Over the past few decades, the profile of liver diseases in Africa and the Middle East has undergone significant changes. The incidence of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) has risen to alarming levels. Despite the seriousness of the situation, there is a scarcity of local or regional guidelines established to address it. This document presents the clinical practice guidelines from the African Middle East Association of Gastroenterology (AMAGE) related to the screening, diagnosis, and management of MAFLD. It addresses multiple aspects of managing this condition while taking into account local circumstances and the healthcare system's management requirements. These guidelines are intended for routine clinical use, with a specific focus on particular groups when needed.

Globally, especially in the Asia Pacific region, chronic hepatitis B infection has led to an undesirable escalating morbidity and mortality with acute-on chronic liver failure, end-staged liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. This has happened despite the past four decades of major scientific advances made in screening methods, vaccination strategies, highly effective low-cost anti-viral therapies, and surveillance strategies for early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma. To address this health threat, APASL has formed a Viral Elimination Taskforce to unite key opinion leaders from its member countries and regions. The ongoing shifts in hepatitis B epidemiology, socioeconomic changes, and advancements in technology are taken into consideration. With the conjoint efforts of all the members of the APASL Viral Elimination Taskforce, these clinical practice guidelines have been formulated aiming to facilitate healthcare professionals, policy-makers, and patients in making practical and cost-effective management decisions for chronic hepatitis B infection. Altogether, it provides recommendations in 13 major areas related to screening, vaccination, treatment, and HCC surveillance. The implementation of these clinical practice guidelines represents major APASL effort toward elimination of the disease burden due to chronic hepatitis B infection in Asia Pacific region.

INTRODUCTION:Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) affects 25-30% of the global population, with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region showing some of the highest prevalence rates, reaching up to 40%. MAFLD is a common cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma and is a leading indication for liver transplantation in this region. Hitherto, there have been no specific pharmacotherapies for MAFLD. However, the recent conditional approval of resmetirom and semaglutide by the FDA for the treatment of non-cirrhotic moderate-to-advanced (fibrosis stages 2 or 3) metabolic-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) offers a much-needed therapeutic option for this largely underserved condition. AREAS COVERED:An expert panel from the MENA region conducted a comprehensive literature search via PubMed and Google Scholar, focusing on clinical trials and international guidelines for resmetirom and semaglutide. This review identifies the target treatment population, proposes criteria for cessation of therapy, outlines monitoring protocols, and addresses regional knowledge gaps. EXPERT OPINION:The approval of the first two drugs for MASH is a milestone. Access to and affordability of these therapies will be the crucial determinants of their actual adoption. Future efforts should consider individualized treatment pathways stratified by cost, regulatory status, and healthcare infrastructure, while generating further regional evidence.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a major health burden in Asia. Advances in antiviral therapies are reshaping the etiological landscape of HCC. This study evaluated temporal shifts in HCC etiology across Asian countries and their clinical implications. This multinational study analyzed 6,261 newly diagnosed HCC patients registered in the APASL Hepatology/Oncology Consortium (A-HOC) from 19 centers across seven Asian countries and regions between 2013 and 2023. Data on demographics, tumor characteristics, etiology, and treatment patterns were collected. Etiologies included hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), alcoholic liver disease (ALD), metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), MAFLD plus excess alcoholic intake (MAFLD + eAL), autoimmune liver disease, cryptogenic, and others. Temporal trends and regional variations were assessed. In many countries, HBV remained predominant (43.3

