Special Interview with Drs. Stephen H. Caldwell and Brian J. Wentworth

On October 25, we are delighted to have a special interview with our journal authors-- Dr. Stephen H. Caldwell and Dr. Brian J. Wentworth, from Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA.

This interview is initiated on a popular Review Article from our journal--Pearls and pitfalls in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: tricky results are common. This review brilliantly focuses on issues that may commonly arise in the interpretation of laboratory results and imaging findings conducted in the setting of diagnosis and surveillance of individuals with ascertained or suspected liver disease. The jungle of “abnormally normal” and “normally abnormal” may be difficult to survive in, unless the clinician has a strong competence on the natural history and problematic manifestations of the disease. This article addresses the central question of medical epistemology, which, in short, maintains that “the eye sees what the mind knows”. Excellent care may only be offered to our complex patients by those Clinicians who are fully aware of these intricacies. We have to teach our younger colleagues that Medicine does not identify itself in a collection of more or less routine (laboratory) tests, (imaging) findings and (histological) reports. Rather, medical reasoning resembles a torch that an experienced hand has to direct to illuminate occult corners of patients’ pathobiology.

We solicited several questions from the Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Amedeo Lonardo. Let's hear what Stephen and Brian said.

1. What do you mean by NAFLD heterogeneity?

2. What is the common genetic background of NASH/NAFLD? Does this relate to both liver injury and vascular disease?

3. What exactly do you mean by 'cryptogenic' cirrhosis? What are the suspected causes?

4. In those with cirrhosis, what are some of the common 'normally abnormal' and 'abnormally normal' test values that may cause clinical or diagnostic confusion?

Authors' Biography

Stephen Caldwell, MD, is a hepatologist specializing in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), including its relationship to so-called cryptogenic cirrhosis, ethnic and familial relationships, and the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in the disease. Dr. Caldwell is a native of Statesville, NC. He earned his medical degree from Wake Forest University Medical School. Dr. Caldwell completed his medical residency at a University of Virginia-affiliated program in Roanoke and Salem, VA, where he served as chief resident in his final year. He completed a gastroenterology fellowship program at UVA and a hepatology fellowship at the University of Miami. In 1992, he joined the faculty at UVA, helping to develop the hepatology program. Now a professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Dr. Caldwell is board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology. From 2011-2020, Dr. Caldwell is on the Best Doctors in America^® List. 

Brian Wentworth, MD, is passionate about treating patients who have acute and chronic liver diseases. A fellowship-trained gastroenterologist and transplant hepatologist, he treats a wide array of conditions, including benign and malignant liver and biliary lesions, alcohol-related liver disease, fatty liver disease, metabolic liver disease, hepatitis, cirrhosis, portal hypertension and its complications, and portal vein thrombosis. He also provides care for patients throughout the liver transplant process, including evaluation, waitlist, and post-transplant.

The Journal Editorial Office will continuously provide authors’ talk activities with authors. We look forward to building a multi-channel exchange and display platform for all scholars who publish papers with us.

Respectfully Submitted by the Journal Editorial Office
Metabolism and Target Organ Damage