Discovery of 7-azaindole-3-acrylamide inhibitors of inflammasomes/IL-1β for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.

Currently, a significant proportion of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) fail to respond to conventional drug therapies such as immunosuppressants and biologic agents. IL-1 signaling blockade is a promising therapeutic strategy for these unresponsive IBD patients. In this study, we identified a novel anti-NLRP3/ IL-1β inhibitor, the 7-azaindole analogue Y19, which exhibits an IC value of 1.

Discovery of novel 8-hydroxyquinoline derivatives as NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors with therapeutic potential for inflammatory bowel disease.

The activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome occurs through two distinct phases-priming and activation-and plays a significant role in various diseases including inflammatory conditions, cancer, and autoimmune disorders. Recent studies have highlighted its critical involvement in the development and progression of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In this study, we identified a novel 8-hydroxyquinoline derivative, compound 10, as a potent inhibitor of NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

Discovery, synthesis, and biological mechanism evaluation of novel quinoline derivatives as potent NLRP3 inhibitors.

Targeting NLRP3 is a highly promising strategy for treating uncontrolled inflammation, which can cause a wide range of diseases or promote disease progression. More NLRP3-targeting inhibitors with different scaffolds are needed to increase the chances of developing safe and effective NLRP3 inhibitors and treating inflammation in different tissues. Here, we discovered the novel quinoline analogues that exhibit potent inhibitory activity against the NLRP3/IL-1β pathway in J774A.

Diversity, phylogeny and distribution of the subtribe Cristariina (Bivalvia: Unionidae: Unioninae) from China, with description of a new genus and species.

The family Unionidae is a diverse and ecologically significant group of freshwater invertebrates, playing a keystone role in the energy flow and nutrient cycling in aquatic ecosystems. A recent taxonomic revision of the East Asian endemic subtribe Cristariina within Unionidae has revealed its division into seven genera. As an important part of East Asia, China harbours an exceptionally diverse and highly unique fauna of freshwater mussels.

Comparative morphology and mitogenomics of freshwater mussels Koreosolenaia, Parvasolenaia, and Sinosolenaia (Bivalvia: Unionidae: Gonideinae).

Background: Amidst the escalating loss of global biodiversity, freshwater mussels (family Unionidae) have become one of the most imperiled animal groups. Acquiring more biological and phylogenetic information on understudied taxa constitutes a pivotal aspect of conservation biology. Consequently, a comprehensive examination was conducted on Koreosolenaia, Parvasolenaia, and Sinosolenaia from China encompassing morphology, anatomy, distribution, and molecular systematics to provide theoretical support for future species endangerment assessments and biodiversity conservation.

Morphological description and DNA barcoding of Ceratophysella gracilimucronata sp. nov. (Collembola: Hypogastruridae) from China, with a key to species of the C. armata group of the Sino-Japanese Region.

A new species, Ceratophysella gracilimucronata sp. nov. from Nan Ling Mountains (Guangdong Province, China), is described.

Taxonomic revision of two species in the genus Simpson, 1900 (Bivalvia: Unionidae: Gonideinae), with description of a new species.

Accurate identification and precise classification of freshwater mussel species that are among the most threatened freshwater taxa in the world, play a crucial role in informing conservation and management efforts for these organisms. However, due to the variability in shell morphology, relying solely on shell characteristics for species taxonomy poses significant challenges, thereby impeding effective conservation planning and management. The freshwater mussel genus Ptychorhynchus Simpson, 1900 is one such group in need of study.

Modeling insect growth regulators for pest management.

Insect growth regulators (IGRs) have been developed as effective control measures against harmful insect pests to disrupt their normal development. This study is to propose a mathematical model to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of IGRs for pest management. The key features of the model include the temperature-dependent growth of insects and realistic impulsive IGRs releasing strategies.

Discovery of a dual-acting inhibitor of interleukin-1β and STATs for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.

Currently, a significant proportion of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients fail to respond to conventional drug therapy such as immunosuppressants and biologic agents. Interference with the JAK/STAT pathway and blocking of IL-1 signaling are two promising therapeutic strategies for these unresponsive IBD patients. This work describes the discovery of an inhibitor 10v that not only blocks NLRP3 and AIM-2 inflammasome-mediated IL-1β signaling, but also reduces the expression of STAT1 and STAT5 in the JAK/STAT pathway.

Molecular and morphological evidence reveals a hidden new taxon in the endemic genus (Bivalvia, Unionidae) from China.

A new species of freshwater mussel belonging to the genus , namely , is diagnosed and described from Guangxi Province, China. This paper provides a detailed shell morphological description, soft-body anatomical characteristics, and partial sequences of mitochondrial COI as DNA barcode data for the novel species. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners (, , and ) by shell shape, beak position, and surface sculpture.

Discovery of a selective NLRP3-targeting compound with therapeutic activity in MSU-induced peritonitis and DSS-induced acute intestinal inflammation.

The aberrant activation of the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is known to contribute to the pathogenesis of various human inflammation-related diseases. However, to date, no small-molecule NLRP3 inhibitor has been used in clinical settings. In this study, we have identified SB-222200 as a novel direct NLRP3 inhibitor through the use of drug affinity responsive target stability assay, cellular thermal shift assay, and surface plasmon resonance analysis.

New species of the genus Huang, Dai, Chen & Wu, 2022 (Bivalvia, Unionidae) from Guangxi Province, China.

