Methodologic Quality and Pharmacotherapy Recommendations for Patient Blood Management Guidelines for Cardiac Surgery on Cardiopulmonary Bypass.

Patient blood management (PBM) guidelines for patients undergoing cardiac surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) have increased during the past decade, and pharmacotherapy plays an important role in PBM. In the face of the undefined consistency in the methodologic quality and pharmacotherapy recommendations across multiple guidelines, this study exclusively evaluated methodologies of the related guideline development process, and compiled medication recommendations of PBM for cardiac surgery patients. PBM guidelines for cardiac surgery under CPB were searched through some mainstream literature and guideline databases from database establishment to May 15, 2023. Nine guidelines meeting inclusion criteria were included in this study. The quality of the guidelines was evaluated using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) tool. "Stakeholder involvement" received the lowest mean score of 49.38% in the AGREE II scoring among the guidelines. PBM for cardiac surgery patients spans the perioperative phase. Drug therapy strategies of PBM for cardiac surgery patients involve anemia therapy, perioperative administration of antithrombotic drugs, intraoperative anticoagulation, and the use of hemostatic drugs. Unlike for adults, there is less evidence about the management of antithrombotic drugs and hemostatic drugs for pediatric cardiac surgery patients. Recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) and desmopressin (DDAVP) are not recommended after pediatric cardiac surgery, whereas prothrombin complex concentrate could be considered in clinical trials. As for the controversies regarding the administration of rFVIIa and DDAVP after adult cardiac surgery by different societies, clinicians should exercise their clinical judgment based on individual patient features.

Research Note: Effects of the intermittent feeding of microencapsulation essential oil on laying performance, egg quality, immune response, intestinal morphology, and oxidation status of laying hens.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of microencapsulated essential oils (MEO) on the laying performance, egg quality, immunity, intestinal morphology, and oxidative status of laying hens. A total of 640 Hy-line Brown laying hens, 41 wk of age, were randomly divided into 4 groups, each with 8 replicates containing 20 birds per replicate. The dietary conditions tested included a basal diet (Control) or the basal diet supplemented with various levels of MEO at 100 mg/kg (MEO100), 300 mg/kg (MEO300), and 500 mg/kg (MEO500). The three treatment groups were intermittently fed MEO, following an alternating schedule of 1 wk on and 1 wk off for a total of 56 d. Results showed that feeding MEO at levels of 300 and 500 mg/kg improved both egg production and feed conversion ratios compared to the control group. Hens consumed MEO-supplemented diets exhibited a significant decrease in the breaking egg ratio (P < 0.05) compared to those fed the control diet. Shell thickness and Haugh unit values significantly increased in the groups receiving 300 and 500 mg/kg of MEO (P < 0.05). Both the MEO300 and MEO500 treatments led to improvements in immunoglobulin (IgA, IgM, and IgG) and cytokine (IL-2 and IFN-γ) levels in serum. Hens in the MEO300 and MEO500 groups exhibited higher values for parameters related to intestinal morphometry compared to the control group. Furthermore, supplementation with 300 and 500 mg/kg of MEO enhanced the antioxidant capacity of plasma, as evidenced by increased activities of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), and catalase (CAT) (P < 0.05). In summary, the intermittent feeding of MEO improved egg production, enhanced antioxidative processes, immune functions, and intestinal morphology, leading to an amelioration in the egg quality of laying hens. Our data demonstrate that supplementation of 300 mg/kg of MEO in feed can significantly improve animal health and egg quality. Implementation of these feeding practices could have a positive economic impact on poultry and egg industry.

Neonatal microglia transplantation at early stage but not late stage after traumatic brain injury shows protective effects in mice.

