全世界胃腸道疾病的巨大健康和經(jīng)濟(jì)負(fù)擔(dān)使得人們必須高度重視新療法的病因、流行病學(xué)、預(yù)防、診斷、治療和發(fā)展。到上個(gè)世紀(jì)末，我們已經(jīng)看到了巨大的進(jìn)步，無論是在可視化疾病的技術(shù)上，還是在胃潰瘍等領(lǐng)域的治療上，H2拮抗劑的出現(xiàn)，然后質(zhì)子泵抑制劑的出現(xiàn)，都清楚地說明了醫(yī)學(xué)的進(jìn)步如何能使患者受益。然而，專家們面臨著來自各種病因的疾病的持續(xù)挑戰(zhàn)。在相關(guān)的肝病領(lǐng)域，僅在美國(guó)，肝病和肝硬化是25-64歲成年人的第七大死因。具體來說，乙型肝炎的傳染性是艾滋病病毒的100倍，目前全世界有5%的人口受到感染。隨著科學(xué)界和臨床界用新技術(shù)、新的治療和診斷方式以及在分子水平上對(duì)疾病的新理解來應(yīng)對(duì)這些挑戰(zhàn)，科學(xué)文獻(xiàn)正在爆炸性地激增。胃腸病和肝病專家評(píng)論（ISSN1747-4124）提供了最新研究和臨床進(jìn)展的全面報(bào)道。該雜志關(guān)注我們對(duì)影響胃腸道和肝臟疾病的病理、生化和生理學(xué)理解的最新進(jìn)展，以及預(yù)防、診斷和干預(yù)策略的最新發(fā)展。文章涵蓋以下關(guān)鍵領(lǐng)域：?對(duì)消化系統(tǒng)及其相關(guān)器官疾病的病理、生化和生理學(xué)理解的最新進(jìn)展?研究策略的發(fā)展，如放射學(xué)、內(nèi)窺鏡檢查、膽胰造影、結(jié)腸鏡檢查和肝活檢?分子診斷和生物標(biāo)記研究進(jìn)展?藥理學(xué)方法和新興治療學(xué)的最新進(jìn)展?藥物安全性?疾病特異性綜述，包括消化癌、肝炎感染、肝硬化、炎癥性腸病、功能性胃腸道疾病、膽道和膽囊疾病的報(bào)道。?針對(duì)診斷和問題，如吸收、營(yíng)養(yǎng)和生長(zhǎng)，對(duì)兒童消化系統(tǒng)疾病進(jìn)行最佳管理。?心理社會(huì)方面?藥理學(xué)和結(jié)果研究，輔以成本效益分析專家評(píng)審的形式是獨(dú)特的，因?yàn)樗囵B(yǎng)了一種前瞻性的思維方式。每一次審查都提供了對(duì)關(guān)鍵領(lǐng)域當(dāng)前理解的完整概述，并通過以下關(guān)鍵部分加以補(bǔ)充：專家意見-對(duì)本文中所述數(shù)據(jù)的個(gè)人觀點(diǎn)，對(duì)未來可能重要的發(fā)展的討論，以及隨著進(jìn)一步研究產(chǎn)生更詳細(xì)的結(jié)果，研究的途徑可能變得令人興奮。文章重點(diǎn)——作者最關(guān)鍵點(diǎn)的執(zhí)行摘要所有評(píng)審都要接受同行評(píng)審，至少要進(jìn)行三次獨(dú)立評(píng)審。胃腸病和肝病專家評(píng)審為本專業(yè)所有專業(yè)人員提供了一個(gè)系統(tǒng)、權(quán)威的分析和辯論的平臺(tái)。

The enormous health and economic burden of gastrointestinal disease worldwide warrants a sharp focus on the etiology, epidemiology, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and development of new therapies. By the end of the last century we had seen enormous advances, both in technologies to visualize disease and in curative therapies in areas such as gastric ulcer, with the advent first of the H2-antagonists and then the proton pump inhibitors - clear examples of how advances in medicine can massively benefit the patient. Nevertheless, specialists face ongoing challenges from a wide array of diseases of diverse etiology. In the related field of hepatology, liver disease and cirrhosis are the seventh leading cause of death among adults between 25–64 years of age in the USA alone. Specifically, Hepatitis B is 100 times more infectious than the AIDS virus and currently 5% of the population, worldwide, is infected. As the scientific and clinical communities address these challenges with new technologies, new therapeutic and diagnostic modalities and new understanding of disease at the molecular level, the scientific literature is proliferating explosively. Expert Review of Gastroenterology & Hepatology (ISSN 1747-4124) provides comprehensive coverage of state-of-the-art research and clinical advancements in the field as they occur. The journal focuses on the latest advances in our pathological, biochemical and physiological understanding of the diseases affecting the gastrointestinal tract and liver, in addition to up-to-the-minute developments in strategies for prevention, diagnosis and intervention. Article coverage includes the following key areas: ? Latest advances in pathological, biochemical and physiological understanding of the diseases of the digestive system and its associated organs ? Developments in investigative strategies; such as radiology, endoscopy, cholangiopancreatography, colonoscopy and liver biopsy ? Advances in molecular diagnosis and biomarker research ? Recent developments in pharmacological approaches and emerging therapeutics ? Drug safety ? Disease-specific reviews, including coverage of digestive cancers, hepatitis infections, liver cirrhosis, inflammatory bowel disease, functional gastrointestinal disorder, and biliary and gall bladder disease ? Optimal management of pediatric digestive diseases, with regard to diagnosis and issues, such as absorption, nutrition and growth ? Psychosocial aspects ? Pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research, supplemented by cost–benefit analysis The Expert Review format is unique in that it fosters a forward-thinking approach. Each review provides a complete overview of current understanding in a key area, which is augmented by the following key sections: Expert Opinion - a personal view of the data presented in the article, a discussion on the developments that are likely to be important in the future, and the avenues of research likely to become exciting as further studies yield more detailed results Article Highlights – an executive summary of the author’s most critical points All reviews are subject to peer review, with a minimum of three independent evaluations. Expert Review of Gastroenterology & Hepatology provides a forum for systematic, authoritative analysis and debate for all professionals within this specialty.