Latest News - courtesy of American Liver Foundation

Hi folks - old year's resolution - more blog updates. This one is kind of cheating, though. I'm going to start including the American Liver Foundation Newsletter on the blog, usually each Monday. It is reproduced below - if I make any editorial comments about issues it touches on, they will be labeled as such.
As long time readers of this blog know, the annual Liver Walk, a main event for SaveDavid, is a fundraiser for the American Liver Foundation.
cheers,
David



American Liver Foundation Newsletter

Greetings!
This newsletter aims to keep you up to date with the latest developments in the areas of liver medicine and science.
Here are the top liver news stories for the past week.

Desperately Seeking a Kidney

Sally Satel, the recipient of a kidney transplant, describes the logistical and emotional challenges of securing an appropriate living donor.
The New York Times


Merck Recalls Hib/HBV Vaccine Doses
CDC: No Health Threat, Just Headaches for Physicians

Vaccine manufacturer Merck & Co. Inc. announced a voluntary recall on Wednesday involving two vaccine products because of a potential for contamination of these products. The recall covers two lots of Merck's combination Haemophilus influenzae type B and hepatitis B vaccine, COMVAX.
No adverse events associated with use of the affected vaccine products have been reported.
American Academy of Family Physicians


Waistline Growth On High-carb Diets Linked To Liver Gene

Experts have been warning for years that foods loaded with high-fructose corn syrup and other processed carbohydrates are making us fatter. Now, a University of Wisconsin-Madison study has uncovered the genetic basis for why this is so.
"It looks like the SCD gene in the liver is responsible for causing weight gain in response to a high-carbohydrate diet, because when we take away the gene's activity the animals no longer gain the weight," says investigator James Ntambi. "These findings are telling us that the liver is a key tissue in mediating weight gain induced by excess carbohydrates."
Science Daily


New upper limit defined for normal ALT in adolescent males

A new cohort study of adolescent offenders in Australia has identified an upper limit for ALT that is more sensitive for the diagnosis of liver disease. The findings could facilitate targeted interventions for the youths in this group, who are at high risk for HCV infection and obesity-related liver disease.
The study is in the December issue of Hepatology, a journal published by John Wiley & Sons on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).
EurekAlert!