Rationale: Sepsis, a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection, is a major public health concern with high mortality and morbidity. Although inflammatory responses triggered by infection are crucial for host defense against invading microbes, the excessive inflammation often causes tissue damage leading to organ dysfunction. Resolution of inflammation, an active immune process mediated by endogenous lipid mediators (LMs), is important to maintain host homeostasis. Objectives: We sought to determine the role of the nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeat–containing receptor, pyrin domain–containing-3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in polymicrobial sepsis and regulation of LM biosynthesis. Methods: We performed cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) using mice lacking NLRP3 inflammasome-associated molecules to assess mortality. Inflammation was evaluated by using biologic fluids including plasma, bronchoalveolar, and peritoneal lavage fluid. Local acting LMs in peritoneal lavage fluid from polymicrobacterial septic mice were assessed by mass spectrometry–based metabololipidomics. Measurements and Main Results: Genetic deficiency of NLRP3 inhibited inflammatory responses and enhanced survival of CLP-induced septic mice. NLRP3 deficiency reduced proinflammatory LMs and increased proresolving LM, lipoxin B4 (LXB4) in septic mice, and in macrophages stimulated with LPS and ATP. Activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome induced caspase-7 cleavage and pyroptosis. Caspase-7 deficiency similarly reduced inflammation and mortality in CLP-induced sepsis, and increased LXB4 production in vivo and in vitro. Exogenous application of LXB4 reduced inflammation, pyroptosis, and mortality of mice after CLP. Conclusions: Genetic deficiency of NLRP3 promoted resolution of inflammation in polymicrobial sepsis by relieving caspase-7–dependent repression of LXB4 biosynthesis, and increased survival potentially via LXB4 production and inhibition of proinflammatory cytokines.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a genetic neuromuscular disorder that causes degeneration of anterior horn cells in the human spinal cord and subsequent loss of motor neurons. The severe form of SMA is among the genetic diseases with the highest infant mortality. Although SMA has been considered incurable, newly developed drugs—nusinersen and onasemnogene abeparvovec—improve the life prognoses and motor functions of affected infants. To maximize the efficacy of these drugs, treatments should be started at the pre-symptomatic stage of SMA. Thus, newborn screening for SMA is now strongly recommended. Herein, we provide some data based on our experience of SMA diagnosis by genetic testing in Japan. A total of 515 patients suspected of having SMA or another lower motor neuron disease were tested. Among these patients, 228 were diagnosed as having SMA with survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) deletion. We analyzed the distribution of clinical subtypes and ages at genetic testing in the SMN1-deleted patients, and estimated the SMA incidence based on data from Osaka and Hyogo prefectures, Japan. Our data showed that confirmed diagnosis by genetic testing was notably delayed, and the estimated incidence was 1 in 30,000–40,000 live births, which seemed notably lower than in other countries. These findings suggest that many diagnosis-delayed or undiagnosed cases may be present in Japan. To prevent this, newborn screening programs for SMA (SMA-NBS) need to be implemented in all Japanese prefectures. In this article, we also introduce our pilot study for SMA-NBS in Osaka Prefecture.

Aroma is an essential factor for meat quality. The meat of Japanese Black cattle exhibits fine marbling and a rich and sweet aroma with a characteristic lactone composition. The mechanism of lactone formation associated with beef aroma has not been elucidated. In this study, we examined the precursors of γ-hexalactone, an indicator of the sweet aroma of beef and identified the mechanism underlying γ-hexalactone production. A low-temperature vacuum system was used to prepare beef tallow from Japanese Black cattle and Holstein cattle. The odor components were identified using headspace–gas chromatography. The analysis revealed that γ-hexalactone, γ-dodecalactone, δ-tetradecalactone, and δ-hexadecalactone were present as sweet aroma components of beef tallow prepared from marbling and muscle. Since we previously reported that γ-hexalactone formation correlates with linoleic acid content in beef, we analyzed ten oxidized fatty acids derived from linoleic acid by liquid chromatography–triple quadrupole mass spectrometry and detected two hydroxy-octadecadienoic acids (9S-HODE and 13S-HODE) in beef tallow. Significant differences in arachidonic acid 15-lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase protein expression levels among subcutaneous fat, intramuscular fat, and muscle tissue were observed. Our results suggest that the combination of linoleic acid and the expression of lipid oxidase derived from beef muscle and intramuscular fat produce hydroxy fatty acids that result in a sweet aroma.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a neuromuscular disorder caused by SMN1 gene deletion/mutation. The drug nusinersen modifies SMN2 mRNA splicing, increasing the production of the full-length SMN protein. Recent studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of nusinersen in patients with SMA, particularly when treated in early infancy. Because nusinersen treatment can alter disease trajectory, there is a strong rationale for newborn screening. In the current study, we validated the accuracy of a new system for detecting SMN1 deletion (Japanese patent application No. 2017-196967, PCT/JP2018/37732) using dried blood spots (DBS) from 50 patients with genetically confirmed SMA and 50 controls. Our system consists of two steps: (1) targeted pre-amplification of SMN genes by direct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and (2) detection of SMN1 deletion by real-time modified competitive oligonucleotide priming-PCR (mCOP-PCR) using the pre-amplified products. Compared with PCR analysis results of freshly collected blood samples, our system exhibited a sensitivity of 1.00 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.96–1.00) and a specificity of 1.00 (95% CI 0.96–1.00). We also conducted a prospective SMA screening study using DBS from 4157 Japanese newborns. All DBS tested negative, and there were no screening failures. Our results indicate that the new system can be reliably used in SMA newborn screening.