Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBPs), as bioactive compounds extracted from L. barbarum L. fruit, have been widely explored for their potential health properties. The extraction and structural characterization methods of LBPs were reviewed to accurately understand the extraction method and structural and biological functions of LBPs. An overview of the biological functions of LBPs, such as antioxidant function, antitumor activity, neuroprotective effects, immune regulating function, and other functions, were summarized. This review provides an overview of LBPs and a theoretical basis for further studying and extending the applications of LBPs in the fields of medicine and food.

Zoonotic transmission of hepatitis E virus (HEV), in particular the genotype (GT) 3 and GT4 strains, constitutes a major one health issue. Swine serves as an important reservoir and the processed pork products essentially contribute to foodborne transmission. This study comprehensively estimated HEV prevalence in domestic pigs, wild boars, and pork products. At global level, we found nearly 60% domestic pigs and 27% wild boars have ever encountered HEV infection based seroprevalence rate. Nearly 13% domestic and 9.5% wild swine are actively infected based on HEV RNA positivity. Importantly, about 10% of commercial pork products are HEV RNA positive, although available data are limited in this respect. Our results indicate the high prevalence rate of HEV infection in pigs and widespread contamination in pork products, although there are substantial variations at regional and country levels. These findings are important for better understanding the global epidemiology and clinical burden of HEV infection in human population related to zoonotic transmission.

Outbreaks of influenza, caused by the influenza A virus (IAV), occur almost every year in various regions worldwide, seriously endangering human health. Studies have shown that host non-coding RNA is an important regulator of host–virus interactions in the process of IAV infection. In this paper, we comprehensively analyzed the research progress on host non-coding RNAs with regard to the regulation of IAV replication. According to the regulation mode of host non-coding RNAs, the signal pathways involved, and the specific target genes, we found that a large number of host non-coding RNAs directly targeted the PB1 and PB2 proteins of IAV. Nonstructural protein 1 and other key genes regulate the replication of IAV and indirectly participate in the regulation of the retinoic acid-induced gene I-like receptor signaling pathway, toll-like receptor signaling pathway, Janus kinase signal transducer and activator of transcription signaling pathway, and other major intracellular viral response signaling pathways to regulate the replication of IAV. Based on the above findings, we mapped the regulatory network of host non-coding RNAs in the innate immune response to the influenza virus. These findings will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the function and mechanism of host non-coding RNAs in the cellular anti-virus response as well as clues to the mechanism of cell–virus interactions and the discovery of antiviral drug targets.

This study aimed to comprehensively compare the clinical features of hospitalized COVID-19 patients with hospitalized 2009 influenza pandemic patients. Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Google scholar were systematically searched to identify studies related to COVID-19 and the 2009 influenza pandemic. The pooled incidence rates of clinical features were estimated using the DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model with the Freeman-Tukey double arcsine transformation method. The incidence rates of fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, rhinorrhea, myalgia/muscle pain, or vomiting were found to be significantly higher in influenza patients when compared with COVID-19 patients. The incidence rates of comorbidities, including cardiovascular disease/hypertension and diabetes, were significantly higher in COVID-19 compared with influenza patients. In contrast, comorbidities such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and immunocompromised conditions were significantly more common in influenza compared with COVID-19 patients. Unexpectedly, the estimated rates of intensive care unit admission, treatment with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, treatment with antibiotics, and fatality were comparable between hospitalized COVID-19 and 2009 influenza pandemic patients. This study comprehensively estimated the differences and similarities of the clinical features and burdens of hospitalized COVID-19 and 2009 influenza pandemic patients. This information will be important to better understand the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Recently we reported that in healthy volunteer Ramadan-associated intermittent fasting (RAIF) remodels the gut microbiome and resulted in an increase in small chain fatty acid producing bacteria concomitant with improved metabolic parameters. As interpretation of these results is hampered by the possible psychological effects associated with the study, we now aim to investigate RAIF in experimental animals. To this end, 6-week male BALB/c mice were subjected to RAIF (30 days of a 16-h daily fasting; n = 8) or provided with feed ad libitum (n = 6). Fecal samples were collected before and the end of fasting and bacterial 16S rRNA sequencing was performed. We found that RAIF remodeled the composition of gut microbiota in BALB/c mice (p < 0.01) and especially provoked upregulation of butyrate acid-producing Lachnospireceae and Ruminococcaceae (p < 0.01), resembling the effects seen in human volunteers. Hence we conclude that the effects of RAIF on gut microbiome relate to the timing of food intake and are not likely related to psychological factors possibly at play during Ramadan.