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The short time that people have to cook their own food has led industries to satisfy the need for ready-to-eat products. This has motivated a progressive increase in studies that can determine the time at which the product can be safely consumed (shelf life). There are several methods for determining the shelf life of products; but regardless of the method used, the key is to know the minimum and/or maximum values of the indicators that define their deterioration. These values of spoilage indicators can change according to the compositional conditions of the food or the conditions under which it is stored during its shelf life. This review provides values for indicators used in tests for the determination of food shelf life, according to their nature, and environmental conditions, as way to be used by researchers as a reference in their predictions. The results of this research show scientific evidence through published articles about indicator values, their changes, referring to food shelf life kinetics. These values can be used for the prediction of food shelf life, for comparison purposes with their respective studies. It will be of importance for consumers, who will be able to use these values as a reference in the storage of these products. Shelf life indicator values for foods not considered in this work should be evaluated or experimented with in future work.

Abstract The standard method for identifying active Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT) is [18F]-Fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]-FDG) PET/CT imaging, which is costly and exposes patients to radiation, making it impractical for population studies. These issues can be addressed with computational methods that predict [18F]-FDG uptake by BAT from CT; earlier population studies pave the way for developing such methods by showing some correlation between the Hounsfield Unit (HU) of BAT in CT and the corresponding [18F]-FDG uptake in PET. In this study, we propose training convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to predict [18F]-FDG uptake by BAT from unenhanced CT scans in the restricted regions that are likely to contain BAT. Using the Attention U-Net architecture, we perform experiments on datasets from four different cohorts, the largest study to date. We segment BAT regions using predicted [18F]-FDG uptake values, achieving 23% to 40% better accuracy than conventional CT thresholding. Additionally, BAT volumes computed from the segmentations distinguish the subjects with and without active BAT with an AUC of 0.8, compared to 0.6 for CT thresholding. These findings suggest CNNs can facilitate large-scale imaging studies more efficiently and cost-effectively using only CT.

El objetivo del presente estudio fue elaborar un zumo de maqui (Aristotelia chilensis) a partir de polvo liofilizado y endulzado con azúcar blanca o miel de abeja; para ser considerado como una bebida de origen natural. Se realizaron diversos análisis: sólidos solubles, pH, acidez, humedad, materia seca, cenizas totales, azúcares totales, proteína total, actividad antioxidante, grasa y análisis microbiológicos (recuento de aerobios mesófilos, hongos y levaduras). Los resultados de la capacidad antioxidante para el zumo de maqui endulzado con azúcar fueron valores de 283,93 mg/100 mL EAA y para el zumo endulzado con miel fueron 364,16 mg/100 mL EAA. El contenido total de azúcar para el zumo preparado con miel fue de 14,42 g/100 mL, mientras que para el zumo preparado con azúcar fue de 13,3 g/100 mL. El sabor y el aroma de los dos tipos de zumos fueron aceptados por un panel organoléptico no entrenado. El principal beneficio del producto desarrollado es el aprovechamiento de un fruto nativo del bosque, rico en antioxidantes, vitaminas y fibra, que se somete a un proceso de liofilización para conservar sus propiedades nutricionales y organolépticas, manteniendo su sabor, aroma y color originales.

