A risk score to predict the development of hepatic encephalopathy in a populationâ based cohort of patients with cirrhosis

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146442/1/hep29628_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146442/2/hep29628-sup-0001-suppinfo.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146442/3/hep29628.pd

Gender Disparities in Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment Among Privately Insured Patients with Alcohol‐Associated Cirrhosis

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147837/1/acer13944_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147837/2/acer13944.pd

Production of xylooligosaccharides from Brazilian Syrah grape pomace flour

BACKGROUND: The aim of this work was to determine the most favorable conditions for the production of xylooligosaccharides (XOS) from Brazilian Syrah grape pomace. Chemical processes were performed using a rotatable central composite design, where the concentration of sulfuric acid or concentration of sodium hydroxide and grape pomace flour: solvent mass ratio were the dependent variables. Enzymatic production was also evaluated using xylanase produced by Aspergillus niger 3T5B8 and Viscozyme® enzymatic commercial cocktail. RESULTS: Chemical extraction allowed to recover 21.8 to 74.6% and 5.2 to 96.3% of total XOS for acid and alkaline processes, respectively. Enzymatic production using xylanase extracted up to 88.68 ± 0.12% of total XOS and up to 84.09 ± 2.40% with Viscozyme®. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated different feasible methods to produce high added value molecules, the xylooligosaccharides, from Syrah grape pomace flour, valorizing this major by‐product. The use of enzymatic cocktails demonstrated to be an alternative to the conventional methods, allowing to obtain an eco‐friendly and sustainable grape pomace extract.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Extracellular Vesicles from Pseudomonas aeruginosa Suppress MHC-Related Molecules in Human Lung Macrophages

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram-negative bacterium, is one of the most common pathogens colonizing the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. P. aeruginosa secrete extracellular vesicles (EVs) that contain LPS and other virulence factors that modulate the host\u27s innate immune response, leading to an increased local proinflammatory response and reduced pathogen clearance, resulting in chronic infection and ultimately poor patient outcomes. Lung macrophages are the first line of defense in the airway innate immune response to pathogens. Proper host response to bacterial infection requires communication between APC and T cells, ultimately leading to pathogen clearance. In this study, we investigate whether EVs secreted from P. aeruginosa alter MHC Ag expression in lung macrophages, thereby potentially contributing to decreased pathogen clearance. Primary lung macrophages from human subjects were collected via bronchoalveolar lavage and exposed to EVs isolated from P. aeruginosa in vitro. Gene expression was measured with the NanoString nCounter gene expression assay. DNA methylation was measured with the EPIC array platform to assess changes in methylation. P. aeruginosa EVs suppress the expression of 11 different MHC-associated molecules in lung macrophages. Additionally, we show reduced DNA methylation in a regulatory region of gene complement factor B (CFB) as the possible driving mechanism of widespread MHC gene suppression. Our results demonstrate MHC molecule downregulation by P. aeruginosa-derived EVs in lung macrophages, which is consistent with an immune evasion strategy employed by a prokaryote in a host-pathogen interaction, potentially leading to decreased pulmonary bacterial clearance