Culture | Page 1749 | Science Codex

Study raises questions about the risks of treating patients with late stage hep C virus

April 14, 2016, Barcelona, Spain: New data presented today raise the question of whether patients with severe Hepatitis C virus (HCV) should be treated with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), given their high risk of short-term death at this late-disease stage.

The study, presented at The International Liver CongressTM in Barcelona, Spain, demonstrated that those with advanced liver disease are more likely to die during or within 12 weeks after treatment with DAAs (medicines which have been used to treat and cure almost all patients with HCV).1,2,3,4

Scoring system can predict risk of mortality in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

April 14, 2016, Barcelona, Spain: Researchers today demonstrated that a scoring system can predict a person's risk of death from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the world's most prevalent liver disease. The study results were presented today at The International Liver CongressTM 2016 in Barcelona, Spain.

New triple drug combination shows promise in hepatitis C infected patients

April 14, 2016, Barcelona, Spain: New data presented today at The International Liver Congress™ 2016 in Barcelona, Spain, demonstrates a high sustained virologic response (SVR) at 12 weeks from the all-oral combination of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir and experimental compound GS-9857 in patients with the Hepatitis C virus (HCV).

20-year survival expected for 4 out of 5 children who receive liver transplants

April 14, 2016, Barcelona, Spain: A new study presented today shows that 20-year survival after childhood liver transplantation can be expected for almost 80% of patients. The study, presented at The International Liver CongressTM 2016 in Barcelona, Spain, shares long-term outcome data from medical records of children who received liver transplants over a five-year period, with a mean follow-up of 22 years.

Pediatric patients currently account for approximately 12.5% of liver transplant recipients1 and in Europe approximately 6,973 people received a liver transplant in 2012.2

Treating patients for hepatitis C could reduce the need for liver transplants

April 14, 2016, Barcelona, Spain: A new study presented today demonstrates that patients on the liver transplant list with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and severe liver damage were more likely to be taken off the list or have their need of a liver transplant reduced as a result of direct-acting antiviral therapy.

Study demonstrates the potential for a new triple combination treatment for hepatitis C patients

April 14, 2016, Barcelona, Spain: A new combination treatment for hepatitis C has potential for patients who were not cured by current treatment options.

Hep C infected livers offer similar outcomes to healthy livers in those waiting for liver transplant

April 14, 2016, Barcelona, Spain: Data from a new study presented today may help reduce the waiting time for a liver transplant for people with the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). The study, presented at The International Liver Congress™ 2016 in Barcelona, Spain, demonstrated that the medium to long-term outcomes for people with HCV who have received a HCV-positive liver were no different from those who were given a healthy liver.

Few consumers penalize companies after data breach, study finds

About a quarter of American adults reported that they were notified about their personal information being part of a data breach in the previous year, but only 11 percent of those who have ever been notified say they stopped doing business with the hacked company after the event occurred, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

The findings are from one of the first examinations of consumers' experiences with data breaches and the impact it has on their relationships with the companies that lose their personal information.

New Medicare primary care improvement results: U-M expert available to comment

This week, new results emerged from the federal government's largest-ever effort to improve primary care for people who rely on Medicare - the Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative. The results are being published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

A University of Michigan Medical School primary care physician who has studied Medicare authored the editorial in NEJM addressing the implications of the new results.

Immunosuppressive medication effectively treats ocular graft-versus-host-disease

BOSTON - Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School have conducted a clinical trial comparing the safety and efficacy of topical tacrolimus, an immunosuppressive therapy, and topical methylprednisolone, a steroid medication, in patients with ocular graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) -- a complication associated with allogeneic bone marrow transplants in which the transplanted immune system's cells attack certain parts of the recipient's body, including the cornea and ocular surface.

Testosterone therapy decreases hospital readmissions in older men with low testosterone

A new large-scale population-based study from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston showed for the first time that older men using testosterone therapy were less likely to have complications that require them to go back to the hospital within a month of being discharged than men not using this therapy. The study is currently available in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

New blood thinners reduce atrial fibrillation stroke risk without frequent monitoring

MAYWOOD, IL - A new generation of blood thinners can reduce the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation, without requiring frequent monitoring and dietary restrictions.

But special attention must be given to the patient's age, kidney function and other factors before prescribing the new medications, according to an article by neurologists at Loyola Medicine and Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

The report by Rochelle Sweis, DO and José Biller, MD, is published in the journal Current Treatment Options in Cardiovascular Medicine.

Changes in state policies impact fatal and non-fatal assaults of law enforcement officers

A new study led by researchers with the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, part of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, finds that state-level policy changes can impact the number of fatal and non-fatal assaults, including shootings, of law enforcement officers. The report is published in Injury Prevention.

Gene variant explains racial disparities in adverse reactions to urate-lowering drug

A multi-institutional study led by a Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigator finds significant racial disparities in the risk that patients being treated for gout will develop a serious, sometimes life-threatening adverse reaction to the most commonly prescribed medication. The increased risk closely correlates with the frequency of a gene variant previously associated with that adverse reaction, supporting recommendations to screen for that variant in patients from those populations.

Expanding insurance for single-embryo IVF could improve pregnancy outcomes

AURORA, Colo. (April 13, 2016) - Expanding insurance coverage for a type of in vitro fertilization known as elective single-embryo transfer could lead to improved health outcomes and lower health care costs, according to a newly published study that included researchers from the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

The study, published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, offers a national survey of outcomes for 263,375 in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles in the United States and finds that elective single-embryo transfer leads to fewer adverse outcomes.