The transplantation of neonatal microglia suppresses neuroinflammation caused by traumatic brain injury (TBI). This research aimed to explore the optimal time point of neonatal microglia transplantation for the best effect on the improvement of long-term cognitive function and inflammatory response in mouse models. qPCR and immunoblotting showed that the level of Iba1 gradually increased to the highest on day 7 and then gradually declined in TBI mice. Furthermore, it was observed that the level of CD86 and TNF-α increased to the highest after 7 days and subsequently was maintained until day 21, whereas the level of CD206 and IL-10 increased to the highest after 24 h and subsequently decreased until day 21 by qPCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Afterward, it was shown that the neonatal microglia transplantation within 1 h significantly attenuated anxiety-like behavior and improved cognitive impairments in TBI mice. Mechanism exploration showed that the neonatal microglia could significantly decrease the level of cleaved caspase-3, M1/M2 polarization, and inflammatory cytokine (TNF-α) while increasing the level of anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 in TBI mice after transplantation within 1 h. Here, our findings demonstrated that neonatal microglia transplantation within 1 h significantly attenuated anxiety-like behavior and cognitive impairments caused by TBI.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The study demonstrated that neonatal microglia transplantation within 1 h significantly inhibited the pathogenesis of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in mouse models through inhibition of M1 polarization and promotion of M2 polarization.

In vitro fermentation characteristics of different types of fiber-rich ingredients by pig fecal inoculum.

BACKGROUND: Dietary fibers with varying physicochemical properties have different fermentation characteristics, which may differently impact host health. The present study aimed to determine the fermentation characteristics including gas production kinetics, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production and microbial composition of different fibrous ingredients using in vitro fermentation by fecal microbiota. RESULTS: Sugar beet pule (SBP), wheat bran (WB), dried corn distillers grains with solubles (DDGS), rice bran (RB) and alfalfa meal (AM) were selected to fermentation in vitro for 36 h. The results showed that SBP had the greatest gas production. SBP had the highest in vitro dry matter fermentability (IVDMF) and production of acetate, propionate and total SCFAs, followed by WB, which were all greater than DDGS, AM and RB. The alpha-diversity was higher in the DDGS, AM and RB groups than in the WB and SBP groups. Differences in microbial community composition were observed among groups. The relative abundance of Treponema was highest in WB group. RB group showed lower Prevotella abundance than other groups but had higher Succinivibrio abundance. Interestingly, the Lactobacillus reached the highest abundances in the DDGS group. Correlation analysis indicated that the relative abundance of Treponema and Prevotella was positively associated with the gas production, IVDMF and SCFAs, whereas norank_f_Muribaculaceae, Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, Lysinibacillus and Succinivibrio were the opposite. CONCLUSION: Collectively, WB and SBP were fermented rapidly by fecal microbiota compared to DDGS, AM and RB. Different fiber sources have different fiber compositions and fermentation properties that affect the microbial compositins and SCFAs production. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Molecular characterization of a novel mitochondrial NOD-like receptor X1 in chicken that negatively regulates IFN-ß expression via STING.

NOD-like receptor X1 (NLRX1) is known for its unique mitochondrial localization and plays a negative role in innate immunity. The initial characterization and function of chicken NLRX1 remain unclear. Here, chicken mitochondrial-targeted NLRX1 (chNLRX1) protein was identified. It had relatively conserved domains, a unique N-terminal "X" mitochondrial-targeting domain (MT) and 2 highly conserved motifs at positions 510-520 and 412-421. Furthermore, chNLRX1 had a unique 53aa N-terminus-MT consistent with its localization to mitochondria. Additionally, chNLRX1 was observed to reduce the DNA sensing adaptor stimulator of interferon genes (STING)-induced IFN-ß by attenuating the STING-TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) interaction, which is a requisite for the STING-TBK1-IFN-ß signaling pathway. These results suggested that chNLRX1 negatively regulated type-I interferon production via STING in host innate immunity.

Nonstructural protein VP2 of chicken anemia virus triggers IFN-ß expression via host cGAS.

Chicken anemia virus (CAV) constitutes an important economic threat for the poultry industry. Advancing the understanding of the pathogenic process of CAV infection, we had previously demonstrated that CAV VP1 has the ability to inhibit expression of IFN-ß via cGAS-STING signalling pathway. Here to go further to reveal this regulatory role of viral phosphatase VP2, we have performed protein-protein interaction assays with cGAS adaptors, as well as IFN-ß induction screenings. Contrary to VP1, VP2 of CAV stimulates the expression of IFN-ß, a regulatory effect more closely associated with cGAS (in the context of the cGAS-STING axis) than with STING, TBK1 or IRF7. The results reported here offer new insights about the molecular mechanisms that varied viral proteins act in a timely manner on the host during CAV infection.