Objective: We aimed to determine if machine learning can predict acute brain injury and to identify modifiable risk factors for acute brain injury in patients receiving venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Methods: We included adults (age ≥18 years) receiving venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization Registry (2009-2021). Our primary outcome was acute brain injury: central nervous system ischemia, intracranial hemorrhage, brain death, and seizures. We used Random Forest, CatBoost, LightGBM, and XGBoost machine learning algorithms (10-fold leave-1-out cross-validation) to predict and identify features most important for acute brain injury. We extracted 65 total features: demographics, pre-extracorporeal membrane oxygenation/on-extracorporeal membrane oxygenation laboratory values, and pre-extracorporeal membrane oxygenation/on-extracorporeal membrane oxygenation settings. Results: Of 35,855 patients receiving venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (nonextracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation) (median age of 57.8 years, 66% were male), 7.7% (n = 2769) experienced acute brain injury. In venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (nonextracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation), the area under the receiver operator characteristic curves to predict acute brain injury, central nervous system ischemia, and intracranial hemorrhage were 0.67, 0.67, and 0.62, respectively. The true-positive, true-negative, false-positive, false-negative, positive, and negative predictive values were 33%, 88%, 12%, 67%, 18%, and 94%, respectively, for acute brain injury. Longer extracorporeal membrane oxygenation duration, higher 24-hour extracorporeal membrane oxygenation pump flow, and higher on-extracorporeal membrane oxygenation partial pressure of oxygen were associated with acute brain injury. Of 10,775 patients receiving extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (median age of 57.1 years, 68% were male), 16.5% (n = 1787) experienced acute brain injury. The area under the receiver operator characteristic curves for acute brain injury, central nervous system ischemia, and intracranial hemorrhage were 0.72, 0.73, and 0.69, respectively. Longer extracorporeal membrane oxygenation duration, older age, and higher 24-hour extracorporeal membrane oxygenation pump flow were associated with acute brain injury. Conclusions: In the largest study predicting neurological complications with machine learning in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, longer extracorporeal membrane oxygenation duration and higher 24-hour pump flow were associated with acute brain injury in nonextracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation and extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Objective: In patients with non–small cell lung cancer, lymph node assessment is essential for appropriate staging. The intrapulmonary lymph nodes (IPLNs) should be considered when assigning the N stage but are infrequently evaluated in Colombian centers, resulting in understaging that may hinder optimal treatment. Methods: We conducted a prospective study of IPLN dissection in patients with clinical stage I or II non–small cell lung cancer who underwent surgical resection at 9 institutions in Colombia between 2021 and 2023. IPLN dissection was performed by trained surgeons who collected lymph nodes from fresh specimens after resection and before formalin fixation. Results: One hundred patients were eligible for the analysis. Their mean age was 67 ± 10.9 years, and 76% were women. Most (74%) had adenocarcinoma, 20% had neuroendocrine tumors, and 6% had squamous cell carcinoma. Successful sampling and histopathologic analysis of at least one IPLN station was obtained in 85% of patients, 9% had upstaging due to positive N2 lymph nodes, and 5% had upstaging due to positive N1 lymph nodes. Among the patients with pN0 or pN1 disease, 3.2% (3 out of 91) were upstaged exclusively due to positive IPLNs. Conclusions: Fresh-specimen dissection to collect IPLNs is appropriate and feasible to achieve more accurate pathological staging in Colombian lung cancer patients. In clinical N0 patients, IPLN dissection maximizes selection for adjuvant therapy.

Abstract Glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor (GLP‐1R) agonists induce weight loss in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but the underlying mechanism is unclear. Recently, the mechanism by which metformin induces weight loss could be explained by an increase in growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15), which suppresses appetite. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether the GLP‐1R agonist liraglutide modifies plasma GDF15 levels in patients with T2DM. GDF15 levels were measured in plasma samples obtained from Dutch Europids and Dutch South Asians with T2DM before and after 26 weeks of treatment with daily liraglutide (n = 44) or placebo (n = 50) added to standard care. At baseline, circulating GDF15 levels did not differ between South Asians and Europids with T2DM. Treatment with liraglutide, compared to placebo, decreased body weight, but did not modify plasma GDF15 levels in all patients, or when data were split by ethnicity. Also, the change in plasma GDF15 levels after treatment with liraglutide did not correlate with changes in body weight or HbA1c levels. In addition, the dose of metformin used did not correlate with baseline plasma GDF15 levels. Compared to placebo, liraglutide treatment for 26 weeks does not modify plasma GDF15 levels in Dutch Europid or South Asian patients with T2DM. Thus, the weight loss induced by liraglutide is likely explained by other mechanisms beyond the GDF15 pathway. Highlights What is the central question of this study? Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) suppresses appetite and is increased by metformin: does the GLP‐1R agonist liraglutide modify plasma GDF15 levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)? What is the main finding and its importance? Plasma GDF15 levels did not differ between South Asians and Europids with T2DM and were not modified by 26 weeks of liraglutide in either ethnicity. Moreover, there was no correlation between the changes in plasma GDF15 levels and dosage of metformin administered, changes in body weight or HbA1c levels. The appetite‐suppressing effect of liraglutide is likely exerted via pathways other than GDF15.

