Yan L, et al. - Researchers examined if YKL-40 (Chitinase 3-like-1) could serve as a diagnostic marker for the assessment of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B patients with normal and mildly elevated alanine transaminase (ALT). From October 2013 to March 2016, they analyzed 685 patients with chronic hepatitis B infection and identified serum YKL-40 as a feasible biomarker of liver fibrosis in these patients. For diagnosis of significant fibrosis, YKL-40 model was superior to aspartate aminotransferase–platelet index (APRI), fibrosis index based on the four factors (FIB-4), Forns’ index and Hui model in patients with normal and mildly elevated ALT.