Alcohol abuse is this culture's most important drug problem. Statistics indicate that it is exacting a great and relentlessly increasing toll of human suffering. It is clear that the problem is not being dealt with in any effective manner. At the invitation of the. Canadian Hepatic Foundation, many of the world's experts gathered in Toronto, May 14-15 1976, to focus attention on one of the most important aspects of the alcohol problem -alcohol induced liver damage. The epidemiology of alcohol induced liver disease was discussed and current views on the pathogenesis of the problem were reviewed. New insight into the pathological alterations of the liver was presented and some of our current therapeutic capabilities were discussed. Dr. Hans Popper summarized the Symposium and presented some of his views on those aspects of the problem which will require early attention by the research community. The Symposium achieved its immediate objective -that of bringing together the committed experts of various disciplines for an updating of our understanding of alcohol and the liver and for a discussion of new approaches to the problem. As a backdrop to the Symposium, however, was large writing on the wall to the effect that we are expending our research talents and efforts on a totally unnecessary problem. Right now we probably know enough and have sufficient resources at our disposal to solve the problem.

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Alcohol and other drugs of abuse are major contributing factors to liver disease and its pathology. Alcoholic cirrhosis causes thousands of deaths each year in the United States, and encourages liver replacement. A better understanding of the mechanisms of liver pathology will significantly aid basic researchers and physicians in treating and preventing liver damage. This book is designed especially for those researchers wishing to understand alcoholic liver disease. Therefore the role of alcohol in changing nutrition and its nutritional effects on liver disease are reviewed. The generation of free radicals during alcohol use has been found to be an important cause of membrane changes, of cancer development, and of lipid alterations-and thus of liver pathology. In addition to alcohol, other drugs of abuse, including morphine, cocaine, marijuana, and caffeine have also been shown to be significant contributors to liver pathology. The prevalence of drug and alcohol use and abuse today means that liver disease will continue as a major social and medical problem. The explanation of its biological origins cannot fail to help us better understand and treat the disease in the years to come.

Alcohol abuse remains a significant problem world-wide. The most commonly affected organ remains the liver with a risk of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) which can range from asymptomatic to alcoholic hepatitis to alcoholic cirrhosis. In 2010, alcohol-attributable cirrhosis was responsible for 0.9% of all global deaths. Given the sheer magnitude of alcohol abuse and alcoholic liver disease, an update on this topic is pertinent and relevant. This issue will focus on a variety of topics including alcoholism, the pathogenesis of ALD, the spectrum of ALD, the pathology of ALD, and the long-term management of patients with ALD. Alcoholic hepatitis is a particular type of ALD with a high mortality. This issue will explore the syndrome of alcoholic hepatitis, its prognostic markers, and the available therapies. Because alcohol intake can influence so many other conditions of the liver (especially hepatitis C), articles in this issue will also explore the impact of alcohol abuse on other liver conditions. In addition, several other topics such as nutritional therapy for ALD, ALD and liver cancer, and ALD and infection risk will be explored. Also, even though it is quite controversial, we will also explore liver transplant as a therapy for alcoholic liver disease including alcoholic hepatitis.

For people with alcohol excess and liver disease, successful management must be two-fold with management of both their psychological/physical addiction to alcohol and their liver disease. Alcohol Abuse and liver disease, with its joint focus on hepatology and psychiatry, provides both hepatologists and psychiatrists of all levels with a practical, concise and didactic guide to the investigation and clinical management of those with alcohol-related problems. Edited by a practicing hepatologist in the UK and a practising specialist in psychiatry/substance abuse in the US, it covers areas such as: • Risk factors for alcoholic liver disease • Interaction of alcohol with other co-morbidities • Clinical assessment of alcohol intake • Detoxification and management of withdrawal • Psychotherapeutic and pharmaceutical interventions • Treatment of liver disease Key points, management diagrams and high-quality images are all be supported by the very latest in clinical guidelines from the major hepatology and psychiatry societies such as the APA, EPA, AASLD and EASL. With increasing emphasis on multi-disciplinary speciality care in this area, this is the ideal tool to consult in order to provide the best care possible care for what are very challenging patients to manage.

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Research 2016" that was published in IJMS

Graphs, tables and maps.

Liver Pathophysiology: Therapies and Antioxidants is a complete volume on morphology, physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology and treatment of liver diseases. It uses an integral approach towards the role of free radicals in the pathogenesis of hepatic injury, and how their deleterious effects may be abrogated by the use of antioxidants. Written by the most prominent authors in the field, this book will be of use to basic and clinical scientists and clinicians working in the biological sciences, especially those dedicated to the study and treatment of liver pathologies. Presents the most recent advances in hepatology, with a special focus on the role of oxidative stress in liver injury. Provides in vivo and in vitro models to study human liver pathology. Explains the beneficial effects of antioxidants on liver diseases. Contains the most recent and modern treatments of hepatic pathologies, including, but not limited to, stem cells repopulation, gene therapy and liver transplantation.