Noncirrhotic portal hypertension has historically been described using heterogeneous and region-specific terminology-such as idiopathic portal hypertension (IPH), noncirrhotic portal fibrosis (NCPF), obliterative portal venopathy, and nodular regenerative hyperplasia-leading to substantial variability in diagnosis, reporting, and international research collaboration. Differences in guideline definitions from major societies (AASLD, EASL, and APASL), together with the presence of characteristic histologic lesions in patients without clinically overt portal hypertension, have further complicated disease classification. To address these challenges, a large, multisociety, international initiative was convened to harmonize nomenclature and diagnostic criteria. Representatives from liver, pathology, and pediatric hepatology societies across the Americas, Europe, and Asia participated in a structured consensus process that included specialized working groups and external Delphi validation. The initiative produced a globally harmonized and implementable diagnostic framework. Consensus was reached that the terms porto-sinusoidal vascular disorder (PSVD) and NCPF may be used interchangeably when identical diagnostic criteria are applied, and that they should be written as PSVD or NCPF. The diagnosis was defined as fundamentally clinicopathological, requiring integrated assessment. Core principles include the need for a high-quality liver biopsy (≥ 10 mm), mandatory exclusion of cirrhosis, and systematic exclusion of specific alternative conditions. Importantly, the consensus recognizes that PSVD or NCPF may be diagnosed even without clinical portal hypertension and may coexist with other liver diseases, provided cirrhosis is excluded. Standard-ized major and minor histologic criteria were developed collaboratively by expert pathologists and externally validated. Features of portal hypertension were harmonized into specific and nonspecific categories applicable to routine clinical practice. An integrated diagnostic scoring system incorpo-rating histology, clinical features, associated conditions, and concommitant etiologies was developed and validated using the Delphi method. This consensus provides the first internationally endorsed, unified framework for the diagnosis of PSVD or NCPF. Its global implementation is expected to reduce diagnostic variability, improve comparability across regions, and facilitate the development of robust, internationally harmonized clinical and translational research cohorts.

Non-cirrhotic portal hypertension has historically been described using heterogeneous and region-specific terminology, such as idiopathic portal hypertension (IPH), non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis (NCPF), obliterative portal venopathy, and nodular regenerative hyperplasia, leading to substantial variability in diagnosis, reporting, and international research collaboration. Differences in guideline definitions from major societies (AASLD, EASL, and APASL), together with the presence of characteristic histologic lesions in patients without clinically overt portal hypertension, have further complicated disease classification. To address these challenges, a large, multisociety, international initiative was convened to harmonize nomenclature and diagnostic criteria. Representatives from liver, pathology, and pediatric hepatology societies across the Americas, Europe, and Asia participated in a structured consensus process that included specialized working groups and external Delphi validation. The initiative produced a globally harmonized and implementable diagnostic framework. Consensus was reached that the terms porto-sinusoidal vascular disorder (PSVD) and NCPF may be used interchangeably when identical diagnostic criteria are applied, and that they should be written as PSVD or NCPF. The diagnosis was defined as fundamentally clinicopathological, requiring integrated assessment. Core principles include the need for a high-quality liver biopsy (≥10 mm), mandatory exclusion of cirrhosis, and systematic exclusion of specific alternative conditions. Importantly, the consensus recognizes that PSVD or NCPF may be diagnosed even without clinical portal hypertension and may coexist with other liver diseases, provided cirrhosis is excluded. Standardized major and minor histologic criteria were developed collaboratively by expert pathologists and externally validated. Features of portal hypertension were harmonized into specific and nonspecific categories applicable to routine clinical practice. An integrated diagnostic scoring system incorporating histology, clinical features, associated conditions, and concommitant etiologies was developed and validated using the Delphi method. This consensus provides the first internationally endorsed, unified framework for the diagnosis of PSVD or NCPF. Its global implementation is expected to reduce diagnostic variability, improve comparability across regions, and facilitate the development of robust, internationally harmonized clinical and translational research cohorts.