Iron-based metal-organic framework co-loaded with buthionine sulfoximine and oxaliplatin for enhanced cancer chemo-ferrotherapy via sustainable glutathione elimination.

BACKGROUND: Emerging ferroptosis-driven therapies based on nanotechnology function either by increasing intracellular iron level or suppressing glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) activity. Nevertheless, the therapeutic strategy of simultaneous iron delivery and GPX4 inhibition remains challenging and has significant scope for improvement. Moreover, current nanomedicine studies mainly use disulfide-thiol exchange to deplete glutathione (GSH) for GPX4 inactivation, which is unsatisfactory because of the compensatory effect of continuous GSH synthesis. METHODS: In this study, we design a two-in-one ferroptosis-inducing nanoplatform using iron-based metal-organic framework (MOF) that combines iron supply and GPX4 deactivation by loading the small molecule buthionine sulfoxide amine (BSO) to block de novo GSH biosynthesis, which can achieve sustainable GSH elimination and dual ferroptosis amplification. A coated lipid bilayer (L) can increase the stability of the nanoparticles and a modified tumor-homing peptide comprising arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD/R) can achieve tumor-specific therapies. Moreover, as a decrease in GSH can alleviate resistance of cancer cells to chemotherapy drugs, oxaliplatin (OXA) was also loaded to obtain BSO&OXA@MOF-LR for enhanced cancer chemo-ferrotherapy in vivo. RESULTS: BSO&OXA@MOF-LR shows a robust tumor suppression effect and significantly improved the survival rate in 4T1 tumor xenograft mice, indicating a combined effect of dual amplified ferroptosis and GSH elimination sensitized apoptosis. CONCLUSION: BSO&OXA@MOF-LR is proven to be an efficient ferroptosis/apoptosis hybrid anti-cancer agent. This study is of great significance for the clinical development of novel drugs based on ferroptosis and apoptosis for enhanced cancer chemo-ferrotherapy.

Alleviation effect of conjugated linoleic acid on estradiol benzoate induced fatty liver hemorrhage syndrome in Hy-line male chickens.

The purpose of this study was to explore whether conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) could alleviate fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome (FLHS) induced by estradiol benzoate intramuscular injection in laying hens. One hundred male Hy-Line white chickens were randomly divided into two groups, namely, the control (CON) and estradiol benzoate (E) groups, and both groups were fed the same basal diet. After injections of estradiol benzoate at 2 mg/kg every two days for a total of 7 times, chickens in the E group showed FLHS symptoms, including liver enlargement, hemorrhage, and steatosis. Then half of the chickens in the E group received an additional diet containing 5000 mg/kg CLA for 8 weeks. The results of morphological observations, hematoxylin and eosin staining, and Oil Red O staining showed that CLA alleviated liver enlargement, hemorrhage, and lipid accumulation in FLHS chickens. In addition, we measured liver function and lipid metabolism indicators, including ALT, AST, TG, TCH, HDL-C, and LDL-C, which further suggested that CLA mitigated the disturbance of serum and liver metabolism in FLHS chickens. Mechanistically, CLA inhibited hepatic de novo lipogenesis, cholesterol synthesis, and TG accumulation and increased TG hydrolysis in FLHS chickens by regulating the gene expression of CD36, ACC, FAS, SCD 1, DGAT2, LIPE, ATGL, CPT1A, SREBP-1c, SREBP-2, PPARγ, and PPARα. Furthermore, CLA ameliorated hepatic oxidative stress and inhibited NF-κB signaling pathway-mediated inflammation in FLHS chickens. In conclusion, CLA regulated lipid metabolism, thus further alleviating oxidative stress and inflammation to alleviate FLHS induced by estrogen in chickens.

Fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome (FLHS) has become one of the most common noninfectious diseases that contribute to laying hen mortality. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a functional polyunsaturated fatty acid with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of CLA on FLHS induced by estradiol benzoate in laying hens. We successfully replicated the FLHS pathological model by intramuscular injection of estradiol benzoate. The results of morphological and histopathological observations showed that CLA alleviated liver lipid accumulation in FLHS chickens. In addition, we measured liver function and lipid metabolism indicators, which further suggested that CLA mitigated the disturbance of serum and liver metabolism in FLHS chickens. Moreover, CLA inhibited hepatic de novo lipogenesis, cholesterol synthesis, and TG accumulation and increased TG hydrolysis in FLHS chickens by regulating related gene expression. Furthermore, CLA ameliorated hepatic oxidative stress and inhibited inflammation in FLHS chickens. In conclusion, CLA regulated lipid metabolism, thus further alleviating oxidative stress and inflammation to alleviate FLHS induced by estrogen in chickens. Our results provide new evidence and insights for applying CLA as an effective treatment for FLHS.

The brain-specific upregulation of CARD11 in response to avian brain-neurotropic virus infection serves as a potential biomarker.

Avian neurotropic viruses are critical problems in poultry industry causing severe central nervous system (CNS) damage with neuroinvasive and neurovirulence properties. Biomarker of neurotropic viral intracranial invasion is of great application value for the diagnosis, but that of avian neurotropic viruses remains elusive. Previously, we found that chicken caspase recruitment domain family, member 11 (CARD11) was only upregulated in virulent Newcastle disease virus-infected chickens and in chicken primary neuronal cells. In this study, CARD11 was systemically expressed in chickens and pigeons detected by absolute qPCR and immunohistochemical (IHC) assay. After virus challenging, only avian neurotropic viruses (avian encephalomyelitis virus [AEV] and pigeon paramyxovirus type 1 [PPMV-1]) except Marek's disease virus (MDV) can invade brain and cause pathological changes. The relative mRNA expression of CARD11 was brain-upregulated in AEV- or PPMV-1-infected animals, rather than MDV and non-neurotropic viruses (fowl adenovirus serotype 4 [FAdV-4] and infectious bronchitis virus [IBV]). Similarly, the protein expression of CARD11 was only upregulated in the cerebra and cerebella infected by avian brain-neurotropic virus using IHC assay. And there were no correlations between the change level of CARD11 and viral load. Our preliminary data suggested that avian CARD11 may be a potential brain biomarker for avian brain-neurotropic virus invasion.

Vaccination using mutated receptor binding domains of SARS-CoV-2: Evidence for partial immune escape but not serotype formation.

Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 has developed a number of Variants of Concern (VOC) with increased infectivity and/or reduced recognition by neutralizing antibodies specific for the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein. Extended studies of other viruses have shown that strong and broad viral escape from neutralizing serum antibodies is typically associated with the formation of serotypes. Methods: To address the question of serotype formation for SARS-CoV-2 in detail, we generated recombinant RBDs of VOCs and displayed them on virus-like particles (VLPs) for vaccination and specific antibody responses. Results: As expected, mice immunized with wild type (wt) RBD generated antibodies that recognized wt RBD well but displayed reduced binding to VOC RBDs, in particular those with the E484K mutation. Unexpectedly, however, antibodies induced by the VOC vaccines typically recognized best the wt RBDs, often more than the homologous VOC RBDs used for immunization. Hence, these data do not reveal different serotypes but represent a newly observed viral evolution, suggesting a unique situation where inherent differences of RBDs are responsible for induction of neutralizing antibodies. Discussion: Therefore, besides antibody (fine) specificity, other qualities of antibodies (e.g. their affinity) determine neutralizing capability. Immune escape of SARS-CoV-2 VOCs only affects a fraction of an individual's serum antibodies. Consequently, many neutralizing serum antibodies are cross-reactive and thus protective against multiple current and future VOCs. Besides considering variant sequences for next generation vaccines, broader protection will be achieved with vaccines that induce elevated titers of high-quality antibodies.

Potential virulence factors of Nocardia seriolae AHLQ20-01 based on whole-genome analysis and its pathogenicity to largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides).

Nocardia seriolae is a major causative agent of fish nocardiosis that results in serious economic losses in the aquaculture industry. However, the virulence factors and pathogenic mechanisms of the bacterium are poorly understood. Here, a new N. seriolae strain AHLQ20-01 was isolated from the diseased Micropterus salmoides and identified by phenotypic examination combined with 16S rRNA sequencing. Subsequently, the potential virulence factors of the strain were analysed at genome level by whole-genome sequencing. The results showed that the whole-genome sequence derived from N. seriolae AHLQ20-01 circular chromosome contains 8,129,380 bp DNA with G + C content of 68.14%, and encompasses 7650 protein-coding genes, 114 pseudo-genes, 3 rRNAs, 66 tRNAs and 36 non-coding RNAs. More importantly, a total of 139 genes, which mainly involved in adhesion, invasion, resistance to oxidative and nitrosative stress, phagosome arresting, iron acquisition system, toxin production and bacterial secretion systems, were identified as core virulence-associated genes. Furthermore, the pathogenicity of N. seriolae AHLQ20-01 to M. salmoides was further investigated through experimental infection. It was found that the LD50 value of the strain to M. salmoides was 9.3 × 106  colony forming unit/fish. Histopathological examination demonstrated typical granuloma with varying sizes in the liver, head kidney, spleen and heart of the experimentally infected fish. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelling assay and 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining showed that there were distinctly more apoptotic cells in all the tested tissues in the infection group, but not in the control group. Together, these findings provide the foundation to further explore the pathogenic mechanism of N. seriolae, which might contribute to the prevention and treatment of fish nocardiosis.

Chicken anemia virus VP1 negatively regulates type I interferon via targeting interferon regulatory factor 7 of the DNA-sensing pathway.

The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signaling pathway plays a vital role in sensing viral DNA in the cytosol, stimulating type I interferon (IFN) production and triggering the innate immune response against DNA virus infection. However, viruses have evolved effective inhibitors to impede this sensing pathway. Chicken anemia virus (CAV), a nonenveloped ssDNA virus, is a ubiquitous pathogen causing great economic losses to the poultry industry globally. CAV infection is reported to downregulate type I IFN induction. However, whether the cGAS-STING signal axis is used by CAV to regulate type I IFN remains unclear. Our results demonstrate that CAV infection significantly elevates the expression of cGAS and STING at the mRNA level, whereas IFN-ß levels are reduced. Furthermore, IFN-ß activation was completely blocked by the structural protein VP1 of CAV in interferon stimulatory DNA (ISD) or STING-stimulated cells. VP1 was further confirmed as an inhibitor by interacting with interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7) by binding its C-terminal 143-492 aa region. IRF7 dimerization induced by TANK binding kinase 1 (TBK1) could be inhibited by VP1 in a dose-dependent manner. Together, our study demonstrates that CAV VP1 is an effective inhibitor that interacts with IRF7 and antagonizes cGAS-STING pathway-mediated IFN-ß activation. These findings reveal a new mechanism of immune evasion by CAV.

Post-Remedial Oxygen Supply: A New Perspective on Photodynamic Therapy to Suppress Tumor Metastasis.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) holds great promise in tumor therapy due to high safety, efficacy, and specificity. However, the risk of increased metastasis in hypoxic tumors after oxygen-dependent PDT remains underestimated. Here, we propose a post-PDT oxygen supply (POS) strategy to reduce the risk of metastasis. Herein, biocompatible and tumor-targeting Ce6@BSA and PFC@BSA nanoparticles were constructed for PDT and POS in a 4T1-orthotropic breast cancer model. PDT with Ce6@BSA nanoparticles increased tumor metastasis via the HIF-1α signaling pathway, whereas POS significantly reduced the PDT-triggered metastasis by blocking this pathway. Furthermore, POS, with clinical protocols and an FDA-approved photosensitizer (hypericin), and oxygen inhalation reduced PDT-induced metastasis. Our study findings indicate that PDT may increase the risk of tumor metastasis and that POS may solve this problem. POS can reduce the metastasis resulting not only from PDT but also from other oxygen-dependent treatments such as radiotherapy and sonodynamic therapy.

