Predicting attitudinal and behavioral responses to COVID-19 pandemic using machine learning

At the beginning of 2020, COVID-19 became a global problem. Despite all the efforts to emphasize the relevance of preventive measures, not everyone adhered to them. Thus, learning more about the characteristics determining attitudinal and behavioral responses to the pandemic is crucial to improving future interventions. In this study, we applied machine learning on the multinational data collected by the International Collaboration on the Social and Moral Psychology of COVID-19 (N = 51,404) to test the predictive efficacy of constructs from social, moral, cognitive, and personality psychology, as well as socio-demographic factors, in the attitudinal and behavioral responses to the pandemic. The results point to several valuable insights. Internalized moral identity provided the most consistent predictive contribution-individuals perceiving moral traits as central to their self-concept reported higher adherence to preventive measures. Similar results were found for morality as cooperation, symbolized moral identity, self-control, open-mindedness, and collective narcissism, while the inverse relationship was evident for the endorsement of conspiracy theories. However, we also found a non-neglible variability in the explained variance and predictive contributions with respect to macro-level factors such as the pandemic stage or cultural region. Overall, the results underscore the importance of morality-related and contextual factors in understanding adherence to public health recommendations during the pandemic.

Influence of the extraction conditions on chia oil quality and partially defatted flour antioxidant properties

Partially defatted chia flour (PDCF) is a by-product of oil extraction from chia seeds (Salvia hispanica L.). It may be used as an ingredient to improve food products, especially due to its antioxidant properties. In this work, we studied the best screw press extraction conditions that allow preserving the antioxidant properties of PDCF. A central composite design was applied to perform a response surface analysis in order to optimize the oil extraction. The variables considered for optimization were seed moisture content and pressing temperature. Besides the oil quality indicators, the study was focused on the assessment of PDCF properties, including total polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity determined by chemical methods. Our results show that, within the range of screw press conditions evaluated, the chemical quality of the oil and the antioxidant properties of PDCF are both preserved. The best results (highest oil yield and stability) were obtained under a seed moisture content of 10.2% and a pressing temperature of 58.5 °C. In general, our results indicate that screw press methodology can be applied to process chia seeds, using a wide range of conditions, to concurrently produce good quality oil and a PDCF with beneficial properties.

Pediococcus pentosaceus RC007 and Saccharomyces boulardii RC009 as antibiotic alternatives for gut health in post-weaning pigs

AIMS

The aim of the present study was to evaluate a novel probiotic Pediococcus pentosaceus RC007 used alone and convined with Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii RC009, as in-feed additives to substitute the nontherapeutic use of antibiotics, and evaluate the different structural characteristics of intestinal bacterial populations between groups, correlated with pig production performance.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The in vivo study was conducted on post-weaning pigs, from 21 to 56 days old. Three dietary treatments were included: T1-basal diet (BD-control group); T2-BD with P. pentosaceus RC007; and T3-BD with a mix of P. pentosaceus RC007 and S. boulardii RC009. The weight gain increase of pigs consuming non-therapeutic antibiotics was similar to those that did not consume antibiotics during the study (P = 0.0234), but had better health indicators. The use of a probiotic combination increased carcass weight and significantly reduced the lumbar fat thickness. In terms of taxonomic composition, there was a tendency to modify the abundance of Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, and Lactobacillaceae in pigs that consumed the additives. The genus Butyricicoccus, Collinsella, and Ruminococcus tended to be more abundant in the microbiota of pigs at T3.

CONCLUSIONS

For the first time, the results of the present study indicate that P. pentosaceus RC007 and S. boulardii RC009, a probiotic combination, could be a good substitute for antibiotics in improving pig production performance, while also contributing to a healthier gut microbiota, especially with the reduced abundance of Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria.

Critical Insights Into LEAP2 Biology and Physiological Functions: Potential Roles Beyond Ghrelin Antagonism

Liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide 2 (LEAP2) has recently emerged as a novel hormone that reduces food intake and glycemia by acting through the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR), also known as the ghrelin receptor. This discovery has led to a fundamental reconceptualization of GHSR's functional dynamics, now understood to be under a dual and opposing regulation. LEAP2 exhibits several distinctive features. LEAP2 is released by hepatocytes and enterocytes, 2 cell types that lack classical regulatory secretory mechanisms and may respond differently to nutrient signals. LEAP2 is also found in higher concentrations in plasma than ghrelin, even under energy deficit conditions, and modulates GHSR by inhibiting both ghrelin-dependent and ghrelin-independent activities. Given these characteristics, LEAP2 appears to play a major role in regulating GHSR activity in vivo, extending beyond simple ghrelin antagonism and being crucial for the long-term regulation of energy balance. A deeper understanding of how LEAP2 functions may clarify the functional implications of GHSR in different physiological contexts and unlock new therapeutic strategies for treating obesity, diabetes, and other metabolic disorders.