Cirrhosis

2023

An implant has been developed in Russia to restore the liver after cirrhosis

An implant has been developed in Russia to restore the liver after cirrhosis. The essence of the development is to remove the diseased area of ​ ​ tissue, replacing it with a special framework, from a porous material called aerogel. This method was invented at the D.I. Mendeleev, reported in the university in August 2023.

According to Izvestia, the implant is created from biopolymers using a 3D printer, which allows you to obtain individual scaffolds for each patient. After that, the scaffold is filled with antibiotics and stem cells, which together speeds up the recovery process.

Aerogel particles. Photo: RCTU named after Mendeleev

According to the scientific director of [[|the RCTU named after D.I. Mendeleev Alexander Mazhuga]], the uniqueness of the aerogel consists in very low density and thermal conductivity, since it is a highly porous material filled with gas. One of the applications of aerogels is the creation of hemostatic materials in the form of special applicators, bandages, dressings. Chitosan biopolymer is used as a basis for creating an aerogel, the specialist specified.

Resection is often used to treat cirrhosis. And the development of methods for fragmentary liver recovery is extremely relevant. Aerogel, as a unique material with high porosity, is an ideal framework that recreates the necessary organ fragment. The porosity of the material makes this technology universal, making it possible to "populate" it with a necessary cell type, - said Mazhuga.

Experts have already tested the properties of the new material on animals. The experiment showed that the aerogel is not toxic, does not cause rejection and is completely safe. The project received the support of the Russian Science Foundation (RSF).

Scientists have already assembled their own original printer where liver implants can be printed out. They also came up with aerogel sterilization technology, which, because of the material's properties, presented a complex problem.^[1]

An ultrasonic patch is presented that measures the stiffness of tissues under the skin. This is needed to control liver cirrhosis and cancer progression

On May 2, 2023, American experts from the University of California, San Diego announced the development of a special ultrasonic patch that allows you to analyze tissue stiffness at a depth of up to 4 cm under the skin. The collected data can be used for various medical purposes, including monitoring liver cirrhosis, the progression of malignancies, the consequences of sports injuries, etc. Read more here.

2017: Algorithm for determining the severity of liver disease from IBM

In late October 2017, IBM announced the creation of a computational algorithm assessing the severity of liver disease. Thanks to the new technology, it is possible to recognize patients who urgently need a transplant.

Prior to this development, the determination of the sequence of liver transplantation by candidates was carried out according to the MELD liver disease end-stage assessment scale. It takes into account the severity of the final stage of the disease regardless of the cause, based solely on the objective results of laboratory tests: serum creatinine, serum bilirubin and the international normalization coefficient (blood clotting). Variations of the MELD scale are sometimes used for other purposes: for example, to assess the risk of 90-day mortality in patients with alcoholic hepatitis, to predict the risk of postoperative mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis.

IBM has developed a program designed to predict deaths from liver disease

The new technique, which was described at IBM, was created with the participation of  the Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital. It is based on the principles of machine learning.

To develop a computer program designed to predict mortality from liver disease, the researchers analyzed data from more than 314 thousand people who were treated between 1992 and 2010. The algorithm takes into account nine main parameters: total bilirubin, creatinine, albumin, international normalization ratio, white blood cells, sodium, total cholesterol, length of hospital stay and age.

The invented algorithm for assessing the severity of liver disease was called MELD Plus. Compared to MELD, it was 10% more effective. The results were confirmed by data processing of more than 18 million patients.^[2]

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