Abstract Eimeria spp. are the pathogen that causes coccidiosis, a significant disease that affects intensively reared livestock, especially poultry. Anticoccidial feed additives, chemicals, and ionophores have routinely been employed to reduce Eimeria infections in broiler production. Therefore, the shift to antibiotic-free and organic farming necessitates novel coccidiosis preventive strategies. The present study evaluated the effects of potential feed additives, liver free and chitosan, against Eimeria tenella infection in White Leghorn broiler female chickens. One hundred sixty-five 1-day-old White Leghorn broiler female chicks were divided into 11 groups (15 female chicks per group), including the positive control group (G1), the negative control group (G2), a chitosan-treated group (G3), a chitosan-treated-infected group (G4), the liver free-treated group (G5), the liver free-treated-infected group (G6), the liver free-and-chitosan-treated group (G7), the liver free-and-chitosan-infected group (G8), the therapeutic liver free-and-chitosan-treated-infected group (G9), the sulfaquinoxaline-treated group (G10), and the sulfaquinoxaline-treated-infected group (G11). Chitosan was fed to the chicks in G3 and G4 as a preventative measure at a dose of 250 mg/kg. The G5 and G6 groups received 1.5 mg/kg of Liverfree. The G7 and G8 groups received chitosan and Liverfree. The G10 and G11 groups were administered 2 g/L of sulfaquinoxaline. From the moment the chicks arrived at Foshan University (one-day-old chicks) until the completion of the experiment, all medications were given to them as a preventative measure. G8 did; however, receive chitosan and liver free as therapeutic supplements at 7 dpi. The current study showed that the combination of liver free and chitosan can achieve better prophylactic and therapeutic effects than either alone. In E. tenella challenged chickens, G8 and G9 chickens showed reduced oocyst shedding and lesion score, improved growth performance (body weight, body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, and mortality rate), and cecal histology. The current study demonstrates that combining liver free and chitosan has superior preventive and therapeutic benefits than either alone, and they could also be used as alternative anticoccidial agents.

Abstract The associative theory of creativity proposes that creative ideas result from connecting remotely related concepts in memory. Previous research found that higher creative individuals exhibit a more flexible organization of semantic memory, generate more uncommon word associations, and judge remote concepts as more related. In this study (N = 93), we used fMRI to investigate brain regions involved in judging the relatedness of concepts that vary in their semantic distance, and how such neural involvement relates to individual differences in creativity. Brain regions where activity increased with semantic relatedness mainly overlapped with default, control, salience, semantic control, and multiple demand networks. The default and semantic control networks exhibited increased involvement when evaluating more remote associations. Finally, higher creative people, who provided higher relatedness judgements on average, exhibited lower activity in those regions, possibly reflecting higher neural efficiency. We discuss these findings in the context of the neurocognitive processing underlying creativity. Overall, our findings indicate that judging remote concepts as related reflects a cognitive mechanism underlying creativity and shed light on the neural correlates of this mechanism.