A new species of freshwater mussel belonging to the genus , namely , is diagnosed and described from Guangxi Province, China. This paper provides a detailed morphological description, photograph of the type specimen, and anatomical characteristics along with partial sequences of mitochondrial COI as DNA barcode data for this novel species. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners ( and ) by shell shape, beak position and surface sculpture.

Highly efficient removal of aqueous Hg(II) by FeS micro-flakes.

FeS (mackinawite) is known to be effective in the sorption of aqueous Hg(II). However, FeS nanoparticles are apt to aggregate and easy to be oxidized, which limits their wide applications. Here, we have synthesized FeS micro-flakes which can be uniformly dispersed in water without aggregation.

DNA barcoding, multilocus phylogeny, and morphometry reveal phenotypic plasticity in the Chinese freshwater mussel (Bivalvia: Unionidae).

Accurate species identification is crucial for developing conservation strategies for freshwater mussels, one of the most imperiled faunas in the world. Traditionally, mussel species description primarily relied on conchological characters. However, shell morphology has great variability, which leads to the complexity of species delimitation.

A reaction-advection-diffusion model of cholera epidemics with seasonality and human behavior change.

Cholera is a water- and food-borne infectious disease caused by V. cholerae. To investigate multiple effects of human behavior change, seasonality and spatial heterogeneity on cholera spread, we propose a reaction-advection-diffusion model that incorporates human hosts and aquatic reservoir of V.

Phylogenetic position of Bopyroides hippolytes, with comments on the rearrangement of the mitochondrial genome in isopods (Isopoda: Epicaridea: Bopyridae).

Background: Classification of parasitic bopyrids has traditionally been based on morphological characteristics, but phylogenetic relationships have remained elusive due to limited information provided by morphological data and tendency for loss of morphological features as a result of parasitic lifestyle. Subfamily Argeiinae was separated from Bopyrinae based on morphological evidence, although the assignment of all genera has not been phylogenetically evaluated. Bopyroides hippolytes has been traditionally classified in Bopyrinae, but divergent morphological characters make this assignment questionable.

New species of the genus Haas, 1911 (Unionoida, Unionidae, Gonideinae) from Jiangxi Province, China.

We diagnose and describe a new freshwater mussel species of the genus , from Jiangxi Province, China based on morphological characters and molecular data. This paper includes a morphological description and photograph of the holotype, and partial sequences of mitochondrial COI as DNA barcode data.

Declining freshwater mussel diversity in the middle and lower reaches of the Xin River Basin: Threat and conservation.

Freshwater mussels provide important functions and services for aquatic ecosystems, but populations of many species have been extirpated. Information on biodiversity plays an important role in the conservation and management of freshwater mussels. The Xin River Basin is a biodiversity hotspot for freshwater mussels in China, with more than 43 species known, but populations of which are decreasing.

Complete mitochondrial genome of the radicine pond snail (Gastropoda: Lymnaeidae).

is broadly distributed in China, as well as Russia. It is one of the intermediate hosts of species which leads to the spread of fascioliasis. Here, we first described the complete mitochondrial genome of .

A novel gene arrangement among the Stylommatophora by the complete mitochondrial genome of the terrestrial slug Meghimatium bilineatum (Gastropoda, Arionoidea).

Stylommatophora is a main clade of Gastropoda that encompasses approximately 112 gastropod families and may exceed a total of 30,000 species. Twenty-four complete stylommatophoran mitogenomes have been sequenced to date, yet our understanding of mitochondrial evolution in stylommatophorans is still in its infancy. To further expand the set of available mitogenomes, we sequenced the mitogenome of Meghimatium bilineatum (Arionoidea: Philomycidae), a widespread land slug in East Asia.

Analysis of mitochondrial genomes resolves the phylogenetic position of Chinese freshwater mussels (Bivalvia, Unionidae).

The Yangtze River basin is one of the most species-rich regions for freshwater mussels on Earth, but is gravely threatened by anthropogenic activities. However, conservation planning and management of mussel species has been hindered by a number of taxonomic uncertainties. In order to clarify the taxonomic status and phylogenetic position of these species, mitochondrial genomes of four species (, , and ) were generated and analyzed along with data from 43 other mitogenomes.

Testing the utility of DNA barcodes and a preliminary phylogenetic framework for Chinese freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae) from the middle and lower Yangtze River.

The middle and lower portions of the Yangtze River basin is the most species-rich region for freshwater mussels in Asia. The management and conservation of the taxa in this region has been greatly hampered by the lack of a well-developed phylogeny and species-level taxonomic framework. In this study, we tested the utility of two mitochondrial genes commonly used as DNA barcodes: the first subunit of the cytochrome oxidase c gene (COI) and the first subunit of the NADH dehydrogenase gene (ND1) for 34 putative species representing 15 genera, and also generated phylogenetic hypotheses for Chinese unionids based on the combined dataset of the two mitochondrial genes.

Expansion and systematics redefinition of the most threatened freshwater mussel family, the Margaritiferidae.

Two Unionida (freshwater mussel) families are present in the Northern Hemisphere; the Margaritiferidae, representing the most threatened of unionid families, and the Unionidae, which include several genera of unresolved taxonomic placement. The recent reassignment of the poorly studied Lamprotula rochechouartii from the Unionidae to the Margaritiferidae motivated a new search for other potential species of margaritiferids from members of Gibbosula and Lamprotula. Based on molecular and morphological analyses conducted on newly collected specimens from Vietnam, we here assign Gibbosula crassa to the Margaritiferidae.