Low-to-moderate alcohol consumption is associated with increased fibrosis in individuals with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Both metabolic dysfunction and alcohol consumption cause steatotic liver disease (SLD). New nomenclature and distinction of metabolic dysfunction-associated SLD (MASLD) and MetALD categories is based on arbitrary thresholds of alcohol intake. We assessed the impact of different levels of alcohol consumption on SLD severity and its interaction with metabolic comorbidities. METHODS: Population-based study with transient elastography (FibroScan®) data from participants in Spain (derivation) and U.S. (validation) cohorts. Controlled attenuation parameter (CAP≥275 dB/m) identified SLD. At least one cardiometabolic risk factor was required to define MASLD. Among MASLD patients, low alcohol consumption was defined as an average of 5-9 drinks/week, moderate consumption as 10-13 drinks/week for females and 10-20 drinks/week for males, and increased alcohol intake (MetALD) as 14-35 drinks/week for females and 21-42 drinks/week for males. Significant fibrosis was defined as LSM≥8 kPa and at-risk MASH as FAST score≥0.35. RESULTS: The derivation cohort included 2,227 subjects with MASLD (9% reported low, 14% moderate alcohol consumption), and 76 cases with MetALD. Overall prevalence of significant fibrosis and at-risk MASH were 7.6% and 14.8%, respectively. In the multivariable analysis, alcohol consumption was independently associated with significant fibrosis and at-risk MASH. A dose-dependent increase in the prevalence of significant fibrosis and at-risk MASH was observed between the number of drinks/week and the number of cardiometabolic factors. The validation cohort included 1,732 participants with MASLD, of whom 17% had significant fibrosis and 13% at-risk MASH. This cohort validated the association between moderate intake and MASLD at risk of progression (OR=1.69 [95%CI 1.06-2.71]). CONCLUSIONS: Moderate alcohol intake is commonly seen in MASLD and increases the risk of advanced disease, in a similar magnitude to MetALD spectrum. IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS: Metabolic risk factors such as overweight, diabetes or dyslipidemia, and alcohol consumption can cause liver disease. These factors frequently co-exist, but their joint effects on liver fibrosis remain uncertain. This study analyzes subjects form the general population with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) enrolled in Spain and U.S. We show that moderate alcohol consumption has a supra-additive effect with metabolic risk factors, exponentially increasing the risk of liver fibrosis. These results suggest that patients with unhealthy metabolic status and MASLD have no safe limits of daily alcohol intake.

Binge drinking at time of bariatric surgery is associated with liver disease, suicides, and increases long-term mortality.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Alcohol use disorder has been reported in patients undergoing bariatric procedures, but the pattern of alcohol consumption has not been evaluated. We investigated the prevalence, risk factors, and impact of binge drinking (BD) at the time of surgery and during follow-up. METHODS: A prospective, longitudinal study of subjects undergoing bariatric surgery was included in the LABS-2 registry between 2006 and 2009. Participants with AUDIT questionnaire at the time of surgery and a minimum of 12 months follow-up were included. BD was defined as consuming ≥5 drinks on at least 1 occasion in the previous month. Liver biopsies were obtained during bariatric procedures in not all cases. Survival analysis was performed with the adjusted Cox regression model and competing risk. RESULTS: A total of 2257 subjects were included, with a median follow-up of 79 months. The prevalence of BD at time of surgery was 12%, and it raised up to 23% during follow-up. Patients with BD predominantly had a binge eating disorder (OR=1.35 [95% CI: 1.04-1.76]), regularly consumed fast food [OR=1.4 (95% CI: 1.07-1.85)] and used other drugs (OR=2.65 [95% CI: 1.74-4.04]). Within liver biopsies evaluation, BD showed higher hepatic iron deposits (OR=3.00 [95% CI: 1.25-7.21]). BD at the time of surgery was associated with a higher risk of BD during follow-up (OR=10.49 [95% CI: 7.86-14.00]) and long-term mortality (HR: 3.21 [95% CI: 1.67-6.18]). Specific causes of death in these patients with BD were liver disease (p=0.020), suicide (p=0.015), neoplasms (p=0.034), and respiratory (p=0.025). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of BD in patients undergoing bariatric surgery is high and increases the risk of postoperative liver disease, suicides, and long-term mortality.

