Search

Hannah Powell,1,* Cristian Coarfa,2– 4,* Elisa Ruiz-Echartea,2– 4,* Sandra L Grimm,2– 4 Omar Najjar,1 Bing Yu,5 Luis Olivares,6 Michael E Scheurer,6 Christie Ballantyne,1 Abeer Alsarraj,1 Emad Mohamed Salem,1 Aaron P Thrift,1,2,7 Hashem B El Serag,1,2 Salma Kaochar1,2,4 1Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; 2Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; 3Center for Precision Environmental Health, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; 4Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; 5Department of Epidemiology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA; 6Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; 7Section of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Salma Kaochar; Hashem B El Serag, Email kaochar@bcm.edu; hasheme@bcm.eduBackground: Early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is crucial for improving patient outcomes, but we lack robust clinical biomarkers. This study aimed to identify a metabolite and/or lipid panel for early HCC detection.Methods: We developed a high-resolution liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based profiling platform and evaluated differences in the global metabolome and lipidome between 28 pre-diagnostic serum samples from patients with cirrhosis who subsequently developed HCC (cases) and 30 samples from patients with cirrhosis and no HCC (controls). We linked differentially expressed metabolites and lipids to their associated genes, proteins, and transcriptomic signatures in publicly available datasets. We used machine learning models to identify a minimal panel to distinguish between cases and controls.Results: Among cases compared with controls, 124 metabolites and 246 lipids were upregulated, while 208 metabolites and 73 lipids were downregulated. The top upregulated metabolites were glycoursodeoxycholic acid, 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid, octanoyl-coenzyme A, and glycocholic acid. Elevated lipids comprised glycerol lipids, cardiolipin, and phosphatidylethanolamine, whereas suppressed lipids included oxidized phosphatidylcholine and lysophospholipids. There was an overlap between differentially expressed metabolites and lipids and previously published transcriptomic signatures, illustrating an association with liver disease severity. A panel of 12 metabolites that distinguished between cases and controls with an area under the receiver operating curve of 0.98 for the support vector machine (interquartile range, 0.9– 1).Conclusion: Using prediagnostic serum samples, we identified a promising metabolites panel that accurately identifies patients with cirrhosis who progressed to HCC. Further validation of this panel is required.Keywords: lipid dysregulation, biomarker, fatty acids, machine learning

Although significant strides have been made in understanding the liquefaction phenomena, the recurrence of catastrophic seismic events continues to underscore the need for critical research in this area. The aim of the paper is to develop a better predictive model for liquefaction that can correctly describe the process of undrained pore pressure buildup in the case of pyroclastic soil. For this purpose, an experimental program was performed through undrained cyclic triaxial tests on three different pyroclastic soils, i.e., Cervinara (Italy), Campi Flegrei (Italy), and Rangiriri (New Zealand). The analyses of the experimental results show the dependency of the mechanism of excess porewater pressures on the stress history, stress state, and stiffness of the investigated soils by using two key parameters, ψ and λ , derived from the steady-state theory. A new simplified porewater pressure model whose parameters show a functional relationship with the state parameters has been proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper provides a comparative analysis of the presidential systems of Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Uruguay, covering the period between 1989 and 2022, with the aim of examining the factors that motivate a person in the head of a ministry to seek the presidential candidacy. The central argument holds that both the incumbent president and the political parties have the purpose of taking advantage of a person's passage through a Cabinet of State to boost his or her presidential candidacy within the political organization. The selected cases are justified due to the existence of historical moments in which ministers have left their posts to compete for the presidency in these countries. The methodology employed in this study follows a multimethod logic. First, quantitative logistic regression analysis is used, followed by qualitative press analysis of ministers' careers to support the theoretical argument. The most notable results highlight that having a political profile, being a member of the president's political party and having held a political ministry are influential factors when running in presidential elections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Con énfasis en el debate sobre las posibilidades de mejorar esta forma de gobierno, en esta sección se analiza, desde perspectivas teóricas y empíricas, cómo funciona el sistema presidencial en la región. Se trata primero la concentración del poder en el ejecutivo y luego se analizan experiencias nacionales con diversidad de funcionamiento de las coaliciones, el poder presidencial y la relación ejecutivo-legislativo. Se sostiene que, en contra de lo que afirmaba parte de ciencia política del siglo pasado, el presidencialismo ofrece posibilidades para que el líder del ejecutivo pueda negociar, cooperar y llevar a cabo su plan de gobierno. Para ello, es de vital importancia que los poderes del Estado sean equilibrados.

This section analyzes the new challenges, analytical approaches, and methodologies for the study of different political elites. Based on the existing literature and the review of cases in Latin America, these articles reflect on the various research perspectives considering as dependent variables or phenomena to explain the governmental, legislative, and ministerial elites.

Bioactive peptides derived from diverse food proteins have been part of diverse investigations. Whey is a rich source of proteins and components related to biological activity. It is known that proteins have effects that promote health benefits. Peptides derived from whey proteins are currently widely studied. These bioactive peptides are amino acid sequences that are encrypted within the first structure of proteins, which required hydrolysis for their release. The hydrolysis could be through in vitro or in vivo enzymatic digestion and using microorganisms in fermented systems. The biological activities associated with bio-peptides include immunomodulatory properties, antibacterial, antihypertensive, antioxidant and opioid, etc. These functions are related to general conditions of health or reduced risk of certain chronic illnesses. To determine the suitability of these peptides/ingredients for applications in food technology, clinical studies are required to evaluate their bioavailability, health claims, and safety of them. This review aimed to describe the biological importance of whey proteins according to the incidence in human health, their role as bioactive peptides source, describing methods, and obtaining technics. In addition, the paper exposes biochemical mechanisms during the activity exerted by biopeptides of whey, and their application trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resumen Este artículo analiza los principales factores que condicionan la selección de un directivo público de primer nivel jerárquico en Chile con base en una perspectiva de corte sociológico y el uso del concepto especies de capital. El trabajo realiza un recorrido teórico y descriptivo sobre la modernización del Estado y la profesionalización de la gestión pública en Chile. Posteriormente con una muestra de 45 casos correspondientes a altos directivos nombrados durante el período 2003-13, se trabaja con modelos de regresión logística para determinar los factores que condicionan la selección de estos funcionarios. Se llega a la conclusión que el capital político no es un factor que favorece la selección del actor.