Saturday, February 2, 2019

Blog Updates - Common Liver Tests, Overview of Hepatitis A, B, and C


Common Liver Tests, Overview of Hepatitis A, B, and C
If you’re interested in useful information about viral hepatitis, check out the following blogs written by patient bloggers and healthcare professionals. Read articles covering an array of liver topics, from the difference between hepatitis A, B and C, to a supplement commonly taken by hepatitis patients. Additional posts include today's news, common liver tests, general food tips for a healthy liver, alcoholic liver disease and a warning about fruit juices sold in the U.S.  Make sure to check out coverage from this months HCV Special Conference as well.

News & Review 
Review a collection of noteworthy hepatitis C news articles in the latest issue of the Weekly Bull, published by the Canadian non-profit organization HepCBC.

News
Feb 6 - 2019 Hepatitis C - Testing, Treatment Options, Stages of fibrosis and Care
Feb 5 - In Egypt, Viral Hepatitis Elimination Starts With a Village: An Interview With Dr. Ammal Metwally
CDC reports Oklahoma among top states with Hepatitis C deaths
Hepatitis C: Out-of-Pocket Cost Burden for Specialty Drugs in Medicare Part D in 2019
For 28 of the 30 studied specialty drugs used to treat four health conditions—cancer, hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis (MS), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA)—expected annual out-of-pocket costs for a single drug in 2019 range from $2,622 for Zepatier, a treatment for hepatitis C, to $16,551 for Idhifa, a leukemia drug.
Analysis Estimates Impact of Interventions on Global HCV Epidemic
FDA accepts new drug application for liver cancer T-cell therapy
Not content with billions of dollars in profits from the potent painkiller OxyContin, its maker explored expanding into an “attractive market” fueled by the drug’s popularity — treatment of opioid addiction, according to previously secret passages in a court document filed by the state of Massachusetts. In internal correspondence beginning in 2014, Purdue Pharma executives discussed how the sale of opioids and the treatment of opioid addiction are “naturally linked” and that the company should expand across “the pain and addiction spectrum,” according to redacted sections of the lawsuit by the Massachusetts attorney general. (Armstrong, 1/30)

Don't Miss

This weeks aidsmap news bulletin
HCV Advocate's weekly special: Sleep

Blog Updates
Blogs from Doctors Without Borders 
In medical emergencies around the world Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) staff are working together to provide life-saving care. From doctors to nurses, administrators to mechanics, everyone has a role to play and a story to tell.

Pakistan: A new way of treating hepatitis C
Khurshid Ahmed
Feb 2, 2019
In Machar Colony, a slum area of Karachi, an Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) team have been treating patients for Hepatitis C using a new line of drugs to combat the virus.

New drugs, known as Direct Acting Antivirals (DAAs) are now widely available in Pakistan, making it easy for primary healthcare workers like me and my colleagues – all nurses and general practitioners – to manage the majority of patients.
Read More: https://blogs.msf.org/bloggers/khurshid/pakistan-new-way-treating-hepatitis-c
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I Help C
Karen Hoyt is devoted to offering support and accurate information to people coping with the effects of hepatitis C.
Crash Landing with Cirrhosis
Mindful Meditation and Your Health
Find Karen on Facebook or watch videos on her YouTube Page.
View all blog updates here.
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Lucinda K. Porter
Lucinda Porter is a nurse, speaker, advocate and patient devoted to increasing awareness about hepatitis C.

Fear of Sickness or Sickness of Fear?
View all new blog updates, here....
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Hep
Hep is an award-winning print and online brand for people living with and affected by viral hepatitis. 
Karen Hoyt - My Health Care Wishes: Prognosis Declaration
It’s best to know ahead of time how your health care will be managed. Then, you will be in control of how much information you want. 
View all blog updates, here...

Support At Hep
Hep Forums: Started Epclusa today 2/1/2019
All Posts
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AGA Blog
Gastroenterology and Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Written by Dr. Kristine Novak
View all blog updates, here...
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Life Beyond Hepatitis C
Life Beyond Hep C is where faith, medical resources and patient support meet, helping Hep C patients and their families navigate through the entire journey of Hep C
.
Tests for Hepatitis C
View all updates, here...
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Canadian Liver Foundation
We strive to improve prevention and the quality of life of those living with liver disease by advocating for better screening, access to treatment, and patient care.

2019 - Canada’s Food Guide and your liver health
The Canadian Liver Foundation provided insight on this guide and how it can impact those living with liver disease. The new Food Guide also addresses concerns related to alcohol consumption and how this may impact the overall health of Canadians. This is highly relevant to Canadians with liver disease where caution should be considered. Although Health Canada’s Food Guide is restricted to diet, the Canadian Liver Foundation emphasizes that regular exercise and physical activity are essential components of the maintenance of good liver health and will enhance the benefits of a healthy diet.
View all blog updates, here...
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Hepatitis B Foundation
The Hepatitis B Foundation is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure and improving the quality of life for those affected by hepatitis B worldwide.
What is silymarin (milk thistle), and is it helpful for managing my hepatitis B and D? - Silymarin, an herb and extract of milk thistle seeds, is a supplement commonly taken by hepatitis patients across the world, yet its proven benefits remain controversial. It is not a treatment for hepatitis B or D, nor has it been shown to have any effect against fighting the viruses.