Hydroxycitrate delays early mortality in mice and promotes muscle regeneration while inducing a rich hepatic energetic status.

ATP citrate lyase (ACLY) inhibitors have the potential of modulating central processes in protein, carbohydrate, and lipid metabolism, which can have relevant physiological consequences in aging and age-related diseases. Here, we show that hepatic phospho-active ACLY correlates with overweight and Model for End-stage Liver Disease score in humans. Wild-type mice treated chronically with the ACLY inhibitor potassium hydroxycitrate exhibited delayed early mortality. In AML12 hepatocyte cultures, the ACLY inhibitors potassium hydroxycitrate, SB-204990, and bempedoic acid fostered lipid accumulation, which was also observed in the liver of healthy-fed mice treated with potassium hydroxycitrate. Analysis of soleus tissue indicated that potassium hydroxycitrate produced the modulation of wound healing processes. In vivo, potassium hydroxycitrate modulated locomotor function toward increased wire hang performance and reduced rotarod performance in healthy-fed mice, and improved locomotion in mice exposed to cardiotoxin-induced muscle atrophy. Our findings implicate ACLY and ACLY inhibitors in different aspects of aging and muscle regeneration.

Recurrent alcohol-associated hepatitis is common and is associated with increased mortality.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Alcohol relapse after surviving an episode of alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) is common. However, the clinical features, risk factors, and prognostic implications of recurrent alcohol-associated hepatitis (RAH) are not well described. APPROACH AND RESULTS: A registry-based study was done of patients admitted to 28 Spanish hospitals for an episode of AH between 2014 and 2021. Baseline demographics and laboratory variables were collected. Risk factors for RAH were investigated using Cox regression analysis. We analyzed the severity of the index episodes of AH and compared it to that of RAH. Long-term survival was assessed by Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests. A total of 1118 patients were included in the analysis, 125 (11%) of whom developed RAH during follow-up (median: 17 [7-36] months). The incidence of RAH in patients resuming alcohol use was 22%. The median time to recurrence was 14 (8-29) months. Patients with RAH had more psychiatric comorbidities. Risk factors for developing RAH included age <50 years, alcohol use >10 U/d, and history of liver decompensation. RAH was clinically more severe compared to the first AH (higher MELD, more frequent ACLF, and HE). Moreover, alcohol abstinence during follow-up was less common after RAH (18% vs. 45%, p <0.001). Most importantly, long-term mortality was higher in patients who developed RAH (39% vs. 21%, p = 0.026), and presenting with RAH independently predicted high mortality (HR: 1.55 [1.11-2.18]). CONCLUSIONS: RAH is common and has a more aggressive clinical course, including increased mortality. Patients surviving an episode of AH should undergo intense alcohol use disorder therapy to prevent RAH.

Biological treatment interruption in inflammatory bowel disease: Motivation and predictive factors / Interrupción del tratamiento biológico en la enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal: causas y factores predictores

