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Featured MASLD/MASH Educators

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Gabriella McCarty

NP-C

Gabriella McCarty is a gastroenterology/hepatology nurse practitioner. She obtained her masters and nurse practitioner degree at Case Western Reserve University in 2004. She has been practicing in this field for 26 years. She serves as faculty for Gastroenterology/ Hepatology Advanced Practice Providers (GHAPP) and is an American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) committee member, serving on the education subcommittee. She will be completing her doctorate of nursing in May 2025. She loves all aspects of GI / Hepatology, education and nursing.

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Alison Moe

PA-C

Alison S. Moe, MS, PA-C, is a board-certified physician assistant specializing in gastroenterology at United Digestive's Braselton office in Hoschton, Georgia. She earned her Master of Science in Medical Education from Seton Hall University and a Bachelor of Arts in Physical Anthropology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Alison is fluent in Spanish and has a special interest in treating irritable bowel syndrome and liver disease. With almost two decades of experience as a Physician Assistant, Alison has developed a strong foundation in both clinical practice and research, particularly in the fields of gastroenterology and hepatology. Alison's dedication to patient care includes extensive clinical hours, allowing her to cultivate deep relationships with patients as well as national experts caring for individuals, especially those suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and advanced liver disease. Alison's commitment to advancing the understanding and treatment of these conditions drives my clinical practice and ongoing research efforts, aiming to provide the highest standard of care for my patients.

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Christie Morrison

AGACNP-BC

Christie Morrison is a Board Certified Adult Advanced Practice Nurse and Lead APP at Oshi Health, a digital digestive health practice and IBD APP at Texas Digestive Disease Consultants in San Antonio, Texas. She strives to improve the lives of patients with chronic gastrointestinal conditions through a multidisciplinary approach. She has worked in various roles as a GI advanced practice provider, including inpatient, outpatient clinic, and telehealth since 2015. Mrs. Morrison is currently an active member of the American College of Gastroenterology where she is serving on the Editorial Board. She is also a member of several GI societies, including TSGE, AGA, ASGE, and GHAPP. Christie was recently honored with the ACG APP Clinical Excellence Award for community practice. She collaborates with industry partners and GI colleagues to enhance education and engagement for APPs working in Gastroenterology. She strives to improve the quality of life and better patient outcomes in all chronic GI conditions and believes that providing resources to her peers through education can help her achieve this goal.

MASLD/MASH Learning Center

Latest News & Blogs

Analysis and verification of potential ferroptosis-related diagnostic markers in the early stage of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis

August 2025

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is currently the fastest-growing cause of liver-related deaths. Intervention in the early stage of MASH will effectively reverse the condition and avoid huge health and economic burdens. To date, our understanding of MASH remains quite limited. Its pathogenesis remains not fully understood, and effective diagnostic and therapeutic tools are lacking. Although ferroptosis is closely related to MASH and seen as a promising target, its exact...

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Sex and gender differences in metabolic dysfunction-associated liver disease

August 2025

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), previously termed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is the most prevalent cause for chronic liver disease globally, with a rising incidence of metabolic-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and its complications. This review examines the critical role of sex and gender in MASLD/MASH prevalence, progression and clinical outcomes. Biological sex affects MASLD significantly with males exhibiting higher rates of downstream...

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Targeting Myeloid Trem2 Reprograms the Immunosuppressive Niche and Potentiates Checkpoint Immunotherapy in NASH-Driven Hepatocarcinogenesis

August 2025

Macrophages expressing Trem2 play a pivotal role in promoting non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH; also known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, MASH) progression to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Despite the widespread clinical use of anti-PD1 immune checkpoint blockade, its therapeutic efficacy in NASH-driven HCC remains suboptimal. This study investigates the mechanisms by which NAM Trem2 influences the response of NASH-driven HCC to immunotherapy. Clinical analysis...

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Association of Clinical, Psychosocial, and Social Determinants of Health Factors and Liver Transplantation and Waitlist Removal for MASH

August 2025

CONCLUSIONS: Rates of LT and LT waitlist removal did not significantly differ by MASH etiology, though patients with MASH were significantly more likely to die on the LT waitlist. There continue to be SDOH factors associated with rates of LT, with male sex and employment independently conferring higher odds of access to LT.

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Laparoscopic Low Anterior Resection for Rectal Cancer in a Patient With Rectal Varices Secondary to Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis-Related Cirrhosis: A Case Report

August 2025

Rectal varices (RVs) are a known complication of portal hypertension in patients with liver cirrhosis; however, the coexistence of rectal cancer and RVs in the setting of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH)-related cirrhosis is rare. Herein, we report the successful laparoscopic management of rectal cancer complicated by RVs in an 80-year-old woman with Child-Pugh class A cirrhosis. A colonoscopy revealed rectal adenocarcinoma with surrounding varices. Given the patient's...

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Repeatability and reproducibility of artificial imaging based digital pathology for the evaluation of liver fibrosis

August 2025

CONCLUSION: The qFibrosis system has good repeatability and reproducibility for fibrosis staging. It can provide an accurate reference for pathologists to stage liver fibrosis more objectively.

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Developing risk stratification strategies and biomarkers for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma

July 2025

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, with high rates of post-resection recurrence posing significant clinical challenges. Early recurrence is largely driven by aggressive tumor biology, while late recurrence reflects de novo carcinogenesis in a cirrhotic liver. Traditional clinical and pathological predictors are insufficient for accurately identifying high-risk patients. Emerging translational advances including genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic,...