Redox dyshomeostasis modulation of the tumor intracellular environment through a metabolic intervention strategy for enhanced photodynamic therapy.

Rationale: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a clinically approved anticancer treatment with a promising therapeutic prospect, however, usually suffers from the unfavorable intracellular environment including cellular hypoxia and excessive glutathione (GSH). Comprehensive and long-term modulation of tumor intracellular environment is crucial for optimizing therapeutic outcomes. However, current strategies do not enable such requirements, mainly limited by flexible networks of intracellular metabolic avenues. Methods: A metabolic pre-intervention (MPI) strategy that targets critical pathways of cellular metabolism, ensuring long-term modulation of the intracellular environment. A versatile lipid-coating photosensitive metal-organic framework (MOF) nano-vehicle encapsulating aerobic respiration inhibitor metformin (Met) and GSH biosynthesis inhibitor buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) (termed PBMLR) was developed for comprehensive sustainable hypoxia alleviation and GSH downregulating. Results: Since MPI could effectively circumvent the compensatory accessory pathway, PBMLR, therefore functioned as an efficient singlet oxygen (1O2) radical generator during the subsequent laser irradiation process and enhanced PDT anti-tumor efficiency. We emphasized the concordance of long-term hypoxia alleviation, persistent GSH depletion, and tumor enrichment of photosensitizers, which is very meaningful for a broad therapeutic time window and the successful enhancement of PDT. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that maintaining the sensitivity of tumor cells via MPI could enhance anti-tumor PDT, and may be applied to other dynamic therapies such as radiodynamic therapy and sonodynamic therapy.

First identification of Nocardia seriolae GapA adhesion function and its three B-cell epitopes with cell-binding activity.

Fish nocardiosis mainly caused by Nocardia seriolae (N. seriolae) is a serious threat to aquaculture. Bacterial adhesion to host cells mediated by adhesin is an initial step of pathogenesis. But it is not clear whether glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GapA) is an adhesin of N. seriolae. Here, recombinant GapA protein (rGapA) was prokaryotic expressed, and its role in the bacterial adhesion to Ctenopharyngodon idella kidney cells was investigated by indirect immunofluorescence, protein-binding assay and adhesion inhibition assay. The results showed that an obvious green fluorescence was observed on the surface of the cells co-incubated with rGapA protein; the cytomembrane proteins of the cells pretreated with rGapA could react with anti-rGapA antibody; and the antibody significantly inhibited the adhesion ability of the bacteria. Subsequently, B-cell linear epitopes of GapA protein were identified by using a immunoinformatics approach combined with peptide ELISA and Western blot for the first time. It was found that four predicted epitopes (Ep58-69 , Ep139-150 , Ep186-197 , Ep318-329 ) could all react with anti-rGapA antibody and obviously inhibit the immunoreactivity between rGapA and anti-rGapA antibody, and they were confirmed as indeed B-cell linear epitopes of the protein. Furthermore, flow cytometry analysis found the percentage of positive cells co-incubated with FITC-labelled epitope peptides (Ep139-150 , Ep186-197 , Ep318-329 ) was significantly higher than those in the FITC-labelled Ep58-69 , unrelated control peptide and cell control. Collectively, GapA is an adhesin of N. seriolae, and epitope peptides (Ep139-150 , Ep186-197 , Ep318-329 ) possess cell-binding activity, which are potential candidates for developing a multiple epitopes-based adhesin vaccine against fish nocardiosis.

