Reducing 50% sodium chloride in healthier jerked beef : an efficient design to ensure suitable stability, technological and sensory properties

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the partial replacement of NaCl by blends of KCl and CaCl2 on the physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory properties of jerked beef. For that, in the dry and wet salting stages, 50% NaCl of the control treatment (FC1) was replaced by 50% KCl (F1), 50% CaCl2 (F2), and a blend containing 25% KCl and 25% CaCl2 (F3) at equivalent concentrations based on the ionic strength. All reformulated treatments presented a significant sodium reduction when compared to the control (27.57% F1, 41.59% F2, and 36.74% F3). The CaCl2 blends resulted in final products with bitter taste and rancid aroma accompanied by a higher TEARS and shear force and lower a* values (P .05). The present results demonstrate that adding 50% KCl may be a good strategy to reduce sodium in jerked beef1524957CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQ140533/2015-0; 406671/2016-

Molecular differences with therapeutic implications in early-onset compared to average-onset cholangiocarcinoma

536 Background: Early-onset cholangiocarcinoma (eoCCA) is among early-onset cancers with the fastest rising rates, yet little is known about its biology. We sought to compare the molecular characteristics of eoCCA with average-onset CCA (aoCCA) with an age cut-off of 50 years, utilizing a real-world multi-omics dataset. Methods: The study comprised patients whose tumors underwent molecular analysis at Caris Life Sciences (Phoenix, AZ) using whole exome and whole transcriptome analyses. Patients were categorized by age as eoCCA defined as 50 years. Gene expression profiles were analyzed for transcriptional signatures predictive of immunotherapy response including the T-cell inflamed score (TIS) and interferon-gamma (IFG) score. P values (adjusted for multiple testing) were considered significant at False Discovery Rate (FDR) P<0.05 for molecular comparisons and FDR P<0.25 for Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). Insurance claims data was used for survival comparison using Kaplan-Meier estimates. Results: The study included 5587 patients - 453 patients with eoCCA and 5134 with aoCCA (Table). Of targetable mutations ( FGFR2, IDH1, IDH2, ERBB2, BRCA, BRAF), FGFR2 fusion was significantly more prevalent in eoCCA (15.7% vs 5.9% in aoCCA, FDR P<0.001). Rates trended higher in eoCCAfor MSI-H tumors (4.1% vs 2.4%), and high tumor mutational burden (6.1% vs 5.1%) but not significantly different (FDR P=1). The IFG score (Fold Change FC: 1.1, FDR P=0.01) and TIS (FC:17.3, FDR P=0.03) were significantly higher in aoCCA vs eoCCA. On GSEA, angiogenesis was enriched in eoCCA (normalized enrichment score NES=1.51, FDR P=0.16) while IFG (NES= -1.58, FDR P =0.06) and inflammatory response (NES= -1.46, FDR P=0.18) were enriched in aoCCA. Median OS was longer in eoCCA (16.5 vs 13.3 months, Hazard Ratio (HR) 0.86, 95%CI 0.78-0.95, P=0.004). Among patients treated with immunotherapy, median OS was longer in patients with eoCCA (19.2 months, n=19) vs aoCCA (7.6 months, n=150) - HR 0.52, 95%CI 0.28-0.94, p=0.03. No survival difference was identified in patients on chemotherapy (HR 0.91, 95%CI 0.76-1.08, P=0.28). Conclusions: In the largest age-stratified analysis of molecular characteristics of CCA, we identified crucial differences, including higher prevalence of FGFR2 fusions and significant differences in immunotherapy-related markers, angiogenesis enrichment, and inflammatory response. Patients with eoCCA experienced better outcomes with immunotherapy even though immune-oncology-relevant markers favored aoCCA. Our findings, especially higher FGFR2 fusion prevalence in eoCCA, underscore the need for NGS testing and the potential for age-tailored therapeutic strategies. [Table: see text

Molecular and Antigenic Comparison of Ehrlichia canis Isolates from Dogs, Ticks, and a Human in Venezuela

We previously culture isolated a strain of Ehrlichia canis, the causative agent of canine ehrlichiosis, from a human in Venezuela. In the present study, we examined whether dogs and ticks are infected with E. canis in Venezuela and, if so, whether this is the same strain as the human isolate. PCR analysis using E. canis-specific primers revealed that 17 of the 55 dog blood samples (31%) and all three pools of four Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks each were positive. An ehrlichial agent (Venezuelan dog Ehrlichia [VDE]) was isolated and propagated in cell culture from one dog sample and was further analyzed to determine its molecular and antigenic characteristics. The 16S rRNA 1,408-bp sequence of the new VDE isolate was identical to that of the previously reported Venezuelan human Ehrlichia isolate (VHE) and was closely related (99.9%) to that of E. canis Oklahoma. The 5′ (333-bp) and 3′ (653-bp) sequences of the variable regions of the 16S rRNA genes from six additional E. canis-positive dog blood specimens and from three pooled-tick specimens were also identical to those of VHE. Western blot analysis of serum samples from three dogs infected with VDE by using several ehrlichial antigens revealed that the antigenic profile of the VDE was similar to the profiles of VHE and E. canis Oklahoma. Identical 16S rRNA gene sequences among ehrlichial organisms from dogs, ticks, and a human in the same geographic region in Venezuela and similar antigenic profiles between the dog and human isolates suggest that dogs serve as a reservoir of human E. canis infection and that R. sanguineus, which occasionally bites humans residing or traveling in this region, serves as a vector. This is the first report of culture isolation and antigenic characterization of an ehrlichial agent from a dog in South America, as well as the first molecular characterization of E. canis directly from naturally infected ticks