Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.2
2.9
Journals
JCM
Special Issues
Current and Emerging Treatment Options in Chronic Liver Diseases
jcm-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for JCM Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Current and Emerging Treatment Options in Chronic Liver Diseases

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Gastroenterology & Hepatopancreatobiliary Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 798

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Chandana B. Herath

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Pharmacology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
2. Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Heidelberg, VIC 3084, Australia
Interests: liver diseases; liver fibrosis; liver cirrhosis; portal hypertension; liver cancer; diabetic liver diseases
Prof. Dr. Michael Praktiknjo

E-Mail
Co-Guest Editor
Department of Internal Medicine B, University Hospital Munster, Munster, Germany
Interests: liver failure; transjugular-intrahepatic-portosystemic-shunt (TIPS); portal hypertension; cirrhosis; sarcopenic in cirrhosis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Liver fibrosis is initiated as a part of the wound healing response to tissue injury. The most common injurious agents for chronic liver disease (CLD) include chronic viral infections (e.g., hepatitis B and C), excessive alcohol consumption, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), and cholestatic diseases such as primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). The end result of chronic injury to the liver is cirrhosis, in which there is extensive scar formation, distortion of the liver parenchyma by septae and nodule formation, and alterations in blood flow. Cirrhosis can be associated with the development of liver cancer, leading to liver failure and death. Thus, cirrhosis, and its major life-threatening complications of portal hypertension (PHT) and variceal bleeding, as well as liver cancer are responsible for a large number of deaths worldwide annually. However, the treatment options for CLD and liver cancer are limited. Therefore, there is a major unmet need for the development of more effective and better-tolerated treatments for CLD, including liver cancer. To address these areas, the Journal of Clinical Medicine has set up this Special Issue for potential authors to highlight recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of CLD, including liver cancer, through clinical research. We therefore invite authors to contribute with highly innovative original papers or critical reviews in this field.

Dr. Chandana B. Herath
Guest Editor

Prof. Dr. Michael Praktiknjo
Co-Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • liver disease
  • liver fibrosis
  • liver cirrhosis
  • portal hypertension
  • liver cancer
  • therapies
  • immunological therapies for liver cancer
  • diabetic liver
  • type 2 diabetes and obesity
  • spontaneous bacterial peritonitis

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

14 pages, 417 KB  
Article
Dynamics of Fecal microRNAs Following Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Alcohol-Related Cirrhosis
by Cristian Ichim, Adrian Boicean, Samuel Bogdan Todor, Ioana Boeras, Paula Anderco and Victoria Birlutiu
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(24), 8623; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14248623 - 5 Dec 2025
Viewed by 85
Abstract
Background: Micro-RNAs (miRNAs) are emerging as pivotal regulators of pathophysiological processes, reflecting systemic responses to stress, inflammation and metabolic imbalance. Their role in advanced liver disease and in modulating responses to therapeutic interventions, such as fecal microbiota transfer (FMT), remains insufficiently characterized. Methods: [...] Read more.
Background: Micro-RNAs (miRNAs) are emerging as pivotal regulators of pathophysiological processes, reflecting systemic responses to stress, inflammation and metabolic imbalance. Their role in advanced liver disease and in modulating responses to therapeutic interventions, such as fecal microbiota transfer (FMT), remains insufficiently characterized. Methods: We conducted a prospective study including six male patients with toxic ethanolic liver cirrhosis undergoing FMT and six healthy controls. Stool and blood samples were collected pre- and post-FMT. Fecal micro-RNA expression (miR-21, miR-122, miR-125, miR-146 and miR-155) was quantified using RT-qPCR and normalized to miR-26c. Associations with noninvasive fibrosis markers (FIB-4, APRI, elastography, CAP) and biological parameters were analyzed through multivariable regression and Pearson correlation, with internal validation by bootstrapping. Results: One week after fecal microbiota transfer, miR-21 and miR-146 exhibited significant expression changes, while miR-122, miR-125, and miR-155 showed non-significant trends toward increased expression. Post-FMT increases in miR-21, miR-122, miR-146 and miR-155 were consistently associated with reductions in hepatic fibrosis markers (FIB-4, APRI and liver stiffness), whereas no significant associations were observed with CAP. Conclusions: Fecal micro-RNAs reflect interconnected molecular networks that capture systemic adaptations to FMT. Despite a limited cohort, these findings highlight their potential as integrative biomarkers and as therapeutic targets in advanced liver disease. Larger-scale studies are warranted to validate clinical utility. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current and Emerging Treatment Options in Chronic Liver Diseases)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 1061 KB  
Article
Profile of Patients with Primary Biliary Cholangitis and Evaluation of Response to Ursodeoxycholic Acid in a Romanian Center—Retrospective Study
by Matei Mandea, Speranta M. Iacob, Mihaela C. Ghioca, Cristian Gheorghe and Liliana S. Gheorghe
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(22), 8240; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14228240 - 20 Nov 2025
Viewed by 494
Abstract
Background: Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune liver disease, characterized by cholestasis and fibrosis. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is the first-line treatment for normalizing markers, slowing progression, and improving outcomes. Various criteria, including Paris II, POISE, and Barcelona, along with scores [...] Read more.
Background: Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune liver disease, characterized by cholestasis and fibrosis. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is the first-line treatment for normalizing markers, slowing progression, and improving outcomes. Various criteria, including Paris II, POISE, and Barcelona, along with scores like GLOBE, UK-PBC, and URS, help assess response and prognosis. The aim of our study was to evaluate the patient’s profile and assess treatment response to UDCA. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 276 patients diagnosed with PBC, evaluated between 2011 and 2024 at Fundeni Clinical Institute in Bucharest. Of these, 117 patients were assessed for UDCA response at 12 months. Demographic, clinical, and biochemical data were collected. Treatment response was evaluated using established criteria and prognostic scores. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify significant predictors of treatment response, while ROC curves assessed predictive capabilities for liver-related outcomes (LRO) and UDCA biochemical response. Results: The cohort primarily consisted of women (95.28%) with a mean age at diagnosis of 53.89 years (95% CI, 52.43–55.34). 40.5% of patients developed liver cirrhosis during follow-up. At 12 months, the response rates to UDCA therapy were 44.44%, 41.88%, and 52.14% according to the Paris II, POISE, and Barcelona criteria, respectively. Biochemical improvement was significant, particularly the reduction of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) below 1.67× the upper limit of normal, which was observed in 62.39% of patients. ROC analysis demonstrated robust predictive capabilities, with UK-PBC (AUROC 0.899) and GLOBE (AUROC 0.867) scores accurately predicting LRO. A lower age at diagnosis, higher ALP values at diagnosis, and absence of sp100 were factors associated with non-response. Conclusions: This study is one of the first detailed analyses of PBC patients in Romania, examining population-specific characteristics and UDCA response rates. Low response rates at 12 months highlight the need for longer follow-up and the exploration of second-line therapies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current and Emerging Treatment Options in Chronic Liver Diseases)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop