This article has an accompanying continuing medical education activity, also eligible for MOC credit, on page e17 (https://www. gastrojournal.org/cme/home). Learning Objective: Upon completion of this CME activity, successful learners will be able to (1) discuss the clinical relevance of normalizing serum albumin concentration in patients with decompensated cirrhosis and ascites and (2) identify the main mechanisms of action of albumin in this setting. Effects of long-term albumin treatment on serum albumin levels and inflammatory cytokines High albumin dose (HAlbD: 1.5 g/kg every week, blue figures) but not low albumin dose (LAlbD: 1 g/kg every 2 weeks: red figures) normalized serum albumin levels and decreased inflammatory cytokines

The capacity of important hydroxytyrosol metabolites (homovanillyl alcohol, hydroxytyrosol acetate, homovanillyl alcohol acetate, hydroxytyrosol 3' and 4'-O-glucuronides, and homovanillyl alcohol 4'-O-glucuronide) to protect red blood cells (RBCs) from oxidative injury induced by the radical initiator 2,2'-azo-bis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH) or by the natural radical initiator H2O2 was evaluated. In the presence of AAPH, all compounds showed to protect RBCs from hemolysis in a dose-dependent manner, exccept for the homovanillyl alcohol glucuronide, with the order of activity being at 20 μM hydroxytyrosol > hydroxytyrosol glucuronides = hydroxytyrosol acetate = homovanillyl alcohol = homovanillyl acetate > homovanillyl alcohol glucuronide. At 10 μM, hydroxytyrosol, hydroxytyrosol acetate, and hydroxytyrosol glucuronides still protected hemoglobine from oxidation and from morphological RBC changes. In the presence of H2O2, hydroxytyrosol showed to significantly protect RBCs from oxidative hemolysis in a dose-dependent manner, but the hydroxytyrosol glucuronides showed only a limited protection that was independent of the concentration used.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of essential oils (EOs) of plants naturally occurring in northern Portugal on the spoilage of fresh Maronesa beef burgers stored at 2 and 8 C under different packaging conditions. EOs were obtained from dried leaves of laurel (Laurus Nobilis L.) and rosemary (Rosmarinus officinallis L.) by hydro-distillation using a Clevenger-type apparatus. Analysis of volatile composition of essential oils of rosemary and laurel was achieved by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and Gas Chromatography-Thermal Conductivity Detection (GC-TCD) resulting in the detection of 95.8% and 89.4% of its compounds, respectively. Fresh beef (semitendinosus and semimembranosus) of DOP-Maronesa breed (males; n = 4) were obtained from local market and transported to the laboratory. Samples were stored at 2 and 8 C in two different conditions: aerobiosis (A) and vacuum (V) and analyzed at 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, 21 and 28 days for Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), Enterobacteriaceae,Pseudomonas spp., Fungi, Total mesophilic (TM) and psychrotrophic (TP), color (L*a*b*) and pH. Laurel was the most effective EO keeping pH from increasing. Coordinates L* and a* were higher on samples containing laurel EO for both A and V packaging. Laurel also showed better effect in reducing microbiologic counts in samples packed in A at both 2 and 8 C and packed in V at 8 C. Rosemary was effective in reducing microbial counts on all V samples stored at 2 C. This study allows to conclude that Laurel EO has significant effect in shelf-life, maintaining fresh beef color.