A Bayesian network for estimating hypertension risk due to occupational aluminum exposure

Background The correlation between metals and hypertension,such as sodium,zinc,potassium,and magnesium,has been confirmed,while the relationship between aluminum and hypertension is not very clear.This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between plasma aluminum and hypertension in electrolytic aluminum workers by the Bayesian networks(BN).Methods In 2019,476 male workers in an aluminum factory were investigated.The plasma aluminum concentration of workers was measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.The influencing factors on the prevalence of hypertension were analyzed by the BN.Results The prevalence of hypertension was 23.9%in 476 male workers.The risk of hypertension from plasma aluminum in the Q2,Q3,and Q4 groups was 5.20(1.90–14.25),6.92(2.51–19.08),and 7.33(2.69–20.01),respectively,compared with that in the Q1 group.The risk of hypertension from the duration of exposure to aluminum of>10 years was 2.23(1.09–4.57),compared without aluminum exposure.Area under the curve was 0.80 of plasma aluminum and the duration of exposure to aluminum was based on covariates,indicating that aluminum exposure had important predictive value in the prevalence of hypertension in the occupational population.The results of the study using the BN model showed that if the plasma aluminum of all participants was higher than Q4(≥47.86µg/L)and the participants were drinking,smoking,diabetes,central obesity,dyslipidemia,and aged>50 years,the proportion of hypertension was 71.2%.Conclusions The prevalence of hypertension increased significantly with the increase of plasma aluminum level.

MiRNA 24-3p-rich exosomes functionalized DEGMA-modified hyaluronic acid hydrogels for corneal epithelial healing

The damage of corneal epithelium may lead to the formation of irreversible corneal opacities and even blindness.The migration rate of corneal epithelial cells directly affects corneal repair.Here,we explored ocu-microRNA 24-3p(miRNA 24-3p)that can promote rabbit corneal epithelial cells migration and cornea repair.Exosomes,an excellent transport carrier,were exacted from adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells for loading with miRNA 24-3p to prepare miRNA 24-3p-rich exosomes(Exos-miRNA 24-3p).It can accelerate corneal epithelial migration in vitro and in vivo.For application in cornea alkali burns,we further modified hyaluronic acid with di(ethylene glycol)monomethyl ether methacrylate(DEGMA)to obtain a thermosensitive hydrogel,also reported a thermosensitive DEGMA-modified hyaluronic acid hydrogel(THH)for the controlled release of Exos-miRNA 24-3p.It formed a highly uniform and clear thin layer on the ocular surface to resist clearance from blinking and extended the drug-ocular-epithelium contact time.The use of THH-3/Exos-miRNA 24-3p for 28 days after alkali burn injury accelerated corneal epithelial defect healing and epithelial maturation.It also reduced corneal stromal fibrosis and macrophage activation.MiRNA 24-3p-rich exosomes functionalized DEGMA-modified hyaluronic acid hydrogel as a multilevel delivery strategy has a potential use for cell-free therapy of corneal epithelial regeneration.

DBLiPro:A Database for Lipids and Proteins in Human Lipid Metabolism

To help researchers in the field of biology,medicine,chemistry,and materials science to use lipidomic data conveniently,there is an urgent need to develop a platform that provides a systematic knowledgebase of human lipid metabolism and lipidome-centric omics analysis tools.DBLiPro is a user-friendly webserver allowing for access to human metabolism-related lipids and proteins knowledge database and an interactive bioinformatics integrative analysis workflow for lipidomics,transcriptomics,and proteomics data.In DBLiPro,there are 3109 lipid-associated proteins(LAPs)and 2098 lipid metabolites in the knowledge base section,which were obtained from Uniprot,Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)and were further annotated by information from other public resources in the knowledge base section,such as RaftProt and PubChem.DBLiPro offers a step-by-step interactive analysis workflow for lipidomics,transcriptomics,proteomics,and their integrating multi-omics analysis focusing on the human lipid metabolism.In summary,DBLiPro is capable of helping users discover key molecules(lipids and proteins)in human lipid metabolism and investigate lipid–protein functions underlying mechanisms based on their own omics data.The DBLiPro is freely available at http://lipid.cloud na.cn/home.

RGF1-RGI1,a Peptide-Receptor Complex,Regulates Arabidopsis Root Meristem Development via a MAPK Signaling Cascade

Root growth is maintained by the continuous division of cells in the apical meristem.ROOT MERISTEM GROWTH FACTOR 1(RGF1)is a critical peptide hormone regulating root stem cell niche maintenance.Previous studies discovered that five closely related leucine-rich repeat receptor-like protein kinases(LRRRLKs),named RGF1 INSENSITIVES(RGIs)or RGF1 RECEPTORS(RGFRs),are able to perceive the RGF1 signal and redundantly control root stem cell niche maintenance.RGF1 regulates root meristem activity mainly via two downstream transcription factors,PLETHORA 1(PLT1)and PLT2.Regulatory proteins connecting cell surface RGF1-RGI1 and nuclear PLTs,however,were not identified.Here,we report that the mitogen-activated protein(MAP)kinase kinase 4(MKK4)and MAP kinase 3(MPK3)were coimmunoprecipitated with RGI1-FLAG after Arabidopsis seedlings were treated with RGF1.Genetic and biochemical assays confirmed that MKK4 and MKK5,and their downstream targets MPK3 and MPK6,are essential RG卜dependent regulators of root meristem development.In addition,we found that the MKK4/MKK5-MPK3/MPK6 module functions downstream of YDA,a MAPKKK.Our results demonstrate that RGF1-RGI1 regulate the expression of PLT1/PLT2 via a YDA-MKK4/MKK5-MPK3/MPK6 signaling cascade.

Receptor-like protein kinases in plant reproduction: Current understanding and future perspectives

Reproduction is a crucial process in the life span of flowering plants,and directly affects human basic requirements in agriculture,such as grain yield and quality.Typical receptor-like protein kinases(RLKs)are a large family of membrane proteins sensing extracellular signals to regulate plant growth,development,and stress responses.In Arabidopsis thaliana and other plant species,RLK-mediated signaling pathways play essential roles in regulating the reproductive process by sensing different ligand signals.Molecular understanding of the reproductive process is vital from the perspective of controlling male and female fertility.Here,we summarize the roles of RLKs during plant reproduction at the genetic and molecular levels,including RLK-mediated floral organ development,ovule and anther development,and embryogenesis.In addition,the possible molecular regulatory patterns of those RLKs with unrevealed mechanisms during reproductive development are discussed.We also point out the thought-provoking questions raised by the research on these plant RLKs during reproduction for future investigation.