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Featured MASLD/MASH Educators

Kate Lee-Young

CRNP, DNP

Kate Lee-Young, DNP, MS, CRNP is a board-certified Adult/Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner specializing in Hepatology and Transplant Hepatology at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. She earned her MSN and Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees from the University of Maryland and completed an NP Fellowship in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. She has a special interest in Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) and Metabolic Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH) along with obesity management and holds a Certificate of Advanced Education in Obesity Medicine through the Obesity Medicine Association.

Lucy Matthew

NP

Lucy Mathew, NP, is a nurse practitioner at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, specializing in providing expert care for patients with complex medical conditions. With a focus on personalized treatment and patient education, she is dedicated to improving health outcomes through evidence-based practices.

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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.

MASLD/MASH Learning Center

Latest News & Blogs

Liver-related outcomes in patients with cirrhosis: The value of clinical and laboratory data and noninvasive tests

July 2025

CONCLUSIONS: The newly developed models provided accurate estimates of the 30-day risks of ascites, HE, and VB in MASH or viral hepatitis-related cirrhosis using baseline variables, providing a reliable tool for identifying high-risk patients warranting intensified interventions.

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NASH-CHECK patient-reported outcome instrument: evaluation of content and face validity for patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis and compensated cirrhosis

July 2025

CONCLUSIONS: The results support the content validity of NASH-CHECK for patients with compensated cirrhotic MASH, demonstrating that NASH-CHECK is a suitable PROM for use in clinical trials, studies, and practice for this patient population.

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MIF-mediated crosstalk between THRSP+ hepatocytes and CD74+ lipid-associated macrophages in hepatic periportal zone drives MASH

July 2025

CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that THRSP drives MASH progression by recruiting CD74+ LAMs mediated by MIF in hepatic PP zone, providing novel insights into the spatial zonation and crosstalk between lipogenic hepatocytes and LAMs that may result in novel therapies for MASH.

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Chronological activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome/pyroptosis pathway in the progression from metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease to hepatocellular carcinoma

July 2025

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Evidence links the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome/pyroptosis pathway to MAFLD-related fibrosis; however, its role in MAFLD progression to HCC remains poorly understood. This study investigates the temporal activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome/pyroptosis pathway in MAFLD-associated HCC. Rats were assigned...

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Therapeutic horizons in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis

July 2025

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), the progressive inflammatory form of MASLD, is now a leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. Driven by obesity and type 2 diabetes, MASH significantly increases the risk of cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and liver failure. While public health interventions remain essential, therapeutic strategies targeting metabolic dysfunction, inflammation, and fibrosis are urgently needed. This Review focuses on pharmacological...

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Sexual dimorphism of MASLD-driven bone loss

July 2025

Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) is highly prevalent with major risk of progression to Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH) and Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). Recently, osteoporosis and bone fracture have emerged as sexually-dimorphic comorbidities of MASLD yet the mechanisms of this bone loss are unknown. Herein, we address these knowledge gaps using DIAMOND mice which develop MASLD, MASH, and HCC via Western diet exposure. We examined the...

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Trends and future projections of liver cancer attributable to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis in China from 1990 to 2050

July 2025

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH)-induced liver cancer (MALC) is a global public health challenge. This study aims to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of MALC from 1990 to 2021 and project future trends up to 2050 in China. Data on MALC were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2021, including incidence, deaths, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). The burden of MALC in China and trends in age-standardized rate (ASR) were analyzed using...

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Disruption of small intestinal mucosal homeostasis in mice with amiodarone induced steatohepatitis

July 2025

In the current study, we sought to investigate the pathogenesis of amiodarone (AMD)-induced steatohepatitis, focusing on the pathological changes in the small intestine and liver. The association between patients taking AMD and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) was analyzed using the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report (JADER) database. Barrier functions, such as crypt-villus architecture, mucosal permeability, and intestinal microbiota composition, were analyzed in a mouse...

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Noninvasive assessment of liver inflammation in metabolic dysfunction associated steatohepatitis using MR cytometry

July 2025

The current diagnostic gold standard for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) requires invasive biopsy to assess steatosis, inflammation, and ballooning. While MRI-based proton density fat fraction (PDFF) and MR elastography address steatosis and fibrosis, non-invasive methods for evaluating hepatic inflammation remain lacking. This study developed a diffusion MRI (dMRI)-based MR cytometry technique to map liver cellular properties, including MRI-derived cell size (excluding...