Background: Loss-of-response and adverse events (AE) to biologics have been linked to HLA-DQA1*05 allele. However, the clinical factors or biologic used may influence treatment duration. Our objective was to evaluate the influence of clinical and therapeutic factors, along with HLA, in biological treatment discontinuation. Methods: A retrospective study of consecutive IBD patients treated with biologics between 2007 and 2011 was performed. Main outcome was treatment discontinuation due to primary non-response (PNR), secondary loss of response (SLR) or AE. HLA-DQA1 genotyping was done in all patients. Regression analyses were used to assess risk factors of treatment discontinuation. Results: One hundred fifty patients (61% male) with 312 biologic treatments were included. 147 (47%) were discontinued with a cumulative probability of 30%, 41% and 56% at 1, 2 and 5 years. The use of infliximab (p=0.006) and articular manifestations (p<0.05) were associated with treatment discontinuation. Considering cause of withdrawal, Ulcerative Colitis (UC) had a higher proportion of PNR (HR=4.99; 95% CI=1.71–14.63; p=0.003), SLR was higher if biologics had been indicated due to disease flare (HR=2.32; 95% CI=1.05–5.09; p=0.037) while AE were greater with infliximab (HR=2.46; 95% CI=1.48–4.08; p<0.001) or spondylitis (HR=2.46; 95% CI=1.78–6.89; p<0.001). According to the biological drug, HLA-DQA1*05 with adalimumab showed more SLR in cases with Crohn's disease (HR=3.49; 95% CI=1.39–8,78; p=0.008) or without concomitant immunomodulator (HR=2.8; 95% CI=1.1–6.93; p=0.026). Conclusions: HLA-DQ A1*05 was relevant in SLR of IBD patients treated with adalimumab without immunosupression. In patients treated with other biologics, clinical factors were more important for treatment interruption, mainly extensive UC or extraintestinal manifestations and having indicated the biologic for flare. (AU)

Introducción: Estudios previos han observado una asociación entre el HLA-DQA1*05 y la pérdida de respuesta a biológicos y el desarrollo de efectos adversos (EA). Hay factores clínicos y biológicos que podrían influir en la duración del tratamiento. El objetivo del estudio fue evaluar la influencia del HLA, de factores clínicos y terapéuticos en la interrupción del tratamiento biológico. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio retrospectivo de pacientes con enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal (EII) tratados con biológicos entre 2007 y 2011. Los principales eventos analizados fueron la suspensión del tratamiento por fallo de respuesta primaria (PRP), secundaria (PRS) o EA. Se realizó un tipaje del HLA-DQA1*05 y se evaluaron los factores de riesgo de interrupción del tratamiento mediante un análisis de regresión logística. Resultados: Se incluyeron 150 pacientes y 312 tratamientos, de los cuales se suspendieron 147 (47%) en el seguimiento. El infliximab (p=0,006) y las manifestaciones articulares (p<0,05) se relacionaron con la interrupción del tratamiento. La colitis ulcerosa (CU) presentó mayor PRP (HR: 4,99; IC 95%: 1,71-14,63; p=0,003), el brote como indicación de tratamiento se asoció a más PRS (HR: 2,32; IC 95%: 1,05-5,09; p=0,037); el uso de infliximab (HR: 2,46; IC 95%: 1,48-4,08; p<0,001) y la espondilitis (HR: 2,46; IC 95%: 1,78-6,89; p<0,001) a la suspensión por EA. El HLA-DQA1*05 fue un factor de riesgo de PRS en los pacientes tratados con adalimumab (ADA) con enfermedad de Crohn (HR: 3,49; IC 95%: 1,39-8,78; p=0,008) o con EII sin inmunosupresor asociado (HR: 2,8; IC 95%: 1,1-6,93; p=0,026). Conclusiones: El HLA-DQA1*05 se asoció al cese del tratamiento con ADA por PRS en los pacientes con EII sin inmunosupresor asociado. Respecto a otros biológicos, la suspensión se debió más a factores como la CU, las manifestaciones articulares y la indicación para remisión de brote intestinal. (AU)

Big Four LinkedIn Dimensions: Signals of Soft Skills? / [¿Son señales de soft skills las dimensiones del modelo LinkedIn Big Four?]