Three-part series; This is part one
What’s the Difference: Hepatitis B vs Hepatitis C?
Part two
What’s the Difference: Hepatitis A vs Hepatitis B
View all updates, here....
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ADRLF (Al D. Rodriguez Liver Foundation)
Al D. Rodriguez Liver Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides resources, education and information related to screening, the prevention of and treatment for the Hepatitis Virus and Liver Cancer. 
View all updates, here....
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HepatitisC.net
At HepatitisC.net we empower patients and caregivers to take control of Hepatitis C by providing a platform to learn, educate, and connect with peers and healthcare professionals.
Understanding Your Test Results: Liver Function Tests
If you have been diagnosed with hepatitis C, your healthcare provider may order regular blood tests to monitor your health...
View all updates, here....
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U.S. Department of Health & Human Services - Viral Hepatitis Blog
CDC, HRSA, & HHS gathered input about the next editions of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and National Viral Hepatitis Action Plan a recent national conference. Also check out The US Department of Health & Human Services public health blog
View all news updates....
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KevinMD Blog
Kevin Pho is a practicing physician and most known for his blog KevinMD. Thousands of authors contribute to his blog: primary care doctors, surgeons, specialist physicians, nurses, medical students, policy experts. And of course, patients, who need the medical profession to hear their voices. 
If you are not in a high-risk category and feel the flu coming on, seeking treatment at an urgent care facility will not only help save you time and money, but it also keeps emergency rooms clear for those whose lives depend upon immediate treatment. Urgent cares also provide expert care for conditions such as colds, sore throats, ear infections, sprains, strains and more, often at lower costs and shorter wait times. 
View latest blog entry here...
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The goal of our publications is to bring people around the world the most current health information that is authoritative, trustworthy, and accessible, drawing on the expertise of the 10,000+ faculty physicians at Harvard Medical School.

The flu is different from the common cold, but it’s not always easy to tell them apart, especially at the beginning. The flu usually comes on suddenly, and its symptoms can include fever, runny nose, cough, sore throat, headache, muscle aches,
feeling tired, and generally just feeling rotten.

One of the key questions that researchers in the field of neuropsychiatry are trying to answer is why some people are more vulnerable to addiction.
All articles here....
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University of Michigan - Lab Blog
Providing physicians with virtual access to specialists can be lifesaving to liver disease patients.

In most cases, moderate drinking — one drink a day for women, two drinks a day for men — will not lead to alcoholic liver disease (ALD) but overindulging can. And for those already suffering from liver disease — some of whom may not know it — even small amounts of alcohol can exacerbate their liver damage.

Kevin Joy 
The seasonal return of two unpleasant viruses offers a reminder for good hygiene and vigilance. Here’s how to stop the spread of flu and increase norovirus prevention.
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To improve the diagnosis, treatment & support of Americans with fatty liver, NAFLD or NASH through awareness, education, screening and patient advocacy.
What I Wish I Had Known Sooner
When we finally figured out what was really going on, I found myself looking back and lamenting “If only I had known.”. Wayne and I have put together a list of some of the things we wish we had known at the start of our journey, in the hopes that it may be helpful and valuable to you.

Message Boards:
Living with Fatty Liver or NASH is a community of the Fatty Liver Foundation dedicated to supporting individuals who have been diagnosed or are at-risk of developing Fatty Liver or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

On This Blog
Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) and Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD):
Current research & media articles available on this blog:
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Scope Blog
Scope is published by Stanford Medicine 
Stanford psychologist Ian Gotlib is examining how depression develops and working to identify potential opportunities for intervention.
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JAMA - Medical News & Perspectives
Are Probiotics Money Down the Toilet? Or Worse?
Jennifer Abbasi
JAMA.Published online January 30, 2019.
doi:10.1001/jama.2018.20798
With interest growing in natural therapies, the popularity of probiotics is on the rise. In 2012, almost 4 million US adults reported using probiotics or prebiotics—4 times more than in 2007. Probiotics were used in more than 50 000 hospitalizations in 139 US hospitals in 2012. And last year alone, US consumers spent an estimated $2.4 billion on the supplements.
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Comment and opinion from readers, authors, and editors.
Tim Spector: Breakfast—the most important meal of the day?
The mantra of breakfast being the most important meal of the day has been ingrained in most of us from an early age—from our mother’s mouth as we were late for school to government campaigns to get us to “go to work on an egg.” Over the past 50 years we have been bombarded with messages extolling the health benefits of various processed cereals and porridge oats. The British fry-up is thought by many to be the country’s main contribution to world cuisine.
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A new Consumer Reports study found that half of the fruit juices sold in the U.S. had elevated levels of arsenic, cadmium, and/or lead. Consumer Reports tested 45 drinks and found 21 contained enough of a single heavy metal or a combination of the metals to concern experts who worked with Consumer Reports on the study.

For the full list, including healthier alternatives, go to Consumer Reports' website.
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Cedars-Sinai Blog
Committed to helping you build a healthy lifestyle for you and your family.
Q&A: Rheumatoid Arthritis
We take for granted that our immune system is always looking out for us.
But in the case of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)—an autoimmune condition that affects over 1 million adults in the US—the body’s defense system turns on us.

What’s the difference between an NP and a doctor?
Many medical offices and hospitals offer care provided by nurse practitioners, commonly referred to as NPs. These highly trained medical professionals can provide many primary care services or be part of your specialty care team.

Check back for updates!
Tina

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