BackgroundIndividuals identifying as Black, American Indian or Alaska Native, or Hispanic or Latino lack access to culturally appropriate accurate information and are the target of disinformation campaigns, which create doubt in science and health care providers and might play a role in sustaining health disparities related to the COVID-19 pandemic. ObjectiveThis study aims to create and disseminate culturally and medically appropriate social media messages for Black, Latino, and American Indian or Alaska Native communities in Wisconsin and evaluate their reach and effectiveness in addressing the information needs of these communities. MethodsOur team identified relevant COVID-19 topics based on feedback from their respective community, developed lay format materials, and translated materials into culturally appropriate social media messages that community advocates delivered across their respective communities. Social media metrics (reach, engagement, and impressions) were collected using Sprout Social and Facebook Analytics. We hosted 9 focus groups with community members to learn about their social media use. These data were analyzed using an inductive approach, using NVivo software (release 1.7) to code content. ResultsBetween August 2021 and January 2023, we created 980 unique social media posts that reached 88,790 individuals and gathered >6700 engagements. Average reach per post was similar across the 3 communities, despite differences in the number of posts and followers on each page: 119.46 (Latino individuals), 111.74 (Black individuals), and 113.11 (Oneida Nation members). The type of posts that had higher engagement rate per reached person (ERR) varied across communities and platforms, with the highest being live videos for the Latino community on Facebook (ERR 9.4%), videos for the Black community on Facebook (ERR 19.53%), and social media messages for the Oneida Nation community (ERR 59.01%). ConclusionsOur project presents a unique and effective model for health messages and highlights the need for tailoring social media messages and approaches for minoritized audiences (eg, age, gender, race, and ethnicity). Further research studies are needed to explore how specific types of information affect the dissemination of information and the implications for health communications.

Antecedentes: La familia Bromeliaceae presenta una de las radiaciones adaptativas más notables dentro de las angiospermas, en parte debido a su diversidad de estrategias reproductivas. No obstante, apenas se conocen los polinizadores para el 4 % de sus más de 3,800 especies. Preguntas: ¿Cómo es el patrón de floración? ¿Cuáles son las características del néctar? ¿Cuál es el sistema reproductivo? ¿Cuáles son los polinizadores efectivos? Especie estudiada: Tillandsia limbata Schldl. Lugar de estudio y fechas: Catemaco, Veracruz, México, de abril a octubre de 2021. Métodos: La fenología se determinó registrando diariamente el número de flores abiertas y sus características morfológicas en las diferentes etapas de la antesis. La secreción de néctar se evaluó realizando extracciones durante la antesis. Los visitantes florales se registraron mediante grabaciones y observaciones directas. El sistema reproductivo y la efectividad de los polinizadores se determinó empleando experimentos de polinización controlada. Resultados: Tillandsia limbata produce en promedio 2.6 flores diarias, con una secreción de néctar constante durante el día y un sistema de autoincompatibilidad con alta capacidad xenógama. Se registraron diez especies de visitantes florales, los más frecuentes fueron la abeja Trigona fulviventris y el colibrí Anthracothorax prevostii. Conclusiones: Los polinizadores efectivos de T. limbata son los colibríes, ya que propician la mayor producción de frutos y semillas. Las abejas son polinizadores secundarios; sin embargo, roban polen y néctar, consumen partes florales y desplazan a los colibríes de las flores, lo que afecta negativamente el éxito reproductivo de esta bromelia.

IntroductionThe widespread clinical and environmental dissemination of successful clones of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) represents a serious global public health threat. In this context, lytic bacteriophages have emerged as a promising alternative for controlling these pathogens. This study describes the biological, structural, and genomic characteristics of lytic bacteriophages against the high-risk CRKP clones CG258 and ST307 and describes their performance in combination.MethodsAn experimental study was carried out. Bacteriophages were isolated from hospital wastewater and from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). Bacteriophages were isolated using the double layer agar technique and their characterization included host range (individual and cocktail), plating efficiency (EOP), infection or bacterial killing curve, one-step curve, bacteriophage stability at pH and temperature conditions, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and whole genome sequencing.ResultsAfter purification, five active bacteriophages against CRKP were obtained, three bacteriophages (FKP3, FKP4 and FKP14) had targeted activities against CG258 CRKP and two (FKP10 and FKP12) against ST307 isolates. Seven cocktails were prepared, of which Cocktail 2, made up of the bacteriophages FKP3, FKP10, and FKP14, showed the best activity against 85.7% (n = 36/42) of CRKP isolates belonging to both clones, CG258 (80.8%; n = 21/26) and ST307 (93.8%, n = 15/16). The efficiency of the plating (EOP), infection curve, and one-step growth curve showed that the cocktail phages efficiently infected other CRKP isolates (EOP ≥ 0.5), controlled bacterial growth up to 73.5%, and had short latency periods, respectively, (5–10 min). In addition, they were stable at temperatures between 4°C and 50°C and pH between 4 and 10. All bacteriophages belonged to the Caudoviricetes class, and no genes associated with virulence factors or antibiotic resistance were detected.ConclusionThese findings showed bacteriophages and phage cocktails with high specificity against CRKP belonging to the successful clones CG258 and ST307 with promising characteristics, making them an alternative for controlling these clones in different environmental or health settings, biocontrol agents, or disinfectants in industry and in the field of diagnosis.

