The function of NLRP3 in anti-infection immunity and inflammasome assembly of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.).

NLRP3 inflammasome can be activated by a variety of stimuli and plays an important role in protecting host from pathogen invasion and maintaining homeostasis. However, the activation mechanism of NLRP3 inflammasome in fish is still unclear. In the present study, the NLRP3 gene (CcNLRP3) was identified from common carp, which was 3069 bp in length and encoded a protein with five domains. Sequence analysis showed that NLRP3 was evolutionarily conserved, and CcNLRP3 was closely related to that in grass carp and zebrafish. Real-time PCR showed that CcNLRP3 was widely expressed in various immune-related tissues of healthy common carp, and significantly increased after stimulation with E. tarda, A. hydrophila and Cyprinus spring viremia virus (SVCV), suggesting that CcNLRP3 might be involved in the immune defense of common carp. The results of co-IP, spot formation, oligomerization and fluorescence localization showed that CcNLRP3 could interact with CcASC and assemble into inflammasome. The cytotoxicity assays showed that CcNLRP3 inflammasome was involved in the pyroptosis induced by CcGSDME. At the same time, CcNLRP3 could directly interact with CcCaspase-A/B and result in increased Caspase-B enzyme activity and LDH release, indicating that CcNLRP3 could also form inflammasome through ASC-independent pathway. Taken together, the results provide targets and theoretical basis for the prevention and control of infectious diseases in aquaculture.

Activation of the NLRP1 inflammasome and its ligand recognition in the antibacterial immune response of common carp (Cyprinus carpio).

NLRP1 (NLR family pyrin domain containing 1) is the first member of NOD-like receptors (NLRs) which can form inflammasome and play critical roles in innate immunity and pathogenesis of various diseases. To date, many NLRs and inflammasome-related genes have been identified in teleost, however, the activation of NLRP1 inflammasome is only found in zebrafish, and the activator of fish NLRP1 is unclear. In the present study, the activation of CcNLRP1 inflammasome and its function in innate immune defence of common carp was investigated. The expression of CcNLRP1 was induced in immune-related tissues of common carp upon challenge with Edwardsiella tarda and Aeromonas hydrophila. The colocalization of CcNLRP1 and CcASC, ASC oligomerization, and interaction between CcNLRP1CARD and CcASC was observed in 293T, Hela and EPC cells, suggesting that the CcNLRP1 inflammasome was activated in common carp. Furthermore, we found that MDP may be the specific ligand of CcNLRP1, which can activate the CcNLRP1 inflammasome. Taken together, the present study identifies a new inflammasome in common carp, and is beneficial to the control of infectious diseases in carp farming.

Negative regulation of interferon regulatory factor 6 (IRF6) in interferon and NF-κB signalling pathways of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.).

BACKGROUND: Interferon (IFN) regulatory factors (IRFs) is a kind of transcription factors, which play an important role in regulating the expression of type I IFN and related genes. In mammals, IRF6 is not relevant with IFN expression, while zebrafish IRF6 was reported to be a positive regulator of IFN expression and could be phosphorylated by both MyD88 and TBK1. However, the role of IRF6 in the immune response and IFN transcription of common carp is unknown. RESULTS: In the present study, the cDNA of IRF6 gene (CcIRF6) was cloned from common carp using RACE technique, with a total length of 1905 bp, encoding 471 amino acid residues, which possesses two functional domains of DBD and IAD. Similarity analysis showed that CcIRF6 had more than 50% similarity with IRFs of other vertebrates, and had the highest similarity with grass carp and zebrafish, among which the DBD domain was much more conserved. The phylogenetic analysis showed that CcIRF6 is in the branch of Osteichthyes and has the closest relationship with grass carp. In healthy common carp, the CcIRF6 was expressed in all the examined tissues, with the highest level in the oral epithelium, and the lowest level in the head kidney. After intraperitoneal injection of poly(I:C) or Aeromonas hydrophila, the expression of CcIRF6 increased in spleen, head kidney, foregut and hindgut of common carp. Moreover, poly(I:C), LPS, PGN and flagellin induced the expression of CcIRF6 in peripheral leukocytes and head kidney leukocytes of common carp in vitro. In EPC cells, CcIRF6 inhibited the expression of some IFN-related genes and pro-inflammatory cytokines, and dual luciferase reporter assay showed that CcIRF6 reduced the activity of IFN and NF-κB reporter genes. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that CcIRF6 is involved in the antiviral and antibacterial immune response of common carp, and negatively regulate the expression of IFN and NF-κB signalling pathways, which provides a theoretical basis for the study and prevention of fish disease pathogenesis.

The relationship between maternal exposure to ambient air pollutants and premature rupture of membranes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Air pollution is an environmental stimulus that may predispose pregnant women to preterm rapture of membrane (PROM). However, the relationship of maternal exposure to air pollutants and PROM is still unclear. To investigate the relationship between the long-term and short-term maternal exposure to air pollution and PROM. We searched all studies published in PubMed, Embase and Web of Science up to February 2024. The studies provided quantitative effect estimates with 95% confidence intervals, for the impact of short-term (<30 days) or long-term (≥30 days) maternal exposure to air pollutants on PROM, preterm PROM (PPROM) or term PROM (TPROM). The odds ratio (OR), risk ratio (RR), or hazard ratio (HR), with 95% confidence intervals was extracted, and RR or HR were deemed as OR because of the low prevalence of PROM. Fixed- or random-effects meta-analyses performed. In total, 17 relevant studies were included. Maternal exposure to PM2.5 in the second trimester increases the risk of PROM (pooled OR = 1.15, 95%CI: 1.05-1.26). Maternal exposure to PM10, NO2, NO, CO and SO2 during pregnancy and short-term maternal exposure to PM2.5, NO2, SO2 and O3 also associate with PROM occurrence. The results of the study show that both long-term maternal exposure in the second or third trimester and short-term maternal exposure to ambient air pollution can increase the risk of PROM.

