News about Dronedarone (Multaq) and Liver Failure

Health Highlights: BusinessWeek 

Summary Box: liver damage reported with heart drug  - Washington Post

Two Patients On Sanofi's Multaq Have Liver Failure  - Wall Street Journal 

Sanofi to Send Letter on Multaq Liver Failure Cases - Bloomberg 

FDA warns of liver damage reports with Sanofi drug - The Associated Press 

FDA Warns of Possible Liver Injury With Dronedarone - Internal Medicine News Digital Network

What is Cirrhosis: causes, symptoms, signs and treatment

Patients who present with cirrhosis frequently present secondary to alcoholism, hepatitis (B and C). Cirrhosis presents with fluid buildup known as ascites and it’s complications can include effects of hypertension in the portal veins supplying blood to the liver leading to esophageal varices. Many patients with cirrhosis will present with signs upper gastrointestinal bleeding leading to complications like erosive gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, and  Mallory-Weiss tear.  Some patients are given a beta blocker to help reduce the hypertension and prevent the risk of bleeding.  Sclerotherapy is used to treat new cases of varices. To effectively treat recurrent cases of ascites that is refractory, refractory hydrothorax, and recurrent variceal bleeding, a procedure doctors perform is TIPS (Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt).

Endoscopic treatment of a Peptic Ulcer

 

Most common risk factors for post-transplantation metabolic syndrome (PTMS)

Metabolic syndrome (combination of obesity, hypertension, hyperglycemia, and high lipids) is frequently present in patients following liver transplantation.

The following are the most common risk factors for post-transplantation metabolic syndrome (PTMS)

1. Triglycerides.
2. Pre-transplant nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
3. BMI
4. Diabetes
5. Age

 

Reference:

Ido laish, Marius Braun, Eytan Mor, Jaqueline Sulkes, Yael Harif, Ziv Ben Ari. Metabolic syndrome in liver transplant recipients: Prevalence, risk factors and association with cardiovascular events. Liver Transplantation

Epidemiology, Mechanisms and Management of Diabetic Gastroparesis.

pidemiology, Mechanisms and Management of Diabetic Gastroparesis.

Long-Term Outcomes after Double Balloon Enteroscopy

Long-Term Outcomes after Double Balloon Enteroscopy

GERD Cancer Screening Update

Heartburn and regurgitation are common symptoms of GERD. Women with GERD likely have a low rate of esophageal adenocarcinoma than men. A new study shows screening for adenocarcinoma is recommended for men with weekly GERD over the age of 55 or with trouble swallowing, unintentional weight loss, or vomiting.

Reference:

Joel H Rubenstein, James M Scheiman, Shahram Sadeghi, David Whiteman, John M Inadomi. Esophageal Adenocarcinoma Incidence in Individuals With Gastroesophageal Reflux: Synthesis and Estimates From Population Studies. The American Journal of Gastroenterology

siRNA delivery system to treat inflammatory bowel disease

People with inflammatory bowel disease may benefit from a new experimental treatment in which tissues are treated with siRNA thioketal nanoparticles (new polymer -- poly-(1,4-phenyleneacetone dimethylene thioketal) (PPADT) PPADT siRNA that inhibits an inflammation-promoting cytokine called tumor necrosis factor -- alpha (TNF-α).

References:

Georgia Institute of Technology. siRNA delivery system to treat inflammatory bowel diseases developed.

Good clostridia prevents allergies and inflammatory bowel disease.

Good clostridia, prevents allergies and inflammatory bowel disease.While some species are harmful pathogens, such as C. difficile, many other Clostridia species are harmless or even beneficial. How? CD4⁺ T regulatory cells  have the the Foxp3 transcription factor that plays an important role in the maintenance of immune homeostasis.

Reference:
Induction of Colonic Regulatory T Cells by Indigenous Clostridium Species: Science December 2010