Mostly Microbes and Infection

Inflammasomes play a major role in the immune response to infection, development of autoimmune disease, and control of cancer. Western blots were originally used in the early 2000s to characterize inflammasome activation. Since then, a panoply of techniques has been developed to characterize and visualize inflammasome activation in cells, tissues, and animals. This review article describes the most common techniques used by researchers in the inflammasome field and proposes that cell-specific characterization of inflammasome activation in tissues or animals may soon be commonly reported.  

The disease, spread by midges and mosquitoes, has been linked to two deaths as cases surge in previously unaffected areas.

The NLRP3 inflammasome is an essential component of the innate immune system, but excessive activation can lead to inflammatory diseases. Ion fluxes across the plasma membrane or from intracellular stores are known to regulate NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Deep-sea water (DSW) contains high concentrations of many mineral ions, which could potentially influence NLRP3 inflammasome activation. However, the impact of DSW on NLRP3 inflammasome activation has not been investigated. Here, we demonstrated that DSW with water hardness levels up to 500 mg/L did not affect cell viability or the expression of NLRP3 inflammasome components in macrophages derived from THP-1 cells. However, the DSW significantly inhibited IL-1β secretion and caspase-1 activation in response to NLRP3 activators such as nigericin, ATP, or monosodium urate (MSU) crystals. Mechanically, it was discovered that the presence of 5 mM magnesium ions (Mg2 + ), equivalent to the Mg2 +  concentration found in the DSW with a...

Scientists found that compared with those who don’t drink at all, people who drink at low-to-moderate levels have a more diverse gut microbiome -- a characteristic generally associated with a healthy gut.

Study revealed novel unrecognized regulator of senescence , SNORA13, a member of a family of noncoding RNAs known as small nucleolar RNAs that function as guides for chemical modification of other RNA molecules  

Highlights:  • Prevalence of  Blastocystis  in the gut microbiome varies across geography and lifestyle • Healthier plant-based diets are linked with higher gut  Blastocystis  carriage • Blastocystis -positive subjects tend to have healthier cardiometabolic profiles • Blastocystis  presence increases after a diet-improving intervention program

Once perceived as a symbol of modernity, plastics have been the subject of a rapid and profound global challenge in recent years, particularly because of ocean pollution.