We applaud Li et al. for providing a detailed transcriptomic analysis of bridging fibrosis (F3 in NASH Clinical Research Network-CRN staging) subclassified into stages F3a and 3b, and confirmed by histological evaluation.
Their results support transcriptomic and histological differences in the spectrum of bridging fibrosis severity as a basis for a more granular classification of bridging fibrosis into early and more advanced forms. Interestingly, stages F3a and F3b differ not only in the number of fibrous septa but also in inflammatory activity with more prominent portal and lobular inflammatory features in stage F3b compared to F3a.
Journal of Hepatology published a clinical update in Research Highlights on 09 Jan 2026.
The item focuses on Reply to: “MASLD fibrosis stage F3 is morphologically and transcriptomically diverse: Implications for assessing therapeutic response”.
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