Bantel et al (41) showed that serum M30, which selectively recognizes a caspase cleaved neoepitope of cytokeratin 18, reflected hepatocyte apoptosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Rutherford et al (42,43) reported the findings of Bantel et al (41) as an effective predictor for the prognosis of ALF. Here, KRT18 is linked to chronic hepatitis C virus infection.