An Update to the Epidemiology, Diagnostic Challenges, and Molecular Bases of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: 2nd Edition
A special issue of Medicina (ISSN 1648-9144). This special issue belongs to the section "Gastroenterology & Hepatology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2026) | Viewed by 971
Special Issue Editor
Interests: inflammatory immune; obesity; type 2 diabetes; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic hepatic illness today. NAFLD results from the abnormal accumulation of lipids in the liver, causing a disease spectrum ranging from simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The prevalence of NAFLD has increased worldwide in recent decades; however, we still do not know how emerging threats such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and lockdown could have impacted the epidemiology of NAFLD. Furthermore, our conception of the molecular basis behind NAFLD has evolved from a single relationship with obesity to a complex network where de novo lipogenesis, fatty acid beta-oxidation, insulin resistance, and systemic inflammation interact to worsen NAFLD, even in non-obese patients. Finally, there is still a deep urgency to design a better disease risk score where circulating biomarkers combined with modern imaging techniques can help to diagnose NAFLD promptly to prevent the onset of NASH, cirrhosis, and HCC.
For these reasons, Medicina is launching a Special Issue which will publish original research and review articles, and clinical trials covering the most recent aspects of NAFLD’s epidemiology, diagnostic challenges, and molecular bases. The Special Issue is focused on, but not limited to:
- Impact of COVID-19 on NAFLD incidence in different age groups of patients;
- Unbalance between de novo lipogenesis and fatty acid beta-oxidation in NAFLD development;
- Contribution of insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, and metabolic syndrome to NAFLD and NASH in non-obese or obese patients;
- Characterization of immune cell profiles and cytokine networks mediating NASH, cirrhosis, and HCC;
- Therapeutic targets to prevent NAFLD progression;
- Design of noninvasive or minimally invasive NAFLD scores and diagnostic tools.
Dr. Galileo Escobedo
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- fatty liver disease
- steatohepatitis
- fibrosis
- COVID-19 lockdown
- insulin resistance
- metabolic syndrome
- T cell
- macrophage
- computed tomography
- magnetic resonance imaging
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