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The effects of platelet accumulation in fatty liver disease

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A new study provides evidence that platelets exert potent inflammatory effects and play a central part in the progression from simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. The results from this and other studies raise important questions regarding the role of platelets in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in individuals with fatty liver disease.

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Fig. 1: Platelet-mediated inflammation drives NASH and carcinogenesis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Thoracic and GI Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Laurence P. Diggs & Tim F. Greten

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  1. Laurence P. Diggs
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  2. Tim F. Greten
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Correspondence to Tim F. Greten.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Diggs, L.P., Greten, T.F. The effects of platelet accumulation in fatty liver disease. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 16, 393–394 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-019-0160-8

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