A cutting-edge review of the latest findings on key scientific topics and the best strategies for evaluation and management of portal hypertension in the clinic. Writing in an easy-to-read style, the authors review its pathobiology, the progress being made in its experimental understanding, the methodologies to assess it in humans, the treatment of its complications (esophageal varices, ascites, and hepatorenal syndrome), and its treatment in special circumstances (during pregnancy, in children, or when the portal vein is blocked). They also provide in-depth coverage of the pros and cons of the various therapeutic choices available to the clinician managing patients with complicated portal hypertension.

Dr. Sanyal's expertise as Chairman of the Division of Hepatology at Virginia Commonwealth University and the breadth of his published articles in hepatology make him the perfect person to compile state-of-the-art reviews on the topic of NASH/fatty liver. The articles in this issue address the following topics: The Genetic Epidemiology of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Relevance of Liver Histology to Predict Clinically Meaningful Outcomes in NASH; Mechanisms of Simple Hepatic Steatosis; Cellular and Molecular Basis for Phenotype of Steatohepatitis; Mechanisms of Disease Progression in NASH: New Paradigms; Can NASH Be Diagnosed, Graded and Staged Non-Invasively?; Is NAFLD in Children the Same Disease as in Adults?; The Cardiovascular Link to NAFLD: A Critical Analysis; Impact of Behavioral Disturbances and Their Treatment on Obesity and NAFLD; and Management of NASH.

In this issue, the Guest Editors have focused on recent advances in liver disease related to disturbances in hemostasis and coagulation. The work emphasizes the multifaceted aspects of coagulation disorders in liver disease from hypo-coagulable to hyper-coagulable states and the limitations of conventional tests such as the INR to shed light on relative bleeding risk or on underlying pathophysiology in a given patient. Articles are written by leaders in the field from multiple disciplines and from around the world. In each article, the state of the art is discussed along with its limitations. The issue sheds light on recent advances, explores areas of controversy, and thus, addresses the need of combined clinical and laboratory investigation.

Together with Consulting Editor Dr. Alan Buchman, Drs. Arun J. Sanyal and Mohammad Siddiqui have put together a comprehensive issue devoted to fatty liver disease for the gastroenterologist. Expert authors have contributed clinical review articles on the following topics: Burden of disease due to NAFLD; Genetic risk factors and disease modifiers of NASH; How to identify the patient with NASH who will progress to cirrhosis; Similarities and Differences between cirrhosis due to NASH versus other etiologies; Impications of NASH as the etiology of end stage liver disease prior to and after liver transplantation; Why do lifestyle recommendations fail in most patients; Rational nutritional therapeutics for NAFLD; Recruitment and retention strategies in long-term trials for NASH; Managing extrahepatic comorbidities in NAFLD; The current status of noninvasive tools for the assessment of NAFLD; and Pharmacological Treatment strategies for NASH. Readers will come away with the information they need to improve outcomes in patients with fatty liver disease.