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a severe syndrome in patients with chronic liver disease, marked by rapid multi-organ failure and high short-term mortality. Managing ACLF requires intensive care, but standardized global guidelines were previously lacking. The APASL ACLF Research Consortium (AARC) developed this position paper to establish a unified, evidence-based consensus for its critical care management. A global collaboration of 109 experts employed a systematic methodology to address key aspects of ACLF care. Sections were drafted by specialist teams, with recommendations developed using the GRADE system. Draft statements underwent iterative review and refinement, followed by an expert panel consensus process consisting of open show-of-hands voting during the APASL Annual Conference in March 2025 in Beijing and a subsequent anonymous online voting round. The consensus delivers 104 position statements. Key recommendations include using prognostic scores (AARC, CLIF-C ACLF, GIC) for ICU transfer and treatment decisions, and aggressively managing precipitating factors or complications like infections. It details organ-specific support for liver, kidney, and brain failure, advocating for early, targeted antibiotics and careful fluid management. The role of bridging therapies (plasma exchange, artificial liver systems) and nutritional support is emphasized. For transplantation, the guidelines provide criteria for patient selection and timing, particularly for alcohol-related ACLF. The APASL ACLF Beijing Position Paper provides a comprehensive, standardized framework for managing critically sick ACLF patients. Integrating multidisciplinary expertise and current evidence, these guidelines aim to optimize care, inform clinical decisions, and improve survival for this high-risk population. As a few recommendations are supported predominantly by data from different continents, they should therefore be interpreted in local contexts.

This paper presents a comprehensive investigation into deep learning techniques for the automated segmentation of the liver and tumors from 2D abdominal contrast-enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) slices. Addressing a significant challenge in medical image analysis, our study leverages the public ATLAS dataset [1], using a selection of 60 3D abdominal MRI scans, from which we extracted approximately 3,750 2D slices for model training and evaluation. The core objective was the precise identification and delineation of both the liver organ and any intrahepatic lesions. A comparative analysis was conducted on three U-Net-based architectures: the standard Attention U-Net model incorporating EfficientNet-b3 and CBAM but without Focal Loss, the Attention U-Net model with integrated Focal Loss, and the ResNet34-Based U-Net model. To optimize performance, we explored the efficacy of different loss functions, namely DiceLoss and a hybrid DiceLoss with Focalcoss. Our findings are promising: Among the evaluated models, the ResNet34-Based U-Net demonstrated the highest performance with a Dice score of 91.36% and an IoU score of 89.52%. It was followed by the Attention U-Net with Focal Loss, which achieved 86.41% Dice and 81.61% IoU scores, and the standard Attention U-Net, which obtained 85.93% Dice and 81.19% IoU scores. These results underscore the significant potential of our 2D-based methodology to enhance the precision and efficiency of liver and tumor detection from abdominal scans, offering a valuable tool to support clinicians in early diagnosis and to alleviate their workload.

Acute variceal bleeding (AVB) is a common life-threatening complication of portal hypertension (PHT), having a six-week mortality of 10%-20%. Major advances in the hemodynamic management, risk stratification, pharmacotherapy, endoscopy techniques, hemostatic devices and radiological interventions have led to improved management and outcome of AVB patients in the recent past. Therefore, the APASL Portal Hypertension Working Party, chose a panel of experts, primarily from the Asia-Pacific region, to identify important developments and controversial areas in the field of AVB. They discussed through a pre-defined and structured process, advances in the field and proposed updates to the previous APASL AVB guidelines. These included emphasis on safe transportation, defining time frames for AVB episodes and re-bleeding, reporting of clinical outcomes, optimizing early intervention strategies, pharmacotherapy, medical management, endoscopic therapies, and salvage modalities, including TIPS and self-expanding metal stents. The current updates also cover variceal bleeding in special populations and situations, the skill sets required for managing AVB patients, and the research priorities in the field. The updated guidelines are based on the latest evidence and incorporate emerging trends to provide a contemporary template for management of AVB in both patients with cirrhosis and non-cirrhotic portal hypertension.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) affects over one-fourth of the global adult population and is the leading cause of liver disease worldwide. To address this, the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL) has created clinical practice guidelines focused on MAFLD. The guidelines cover various aspects of the disease, such as its epidemiology, diagnosis, screening, assessment, and treatment. The guidelines aim to advance clinical practice, knowledge, and research on MAFLD, particularly in special groups. The guidelines are designed to advance clinical practice, to provide evidence-based recommendations to assist healthcare stakeholders in decision-making and to improve patient care and disease awareness. The guidelines take into account the burden of clinical management for the healthcare sector.

