans Administration in the USA to estimate the impact on risk of morbidity and death depending on whether treatment was initiated before or after a patient's FIB4 levels ...

April 23, 2015, Vienna, Austria: Results revealed today at The International Liver Congress™ 2015 demonstrate current treatment and prevention programmes need to be scaled up in order to make elimination of hepatitis B virus (HBV) possible. The study conducted by Imperial College Scientists, highlights that if existing interventions, such as infant hepatitis B vaccination and treatment programmes, were scaled up, the number of new chronic HBV infections could be reduced by 90% and mortality levels could be reduced by 65% by 2030. Globally, this would mean 13 million ...

April 23, 2015, Vienna, Austria: A new device has demonstrated it has the potential to enhance the viability of donor livers for transplantation. Results revealed today at The International Liver Congress™ 2015 show that the transportable machine perfusion (MP) Airdrive® is able to effectively maintain the quality of livers derived from donation after circulatory death (DCD). Many centers are reluctant to use DCD livers since they might jeopardize graft function post-transplantation. Contrary to 'classical' heart-beating donors (HBD), livers from DCDs undergo ...

April 23, 2015, Vienna, Austria: New data presented today at The International Liver CongressTM 2015 show that the intensity of weight loss induced by lifestyle changes is strongly linked with the grade of improvement of various histological features of NASH. Weight loss of more than 7% results in a positive impact on most histological parameters; however, to induce steatohepatitis resolution, and fibrosis and portal inflammation improvements, over 10% weight loss is needed. The study was conducted in 293 patients with histologically proven NASH. Patients were treated ...

April 23, 2015, Vienna, Austria: A novel immunotherapeutic in early development for chronic hepatitis B (CHB), TG1050, has been shown to reach the clinical goals that are considered to be the hallmarks of a cure for CHB, according to results revealed today at The International Liver Congress™ 2015. The hallmarks of a CHB cure are: Elimination of HBsAg - the surface antigen of the hepatitis B virus, and HBsAg seroconversion - which occurs when a specific antibody becomes detectable in the blood and the corresponding antigen becomes undetectable, in this case ...

April 23, 2015, Vienna, Austria: Results from a new study demonstrate that chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and significantly increases cost of care and length of time in hospital. Based on these results, revealed today at The International Liver CongressTM 2015, study investigators conclude that chronic HCV infection should be considered a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases. In the study, inpatient prevalence of diagnosed HCV infection was 1.9%. For these patients, ...

April 23, 2015, Vienna, Austria: Data revealed today at The International Liver Congress™ 2015 show that the long-term use of entecavir (ETV) or tenofovir (TDF) results in excellent 5-year survival for Caucasian patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), with more than 95% of patients surviving at 5 years and a significant proportion of deaths coming from liver-unrelated causes. Long-term ETV or TDF therapy is the most common treatment option in CHB of any severity, but efficacy data have been mainly based upon on-therapy virological remission rates. In this 9-centre, ...

23 April 2015, Austria, Vienna: Results revealed today at the International Liver Congress™ 2015 show that the daily consumption of capsaicin, the active compound of chilli peppers, was found to have beneficial effects on liver damage. In the study, capsaicin was found to reduce the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in mice models. HSCs are the major cell type involved in liver fibrosis, which is the formation of scar tissue in response to liver damage. The mice were split into two groups and received capsaicin in their food: After three days of bile ...

April 23, 2015, Austria, Vienna: Results revealed today at The International Liver Congress™ 2015, show that in patients with alcohol-induced liver disease (ALD), Baclofen has a positive impact on alcohol consumption and overall measures of liver function and harm. ALD is a major cause of alcohol-related mortality and helping patients with ALD to stop drinking is a primary goal of treatment. The primary aim of this study was to measure the effectiveness and tolerability of Baclofen in maintaining abstinence in this difficult to treat group, and to determine if this ...