Effects of in ovo feeding of t10,c12-conjugated linoleic acid on hepatic lipid metabolism and subcutaneous adipose tissue deposition in newly hatched broiler chicks.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether in ovo feeding of t10,c12-conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) could regulate hepatic lipid metabolism and decrease lipid accumulation in newly hatched chicks. Three hundred and sixty fertilely specific pathogen-free hatching eggs were selected and randomly divided into 6 groups. On embryonic day 11 of incubation (E11), 0, 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, 6.0, or 7.5 mg t10,c12-CLA were injected into the eggs. The results indicated that in ovo feeding of t10,c12-CLA significantly decreased the subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) mass and the relative SAT weight of newly hatched chicks in linear and quadratic manners (P < 0.05). In liver, the levels of triglycerides were reduced linearly and quadratically and total cholesterol were reduced quadratically as the dose of t10,c12-CLA increased (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the hepatic carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1a (CPT1a) content and polyunsaturated fatty acid proportion were increased quadratically in t10,c12-CLA groups (P < 0.05), accompanied by the decrease of malondialdehyde level and the increase of glutathione peroxidase and total antioxidant capacity activities (P < 0.05). In addition, in ovo feeding of t10,c12-CLA decreased the mRNA expression levels of fatty acid synthase, acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 in linear and quadratic manners (P < 0.05), and decreased the mRNA expression of adipose triacylglyceride lipase and stearoyl-CoA desaturase significantly in liver (P < 0.05), accompanied by upregulating the mRNA expression of CPT1a quadratically and AMP-activated protein kinase α linearly and quadratically (P < 0.05). In SAT, the mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c were decreased linearly and quadratically (P < 0.05), and the expression of PPARα and CPT1a genes were increased linearly and quadratically as the dose of t10,c12-CLA increased (P < 0.05). In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that in ovo feeding of t10,c12-CLA alleviates lipid accumulation in newly hatched chicks by suppressing fatty acid synthesis and stimulating lipolysis in the liver and inhibiting adipocyte differentiation in subcutaneous adipose tissue.

Induction of Broadly Cross-Reactive Antibodies by Displaying Receptor Binding Domains of SARS-CoV-2 on Virus-like Particles.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been reduced since the application of vaccination programs, mostly shown in the reduction of hospitalized patients. However, the emerging variants, in particular Omicron, have caused a steep increase in the number of infections; this increase is, nevertheless, not matched by an increase in hospitalization. Therefore, a vaccine that induces cross-reactive antibodies against most or all variants is a potential solution for the issue of emerging new variants. Here, we present a vaccine candidate which displays receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 on virus-like particles (VLP) that, in mice, not only induce strong antibody responses against RBD but also bind RBDs from other variants of concern (VOCs). The antibodies induced by wild-type (wt) RBD displayed on immunologically optimized Cucumber mosaic virus incorporated tetanus toxin (CuMVTT) VLPs bind to wt as well as RBDs of VOCs with high avidities, indicating induction of strongly cross-reactive IgG antibodies. Interestingly, similar cross-reactive IgA antibodies were induced in immunized mice. Furthermore, these cross-reactive antibodies demonstrated efficacy in neutralizing wt (Wuhan) as well as SARS-CoV-2 VOCs (Beta, Delta, and Gamma). In summary, RBDs displayed on VLPs are capable of inducing protective cross-reactive IgG and IgA antibodies in mice, indicating that it may be possible to cover emerging VOCs with a single vaccine based on wt RBD.

A scalable and highly immunogenic virus-like particle-based vaccine against SARS-CoV-2.

BACKGROUND: SARS-CoV-2 caused one of the most devastating pandemics in the recent history of mankind. Due to various countermeasures, including lock-downs, wearing masks, and increased hygiene, the virus has been controlled in some parts of the world. More recently, the availability of vaccines, based on RNA or adenoviruses, has greatly added to our ability to keep the virus at bay; again, however, in some parts of the world only. While available vaccines are effective, it would be desirable to also have more classical vaccines at hand for the future. Key feature of vaccines for long-term control of SARS-CoV-2 would be inexpensive production at large scale, ability to make multiple booster injections, and long-term stability at 4℃. METHODS: Here, we describe such a vaccine candidate, consisting of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding motif (RBM) grafted genetically onto the surface of the immunologically optimized cucumber mosaic virus, called CuMVTT -RBM. RESULTS: Using bacterial fermentation and continuous flow centrifugation for purification, the yield of the production process is estimated to be >2.5 million doses per 1000-litre fermenter run. We demonstrate that the candidate vaccine is highly immunogenic in mice and rabbits and induces more high avidity antibodies compared to convalescent human sera. The induced antibodies are more cross-reactive to mutant RBDs of variants of concern (VoC). Furthermore, antibody responses are neutralizing and long-lived. In addition, the vaccine candidate was stable for at least 14 months at 4℃. CONCLUSION: Thus, the here presented VLP-based vaccine may be a good candidate for use as conventional vaccine in the long term.