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a condition associated with high mortality in the absence of liver transplantation. There have been various definitions proposed worldwide. The first consensus report of the working party of the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL) set in 2004 on ACLF was published in 2009, and the "APASL ACLF Research Consortium (AARC)" was formed in 2012. The AARC database has prospectively collected nearly 10,500 cases of ACLF from various countries in the Asia-Pacific region. This database has been instrumental in developing the AARC score and grade of ACLF, the concept of the 'Golden Therapeutic Window', the 'transplant window', and plasmapheresis as a treatment modality. Also, the data has been key to identifying pediatric ACLF. The European Association for the Study of Liver-Chronic Liver Failure (EASL CLIF) and the North American Association for the Study of the End Stage Liver Disease (NACSELD) from the West added the concepts of organ failure and infection as precipitants for the development of ACLF and CLIF-Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and NACSELD scores for prognostication. The Chinese Group on the Study of Severe Hepatitis B (COSSH) added COSSH-ACLF criteria to manage hepatitis b virus-ACLF with and without cirrhosis. The literature supports these definitions to be equally effective in their respective cohorts in identifying patients with high mortality. To overcome the differences and to develop a global consensus, APASL took the initiative and invited the global stakeholders, including opinion leaders from Asia, EASL and AASLD, and other researchers in the field of ACLF to identify the key issues and develop an evidence-based consensus document. The consensus document was presented in a hybrid format at the APASL annual meeting in Kyoto in March 2024. The 'Kyoto APASL Consensus' presented below carries the final recommendations along with the relevant background information and areas requiring future studies.

Fatty liver disease associated with metabolic dysfunction has emerged as a significant global health challenge. This condition often coexists with other liver diseases, such as alcohol-related liver disease and viral hepatitis, complicating both diagnosis and management. To address the limitations of the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) classification, two alternative frameworks have been proposed: metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) in 2020 and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in 2023. A key difference between these definitions is how they consider fatty liver disease in relation to the coexistence of other liver conditions. MAFLD adopts a dual etiology concept, creating a unified classification system that aligns with contemporary clinical and epidemiological needs. In contrast, MASLD introduces a new term, MetALD (metabolic and alcohol-related/associated liver disease), to describe patients who have both metabolic dysfunction and excessive alcohol intake. This review critically examines the clinical, research, and epidemiological implications of the differing approaches of MAFLD and MASLD, offering insights into their potential to enhance the understanding and management of multi-etiology liver diseases.

This manuscript examines the epidemiological patterns, transmission routes, and genotypic distribution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Türkiye, highlighting national progress toward elimination targets set by the World Health Organization (WHO). The main objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of national screening, diagnostic, and treatment strategies, with a focus on the scale-up of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapies and their associated cost-effectiveness. Drawing on recent multicenter and population-based studies, the paper outlines the shifting prevalence of HCV genotypes, particularly among high-risk populations such as people who inject drugs (PWID), prisoners, and individuals undergoing hemodialysis. The analysis demonstrates that genotype 1b remains predominant, though genotype diversity is increasing due to migration and changing transmission dynamics. Findings reveal that despite improved availability of DAA treatments and health policy initiatives like the 2018–2023 National Viral Hepatitis Program, gaps persist in diagnostic follow-up and referral. The manuscript emphasizes the dual approach of micro- and macro-elimination, advocating for integrated care models, increased physician engagement, and enhanced awareness efforts. Projections suggest that achieving WHO goals is feasible in Türkiye if testing and treatment rates significantly improve. Ultimately, this study underscores the necessity of sustained political commitment, intersectoral collaboration, and targeted public-health interventions to reduce HCV-related morbidity and mortality by 2030.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) affects over 30% of the global population. It is a multisystem condition with a strong association with cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Key shared mechanisms, including insulin resistance, systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, and genetic predisposition, couple MAFLD with increased risks of coronary artery disease, ischemic heart disease, and heart failure. Early detection via non-invasive imaging and biomarkers is crucial for effective risk stratification. Management strategies emphasize lifestyle modifications and the development of targeted pharmacotherapies addressing metabolic and inflammatory pathways. Understanding the interconnected pathogenic mechanisms facilitates personalized interventions to reduce morbidity and improve long-term outcomes. A multidisciplinary approach remains essential to prevent and manage the cardiovascular implications of MAFLD.