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MASLD: insights on the role of folate in hepatic lipid metabolism

July 2025

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is also known as fatty liver disease associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is a spectrum of chronic liver diseases characterized by steatosis, inflammation, fibrosis and liver injury. The incidence and prevalence of MASLD is increasing rapidly worldwide. It is a multifactorial disease and there is no single drug approved for its treatment. The liver is the main organ that stores and metabolizes the B9...

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ACLY inhibition promotes tumour immunity and suppresses liver cancer

July 2025

Immunosuppressive tumour microenvironments are common in cancers such as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH)-driven hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (MASH-HCC)^(1-3). Although immune cell metabolism influences effector function, the effect of tumour metabolism on immunogenicity is less understood⁴. ATP citrate lyase (ACLY) links substrate availability and mitochondrial metabolism with lipid biosynthesis and gene regulation^(5-7). Although ACLY inhibition shows antiproliferative...

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Hepatocyte KCTD17-mediated SERPINA3 inhibition determines liver fibrosis in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis

July 2025

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is a leading cause of chronic liver disease. Available therapies show inconsistent results on fibrosis, probably due to heterogeneity in disease trajectory or incomplete understanding of molecular determinants. Here we identified increased KCTD17 levels in patients with MASH, and in dietary rodent models of MASH-such as those fed a diet high in palmitate, sucrose and cholesterol coupled with fructose-containing drinking water or a...

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Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists Improve MASH and Liver Fibrosis: A Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials

July 2025

CONCLUSIONS: GLP-1RAs are a promising treatment option for MASLD or MASH. Further research is needed to evaluate the long-term effects of GLP-1RAs on liver-related clinical events.

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Plain language summary about GLP-1 treatments in people with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease

July 2025

No abstract

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Pathological Evolution and Internal Medicine Management of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) in the Era of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD)

July 2025

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), previously known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is now recognized as the most prevalent chronic liver disease worldwide, driven by the rise in obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. The evolving nomenclature and understanding of MASLD necessitate updated insights into its pathophysiology, diagnostics, and internal medicine management. A comprehensive literature review was conducted using PubMed, Scopus,...

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Evolving etiologies of liver transplantation: a trend analysis from 2020 to 2024 at the main center of Iran

July 2025

CONCLUSION: The significant shifts in LT etiologies underscore the success of public health interventions in reducing the burden of viral-related ESLD. Additionally, the findings highlight the need for ongoing research into the prevention, early diagnosis, and management of autoimmune liver diseases, MASH, and liver cancer. These findings provide critical insights for clinicians and policymakers to enhance liver disease management and allocate resources effectively.

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Thrombospondin-2 is a performant biomarker of at-risk MASH and advanced MASH fibrosis in a large multicentre European cohort

July 2025

CONCLUSIONS: Serum TSP2, alone or with clinical/biological variables, potently discriminates AF and ARM in patients with MASLD.

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Gut substrate trap of D-lactate from microbiota improves blood glucose and fatty liver disease in obese mice

July 2025

L-lactate participates in metabolism, including the Cori cycle, but less is known about D-lactate. We found that circulating D-lactate was higher in humans and mice with obesity. D-lactate increased hepatic glycogen, triglycerides, and blood glucose more than equimolar L-lactate in mice. Stable isotope analyses showed that D-lactate is metabolized in mice and in hepatocytes to pyruvate, TCA intermediates, lipids, and glucose. The gut microbiota is the main source of blood D-lactate. Colonization...

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Rapamycin ameliorates intrahepatic inflammation in MASLD by increasing macrophage fatty acid oxidation levels

July 2025

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a common liver disease and a serious threat to public health. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) plays an important role in the progression of MASLD and can be a potential therapeutic target. Our data show that rapamycin treatment can alleviate MASLD symptoms, including liver inflammation, steatosis and steatohepatitis, in the WD, CDHFD- or MCD-induced MASLD mouse model, but has no significant effect on hepatic fibrosis....

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Serum LEAP2 Levels Across the Spectrum of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease: A Potential Noninvasive Biomarker for Severity Stratification

July 2025

CONCLUSION: Serum LEAP2 levels progressively increase with MAFLD severity and are independently associated with the disease. LEAP2 demonstrates potential as a noninvasive biomarker for assessing MAFLD severity, particularly in distinguishing MASH from healthy individuals. These findings warrant further investigation into LEAP2's pathophysiological role and therapeutic potential.

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Rifaximin Attenuates Liver Fibrosis and Hepatocarcinogenesis in a Rat MASH Model by Suppressing the Gut-Liver Axis and Epiregulin-IL-8-Associated Angiogenesis

July 2025

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is a progressive liver disease linked to fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Gut-derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS) promotes hepatic inflammation, fibrosis, and angiogenesis through toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling. This study examined the effects of rifaximin, a non-absorbable, gut-targeted antibiotic, on MASH-related liver fibrosis and early hepatocarcinogenesis, with a focus on the LPS-epiregulin-IL-8-angiogenesis axis.MASH...

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Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists (GLP-1 RAs): A Pan-Steatotic Liver Disease Treatment?

July 2025

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) are long-acting drugs that have gathered a lot of attention worldwide for their utility in the treatment landscape of type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity. Their widespread global use has been accompanied by an additional observation related to a potential reduction in alcohol consumption. Preclinical studies in animal models, along with preliminary clinical findings, suggest that GLP-1 RAs may exert beneficial effects on alcohol use disorder...

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