Interleukin-1ß enhances the expression of two antimicrobial peptides in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) against Vibrio mimicus via activating NF-κB pathway.

Vibrio mimicus (V. mimicus) is a pathogen causing serious vibriosis in aquatic animals. Hepcidin and ß-Defensin1 are two important antibacterial peptides (AMPs) with broad-spectrum antibacterial activity in fish. In mammals, some evidences demonstrated that interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) primarily promote AMPs expression via activating classical NF-κB pathway, but it still remains unclear in fish. Here, the temporal and spatial expression patterns of grass carp IL-1ß (gcIL-1ß) gene and two AMPs genes (gchepcidin and gcß-defensin1) in tissues post-V. mimicus infection and anti-V. mimicus activity of these two AMPs in vitro were detected, showing that V. mimicus infection significantly elevated the mRNA levels of these three genes in the immune-related tissues although their expression patterns were not entirely consistent, and both gcHepcidin and gcß-Defensin1 possessed anti-V. mimicus activity in vitro. Subsequently, the recombinant gcIL-1ß (rgcIL-1ß) was expressed prokaryotically in an inclusion body, which could promote proliferation of grass carp head kidney leukocytes (gcHKLs) and enhance respiratory burst activity and phagocytic activity of head kidney macrophages. Stimulation with rgcIL-1ß was able to significantly regulate the mRNA expression of key regulatory genes (il-1RI, traf6, tak1, ikkß, iκBα and p65) involved in the activation of classical NF-κB pathway, and then induce gcTAK1 phosphorylation, promote gcp65 nuclear translocation and enhance endogenous gcIL-1ß expression at both mRNA and protein levels, implying NF-κB pathway was activated. More importantly, exogenous rgcIL-1ß stimulation also significantly up-regulated both gcHepcidin and gcß-Defensin1 mRNA levels against V. mimicus, and the regulatory effect was blocked or inhibited by NF-κB inhibitor PDTC. Taken together, our results demonstrated for the first time that grass carp IL-1ß stimulation could significantly enhance the expression of these two anti-V.mimicus AMPs via activating classical NF-κB pathway.

Supplementing conjugated linoleic acid in breeder hens diet increased conjugated linoleic acid incorporation in liver and alters hepatic lipid metabolism in chick offspring.

This experiment was designed to investigate the effect of supplementing conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in breeder hens diet on development and hepatic lipid metabolism of chick offspring. Hy-Line Brown breeder hens were allocated into two groups, supplemented with 0 (control (CT)) or 0·5 % CLA for 8 weeks. Offspring chicks were grouped according to the mother generation and fed for 7 d. CLA treatment had no significant influence on development, egg quality and fertility of breeder hens but darkened the egg yolks in shade and increased yolk sac mass compared with the CT group. Addition of CLA resulted in increased body mass and liver mass and decreased deposition of subcutaneous adipose tissue in chick offspring. The serum TAG and total cholesterol levels of chick offspring were decreased in CLA group. CLA treatment increased the incorporation of both CLA isomers (c9t11 and t10c12) in the liver of chick offspring, accompanied by the decreased hepatic TAG levels, related to the significant reduction of fatty acid synthase (FAS) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) enzyme activities and the increased carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 (CPT1) enzyme activity. Meanwhile, CLA treatment reduced the mRNA expression of genes related to fatty acid biosynthesis (FAS, ACC and sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c) and induced the expression of genes related to ß-oxidative (CPT1, AMP-activated protein kinase and PPARα) in chick offspring liver. In summary, the addition of CLA in breeder hens diet significantly increased the incorporation of CLA in the liver of chick offspring, which further regulate hepatic lipid metabolism.