BACKGROUND:We recently developed a simple novel index called fibrosis 6 (FIB-6) using machine learning data analysis. We aimed to evaluate its performance in the diagnosis of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis in chronic hepatitis B (CHB). METHODS:A retrospective observational analysis of data was obtained from seven countries (Egypt, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Turkey, Greece, Oman, Qatar, and Jordan) of CHB patients. The inclusion criteria were receiving an adequate liver biopsy and a complete biochemical and hematological data. The diagnostic performance analysis of the FIB-6 index was conducted and compared with other non-invasive scores. RESULTS:A total of 603 patients were included for the analysis; the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of FIB-6 for the discrimination of patients with cirrhosis (F4), compensated advanced chronic liver disease (cACLD) (F3 and F4), and significant fibrosis (F2-F4) was 0.854, 0.812, and 0.745, respectively. The analysis using the optimal cut-offs of FIB-6 showed a sensitivity of 70.9%, specificity of 84.1%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 40.3%, and negative predictive value (NPV) of 95.0% for the diagnosis of cirrhosis. For the diagnosis of cACLD, the results were 71.5%, 69.3%, 40.8%, and 89.2%, respectively, while for the diagnosis of significant fibrosis, the results were 68.3%, 67.5%, 59.9%, and 75.0%, respectively. When compared to those of fibrosis 4 (FIB-4) index, aspartate aminotransferase (AST)-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), and AST-to-alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ratio (AAR), the AUROC for the performance of FIB-6 was higher than that of FIB-4, APRI, and AAR in all fibrosis stages. FIB-6 gave the highest sensitivity and NPV (89.1% and 92.4%) in ruling out cACLD and cirrhosis, as compared to FIB-4 (63.8% and 83.0%), APRI (53.9% and 86.6%), and AAR (47.5% and 82.3%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS:The FIB-6 index could be used in ruling out cACLD, fibrosis, and cirrhosis with good reliability.

The presence of liver fibrosis is the most important indicator of progression to cirrhosis. Noninvasive measurement of liver stiffness is crucial for detecting fibrosis. Vibration-controlled transient elastography is one of the most useful methods for this purpose. We aimed to compare the liver stiffness and steatosis measurements with iLivTouch© and the FibroScan© elastography devices Two hundred thirty-seven consecutive adult patients with chronic hepatitis were included in the study. The liver stiffness and steatosis were measured with iLivTouch and FibroScan on the same day. Thirty-one patients had liver biopsies on the same day with elastography procedures. The diagnostic performances of iLivTouch and FibroScan were compared to aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI), Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4), and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis score (NFS). The liver stiffness measurements obtained using iLivTouch and FibroScan had median value of 10.3 (ranging from 2.9 to 46.3) and 7.2 (ranging from 2.5 to 75), respectively. The mean steatosis measurements using ultrasound attenuation parameter with iLivTouch were 245.51 ± 45.79, while the mean controlled attenuation parameter measurements using FibroScan were 259.37 ± 75.0. In subgroup analysis, the AUC of iLivTouch on detecting signiicant fibrosis [0.83, (P = .002)] was minimally higher than other noninvasive methods [0.82 for NFS (P = .003), 0.80 for FibroScan (P = .006), 0.68 for FIB-4 (P = .089), and 0.53 for APRI (P = .76)]. The stiffness and steatosis measurements with iLivTouch and FibroScan were not similar. The accuracy of iLivTouch in detecting significant and advanced fibrosis was minimally higher. Large clinical trials are necessary to support these findings.