Prevalence of myopia and associated risk factors among key schools in Xi'an, China.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of myopia and high myopia and the associated risk factors in key schools in Xi'an, China. METHODS: This cross-sectional study started in September 2021 and was conducted for one month. A total of 11,011 students from 10 key primary schools, five key junior high schools and five key high schools in Xi'an were randomly selected to undergo visual acuity measurement and non-cycloplegic autorefraction. The questionnaire was completed by the students and their parents together. RESULTS: The prevalence of myopia and high myopia in key schools were 75.7% and 9.7%, respectively. The prevalence of myopia and high myopia rose significantly as grade or age increased (all P < 0.001), and the prevalence of myopia and high myopia in females was higher than that in males (P < 0.001, P < 0.5). According to the multivariable logistic regression analysis, older age (OR=1.42), female compared with male (OR=1.43), having one myopic parent (OR=1.64), having two myopic parent (OR=2.30) and often taking extracurricular tuition (OR=1.35) were more likely to be associated with develop myopia (P < 0.001). Older age (OR=1.39), having one myopic parent (OR=2.29), having two myopic parent (OR= 3.69), and often taking extracurricular tuition (OR=1.48) were more likely to be associated with high myopia (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The overall rate of myopia and high myopia in key schools in Xi'an, China, is extremely high. Myopia and high myopia are associated with increasing age, parents' myopia, few outdoor exercises, and extracurricular tuition. Myopia is also associated with female and not having the habit of "one punch, one foot, one inch (when reading and writing, 10 cm from the chest to the table, 33 cm from the eye to the book and 3.3 cm from the tip of the pen to the finger)".

The rice CK2 kinase regulates trafficking of phosphate transporters in response to phosphate levels.

Phosphate transporters (PTs) mediate phosphorus uptake and are regulated at the transcriptional and posttranslational levels. In one key mechanism of posttranslational regulation, phosphorylation of PTs affects their trafficking from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the plasma membrane. However, the kinase(s) mediating PT phosphorylation and the mechanism leading to ER retention of phosphorylated PTs remain unclear. In this study, we identified a rice (Oryza sativa) kinase subunit, CK2ß3, which interacts with PT2 and PT8 in a yeast two-hybrid screen. Also, the CK2α3/ß3 holoenzyme phosphorylates PT8 under phosphate-sufficient conditions. This phosphorylation inhibited the interaction of PT8 with PHOSPHATE TRANSPORTER TRAFFIC FACILITATOR1, a key cofactor regulating the exit of PTs from the ER to the plasma membrane. Additionally, phosphorus starvation promoted CK2ß3 degradation, relieving the negative regulation of PT phosphorus-insufficient conditions. In accordance, transgenic expression of a nonphosphorylatable version of OsPT8 resulted in elevated levels of that protein at the plasma membrane and enhanced phosphorus accumulation and plant growth under various phosphorus regimes. Taken together, these results indicate that CK2α3/ß3 negatively regulates PTs and phosphorus status regulates CK2α3/ß3.

Highly Transparent and Self-Extinguishing Nanofibrillated Cellulose-Monolayer Clay Nanoplatelet Hybrid Films.

A viable solution toward "green" optoelectronics is rooted in our ability to fabricate optoelectronics on transparent nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) film substrates. However, the flammability of transparent NFC film poses a severe fire hazard in optoelectronic devices. Despite many efforts toward enhancing the fire-retardant features of transparent NFC film, making NFC film fire-retardant while maintaining its high transparency (≥90%) remains an ambitious objective. Herein, we combine NFC with NFC-dispersed monolayer clay nanoplatelets as a fire retardant to prepare highly transparent NFC-monolayer clay nanoplatelet hybrid films with a superb self-extinguishing behavior. Homogeneous and stable monolayer clay nanoplatelet dispersion was initially obtained by using NFC as a green dispersing agent with the assistance of ultrasonication and then used to blend with NFC to prepare highly transparent and self-extinguishing hybrid films by a water evaporation-induced self-assembly process. As the content of monolayer clay nanoplatelets increased from 5 wt % to 50 wt %, the obtained hybrid films presented enhanced self-extinguishing behavior (limiting oxygen index sharply increased from 21% to 96.5%) while retaining a ∼90% transparency at 600 nm. More significantly, the underlying mechanisms for the high transparency and excellent self-extinguishing behavior of these hybrid films with a clay nanoplatelet content of over 30 wt % were unveiled by a series of characterizations such as SEM, XRD, TGA, and limiting oxygen index tester. This work offers an alternative environmentally friendly, self-extinguishing, and highly transparent substrate to next-generation optoelectronics, and is aimed at providing a viable solution to environmental concerns that are caused by ever-increasing electronic waste.

