SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Liver Transplant: How Are We Now?

Background: The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 emerged as a new variant of concern, characterized by high transmissibility and lower severity compared with previous variants, and became the majority variant in the sixth wave in Spain. This study aims to assess the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on liver transplant recipients (LTRs) during 2023 in the population of Cantabria.

Methods: The study included 295 LTRs undergoing follow-up at the Liver Transplant Unit of the Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital.

Long-Term Effects of Early Low-Phosphorous Nutritional Conditioning on Broiler Chicken Performance, Bone Mineralization, and Gut Health Under Adequate or Phosphorous-Deficient Diets.

Phosphorous is essential for many metabolic functions and the constitution of bones. Poultry have limited ability to use phosphorous from diets, which is mainly excreted and causes environmental concern. For this reason, diets are commonly supplemented with inorganic phosphorus and phytases.

Prevalence of tail damage and ear lesions in docked and undocked pigs during trials to find alternatives to tail docking on Spanish commercial farms.

Background: Tail docking is widely used to control tail biting in pigs, but it is a painful and stressful procedure. The impact of non-docking trials on tail damage (TD) and ear lesions (EL) from weaning to slaughter was assessed on four commercial farms.

Methods: A total of 898 docked pigs (396 DP) or undocked pigs (502 UP) were assessed for tail damage and ear lesions at the beginning and end of the weaner stage, during fattening and at the abattoir during slaughter.

Impact of Nutritional Strategies to Prevent Post-Weaning Diarrhoea on Performance, Behaviour, and Microbiota in Piglets from Organic Farming.

Organic livestock farming is committed to high environmental and animal welfare standards, although pathologies such as post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD) may appear. The main objective of this study was to assess nutritional strategies to prevent PWD in organic piglets. A total of 134 weaned piglets were fed one of three diets: high crude protein (17.

Multidrug-resistant bacterial infections after liver transplantation: Prevalence, impact, and risk factors.

Background & Aims: Infections by multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDRB) are an increasing healthcare problem worldwide. This study analyzes the incidence, burden, and risk factors associated with MDRB infections after liver transplant(ation) (LT).

Methods: This retrospective, multicenter cohort study included adult patients who underwent LT between January 2017 and January 2020.

The role of HBIG in real life for patients undergoing liver transplantation due to HDV-related cirrhosis.

Recommended post-liver transplant (LT) prophylaxis in patients with hepatitis delta includes a nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) and anti-hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) indefinitely. We analysed the use of HBIG in real-life clinical practice and its impact on HBV/HDV recurrence in 174 HDV-related LT patients from 10 Spanish liver transplant centres (1988-2018). Median post-LT follow-up was 7.

No evidence of association between inherited thrombophilia and increased risk of liver fibrosis.

Background: Preliminary evidence suggests that inherited hypercoagulable disorders can lead to an increased risk of significant liver fibrosis.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the prevalence of significant fibrosis in patients with inherited thrombophilia, assessed by using liver stiffness (LS), and to compare this prevalence to that found in a large population-based cohort from the same region.

Methods: This was a single-center, cross-sectional study.

Risk of Recurrence of Hepatocarcinoma after Liver Transplantation: Performance of Recurrence Predictive Models in a Cohort of Transplant Patients.

Liver transplantation (LT) is a curative treatment for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) unsuitable for surgical resection. However, tumor recurrence (TR) rates range from 8% to 20% despite strict selection criteria. The validation of new prognostic tools, such as pre-MORAL or RETREAT risks, is necessary to improve recurrence prediction.

Reducing Stocking Densities and Using Cooling Systems for More Adapted Pigs to High Temperatures When Reared in Intensive Conditions.

This study is aimed at evaluating the effect of reducing stocking density and using cooling systems to mitigate the negative effects of high temperatures in growing pigs (females and castrated males) reared in intensive conditions (from 25 to 100 kg) during summer (June to October 2020). The experimental design was a 2 × 2 factorial where pigs were provided with an evaporative cooling system and/or raised at regular or at lower stocking densities (i.e.

Agonic Aspiration of Blood: Not Useful as an Animal-Based Indicator of Electrical Stunning Ineffectiveness in Pigs ().

Agonic aspiration of blood (AAB) may result from an inadequate exsanguination with accidental trachea severing, that can be favoured by ineffective stunning of pigs (). This study aimed to evaluate AAB as an animal-based indicator of electrical stunning ineffectiveness, which could be used by official veterinarians during the post-mortem inspection of pigs. Information on 3584 finishing pigs was collected at a Portuguese abattoir that performs head-to-body electrical stunning with horizontal bleeding.

