Skip to main content

Call for papers - MASLD/NAFLD: research and clinical innovations

Guest Editors:
Ludovico Abenavoli: University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro, Italy
Yang Zou: Jiangxi Provincial People’s Hospital, China

Submission Status: Open   |   Submission Deadline: 18 October 2024

BMC Gastroenterology welcomes submissions for our upcoming Collection on Metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly known as Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This collection seeks to compile the latest research findings and clinical insights within the domain of MASLD.

The increasing prevalence of MASLD worldwide is placing a substantial burden on healthcare systems and public health resources. While MASLD encompasses a spectrum of liver conditions, from simple steatosis to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and cirrhosis, its potential progression remains a serious concern for overall health.


New Content ItemThis Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being.

Meet the Guest Editors

Back to top

Ludovico Abenavoli: University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro, Italy

Ludovico Abenavoli is associate professor in gastroenterology at the Department of Health Sciences, University “Magna Graecia” of Catanzaro, Italy. He got his medical education at the “Catholic University” of Rome, Italy. From 2005 to 2006, he was fellow at the Liver Unit, University Paris VI, France. In 2011, he was invited researcher in the Liver Unit, Hôpital Jean Verdier, University Paris XIII, France. From 2012 to 2014, he was invited professor at the University of Batna, Algeria. He was appointed visiting professor in 2015 at the University of Novi Sad, Serbia, in 2016 at the University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and in 2018 at the Taras Shevchenko National University, Ukraine.

Yang Zou: Jiangxi Provincial People’s Hospital, China

Zou Yang currently works at Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital, China. His research focuses on the role of lipid metabolism in the development/reversal of NAFLD/MASLD.

About the Collection

BMC Gastroenterology welcomes submissions for our upcoming Collection on Metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly known as Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This collection seeks to compile the latest research findings and clinical insights within the domain of of MASLD. Potential topics for submission include, but are not limited to:

  • Advances in the understanding of MASLD pathophysiology
  • Innovations in non-invasive diagnostic methods for MASLD
  • Therapeutic interventions for MASLD and MASH
  • Precision medicine approaches in MASLD management
  • Lifestyle modifications and dietary interventions for MASLD
  • Imaging techniques for assessing MASLD severity
  • Pediatric MASLD: Diagnosis and management
  • MASLD in special populations (e.g., elderly, obese, diabetic)
  • Economic and public health implications of MASLD
  • Application of artificial intelligence in MASLD
  • Metabolic causes and consequences of MASLD


The increasing prevalence of MASLD worldwide is placing a substantial burden on healthcare systems and public health resources. While MASLD encompasses a spectrum of liver conditions, from simple steatosis to MASH and cirrhosis, its potential progression remains a serious concern for overall health. MASH, in particular, can lead to advanced liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma, necessitating liver transplantation in certain cases. Moreover, MASLD is intricately linked to metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. In recent years, our understanding of MASLD has evolved significantly, driven by the advancements in different areas of research, such as non-invasive diagnostic tools, lifestyle interventions, genomic and microbiome studies.

This collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being.

Image credit: [M] Crystal light / stock.adobe.com

  1. The causal relationship between life course adiposity with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is ambiguous. We aimed to investigate whether there is an independent genetic causal ...

    Authors: Xiaohui Ma, Lina Chang, Shuo Li, Yian Gu, Jieying Wan, Hequn Sang, Li Ding, Ming Liu and Qing He
    Citation: BMC Gastroenterology 2024 24:291
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. Although gut microbiota and serum metabolite composition have been observed to be altered in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), previous observational studies have demonstrated inconsiste...

    Authors: Chen Ouyang, Pengpeng Liu, Yiwei Liu, Jianwei Lan and Quanyan Liu
    Citation: BMC Gastroenterology 2024 24:244
    Content type: Research Published on:

  4. Obesity has become a major global public health challenge. Studies examining the associations between different obesity patterns and the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are limited. This study...

    Authors: Jingjing Sun, Chun Yan, Jing Wen, Fang Wang, Han Wu and Fang Xu
    Citation: BMC Gastroenterology 2024 24:221
    Content type: Research Published on:

  5. Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is defined as the occurrence of hepatic fat accumulation in patients with negligible alcohol consumption or any other cause of hepatic steatosis. This study aim...

    Authors: O. J. Kolawole, M. M. Oje, O. A. Betiku, O. Ijarotimi, O. Adekanle and D. A. Ndububa
    Citation: BMC Gastroenterology 2024 24:147
    Content type: Research Published on:

  7. Metabolism dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), is the most common chronic liver disease. Few MAFLD predictions are simple and accurate. We examined the predictive performance of the albumin-to-...

    Authors: Xu Ming Li, Song Lian Liu, Ya Jun He and Jian Chang Shu
    Citation: BMC Gastroenterology 2024 24:109
    Content type: Research Published on:

Submission Guidelines

Back to top

This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "MASLD/NAFLD: research and clinical innovations" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.