Conflict of interest: No Introduction and Objectives: Decompensated cirrhosis (DC) is an important cause of death worldwide, including in Latin America. This study aimed to evaluate in-hospital and 30-day post-discharge mortality in a multinational cohort in Latin America. Patients / Materials and Methods: Non-elective cirrhosis admissions from Nov 2021 to Aug 2022 in sites from Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Chile were included. Demographics, admission medications, prior conditions, etiology, and other data around admission were collected from patients and their medical records. Continuous variables were summarized using mean (± SD), and categorical variables as counts (%). Main outcomes were inpatient mortality/hospice and 30-day post-discharge mortality. Univariable comparisons were compared between outcomes using two-sample t-tests or chi-squared tests as appropriate. Multivariable models controlling for all variables significantly associated with outcomes at the p < 0.05 level were fit. Results and Discussion: Of 651 patients with valid inpatient outcomes, 158 died in-hospital or were moved to hospice (24.3%). At 30-days, 139 were lost to follow-up, leaving 512 patients. Of these, 172 died by 30 days (33.6%). In-hospital and 30-days mortality were not affected by etiology (HBV, HCV, MASLD, crypto). Variables significantly associated with mortality at both timepoints were prior LVP/HE, admission medications, prior infection, liver-related admission, and higher MELD-Na (Table 1). On multivariable analysis, admission betablockers and lactulose were associated with high mortality; MELD-Na and infection on admission were associated to death at both timepoints (Table 2) Conclusions: DC is associated with significant in-patient and 30-day mortality in the region, regardless of etiology and country, especially in patients with higher MELD-Na and/or infected on admission.

Background & Aims: Patients with vascular liver diseases (VLD) are at higher risk of both severe courses of COVID-19 disease and thromboembolic events. The impact of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients with VLD has not been described and represents the aim of our study. Methods: International, multicenter, prospective observational study in patients with VLD analyzing the incidence of COVID-19 infection after vaccination, severity of side effects, occurrence of thromboembolic events and hepatic decompensation. In a subgroup of patients, the humoral and cellular responses to vaccination were also analyzed. Results: A total of 898 patients from 14 European centers – part of the VALDIG network – were included, 872 (97.1%) patients received two vaccine doses (fully vaccinated), and 674 (75.1%) three doses. Of the total cohort, 151/898 had a COVID-19 infection prior to vaccination, of whom 9/151 (5.9%) were re-infected. Of the 747/898 patients who were not previously infected, 11.2% (84/747) were diagnosed with a COVID-19 infection during the study period. Two infected patients required intensive care unit admission and infection was fatal in two fully vaccinated patients. Adverse effects were reported in around 40% of patients, with local side effects being the most frequent. During the study period, 31 (3.5%) patients had thromboembolic events and 21 (2.3%) hepatic decompensations. No cases of vaccine-induced thrombocytopenia were reported. Vaccine immunogenicity was assessed in 36 patients; seroconversion reached 100% and IFNy T-cell responses significantly increased post two mRNA-1273 vaccine doses. Conclusion: Patients with VLD seem to have a preserved immune response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, which appears to be safe and effective in preventing severe COVID-19 infection. Our study cannot definitively establish a direct link between vaccination and thrombotic events, though the contribution of vaccination as a cofactor in VLD remains to be elucidated. Impact and implications:: Patients with vascular liver disease (VLD) are at increased risk of both SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19 disease. The potential risks associated with vaccination against this infection need thorough investigation. Our research enhances the understanding of the effects of COVID-19 vaccination in patients with VLD, highlighting its good tolerability. Moreover, patients with VLD appear to have a preserved immune response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, providing protection against severe COVID-19 infection. Our study cannot definitively establish a direct link between vaccination and thrombotic events, and no cases of vaccine-induced thrombocytopenia were reported.