Integrative Comparison of the Role of the PHOSPHATE RESPONSE1 Subfamily in Phosphate Signaling and Homeostasis in Rice.

Phosphorus (P), an essential macronutrient for all living cells, is indispensable for agricultural production. Although Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) PHOSPHATE RESPONSE1 (PHR1) and its orthologs in other species have been shown to function in transcriptional regulation of phosphate (Pi) signaling and Pi homeostasis, an integrative comparison of PHR1-related proteins in rice (Oryza sativa) has not previously been reported. Here, we identified functional redundancy among three PHR1 orthologs in rice (OsPHR1, OsPHR2, and OsPHR3) using phylogenetic and mutation analysis. OsPHR3 in conjunction with OsPHR1 and OsPHR2 function in transcriptional activation of most Pi starvation-induced genes. Loss-of-function mutations in any one of these transcription factors (TFs) impaired root hair growth (primarily root hair elongation). However, these three TFs showed differences in DNA binding affinities and messenger RNA expression patterns in different tissues and growth stages, and transcriptomic analysis revealed differential effects on Pi starvation-induced gene expression of single mutants of the three TFs, indicating some degree of functional diversification. Overexpression of genes encoding any of these TFs resulted in partial constitutive activation of Pi starvation response and led to Pi accumulation in the shoot. Furthermore, unlike OsPHR2-overexpressing lines, which exhibited growth retardation under normal or Pi-deficient conditions, OsPHR3-overexpressing plants exhibited significant tolerance to low-Pi stress but normal growth rates under normal Pi conditions, suggesting that OsPHR3 would be useful for molecular breeding to improve Pi uptake/use efficiency under Pi-deficient conditions. We propose that OsPHR1, OsPHR2, and OsPHR3 form a network and play diverse roles in regulating Pi signaling and homeostasis in rice.

Multi-omics analyses reveal interactions between the skin microbiota and skin metabolites in atopic dermatitis.

Introduction: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is one of the most common inflammatory skin diseases. Skin microecological imbalance is an important factor in the pathogenesis of AD, but the underlying mechanism of its interaction with humans remains unclear. Methods: 16S rRNA gene sequencing was conducted to reveal the skin microbiota dynamics. Changes in skin metabolites were tracked by LC-MS metabolomics. We then explored the potential mechanism of interaction by analyzing the correlation between skin bacterial communities and metabolites in corresponding skin-associated samples. Results: Samples from 18 AD patients and 18 healthy volunteers (HVs) were subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing and LC-MS metabolomics. AD patients had dysbiosis of the skin bacterial community with decreased species richness and evenness. The relative abundance of the genus Staphylococcus increased significantly in AD, while the abundances of the genera Propionibacterium and Brevundimonas decreased significantly. The relative abundance of the genera Staphylococcus in healthy females was significantly higher than those in healthy males, while it showed no difference in AD patients with or without lesions. The effects of AD status, sex and the presence or absence of rashes on the number of differentially abundant metabolites per capita were successively reduced. Multiple metabolites involved in purine metabolism and phenylalanine metabolism pathways (such as xanthosine/xanthine and L-phenylalanine/trans-cinnamate) were increased in AD patients. These trends were much more obvious between female AD patients and female HVs. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that the genus Staphylococcus was positively correlated with various compounds involved in phenylalanine metabolism and purine metabolic pathways. The genera Brevundimonas and Lactobacillus were negatively correlated with various compounds involved in purine metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism and sphingolipid signaling pathways. Discussion: We suggest that purine metabolism and phenylalanine metabolism pathway disorders may play a certain role in the pathogenic mechanism of Staphylococcus aureus in AD. We also found that females are more likely to be colonized by the genus Staphylococcus than males. Differentially abundant metabolites involved in purine metabolism and phenylalanine metabolism pathways were more obvious in female. However, we should notice that the metabolites we detected do not necessarily derived from microbes, they may also origin from the host.

