Clinicopathological Aspects of Liver Fibrosis

Liver fibrosis is a common consequence of chronic liver damage of various etiologies. The most frequent causes are alcohol abuse, chronic hepatitis B or C viral infections, metabolic-associated fatty liver disease, and autoimmune hepatitis. As chronic liver disease progresses, diffuse excess deposition and abnormal distribution of the extracellular matrix leads to the formation of liver cirrhosis. The severity of its clinical manifestations is mainly associated with liver failure and portal hypertension as well as characteristic complications causing a high mortality.

Previously, it was believed that liver fibrosis has a unidirectional evolution, but recent research have shown that it is a dynamic process with the potential for reversibility. The goal of current and future treatments for any chronic liver disease is to prevent, reduce, and reverse the progression of fibrosis to cirrhosis with its complications and the need for liver transplantation.

The main aim of this special issue is to provide scientists with a platform for publishing high-quality clinical, basic, and translational research achievements on various aspects of liver fibrosis.

This special issue will be published articles reporting research results obtained in the field of hepatology and covering a wide range of topics, related to liver fibrosis including but not limited to: pathophysiological mechanisms of liver fibrosis, pathophysiological mechanisms of hepatic stellate cells activation in liver fibrosis, mechanisms of epigenetic regulation in the fibrogenic activation of hepatic stellate cells, diagnosis of liver fibrosis, principles of diagnosis and treatment of alcohol-induced liver fibrosis, diagnostic and risk stratification aspects of liver fibrosis progression in chronic hepatitis B and C viral infection, liver fibrosis as an independent cardiovascular risk factor in metabolic-associated fatty liver disease, current strategies for targeted therapy of liver fibrosis, perspectives of drug therapy for metabolic-associated fatty liver disease-related liver fibrosis, mechanisms and clinical significance of hepatic fibrogenesis in iron overload, etc.