ABSTRACTA seismo-tectonic map depicting the principal structural elements of the northern Central American region has been meticulously crafted to characterize the tectonic setting and the individual seismo-tectonic structures of this area. This region is subject to heightened seismic activity, with a large number of medium-high Magnitude occurrences transpiring annually. This map is presented alongside an informative dataset wherein fault trace locations, geometry and kinematics descriptors and other available metadata have been stored. Therefore, the map offers a detailed and up-to-date depiction of the brittle deformation across the region, serving as a valuable resource for a comprehensive assessment of the seismo-tectonic framework. Moreover, the map and its accompanying database summarize fault characteristics for seismic hazard analysts and for civil protection workers, proving to be useful instruments in pinpointing areas where urgent fault research should be conducted from a seismic risk standpoint.

It has been estimated that Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) Exacerbated Respiratory Disease (N-ERD) previously named as Aspirin Exacerbated Respiratory Disease (A-ERD) affects around 1.4 million persons in the United States. Its prevalence in asthmatic patients has widely been underestimated, as a considerable number of patients would need an aspirin provocation test to confirm the diagnosis. N-ERD physiopathology is somehow complex, but basically involves an imbalance in the arachidonic acid metabolite pathway. The syndrome is characterized by the presence of asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP) and NSAID and aspirin intolerance. Despite maximal and comprehensive medical treatment, the disease tends to be severe, with difficult to treat asthma and highly aggressive and recurrent ethmoidal polyposis. Recently, monoclonal antibodies aimed at reducing type 2 inflammation have demonstrated very promising results on disease control. The goal of this review is to provide the most recent published advances and evidence on physiopathology, diagnostic protocols and therapeutic strategies of N-ERD.

Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are spherical structures that contain a small fraction of the periplasm of Gram-negative bacteria, surrounded by its outer membrane. They are naturally produced and detached from the bacterial surface, participate in diverse biological processes, and their diameter size is in the range of 10–300 nm. OMVs have gained interest in different applications, such as the development of biosensors, vaccines, protein chips, and the encapsulation of heterologous proteins and peptides expressed by these microorganisms. However, the use of OMVs in these applications is limited due to the low yields and high purification costs. In this study, we produced green fluorescent protein (GFP) encapsulated into OMVs using Escherichia coli JC8031 transformed with pTRC99A-ssTorA-GFP to establish the production and purification route. Results showed that the motility of the strain prevents its immobilization in alginate, which hampers the purification of OMVs. To address this issue, a zeolite-based column was used to chromatographically separate the OMVs from smaller particles. Further experiments will be focused on standardizing the production and purification of OMVs at a scalable level.

La Central Nacional Provivienda (CENAPROV) es una organización que pertenece a destechados que se apoyan entre sí para buscar una solución colectiva y lograr una vivienda; inspirada en la economía solidaria, desarrolla programas de vivienda por medio de la autogestión y autoconstrucción. Ha establecido barrios populares y ha aportado significativamente en la configuración de ciudades colombianas dando solución a la necesidad de vivienda aun cuando sean ignoradas por las políticas públicas. El objetivo de este artículo es reflexionar acerca de la metodología cualitativa de investigación participativa, en la investigación sobre las territorialidades y las resistencias populares que se presentan en los barrios Policarpa Salavarrieta en Bogotá y El Porvenir en Soacha, entre 1961 y 2016. En ese sentido, los métodos horizontales están presentes a lo largo de todo el proceso investigativo, es decir, desde las preguntas, el marco teórico, los métodos y procedimientos, hasta el análisis y la interpretación (Corona Berkin, 2019).