Fatty Liver Disease, Metabolism and Alcohol Interplay: A Comprehensive Review.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease worldwide, and its incidence has been increasing in recent years because of the high prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome in the Western population. Alcohol-related liver disease (ArLD) is the most common cause of cirrhosis and constitutes the leading cause of cirrhosis-related deaths worldwide. Both NAFLD and ArLD constitute well-known causes of liver damage, with some similarities in their pathophysiology.

High accuracy of spleen stiffness measurement in diagnosing clinically significant portal hypertension in metabolic-associated fatty liver disease.

Background And Aims: Spleen stiffness measurement (SSM) by vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) has been tested in a limited number of studies versus hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG), especially with the 100 Hz spleen-specific module. The current study aims to evaluate the diagnostic performance of this novel module for detecting clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH) in a cohort of compensated patients with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) as the main aetiology and to improve the performance of the Baveno VII criteria for CSPH diagnosis by including SSM.

Methods: This is a retrospective single-centre study including patients with available measurements of HVPG, Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) and SSM by VCTE with the 100 Hz module.

Portal Vein Thrombosis in the Setting of Cirrhosis: A Comprehensive Review.

Portal vein thrombosis constitutes the most common thrombotic event in patients with cirrhosis, with increased rates in the setting of advanced liver disease. Despite being a well-known complication of cirrhosis, the contribution of portal vein thrombosis to hepatic decompensation and overall mortality is still a matter of debate. The incorporation of direct oral anticoagulants and new radiological techniques for portal vein recanalization have expanded our therapeutic arsenal.

Protective measures against Omicron could be more effective than Evusheld® in liver transplant recipients.

Evusheld (the combination of cilgavimab and tixagevimab, two long-lasting monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2) has been approved by the FDA as a pre-exposure treatment for COVID-19 in immunocompromised patients older than 12 years. However, this monoclonal antibody has been developed from SARS-CoV-2 variants that were predominant at the beginning of the pandemic, when Ómicron was not prevalent. Compared with other solid organ transplant recipients, liver transplant recipients have shown an excellent immune response to standard vaccination with three doses of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

Antibody response to the messenger RNA-1273 vaccine (Moderna) in liver transplant recipients.

Different reports have shown the clinical and serologic response to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines in preventing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the general population, but few studies have examined these responses in transplant recipients. We assessed the vaccine immunogenicity of two doses (100 μg) of the mRNA-1273 vaccine (Moderna) administered with a 28-day interval in liver transplant recipients (LTRs) at follow-up at the Marques de Valdecilla University Hospital. LTRs without a history of COVID-19 infection were tested for SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies directed against the spike protein (S) a median of 43 days after receiving the second Moderna vaccine dose.

Impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on liver transplant recipients. A single center observational study.

Background: the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown on liver transplant (LT) patients remains unknown. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the physical and mental health of LT patients during the lockdown period.

Methods: a web-based questionnaire was emailed to 238 LT patients undergoing regular follow-up at our unit between August and October 2020.

Intramuscular vs. Intradermic Needle-Free Vaccination in Piglets: Relevance for Animal Welfare Based on an Aversion Learning Test and Vocalizations.

The aim of the present study was to compare intramuscular injection with a needle and intradermic needle-free vaccinations against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) in piglets at 28 days old by studying behavioral and physiological reactions. A total of 72 piglets divided into 2 sex-balanced batches were assessed. Within each batch, the piglets were divided into three treatments, which were Hipradermic (0.

Evaluation of Tail Lesions of Finishing Pigs at the Slaughterhouse: Associations With Herd-Level Observations.

The prevalence of tail lesions evaluated at the slaughterhouse varies considerably between herds. These lesions result mainly from tail biting, a harmful behavior with multifactorial origin. This study sought to investigate if a batchwise inspection of tails at slaughterhouse could be a useful method to estimate the animal welfare situation in finishing pig herds, and if so, what type and detail of tail scoring such an inspection should utilize.

Obeticholic Acid and Fibrates in Primary Biliary Cholangitis: Comparative Effects in a Multicentric Observational Study.

Introduction: Obeticholic acid (OCA) and fibrates therapy results in biochemical improvement in placebo-controlled trials in patients with primary biliary cholangitis and insufficient response to ursodeoxycholic acid. There is scarce information outside of clinical trials. Therefore, we have assessed the effectiveness and adverse events of these treatments.