An imine-rich polymer with enlarged π-conjugated planes for aqueous zinc-ion batteries.

Two imine-rich polymers (planar P3Q and linear TDB) were synthesized through a facile method. P3Q demonstrates an enlarged π-conjugated structure, increasing the coordination and conversion of Zn2+. As a result, for aqueous zinc-ion batteries, P3Q exhibits more excellent electrochemical performance than TDB with a discharge capacity of 226 mA h g-1 at 0.3 A g-1 and relatively high capacity retention of 70% after 100 cycles at 0.5 A g-1. The redox energy storage mechanism is also explored by ex situ characterization and density functional theory calculation.

Health literacy interventions among patients with chronic diseases: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness and impact of health literacy interventions for patients with chronic diseases. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, and EBSCO CINAHL from inception through March 2022. Eligible chronic diseases include diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. RCTs were included in eligible studies to assess health literacy and other relevant health outcomes. Two investigators selected studies, extracted data, and assessed the methodological quality of included studies independently. RESULTS: A total of 18 studies involving 5384 participants were included in the final analysis. The implementation of health literacy interventions exhibited a significant improvement in the health literacy level of individuals diagnosed with chronic diseases (SMD = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.40-1.10). Analysis of heterogeneity sources indicated statistically significant variations in the effects of interventions across different diseases and age groups (P < 0.05). However, no significant impact was observed on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), interventions with a follow-up duration exceeding three months, or application-based interventions on the health literacy level of individuals with chronic diseases. Remarkably, our findings revealed that health literacy interventions exerted a positive influence on health status (SMD = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.13-1.34), depression and anxiety (SMD = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.17-1.63), as well as self-efficacy (SMD = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.15-0.41) among patients diagnosed with chronic diseases. Furthermore, a specific analysis was conducted to evaluate the effects of these interventions on hypertension and diabetes control. The results demonstrated that health literacy interventions were more effective in enhancing hypertension control compared to diabetes control. CONCLUSION: Health literacy interventions have demonstrated effectiveness in improving the health of patients with chronic diseases. The importance of emphasizing the quality of these interventions cannot be overstated, as factors such as appropriate intervention tools, extended intervention duration, and reliable primary care services play crucial roles in their efficacy.

Accumulation of Astaxanthin by Co-fermentation of Spirulina platensis and Recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

This study aimed to explore an effective, simple, and time-saving method for astaxanthin accumulation. Wild-type Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a bioreactor, the SpcrtR gene was first ligated with the signal peptide S to construct pYES2/NT-A-S-SpcrtR plasmid in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The detection of SDS-PAGE and Western blotting protein proved that SpCRTR was successfully extracellular expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The target product astaxanthin was produced by co-fermentation of Spirulina platensis and recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The test results showed that after 18 h of fermentation, the astaxanthin concentration was highest in the mixed fermentation broth with 4% Spirulina platensis and recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and the content of astaxanthin was 0.25 ± 0.02 µg/mL. In addition, the source of astaxanthin was explored. During the fermentation process of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain, SpCRTR enzyme catalyzed the Spirulina platensis canthaxanthin, which almost completely converted into astaxanthin, providing a simple method for astaxanthin synthesis. Compared with culture of Haematococcus pluvialis, this culture route not only shortens culture time, but also eliminates the limitation of the conditions in the culture process.

A latent profile analysis of residents' knowledge, attitude, and practice toward common chronic diseases among ethnic minority area in China.

Background: Health literacy plays an important role in preventing and managing chronic diseases, while low levels of health literacy among ethnic minorities are a major manifestation of health inequities. We believe that before effective health literacy intervention strategies, it is preferable to understand the features of health literacy among ethnic minorities. The present study firstly updated insights on health literacy among ethnic minorities by investigating the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) profile of common chronic diseases in ethnic minority areas, and secondly discussed the KAP profiles in detail to inspire future health education interventions. Methods: A cross-sectional, health-literacy-sensitive study was conducted in China's typical ethnic minority area. Participants included 801 adult residents who lived in the ethnic minority area. The primary outcome was participant scores on the KAP questionnaire of common chronic diseases, followed by latent profile analysis to identify participants with similar KAP score patterns and determine whether membership in specific groups was associated with demographic or clinical characteristics. Results: The participants included 496 ethnic minorities (61.9%) and 305 Han Chinese (38.1%). Three-profile solution was determined after the latent profile analysis: incomplete transfer [I.T.] (n = 215), better practice [B.P.] (n = 301), and average [A.V.] (n = 285). IT group (26.84%) was characterized by the highest level of knowledge and attitude toward common chronic diseases and below average level for practice. Participants in B.P. group performed poorly in both knowledge and attitude toward common chronic diseases but had the highest level of practice. A.V. group reflected average knowledge, attitude, and practice toward common chronic diseases among three subgroups. Ethnic minorities were the dominant population in A.V. group (68.8%). Compared with other groups, the A.V. group contained the largest proportions of married participants (84.2%), participants with no formal education (46.7%), and high annual out-of-pocket medical expense (33.3%). Conclusion: A more specific and nuanced understanding of minority health literacy can enable service providers to provide more effective health education to their recipients, thereby improving health inequities.