fig2

Figure 2. “A tale of two pathways”. It is hypothesized that a “long pathway” (blue arrows) leads from steatosis (NAFL) to CVD events through subclinical atherosclerotic burden associated with traditional CVD risk factors. In contrast, a “short pathway” (black arrows) could more directly associate fibrosing NASH with CVD events, possibly through multiple hepatic prothrombogenic factors, fetuin-A, and specific lipidomic signatures. (reprinted, with permission). CVD: Cardiovascular disease; HIF: hypoxia-inducible factor; ICAM-1: intracellular adhesion molecule-1; NAFLD: nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; NASH: nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; VCAM: vascular adhesion molecule-1; VEGF: vascular endothelial growth factor.