The use of LinkedIn as a tool in the recruitment and selection process has become routine in human resource management. However, a major drawback of such an approach is the lack of systematic and rigorous inferences on the psychological characteristics of the candidates. Calls have been made by scholars for further research on the psychometric guarantee of LinkedIn as a tool in the selection process. This study adopts signalling theory as a framework for exploring how LinkedIn profile information signals a candidate’s soft skills. Using a sample of 169 ITC professionals, through a cross-sectional design, soft skills were measured by means of a self-report questionnaire and LinkedIn profiles were assessed using rubrics for measuring the LinkedIn Big Four. Our findings demonstrate that LinkedIn Big Four Breadth of Professional Experience and Social Capital are valid signals of leadership, communication, problem solving, entrepreneurial and commercial thinking, planning and organization, and teamwork. We discuss the practical and theoretical implications of our results.(AU)

El uso de LinkedIn como herramienta en el proceso de reclutamiento y selección se ha convertido en algo habitual en la gestión de recursos humanos. Sin embargo, se carece de información rigurosa sobre la calidad de las inferencias que realizan los evaluadores sobre las características psicológicas de los candidatos, por lo que es necesario realizar más investigación sobre las garantías psicométricas de LinkedIn como herramienta de selección de personal. En consecuencia, el presente estudio adopta la teoría de las señales como marco para explorar cómo la información del perfil de LinkedIn es un indicador válido de las soft skills de los candidatos. Utilizando una muestra de 169 profesionales del sector tecnológico en España, mediante un diseño transversal, se midieron estas “habilidades blandas” a través de un cuestionario, mientras que los perfiles de LinkedIn se evaluaron utilizando las rúbricas del modelo LinkedIn Big Four. Los resultados muestran que las dimensiones del LinkedIn Big Four referentes a la experiencia profesional y el capital social, son señales válidas de las siguientes soft skills: liderazgo, comunicación, resolución de problemas, intraemprendimiento, pensamiento comercial, planificación y organización y trabajo en equipo. Finalmente, se discuten las implicaciones prácticas y teóricas de nuestros resultados.(AU)

New Trends in Digital Technology-Based Psychological and EducationalAssessment / Nuevas Tendencias en Evaluación Psicológica y Educativa Apoyada en Tecnologías Digitales

Background: The emergence of digital technology in the field of psychological and educational measurement and assessment broadens the traditional concept of pencil and paper tests. New assessment models built on the proliferation of smartphones, social networks and software developments are opening up new horizons in the field. Method: This study is divided into four sections, each discussing the benefits and limitations of a specific type of technology-based assessment: ambulatory assessment, social networks, gamification and forced-choice testing. Results: The latest developments are clearly relevant in the field of psychological and educational measurement and assessment. Among other benefits, they bring greater ecological validity to the assessment process and eliminate the bias associated with retrospective assessment. Conclusions: Some of these new approaches point to a multidisciplinary scenario with a tradition which has yet to be created. Psychometrics must secure a place in this new world by contributing sound expertise in the measurement of psychological variables. The challenges and debates facing the field of psychology as it incorporates these new approaches are also discussed.(AU)

Antecedentes: La irrupción de la tecnología digital en las áreas de medición y evaluación psicológica y educativa expande el concepto clásico de test de lápiz y papel. Los modelos de evaluación construidos sobre la ubicuidad de los smartphones, las redes sociales o el desarrollo del software abren nuevas posibilidades para la evaluación. Método: El estudio se organiza en cuatro partes en cada una de las cuales se discuten las ventajas y limitaciones de una aplicación de la tecnología a la evaluación: la evaluación ambulatoria, las redes sociales, la gamificación y las pruebas de elección forzosa. Resultados: Los nuevos desarrollos resultan claramente relevantes en el ámbito de la medición y la evaluación psicológica y educativa. Entre otras ventajas, aportan una mayor validez ecológica al proceso evaluativo y eliminan el sesgo relacionado con la evaluación retrospectiva. Conclusiones: Algunas de estas nuevas aproximaciones llevan a un escenario multidisciplinar con una tradición aún por construir. La psicometría está obligada a integrarse en este nuevo espacio aportando una sólida experiencia en la medición de variables psicológicas. Se muestran los temas de debate y retos que ha de abordar el buen quehacer de la psicología en la incorporación de estas nuevas aproximaciones.(AU)