The potential protective role of Parkinson's disease against hypothyroidism: co-localisation and bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.

Background: The association between hypothyroidism and Parkinson's disease (PD) has sparked intense debate in the medical community due to conflicting study results. A better understanding of this association is crucial because of its potential implications for both pathogenesis and treatment strategies. Methods: To elucidate this complex relationship, we used Bayesian co-localisation (COLOC) and bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. COLOC was first used to determine whether hypothyroidism and PD share a common genetic basis. Subsequently, genetic variants served as instrumental variables in a bidirectional MR to explore causal interactions between these conditions. Results: COLOC analysis revealed no shared genetic variants between hypothyroidism and PD, with a posteriori probability of hypothesis 4 (PPH4) = 0.025. Furthermore, MR analysis indicated that hypothyroidism does not have a substantial causal effect on PD (OR = 0.990, 95% CI = 0.925, 1.060, p = 0.774). Conversely, PD appears to have a negative causal effect on hypothyroidism (OR = 0.776, 95% CI = 0.649, 0.928, p = 0.005). Conclusion: Our findings suggest the absence of shared genetic variants between hypothyroidism and PD. Interestingly, PD may inversely influence the risk of developing hypothyroidism, a finding that may inform future research and clinical approaches.

Geographic imprint and ecological functions of the abiotic component of periphytic biofilms.

We revealed abiotic components (extracellular polymeric substances, EPSs) in the periphytic biofilms. Further, the effect of the microbial community on the EPS, and the geodistribution patterns and ecological functions of the EPS were studied.

Fungal Jasmonate as a Novel Morphogenetic Signal for Pathogenesis.

A key question that has remained unanswered is how pathogenic fungi switch from vegetative growth to infection-related morphogenesis during a disease cycle. Here, we identify a fungal oxylipin analogous to the phytohormone jasmonic acid (JA), as the principal regulator of such a developmental switch to isotropic growth and pathogenicity in the rice-blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. Using specific inhibitors and mutant analyses, we determined the molecular function of intrinsic jasmonates during M. oryzae pathogenesis. Loss of 12-Oxo-phytodienoic Acid (OPDA) Reductase and/or consequent reduction of jasmonate biosynthesis, prolonged germ tube growth and caused delayed initiation and improper development of infection structures in M. oryzae, reminiscent of phenotypic defects upon impaired cyclic AMP (cAMP) signaling. Chemical- or genetic-complementation completely restored proper vegetative growth and appressoria in opr1Δ. Mass spectrometry-based quantification revealed increased OPDA accumulation and significantly decreased jasmonate levels in opr1Δ. Most interestingly, exogenous jasmonate restored proper appressorium formation in pth11Δ that lacks G protein/cAMP signaling; but failed to do so in the Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase mutants. Epistasis analysis placed jasmonate upstream of the cAMP pathway in rice blast. Mechanistically, intrinsic jasmonate orchestrates timely cessation of the vegetative phase and induces pathogenic development via a complex regulatory interaction with the cAMP-PKA cascade and redox signaling in rice blast.

Detection of Fungal Jasmonates by Liquid Chromatography Paired with Mass Spectrometry.

