The impact of bariatric surgery on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease as measured using non-invasive tests.

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is common in bariatric surgery candidates. We evaluated the effect of sleeve gastrectomy (SG) on NAFLD using validated non-invasive measures.

Methods: Patients with morbid obesity and NAFLD, planned for SG, were evaluated before and after surgery.

Both MAPK and STAT3 signal transduction pathways are necessary for IL-6-dependent hepatic stellate cells activation.

Background: During liver injury, hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) can undergo activation and transform into alpha-smooth muscle actin (αSMA)-expressing contractile myofibroblast-like cells, leading to deposition of excessive scar matrix. We have recently demonstrated that depletion of adenosine deaminase acting on double-stranded RNA (ADAR1) from mouse hepatocytes leads to HSC activation and induction of inflammation and hepatic fibrosis that is mediated by interleukin 6 (IL-6). Our aim was to identify and characterize the molecular pathways involved in the direct, inflammation-independent activation of HSCs by IL-6.