Yao J, et al. - Hypermetabolism, as assessed using measurements of resting energy expenditure (REE), was evaluated as a predictor for the short-term (28-day) mortality of patients with hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF). This study included chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients and healthy controls (HCs), in addition to HBV-ACLF patients. Researchers found a significantly higher incidence of hypermetabolism at baseline in ACLF patients vs HCs and CHB patients. They noted that persistent hypermetabolism and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) together provided a significantly better prediction of short-term mortality than offered by MELD alone ­(AUROC: 0.694). Overall, short-term mortality was predicted by persistent hypermetabolism.