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is one of the most important analytical chemistry techniques for the detection and characterization of biologically active compounds of low abundance-for example, hormones. Gas chromatography (GC) coupled with mass spectrometry has been a method of choice to detect jasmonic acid, the well-known defense hormone in plants. Recently, we identified structural and functional analogs of phytohormone jasmonic acid (JA) and its derivatives, in the rice-blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. Here, we describe protocols of LC-MS/MS-based identification and quantification of fungal jasmonates, especially during pathogenic development in the rice blast fungus.

Strong Cellulose-Based Materials by Coupling Sodium Hydroxide-Anthraquinone (NaOH-AQ) Pulping with Hot Pressing from Wood.

Natural cellulose-based materials (CBMs) have considerable potential as strong and lightweight materials for advanced structural applications. Herein, we demonstrate a mechanically strong yet lightweight CBM with highly aligned wood fibers by the coupling pulping of wood blocks with mechanical pressing, which exhibits a tensile strength of 719.0 ± 30.2 MPa, an elastic modulus of 19.0 ± 1.4 GPa, and a density of 1.32 g/cm3. The extraordinary mechanical properties of the CBM are mainly ascribed to the good orientation of wood fibers in the longitudinal direction as well as the dramatically increased hydrogen bonds among adjacent fiber cells due to the lignin removal and mechanical pressing. More significantly, the resulting sheet-like anisotropic CBMs can be used to fabricate anisotropic and isotropic bulk CBMs with maximum tensile strengths of 561 and 330 MPa, respectively, through a facile and scalable layer-by-layer stacking method. This work exploits the mechanical potential of cellulose and the large-scale production of anisotropic and isotropic bulk CBMs with extraordinary mechanical performance and may open up a range of novel applications to CBMs.

Nanocellulose/PEGDA aerogel scaffolds with tunable modulus prepared by stereolithography for three-dimensional cell culture.

Three-dimensional (3D) porous scaffolds made of biopolymers have attracted significant attention in tissue engineering applications. In this study, cellulose-nanofibers/polyethylene glycol diacrylate (CNFs/PEGDA) mixture, a novelty 3D material, was prepared by physical mixing the CNFs with a waterborne photopolymerizable acrylic resin (PEGDA). Then the CNFs/PEGDA mixture was used to fabricate 3D cytocompatibility CNFs/PEGDA hydrogel scaffold by stereolithograph（SLA）process. The CNFs/PEGDA hydrogels were shaped by SLA, and then the aerogel scaffolds were prepared by the freeze-drying of hydrogels. The results showed that the CNFs/PEGDA mixtures with different CNFs contents are all transparent, homogeneous and with obvious shear-thinning property. The SLA fabricated CNFs/PEGDA aerogel scaffolds possess high and tunable compressive modulus and high porosity of approximately 90%. It is found that CNFs in the composite scaffolds played a significant role in structural shape integrity, porous structure and mechanical strength. In addition, the NIH 3T3 cells tightly adhere on the CNFs/PEGDA materials and spread on the scaffolds with good differentiation and viability. These results have revealed a superior method to prepare tissue engineering scaffolds which possesses suitable mechanical strength and biocompatibility for 3D cell cultivation.

Fungal effectors at the crossroads of phytohormone signaling.

Phytohormone networks are crucial for maintaining the delicate balance between growth and biotic stress responses in plants. Jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, ethylene, and the associated signaling crosstalk are important for pathogen defense; whereas gibberellin and cytokinin function in growth and development in plants. Plant pathogenic fungi have evolved remarkable strategies to manipulate and/or hijack such phytohormone signaling cascades for their own benefit, thus leading to susceptibility and disease in host plants. Interestingly, these hormones are also targeted by fungal endosymbionts and mutualists during beneficial interactions with plants. We highlight current advances in our understanding of the role of fungal effectors in such antagonistic manipulation of phytohormones during pathogenic as well as symbiotic association with plant hosts. In addition to the aforementioned effector-based control, certain phytohormone mimics have recently emerged as a powerful molecular language in fungal manipulation of defense responses and innate immunity in plants.