在欧盟国家中有40%的个体都遭受着非酒精性脂肪性肝炎的痛苦，在当前富裕社会下这种疾病的流行率越来越高，其也是个体糖尿病和体重过度增加的直接结果，当前研究者并不可能预测这种疾病的未来发展情况，而其直接的结果似乎只能是肝硬化和肝癌，此外其也会增加个体患心脏病发作及肾脏损伤的风险，未来研究者或将利用不同生物标志物的风险评分来对该疾病进行预测。

    来自维也纳医科大学的研究者表示，我们开发的这种风险评分在临床试验中已经得到了证实，研究者中我们想去寻找临床使用的生物标志物，来促进我们对非酒精性脂肪性肝炎患者的非侵入性风险评估，而并不仅仅是进行肝脏活检；最初的研究结果非常有前途。

    研究者Trauner表示，我们假定存在一种生物标志物的混合物，其来自于对风险评分所解析的结果，这种混合物就包括来自血液、肠道微生物组及遗传学上的生物标志物；通过对生物标志物进行分析，研究者就可以更好地评估非酒精性脂肪肝在未来的发展情况，从而帮助我们更好地回答一系列问题，比如如果脂肪肝持续存在的话，为何现在非酒精性脂肪肝比此前发展地更为迅猛？

    同时在个体化医疗的范围内研究人员将会很容易及时采取正确的治疗手段；目前大约40%的欧洲人口备受非酒精性脂肪肝的影响，该疾病最终会引发肝炎、肝硬化甚至肝癌；非酒精性脂肪肝和糖尿病、过重及代谢性综合征强烈相关，同时也和机体自身的遗传因素及肠道微生物组直接相关；后期研究者将通过更为深入的研究来揭示引发非酒精性脂肪肝的分子机制，同时为开发新型疗法治疗该疾病也提供了新的思路和线索。

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    This Risk Score is being developed and validated at the Clinical Department for Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the MedUni Wien in cooperation with the University Clinics for Surgery and Radiology / Nuclear Medicine and partners from the industry. The project is also integrated into the new Austrian centre of competence “CBmed,” which the MedUni Wien is involved in to 20 percent.

    The objective is to find biomarkers for clinical use in order to facilitate a non-invasive evaluation of the risk, i.e. without a liver biopsy. The initial results are extremely promising, according to Michael Trauner, Head of the Department for Gastroenterology and Hepatology （University Clinic for Internal Medicine III）： “We can assume that, in the end, there will be a mixture of biomarkers from which a Risk Score can be compiled.” This mix will include markers from blood, from the microbiome in the intestine and genetic markers, and markers from imaging processes including the latest applications of Positron-Emission-Tomography （PET）。

    “As a result, we will be able to estimate the course of the disease better in future, and therefore will be better able to answer the question of 'how will it develop' than before, if a liver steatohepatitis already exists,” says Trauner. At the same time, within the scope of personalised medicine, it is then also easier to take the correct therapeutic steps in due time.

    Around 40 percent of the population are already affected by non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, which can lead to hepatitis （fatty liver hepatitis） and cirrhosis and cancer of the liver……