Articles related to Hepatology

Recent studies and guidelines are shifting the paradigm in coagulation management for cirrhosis patients undergoing low-risk procedures; discover why traditional markers like INR may not be reliable indicators of bleeding risk.

Explore the latest research illuminating the significant link between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and liver disease risk in postmenopausal women—evidence that could inform your nutritional guidance to patients.

Johns Hopkins researchers develop breakthrough urine test for liver cancer, increasing early detection rates by supplementing traditional AFP testing. A groundbreaking screening test for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), developed by Amy Kim, a hepatologist at Johns Hopkins, and her team, has demonstrated the potential to detect liver cancer at an earlier stage than the current standard-of-care. This novel diagnostic approach seeks to identify a subset of genetic biomarkers in urine associated with HCC, thereby supplementing the traditional combination of ultrasound and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) blood testing. AFP tests have shown variable effectiveness with detection rates ranging between 40% and 90%, and a substantial number of liver cancer patients exhibit low AFP levels or misleadingly high levels due to liver disease, reducing the reliability of AFP as a singular biomarker. The study, conducted in collaboration with the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute and published in the British Journal of Cancer in 2022, analyzed samples from over 600 patients at high risk for liver disease across five medical centers. Kim’s team demonstrated that the combined use of urine circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing and AFP increased detection sensitivity from 40% to 77% in early-stage liver cancer, and from 62% to 92% in the very early […]

The Organ Transplant and Procurement Network (OTPN) is set to undergo modernization and improvement after being criticized for lack of transparency, long waits, mishandling of organs, and the number of people who die on the waitlist each year. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has launched the OTPN modernization project, which will focus on accountability. The current system is outdated and has been responsible for 70 deaths between 2010 and 2020, according to a 2022 senate report. The HRSA plans to take steps, such as creating a new dashboard, to provide transparency and better serve patients and their families. Additional modernization will focus on overhauling the operations of the OTPN system to ensure higher compliance and a greater focus on patient safety. Organ transplants and the OTPN disproportionately affect the Black community in the US. About 30% of the ONTP waitlist is Black Americans, and about 90% are waiting for kidney transplants. The HRSA’s plan hopes to address the inequality by improving accountability, transparency, and systems of organ retrieval and matching. The changes will benefit patients, and physicians might be able to see more of their patients receive the life-saving transplants they need.

Medtronic is collaborating with Nvidia on developing means to allow AI to run on its devices. The solution will use Nvidia chips on Medtronic devices and an AI layer that would allow doctors to create their own algorithms to run on the machines. The first will be implemented on the GI Genius endoscopy module. Medtronic hopes the strategy will mean that millions of users around the globe will be contributing to making their devices more capable and flexible for the diversity of real-world clinic challenges.

Long-term outcomes of lifestyle interventions to promote weight maintenance — the current first-line management for patients with NAFLD — are often unsatisfactory. DTx can overcome the drawbacks of traditional lifestyle treatments through telecare medical services. At the same time, implementing DTx introduces a different level of self-management motivation for patients, greatly improving the treatment adherence and therapeutic effect among NAFLD patients.