Thiopurine adherence: a high prevalence with low impact on UC outcomes

Introduction: thiopurines are used as maintenance therapy in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). There are contradictory results regarding the relationship between adherence to treatment and risk of relapse.Objectives: to quantify and evaluate the trends in thiopurine prescription rates, and to determine the impact and risk factors of non-adherence.Methods: analytical, observational, retrospective study of UC patients taking thiopurines included in the ENEIDA single-center registry from October 2017 to October 2019. Adult patients in clinical remission at the beginning of the study on thiopurines maintenance treatment for at least 6 months before recruitment were included. Adherence was evaluated with an electronic pharmaceutical prescription system. Adherence was considered when 80 % or more of the prescribed medication was dispensed at the pharmacy. Kaplan-Meier curves and a regression model were used to examine year-to-year treatment dispensation, and to identify factors associated with non-adherence.Results: a total of 41 patients were included, of whom 71 % were males with a mean age of 44 (14), and 26.8 % were concomitantly managed with biological therapy. Overall, 22 % were non-adherent to thiopurines. No predictive factors of non-adherence were identified. Adherence rate did not correlate with disease activity during two years of follow-up (OR 1.6; 95 % CI = 0.3-9.1). Left-sided colitis and concomitant biological treatment were related with disease relapse (p ≤ 0.01).Conclusion: adherence to thiopurines in UC patients is high (78 %). Non-adherence is not related to clinical or pharmacological factors. Adherence rate was not associated with disease activity. (AU)

The Relationship between the Chief Executive Officer’s (CEO) Social Capital and Dynamic Capabilities: A Meta-Analysis of its Moderators

CEO social capital has shown a positive association with dynamic capabilities, although correlations have considerable heterogeneity among them. This meta-analysis estimates the correlation between CEO social capital and dynamic capabilities, and analyses moderator variables in explaining the heterogeneity in the results. Moderators are classified across four levels from macro to micro variables: country variables, firm environment, firm characteristics, and CEO variables. We apply a systematic search for studies in the Web of Science, Scopus, EBSCO, ProQuest, and Google Scholar databases. Additionally, we used a three-level random-effect meta-analysis on 89 correlations published between 2008 and 2021 from 9,272 CEOs. Findings indicate a positive correlation between CEO social capital and dynamic capabilities. Furthermore, we identified a moderator effect in the country and firm environment level. We found that the country of the study, the perception of transparency and legality in the country, and the environmental dynamism in the market moderate the size of the correlations. We also reject other moderators, including the individualism-collectivism national culture, firm size, the sources of social capital (business or political ties), and the dimension of the social capital (structural, relational or cognitive). This study contributes to the exploration of the sources of dynamic capabilities from the micro-foundation, identifies moderator variables that explain the heterogeneity in the results, and highlights the social nature of management activities which always evolve in a social context. (AU)

Qué hay detrás de LinkedIn? Midiendo a través de rúbricas las LinkedIn Big Four Dimensions / What’s behind LinkedIn? Measuring the LinkedIn Big Four Dimensions through rubrics

LinkedIn es la red social más utilizada en el ámbito profesional para funciones de reclutamiento y selección de personal. Aunque los profesiona-les de Recursos Humanos realizan inferencias sobre los candidatos en base a la información contenida en el perfil de LinkedIn, estas inferenciasno se realizan de forma sistematizada y objetiva. En esta investigación se proponen rúbricas, basadas en el modelo LinkedIn Big Four, como he-rramienta para hacer más sistemáticas y objetivas las inferencias de los profesionales de selección. Para el análisis se utilizó una muestra de pro-fesionales del sector IT (n = 105). Los resultados muestran unos resultados de fiabilidad adecuados a los estándares al uso y una evidencia inicialde validez que relaciona las puntuaciones en las rúbricas con las competencias genéricas de los profesionales.(AU)

