The role of the NLRP3 inflammasome in chronic inflammation in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are lung diseases characterized by airflow limitation and chronic inflammation. More and more studies have shown that the occurrence and development of asthma and COPD are related to abnormal immune responses caused by dysregulation of many genetic and environmental factors. The exact pathogenesis of the disease is still unclear. A large number of studies have shown that the NLRP3 inflammasome is involved in the process of chronic airway inflammation in asthma and COPD. Here, we summarize recent advances in the mechanism of NLRP3 inflammasome activation and regulation and its role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory lung diseases such as asthma and COPD. Meanwhile we propose possible therapeutic targets in asthma and COPD.

It is time to improve the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines among people with chronic diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

This study aims to investigated COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among people with chronic diseases and the factors correlating with their vaccination hesitancy. The articles were searched in PubMed, Ovid, EMBASE, and web of science databases between December 2019 and October 2022. Cross-sectional studies, including the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine by patients with chronic diseases (≥18 years old), were included in this study. The outcomes included the proportion and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of chronic disease patients willing to be vaccinated and the odds ratio (OR) and 95% CI of correlating factors. The source of heterogeneity was analyzed through meta-regression and subgroup analysis. We included 31 studies involving 57 875 patients with chronic disease. The overall COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among patients with chronic disease was 0.65 (95% CI, 0.59-0.72). The acceptance among the elderly patients was 0.53 (95% CI, 0.26-0.80). South America had the highest COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate and Asia the lowest, while on a country level, the United Kingdom had the highest acceptance rate among patients with chronic diseases. People with rheumatic immune diseases had the lowest rate of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. Concerns about vaccine safety had a statistically different effect on acceptance. Overall, the health systems ought to focus on educating specific groups of individuals on the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination and addressing safety concerns.

Clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of COVID-19 patients progression to severe: a retrospective, observational study.

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a world-wide emergency. The severity of COVID-19 is highly correlated with its mortality rate. We aimed to disclose the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of COVID-19 patients who developed severe COVID-19. The study enrolled cases (no=1848) with mild or moderate type of COVID-19 in Fangcang shelter hospital of Jianghan. A total of 56 patients progressed from mild or moderate to severe. We used least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression model to select prognostic factors for this model. The case-severity rate was 3.6% in the shelter hospital. They were all symptomatic at admission. Fever, cough, and fatigue were the most common symptoms. Hypertension, diabetes and coronary heart diseases were common co-morbidities. Predictors contained in the prediction nomogram included fever, distribution of peak temperature (>38°C), myalgia or arthralgia and distribution of C-reactive protein (≥10 mg per L). The distribution of peak temperature (>38°C) on set, myalgia or arthralgia and C-reactive protein (≥10 mg per L) were the prognostic factors to identify the progression of COVID-19 patients with mild or moderate type. Early attention to these risk factors will help alleviate the progress of the COVID-19.