| Abstract: | In the recent decade the subject of general hepatology has undergone significant upgrading. Several breakthrough discoveries have lead to substantial improvement in the antiviral treatment of viral hepatitis, the therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma and the development of noninvasive diagnosis of the severity of liver disease. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD] is now established as one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease in the Western world. NAFLD can progress to cirrhosis and its associated complications. This issue of "Harefuah" is dedicated to the current knowledge and challenges in liver disease and transplantation and to novel discoveries in this field. Two new important guidelines of the Israeli Association for the Study of the Liver are published in this issue, the first deals with the management of ascites and its complications and the second relates to the innovative antiviral treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection. An extensive review on this latter subject is also included, summarizing the major breakthroughs in this field: the development of the new direct acting antiviraL agents and the role of IL28B polymorphism in the response to treatment. One article argues the concept of the high hepatitis B virus (HBV) vertical transmission in an Arab cohort in Israel, while another paper provides data on a significantly improved response rate to antiviral therapy in HIV-HCV co-infected patients. Increased serum level of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 level, an independent predictor of coronary heart disease, was detected in patients with nonalcohoLic fatty liver disease [NAFLD] in another article. The issue also provides encouraging data showing that following two decades of liver transplantation in Israel, the survival rate has improved. Several additional articles in the issue shed further light on recent discoveries in the field of hepatology. |
