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What's New
Thelma King Thiel Interviewed
(Channel 8 News, "Let's Talk Live"; 5 minutes, 40 seconds run time). Hepatitis Foundation International CEO Thelma King Thiel is interviewed on Channel 8 News, "Let's Talk Live", as part of the foundation’s outreach during National Liver Awareness Month: Encouraging Baby Boomers to be tested for Hepatitis C, a life threatening liver silent liver disease, Thiel highlighted the important role the liver plays in maintaining hundreds of life sustaining body functions encouraging adults in the prime of their life to be tested and treated if found to be infected. “Hepatitis C can lead to cirrhosis and cancer of the liver without giving any warning of these serious consequences,” urged Thiel. “Get off that chair and ask your doctor to check your liver out,” said Thiel, “you might even have a fatty liver that can also lead to cirrhosis.” September Edition of Hepatitis Alert Are You Feeding Your Heart Too Much Mayo?? What does the heart have to do with mayonnaise, grease and cheese??? A recent article by Web MD titled Do Your Heart a Favor: Avoid These Appetizers identified some good and bad choices. To help you make good choices, we’d like to connect the heart with the food you eat. . . and your liver that processes the food (fuel) you feed it that keeps you alive and functioning 24/7. Loading up your liver with fats, too much sugar and carbohydrates can not only clog up your arteries, they can damage your liver . . .your internal chemical converter and energy source. Did you know that almost everything you eat has to be processed by your liver? Clogging it up with too many fatty foods can compromise this process. One in 6 Americans has a fatty liver that can lead to cirrhosis.When you learn you have high cholesterol, what is the first thing you are told to do? Mental Confusion; Is it Alzheimer’s or Cirrhosis?? Most of us are well aware of the signs of mental confusion related to Alzheimer’s Disease. However, cirrhosis and liver failure can cause similar symptoms due to the liver’s inability to remove or process toxins ingested in food, drugs and alcohol, and those made in the body. These toxins remain in the blood and are carried to the brain where they affect cognition. Fatty Liver May be Linked to Diabetes Risk A new study at Stanford University suggests that fatty liver disease, also known as fatty liver, may be an independent risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Researchers found people with fatty liver disease were significantly more likely to develop the disease within five years than those with healthy livers. Fatty liver, as diagnosed by ultrasound, often occurs along with other risk factors for diabetes, such as obesity and insulin resistance, higher glucose levels and cholesterol abnormalities which has made it difficult to determine whether the condition itself is a marker for diabetes risk. In this study, researchers found that even among those with similar insulin concentrations, those with fatty liver were still twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Fatty liver is a common liver condition that occurs in about one-third of adults in the U.S. In some cases, the condition is mild and causes no noticeable symptoms, but in other cases it can lead to permanent liver damage or liver failure.Fatty liver is frequently associated with alcoholic liver disease, but it may also have non-alcoholic causes.
Five Year Follow-Up Following Two or Three Doses
Many people, especially adolescents, fail to complete the standard full three dose-schedule of Hepatitis B vaccines. A new study confirmed that a two-dose schedule of an Adult formulation of Hepatitis B vaccine was just as effective as a three-dose schedule of a paediatric formulation in adolescents.
Read More: 7th Space Interactive
An estimated 132,000 U.S. children are infected with the Hepatitis C virus, and nearly 42,300 of them are chronically infected. Children receiving the combination therapy of PEG interferon injections and the antiviral drug Ribavirin cleared the infection at a rate of two and a half times greater than children receiving PEG interferon treatment alone according to a study conducted by Johns Hopkins Children Center. Viral clearance occurs when the blood is free of viral traces at the end of the treatment, and sustained viral clearance occurs when the blood remains clear for at least six months after stopping treatment. Full clearance is the hallmark of effective therapy and was where the greatest differences between the two treatments emerged. The study showed that combination therapy proved more effective in clearing the Hepatitis C virus in children ages 5-17, and children receiving the combination therapy were less likely to relapse after stopping treatment, with only 17 percent compared to the 45 percent of children on the single-drug approach.
Spice in Curry Could Prevent Liver Damage Curcumin, a spice regularly found in curry and contained in the Tumeric plant could serve as a natural way to help prevent and treat liver damage caused by fatty liver disease. Fatty liver disease, linked to obesity and weight gain, affects an estimated 3 to 4 percent of the US population and if left untreated can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer and even death. Research has shown that obese patients typically have higher levels of blood leptin, glucose and insulin, all of which might contribute to liver fibrosis, the scarring of the liver. Elevated levels of leptin activate hepatic stellate cells, which in turn overproduce collagen protein, a major factor of liver fibrosis. Preliminary research released by Saint Louis University suggests that Curcumin minimizes the effects of leptin on activating hepatic stellate cells, which in turn helps to lessen the development of liver damage.
Childhood Obesity- Impact of Liver Transplant Studies show that obesity has a significant negative impact on pediatric patient survival more than 5 years post-liver transplant. A study examined the impact of pre-transplant Body Mass Index (BMI - a measure of someone’s weight in relation to their height) on post liver transplant survival in the pediatric population. Results indicated children who were thin or severely thin had a significantly lower survival (84%) at one year compared to the survival (89%) of children in the normal and overweight groups. However by the 12th year following liver transplant, those in the obese group had significantly lower survival (72%) than the survival (77%) of normal or overweight pediatric patients. The study conducted by the University of Washington concluded that identifying pre and post transplant pediatric patients as malnourished or obese along with optimization of their modifiable risk factors will help maximize patient survival by better utilizing scarce donor organs.
Liver Hormone is a Cause of Insulin Resistance The hormone, Selenoportein (SeP), produced and secreted by the liver was previously an unknown cause of insulin resistance. Research shows that the livers in people with type 2 diabetes who are more insulin resistant express higher levels of gene encoding Selenoportein P (SeP). Blood levels of SeP are also increased in people with diabetes compared to healthy people. This finding suggests a new target for the treatment of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. This study published by Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science in Japan further shows there may be other hormones derived from the liver with important and varied roles in the body.
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