Purpose – This study aims to reassess the dynamics of major cryptocurrencies sur-rounding recent economic and geopolitical events. By employing wavelet analysis and quantile regression methods, it seeks to understand the behavior of cryptocurrencies before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Research methodology – This research employs the Least Asymmetric Daubechies (LA8) wavelet function to decompose log-returns of major cryptocurrencies into various frequency scales. Additionally, it utilizes wavelet coherence and quantile-on-quantile regression techniques to analyze daily price data spanning from July 2017 to May 2024. Findings – The findings reveal a strong long-term association among cryptocurrencies, with a decline in medium-term correlations. Bitcoin exhibits synchronization with major cryptocurrencies, excluding Tether, while BTC-ETH and BTC-BNB display a rapid, interconnected behavior alongside their fundamental links. Moreover, empirical evidence indicates Bitcoin’s heterogeneous nexus with other alternatives, showcasing greater sensitivity to positive extremes over negative ones. Research limitations – The study’s scope is delimited by the selected time frame (July 2017 to May 2024) for data analysis, potentially limiting insights into longer-term trends. Additionally, the reliance on specific methodologies like wavelet analysis might introduce constraints in capturing the entirety of cryptocurrency dynamics, leaving room for alternative interpretations or unexplored aspects. Practical implications – Results suggest that understanding the varying correlations among major cryptocurrencies during different market phases could aid investors and policymakers in devising more nuanced strategies. Recognizing the sensitivity of Bitcoin’s connections with alternatives to market trends could inform risk management approaches, particularly in navigating extreme market conditions. Originality/Value – The originality of this study lies in its comprehensive examination of cryptocurrency dynamics across varying time scales, utilizing wavelet analysis and quantile regression techniques. The findings offer valuable insights into the complex interconnections among cryptocurrencies, especially in terms of their sensitivity to different market conditions, providing a nuanced perspective for investors, analysts, and policymakers navigating the crypto landscape.

Background & Aims: Etiologic factor removal (ER) drives recompensation and improves portal hypertension in cirrhosis. Esophageal varices (EV) and portosystemic shunts (PSS) have been found in patients despite hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) dropping below 10 mmHg after ER, questioning HVPG accuracy in reflecting true portal pressure in the setting of ER. We aim to evaluate the correlation of HVPG with direct portal pressure (DPP) in patients with persistence of EV after ER despite HVPG

ABSTRACT: Intensive broiler production systems face challenges like enteric diseases, impacting global food security. Strategies to enhance broiler immunity and gut health, particularly amidst antibiotic growth promoter restrictions, are crucial. The present study investigated the combined effects of fenugreek seeds (FS) and Bacillus-based direct-fed microbials (DFM) on immune-related gene expression in the ileum and alteration of microbial population in the cecum of broiler. The study involved 160 Ross 308 broiler chicks, which were divided into four groups consisting of 5 replicates, each containing eight birds. The chicks were grown for a period of 42 d, during which they had ad libitum access to feed and water. Dietary treatments were: Control (basal diet), FS5 (basal + 5g/kg fenugreek seeds), FS5DFM (basal + 5g/kg fenugreek seeds + 0.1g/kg Bacillus-based DFM), and DFM (basal + 0.1g/kg Bacillus-based DFM). Ileum tissue and cecal contents were collected on d 42 for gene expression and gut microbiome analysis. Ileal gene expression analysis revealed the downregulation of IL-6, IL-8L2, CASP6, PTGS2, and IRF7 in both FSs and DFMs groups compared to the control, suggesting individual immunomodulatory effects. However, avian β-defensin genes exhibited complex regulation, highlighting the need for further investigation. Cecal microbiome diversity remained stable, with subtle shifts in specific taxa influenced by FSs and DFMs. Interestingly, the combination of the FSs and DFMs uniquely impacted specific taxa, including Clostridiales vadin BB60. These findings suggest that both FSs and DFMs demonstrated potential for improving broiler immunity through inflammation reduction. The combination of FSs and DFMs offers a synergistic effect in immune modulation and specific microbial modulation, warranting further investigation with pathogen challenge models for comprehensive understanding.