LinkedIn is the most used social network in the professional field for recruitment and selection. Although human resources professionals makeinferences about candidates based on the information contained in the LinkedIn profile, these inferences are not made in a systematized or objectiveway. In this research, rubrics, based on the LinkedIn Big Four model, are proposed as a tool to make the inferences of selection professionals moresystematic and objective. A sample of professionals from the IT sector (n = 105) was used. Results show adequate reliability and initial evidence ofvalidity by means of correlation between the rubrics and generic competencies scores.(AU)

New insights on technology and assessment: introduction to JWOP special issue

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LinkedIn "Big Four": job performance validation in the ICT sector / Los "cuatro grandes" de LinkedIn: la validación del desempeño en el sector de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación

Social networks websites, and specially the LinkedIn platform, have changed the landscape of recruitment and personnel selection to a unified organizational process. Thus, apart from using LinkedIn as a recruitment tool, professionals also use it to make evaluative inferences regarding the individual characteristics of the candidates (e.g., their personality). However, most of the research focused on LinkedIn has left aside the evidence about its validity for decision making in the work setting. In our study we analyze the criterion oriented validity of LinkedIn incumbents professional profiles (N = 615) in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector with some measures of job performance. The results show four major factors underlying LinkedIn profiles about professional experience, social capital, updating knowledge, and non-profesional information. These factors are significantly related to productivity, absenteeism, and the potential for professional development. These findings are discussed in light of their theoretical and practical implications

Las redes sociales, y especialmente la plataforma LinkedIn, están convirtiendo la función de reclutamiento y selección de personal en un proceso cada vez más unificado. Además de como herramienta de reclutamiento, los profesionales utilizan esta plataforma para hacer inferencias de evaluación sobre las características individuales de los candidatos, aunque la mayoría de las investigaciones han dejado de lado el análisis de su validez para la toma de decisiones en el entorno laboral. En nuestra investigación hemos estudiado los perfiles profesionales en LinkedIn de trabajadores del sector de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (N = 615), y su validez orientada a criterios de desempeño laboral. Los resultados muestran cuatro factores principales que subyacen a los perfiles de LinkedIn: experiencia profesional, capital social, actualización de conocimientos e información complementaria. Estos factores están significativamente relacionados con la productividad, el absentismo y el potencial de desarrollo profesional. Estos hallazgos se discuten a la luz de sus implicaciones teóricas y prácticas

Bowel perforation after pneumatic dilatation: Management with fully covered self-expandable metallic stent / Perforación colónica tras dilatación neumática: manejo con prótesis metálica autoexpandible totalmente recubierta

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Cheating on unproctored internet test applications: an analysis of a verification test in a Real personnel selection context

This study analyses the extent to which cheating occurs in a real selection setting. A two-stage, unproctored and proctored, test administration was considered. Test score inconsistencies were concluded by applying a verification test (Guo and Drasgow Z-test). An initial simulation study showed that the Z-test has adequate Type I error and power rates in the specific selection settings explored. A second study applied the Z-test statistic verification procedure to a sample of 954 employment candidates. Additional external evidence based on item time response to the verification items was gathered. The results revealed a good performance of the Z-test statistic and a relatively low, but non-negligible, number of suspected cheaters that showed higher distorted ability estimates. The study with real data provided additional information on the presence of suspected cheating in unproctored applications and the viability of using item response times as an additional evidence of cheating. In the verification test, suspected cheaters spent 5.78 seconds per item more than expected considering the item difficulty and their assumed ability in the unproctored stage. We found that the percentage of suspected cheaters in the empirical study could be estimated at 13.84%. In summary, the study provides evidence of the usefulness of the Z-test in the detection of cheating in a specific setting, in which a computerized adaptive test for assessing English grammar knowledge was used for personnel selection

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Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in an immunocompromised patient with severe ulcerative colitis

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