Yanling Ma, Olga V. Belyaeva, Philip M. Brown, Koji Fujita, Katherine Valles, Suman Karki, Ynto S. de Boer, Christopher Koh, Yanhua Chen, Xiaomeng Du, Samuel K. Handelman, Vincent Chen, Elizabeth K. Speliotes, Cara Nestlerode, Emmanuel Thomas, David E. Kleiner, Joseph M. Zmuda, Arun J. Sanyal, (for the Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network), Natalia Y. Kedishvili, T. Jake Liang, Yaron Rotman – 11 November 2018 – Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common cause of chronic liver disease.

John A. Geha, Joseph D. Geha, Christine A. O’Mahony, Ronald T. Cotton, Thao N. Galvan, Abbas Rana, John A. Goss – 11 November 2018

Carla Serra, Alessandro Cucchetti, Cristina Felicani, Cristina Mosconi, Antonio De Cinque, Rita Golfieri, Pietro Andreone, Giorgio Ercolani, Lorenzo Maroni, Matteo Ravaioli, Antonia D’Errico, Antonio Daniele Pinna, Matteo Cescon – 11 November 2018 – Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) represents a potentially curative option for early‐stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aims at evaluating the histologic response after RFA of small HCCs arising in cirrhosis. Data were reviewed from 78 patients with de novo HCCs who were treated with RFA and subsequently transplanted.

This program will review the current status of liver transplantation in the setting of combined organ transplants (i.e., liver/intestine/multi-visceral, liver/ kidney, liver/heart and liver/lung transplantation). Indications, pathophysiology, operative management, post-transplant care and outcomes will be discussed in the context of specific extra-hepatic organ dysfunction and combined organ transplantation.

Sapana Verma, Subhash Gupta – 10 November 2018

Leticia Muñoz, María‐José Borrero, María Úbeda, Elisa Conde, Rosa del Campo, Macarena Rodríguez‐Serrano, Margaret Lario, Ana‐María Sánchez‐Díaz, Oscar Pastor, David Díaz, Laura García‐Bermejo, Jorge Monserrat, Melchor Álvarez‐Mon, Agustín Albillos – 10 November 2018 – In cirrhosis, intestinal dysbiosis, intestinal barrier impairment, and systemic immune system abnormalities lead to gut bacterial translocation (GBT) and bacterial infection. However, intestinal immune system dysfunction and its contribution to barrier damage are poorly understood.

This program discusses different, yet related, basic molecular mechanisms of hepatic damage and inflammation fundamental for the development of various types of liver diseases. Discussions will cover the mechanisms for vesicle formation and  endocytosis, how secretion of exosomes occurs upon inflammasome activation, the impact of immune cell-derived vesicles on fibrosis and the process of collagen secretion. The second part of the program focuses on novel signaling pathways  involved in disease resolution.

There has been no new drug class in the treatment of portal hypertension in over 25 years. But recent advancements in our understanding of the pathophysiology of portal hypertension and its potential regression have informed development of oninvasive biomarkers and revealed exciting new targets for therapy.

Bacterial infections are common in patients with advanced cirrhosis — partly related to altered microbiota, partly related to increased bacterial translocation across the gut wall and partly related to compromised immune function of these patients. When bacterial infection occurs, the heightened inflammatory reaction that follows predisposes these patients to altered hemodynamics and direct tissue damage. Therefore, these patients are prone to develop organ failure and ACLF when bacterial infection occurs.

This program will detail recent advances in the understanding of genetic and epigenetic alterations that influence NAFLD and its progression. It will emphasize their impact on the natural history of NAFLD and variability in clinical outcomes. Details on how patient based epigenetic association studies have led to novel insights into disease pathogenesis will be outlined with an emphasis on how this may translate to new therapeutics.