01/02/2026
Monthly Insights
Welcome to RoALD Monthly Insights, your monthly snapshot of the most important activities, achievements, and scientific contributions of our members. This section features conference highlights, national project updates, newly published papers, key developments in Romanian hepatology. Published each month in the News section of the top navigation bar, it offers an easy and engaging way to stay connected with everything happening in our growing hepatology community.
JANUARY 2026
1. Scientific Events and Conferences
• GastroNews 2026 – “Precision in Action” (Bucharest, January 15–17, 2026)
The first part of January marked the participation of our members in GastroNews 2026, an intensive workshop organized under the auspices of Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy and Elias University Hospital. Held at the Ramada Plaza Bucharest Convention Center, the event featured:
• State-of-the-art lectures in gastroenterology and hepatology
• Live endoscopy demonstrations
• Interactive symposia
• A dedicated Hands-On Training Day
• CME-accredited scientific sessions
GastroNews remains a key national platform for continuous medical education in digestive diseases.
• The First Annual Paris International Liver Meeting (Paris, January 19–21, 2026)
RoALD members also took part in the inaugural Paris International Liver Meeting, hosted at Maison de la Chimie. The conference brought together experts from more than 60 countries and included major updates on:
• Viral hepatitis
• MASLD, ALD, MetALD
• Cholestatic liver diseases
• Complications of cirrhosis
• Hepatic oncology
The meeting offered EACCME-accredited training and fostered international collaboration and scientific exchange.
2. Editorial Announcement - Call for Papers
RoALD members are honored to serve as Editors for the Special Issue of Livers:
“Insights into the Complexity of Primary Biliary Cholangitis and Autoimmune Hepatitis”
We encourage our members to submit high-quality manuscripts to this special issue.
🔗 Special Issue link:
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/livers/special_issues/711860ZJ57
Follow Livers on:
• Twitter: LiversMdpi
• LinkedIn: Livers MDPI
• Facebook: Livers MDPI
3. Publications – Achievements of RoALD Members
• Article Published
Manuscript ID: gastrointestdisord-4032914
Title: Serum CCL5 Levels in Patients with End-Stage Liver Disease – Is Serum CCL5 a Marker of Cardiovascular Risk in ESLD?
Authors: Teodora Radu*, Speranța Iacob, Ioana Manea, Liliana Gheorghe
Type: Original Article
This article is part of a doctoral research project coordinated by Professor Liliana Gheorghe and contributes to the understanding of inflammatory markers in advanced liver disease. The study’s main finding shows that serum CCL5 is associated with portal hypertension rather than cardiovascular risk in liver transplant candidates, suggesting a more liver-specific pathogenic role for this chemokine.
• Article Accepted – Livers (ISSN 2673-4389)
Title: RE-LINK Screening Project: Private Laboratory-Based Micro-Elimination Strategy for Hepatitis B, C, and D in Romania
Project: RE-LINK (IN-US-987-7284)
Authors: Liliana Gheorghe; Antoanela Curici; Speranța Iacob
The study screened 9,149 individuals through two national private laboratory networks and provided essential epidemiological insights into HBV, HCV and HDV infection patterns in Romania. The findings support the development of integrated viral hepatitis elimination pathways by combining private, community and emergency department screening models.
4. RE-LINK Project Expansion - Integrating Viral and Metabolic Screening
A proposal has been advanced to extend the RE-LINK collaboration to include metabolic liver disease assessment in addition to viral hepatitis testing. This involves adding laboratory parameters needed to calculate:
• HOMA-IR
• LiverRisk score
• TyG index
Rationale for the expansion:
• MASLD is now the most prevalent chronic liver disease globally
• Patients often present mixed etiologies (viral and metabolic)
• Integrated screening enables early detection of cACLD and high-risk metabolic profiles
• Non-invasive serologic markers are scalable and cost-effective for population-level screening
• This approach aligns with current international liver health strategies
5. LIVE(RO) Projects – Ongoing National Efforts
RoALD members continued their involvement in the LIVE(RO) suite of national public health projects dedicated to screening, early diagnosis, and liver health promotion:
• LIVE(RO)3
A comprehensive national program focused on:
• Training family physicians and specialists in chronic liver disease screening
• Implementing non-invasive fibrosis assessment (FIB-4, FibroScan)
• Developing optimal referral pathways for early detection and management of chronic liver diseases
LIVE(RO)3 continues to strengthen the national network of trained healthcare providers involved in liver disease prevention.
• LIVE(RO)4
Recently approved and successfully launched, LIVE(RO)4 builds on previous achievements and further expands:
• Early diagnosis strategies
• Preventive approaches for advanced liver disease
• Integration of metabolic and viral screening algorithms
LIVE(RO)4 reinforces Romania’s commitment to modern, efficient liver health pathways and national public health improvement.
