POSTN and Hepatic fibrosis: The analysis of bulk RNA-seq datasets from diverse cohorts showed an elevated expression of Periostin in the fibrotic liver of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) (GSE48452), and higher levels of hepatic Periostin were associated with a poor prognosis in liver fibrosis patients infected with HBV (GSE14520) (Fig. 4A, B).