New developments in tissue engineering have brought the prospect of an artificial liver one step closer. Scientists previously had been able to create only simple tissues, such as knee cartilage. Since nutrients are only able to diffuse across a few cell layers, artificial recreation of larger organs such as livers and kidneys has been impossible. Massachusetts researchers Jay Vacanti, who in 1997 grew a human ear on the back of a mouse, and Jay Borenstein have succeeded in recreating a network of blood vessels which would be necessary for artificial organs to sustain themselves within the body. 
[SOURCE: "Researchers Have High Hopes of Building an Artificial Liver," Immunotherapy Weekly, May 22, 2002]

Looking Out for Lupus
                                                                                                           

The Lupus Foundation of America estimates that more than 16,000 Americans, most of them women, develop lupus each year. Symptoms include:

·      a reddish butterfly-shaped rash across the nose and cheeks,

·      fever with no apparent cause,

·      painful, swollen joints,

·      unexplained hair or weight loss,

·      sensitivity to sunlight,

·      ulcers in the mouth or nose,

·      weakness and tiredness,

·      anemia.

• Usually a cluster of symptoms is present.

[SOURCE: "Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Guidelines for Control," Consultant, February, 2000]

Lupus Symptoms as Side Effects                                                                                   

Symptoms resembling systemic lupus erythematosus sometimes occur as a side effect of medical treatment. Drug-induced lupus may result from use of certain medications, including drugs used to treat heart disease, hypertension and seizures. Drug-induced lupus is usually a milder form and typically goes away when use of the medication is discontinued. 
[SOURCE: Kashef, Ziba. "Living with Lupus." Essence, October, 1995]

OTC Drugs Can Damage Liver
                                                                                               

Many common, over-the-counter medications can damage the liver. The pain reliever acetaminophen, sold as Tylenol or as an ingredient in other medications, can cause potentially fatal liver damage if taken in large doses or in conjunction with alcohol or other drugs. Those who are fasting or have previously existing liver disorders are particularly vulnerable to the damaging effects. 
[SOURCE: "Liver Risk with Acetaminophen-Is the Public Getting the Message?" Drug Week, July 13, 2001]

Some Ways To Save Your Liver

·      Don't take unnecessary medications or herbal supplements.

·      When given any new prescription, ask your doctor or pharmacist about possible interactions with drugs you are already taking.

·      Avoid street drugs, and don't drink alcohol to excess.

·      Don't mix alcohol with other drugs or medications.

·      Don't engage in indiscriminate sex. Hepatitis B and C are more easily spread through intimate contact than AIDS.

·      Eat a healthy, well balanced diet with a minimum of deep-fried, fatty, smoked, cured or salty foods.

[SOURCE: Adapted from American Liver Foundation, "50 Ways To Love Your Liver,", 2002]

Tea May Help Damaged Livers                                                                                                 


Green tea, believed to be beneficial to the heart and effective in preventing cancer, might also play a role in alleviating the shortage of donor livers available for transplantation. A large number of donor organs come from accident victims, a population often associated with alcohol consumption. Consumption of alcohol causes fatty deposits to develop in the liver tissue, and fatty livers are rarely accepted for donation. A recent study found that green tea extracts, which contain high levels of polyphenols, can inhibit lipid peroxidation, greatly reducing the risk of graft injury and increasing survival of fatty livers to 75 percent. These findings suggest that green tea polyphenols could be effective in recovering many livers previously considered useless, thereby increasing the pool of livers available for donation. 
[SOURCE: "Green Tea Extract Could Help Alleviate Shortage of Livers Available for Transplant." Immunotherapy Weekly, May 22, 2002]