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Unlocking therapeutic potential: exploring cross-talk among emerging nuclear receptors to combat metabolic dysfunction in steatotic liver disease

July 2025

Nuclear receptors (NRs) regulate cellular processes and serve as key targets in treating metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and steatohepatitis (MASH). Their ability to interact and influence each other's signaling pathways introduces a complex yet underexplored dimension in the pharmacotherapy of MASLD and MASH. This review delineates the emerging NRs in this field-estrogen-related receptor alpha (ERRα), glucocorticoid receptor (GR), estrogen receptor alpha (ERα),...

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The Rising Global Burden of MASLD and Other Metabolic Diseases (2000-2021)

July 2025

CONCLUSION: The global burden of MASLD and other metabolic diseases is substantial. National and global policies must better address metabolic diseases including the MASLD public health threat.

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WSTF nuclear autophagy regulates chronic but not acute inflammation

July 2025

Acute inflammation is an essential response that our bodies use to combat infections¹. However, in the absence of infections, chronic inflammation can have a pivotal role in the onset and progression of chronic diseases, such as arthritis, cancer, autoimmune disorders, metabolic-dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), and most ageing-associated pathologies^(2,3). The underlying mechanisms that distinguish chronic inflammation from its acute counterpart remain unclear, posing challenges to...

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Challenges and strategies for optimizing liver transplantation outcomes in morbidly obese cirrhotic patients: a narrative review

July 2025

The rising prevalence of morbid obesity (BMI > = 40) has introduced significant challenges in liver transplantation, particularly as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) becomes a leading cause of end-stage liver disease. Morbidly obese transplant candidates face higher perioperative complications, increased waitlist mortality, and worse post-transplant outcomes. This review explores these challenges and examines current strategies for managing morbid obesity in this...

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Review of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Treatment of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

July 2025

CONCLUSION: This review highlights the promising clinical potential of these herbs and herbal combinations for treating NAFLD. Their benefits include anti-inflammatory effects, antioxidative stress, regulation of lipid metabolism, improvement of insulin resistance, modulation of intestinal flora, and antifibrotic properties. Further exploration of clinical literature related to these formulations is needed to better understand their efficacy and establish a comprehensive framework for their use...

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A ROS/ultrasound dual-responsive nanocarrier enhances drug penetration for ameliorating metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis

July 2025

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), as a chronic inflammatory liver disease, presents a significant challenge for effective drug delivery due to excess extracellular matrix (ECM). Here, a reactive oxygen species (ROS)/ultrasound (US) dual-responsive nanodrug loaded with resmetirom and perfluorohexane (PFH), termed RP-Lipo(TK), was developed for treatment of MASH via scavenging ROS and US-promoted deep drug penetration. The ROS-responsive component of RP-Lipo(TK) achieved...

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Effectiveness and safety of the SREBP1/2 inhibitor, fatostatin, in a preclinical model of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease progression

July 2025

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a prevalent liver disorder that can progress to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), potentially leading to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and cancer. As there is no sufficient specific pharmacological treatment for the progression of MASLD to MASH, we focused on the study of master transcriptional regulators involved in energy, cholesterol and lipid metabolism and adipogenesis. Therefore, our experimental work...

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Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease in an Urban Paediatric Cohort With High Socioeconomic Deprivation

July 2025

CONCLUSION: Within a cohort of predominantly Hispanic children with MASLD and high socioeconomic disadvantage, there are significant laboratory and histologic differences in patients with higher SDI scores, suggesting increased MASLD severity.

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Therapeutic effects of adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells on ER stress in a murine model of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis: an in vivo and in vitro study

July 2025

CONCLUSIONS: ADSCs alleviate MASH progression by modulating ER stress via immunomodulation rather than through directly rescuing hepatocytes. These findings highlight the potential of ADSCs as an immunomodulatory therapeutic strategy for MASH and support further investigation into their clinical application.

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Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae reduces HFD-induced MAFLD in mice through activated AMPK-mediated inhibition of fatty acid synthesis

July 2025

CONCLUSIONS: Through a combination of network pharmacology and experimental validation, we demonstrated that RAM may exert therapeutic effects on MAFLD by inhibiting lipid synthesis and activating phosphorylated AMPK pathways.

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New drug therapies for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis

July 2025

The prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has rapidly increased world-wide to 30%, with increasing of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity in last two decades. The spectrum of MASLD covers from simple hepatic steatosis to the progressive metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) with or without fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The MASLD symptoms include dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance and obesity, the liver...

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