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Non-invasively measuring liver stiffness with transient elastography accurately diagnoses patients with late-stage liver disease, reports a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute. Liver biopsy has been the gold standard for assessing liver disease. However, it is limited by invasiveness, risk of complications, patient discomfort and the availability of expertise.

Researchers have discovered two new genes that increase the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in childhood. While further study is needed to identify the specific disease-causing mutations in these new genes, the researchers say the genes are particularly strong candidates to be added to the list of genes already known to affect IBD.