A new research may help prevent liver damages caused by certain stressors like acetaminophen. The research conducted by the University of South California throws light on the damaging effects of acetaminophen. Tylenol, as acetaminophen is more commonly known, helps reduce fever and relieve pain. It features as a major ingredient in a variety of flu remedies. Additionally, prescription painkillers like Vicodin and Percocet are also found containing acetaminophen. However, the drug may cause a plethora of drug induced liver diseases and result in acute liver failure, when metabolized by the liver, the research further added. Tylenol manufacturer have recently announced that they will be lowering the level of recommended dosage to 3,000 milligrams day. Researchers have identified a particular protein type in the liver cells of mice, which when silenced, offers protection against severe liver toxicity that comes with acetaminophen over doses. Doctors have managed to silence sab in mice. While it may not have affected acetaminophen metabolism in a major way, yet the strategy managed to successfully prevent liver injury.

Via: ScienceDaily

Existing liver failure syndromes, as defined in medical science, fail to reflect the differences between prognosis and clinical features, says a latest research. The study was largely based on cases of liver failure reported at the King’s College Hospital in London between 1972 and 1985. The lack of proper terminology for certain liver failure syndromes has prompted researchers to come up with a series of newer terms. Hyper acute liver failure is the term coined by researchers at King’s College Hospital for cases of liver failure where encephalopathy takes places within seven day of the jaundice onset. Acute liver failure, on the hand, stands for cases where there is a gap of eight to twenty eight days between the occurrence of encephalopathy and jaundice, the research further stated.

Via: UKPMC

High urgency liver transplantation is one of the most efficient therapies in treating liver failure, says a new research. However, researchers also highlighted the need for timely surgery. At the same time, the study throws considerable light on the importance of spontaneous recovery in improving acute liver failure outcomes. Multipass albumin dialysis or the application of filtering systems for extracorporeal liver support may fulfill the therapeutic aims referred to above. Multipass albumin analysis through regional citrate anticoagulation eliminates the need for systemic anticoagulation which can prove to be a harmful measure in patients. Moreover, by applying the above techniques doctors will even be able to reduce filter clotting quiet effectively, the study claims further. The study was conducted by the Medical University, Vienna.

Via: NewsRX

A recent study casts acute liver failure in a completely new light. Since the disease is quite rare, there has always been a shortage of related data. This prompted researchers to study the changing patterns in cases of acute liver failure. The study carried out at seventeen tertiary care centers in the U.S. included 308 patients diagnosed with acute liver failure. The study found that 73% of those admitted with the disease were women. Acetaminophen overdose came across as the most prominent factor causing acute liver failure. In about 13% of the total cases, idiosyncratic drug reactions appeared to be the presumptive cause. Patient survival rate at three weeks was close to 67%. In the research, idiosyncratic drug and acetaminophen replaced viral hepatitis as one of the most frequent causes of liver failure.

Via: Annals

In a recent study, researchers evaluated Ron receptor tyrosine kinase so as to develop a better understanding of the events leading up to acute liver failure. The preclinical study conducted by UC cell biology researchers sheds new light on the disease. It was found that Ron receptor tyrosine, when knocked out in the liver cells, responsible for regulating inflammation, impacted the survival of liver cells negatively. Additionally, this was also found promoting the chances of acute liver failure. The study primarily aims at finding out whether targeting Ron in liver cells can yield another cellular target for halting the growth of liver disease.

Via: MedicalXpress