1.Molecular Mechanisms of RNA Modification Interactions and Their Roles in Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
Jia-Wen FANG ; Chao ZHE ; Ling-Ting XU ; Lin-Hai LI ; Bin XIAO
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(9):2252-2266
RNA modifications constitute a crucial class of post-transcriptional chemical alterations that profoundly influence RNA stability and translational efficiency, thereby shaping cellular protein expression profiles. These diverse chemical marks are ubiquitously involved in key biological processes, including cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and metastatic potential, and they exert precise regulatory control over these functions. A major advance in the field is the recognition that RNA modifications do not act in isolation. Instead, they participate in complex, dynamic interactions—through synergistic enhancement, antagonism, competitive binding, and functional crosstalk—forming what is now termed the “RNA modification interactome” or “RNA modification interaction network.” The formation and functional operation of this interactome rely on a multilayered regulatory framework orchestrated by RNA-modifying enzymes—commonly referred to as “writers,” “erasers,” and “readers.” These enzymes exhibit hierarchical organization within signaling cascades, often functioning in upstream-downstream sequences and converging at critical regulatory nodes. Their integration is further mediated through shared regulatory elements or the assembly into multi-enzyme complexes. This intricate enzymatic network directly governs and shapes the interdependent relationships among various RNA modifications. This review systematically elucidates the molecular mechanisms underlying both direct and indirect interactions between RNA modifications. Building upon this foundation, we introduce novel quantitative assessment frameworks and predictive disease models designed to leverage these interaction patterns. Importantly, studies across multiple disease contexts have identified core downstream signaling axes driven by specific constellations of interacting RNA modifications. These findings not only deepen our understanding of how RNA modification crosstalk contributes to disease initiation and progression, but also highlight its translational potential. This potential is exemplified by the discovery of diagnostic biomarkers based on interaction signatures and the development of therapeutic strategies targeting pathogenic modification networks. Together, these insights provide a conceptual framework for understanding the dynamic and multidimensional regulatory roles of RNA modifications in cellular systems. In conclusion, the emerging concept of RNA modification crosstalk reveals the extraordinary complexity of post-transcriptional regulation and opens new research avenues. It offers critical insights into the central question of how RNA-modifying enzymes achieve substrate specificity—determining which nucleotides within specific RNA transcripts are selectively modified during defined developmental or pathological stages. Decoding these specificity determinants, shaped in large part by the modification interactome, is essential for fully understanding the biological and pathological significance of the epitranscriptome.
2.Association of Body Mass Index with All-Cause Mortality and Cause-Specific Mortality in Rural China: 10-Year Follow-up of a Population-Based Multicenter Prospective Study.
Juan Juan HUANG ; Yuan Zhi DI ; Ling Yu SHEN ; Jian Guo LIANG ; Jiang DU ; Xue Fang CAO ; Wei Tao DUAN ; Ai Wei HE ; Jun LIANG ; Li Mei ZHU ; Zi Sen LIU ; Fang LIU ; Shu Min YANG ; Zu Hui XU ; Cheng CHEN ; Bin ZHANG ; Jiao Xia YAN ; Yan Chun LIANG ; Rong LIU ; Tao ZHU ; Hong Zhi LI ; Fei SHEN ; Bo Xuan FENG ; Yi Jun HE ; Zi Han LI ; Ya Qi ZHAO ; Tong Lei GUO ; Li Qiong BAI ; Wei LU ; Qi JIN ; Lei GAO ; He Nan XIN
Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2025;38(10):1179-1193
OBJECTIVE:
This study aimed to explore the association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality based on the 10-year population-based multicenter prospective study.
METHODS:
A general population-based multicenter prospective study was conducted at four sites in rural China between 2013 and 2023. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models and restricted cubic spline analyses were used to assess the association between BMI and mortality. Stratified analyses were performed based on the individual characteristics of the participants.
RESULTS:
Overall, 19,107 participants with a sum of 163,095 person-years were included and 1,910 participants died. The underweight (< 18.5 kg/m 2) presented an increase in all-cause mortality (adjusted hazards ratio [ aHR] = 2.00, 95% confidence interval [ CI]: 1.66-2.41), while overweight (≥ 24.0 to < 28.0 kg/m 2) and obesity (≥ 28.0 kg/m 2) presented a decrease with an aHR of 0.61 (95% CI: 0.52-0.73) and 0.51 (95% CI: 0.37-0.70), respectively. Overweight ( aHR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.67-0.86) and mild obesity ( aHR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.59-0.87) had a positive impact on mortality in people older than 60 years. All-cause mortality decreased rapidly until reaching a BMI of 25.7 kg/m 2 ( aHR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92-0.98) and increased slightly above that value, indicating a U-shaped association. The beneficial impact of being overweight on mortality was robust in most subgroups and sensitivity analyses.
CONCLUSION
This study provides additional evidence that overweight and mild obesity may be inversely related to the risk of death in individuals older than 60 years. Therefore, it is essential to consider age differences when formulating health and weight management strategies.
Humans
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Body Mass Index
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China/epidemiology*
;
Male
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Female
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Middle Aged
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Prospective Studies
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Rural Population/statistics & numerical data*
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Aged
;
Follow-Up Studies
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Adult
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Mortality
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Cause of Death
;
Obesity/mortality*
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Overweight/mortality*
3.Prediction of testicular histology in azoospermia patients through deep learning-enabled two-dimensional grayscale ultrasound.
Jia-Ying HU ; Zhen-Zhe LIN ; Li DING ; Zhi-Xing ZHANG ; Wan-Ling HUANG ; Sha-Sha HUANG ; Bin LI ; Xiao-Yan XIE ; Ming-De LU ; Chun-Hua DENG ; Hao-Tian LIN ; Yong GAO ; Zhu WANG
Asian Journal of Andrology 2025;27(2):254-260
Testicular histology based on testicular biopsy is an important factor for determining appropriate testicular sperm extraction surgery and predicting sperm retrieval outcomes in patients with azoospermia. Therefore, we developed a deep learning (DL) model to establish the associations between testicular grayscale ultrasound images and testicular histology. We retrospectively included two-dimensional testicular grayscale ultrasound from patients with azoospermia (353 men with 4357 images between July 2017 and December 2021 in The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China) to develop a DL model. We obtained testicular histology during conventional testicular sperm extraction. Our DL model was trained based on ultrasound images or fusion data (ultrasound images fused with the corresponding testicular volume) to distinguish spermatozoa presence in pathology (SPP) and spermatozoa absence in pathology (SAP) and to classify maturation arrest (MA) and Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCOS) in patients with SAP. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs), accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were used to analyze model performance. DL based on images achieved an AUC of 0.922 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.908-0.935), a sensitivity of 80.9%, a specificity of 84.6%, and an accuracy of 83.5% in predicting SPP (including normal spermatogenesis and hypospermatogenesis) and SAP (including MA and SCOS). In the identification of SCOS and MA, DL on fusion data yielded better diagnostic performance with an AUC of 0.979 (95% CI: 0.969-0.989), a sensitivity of 89.7%, a specificity of 97.1%, and an accuracy of 92.1%. Our study provides a noninvasive method to predict testicular histology for patients with azoospermia, which would avoid unnecessary testicular biopsy.
Humans
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Male
;
Azoospermia/diagnostic imaging*
;
Deep Learning
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Testis/pathology*
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Adult
;
Ultrasonography/methods*
;
Sperm Retrieval
;
Sertoli Cell-Only Syndrome/diagnostic imaging*
4.SOX11-mediated CBLN2 Upregulation Contributes to Neuropathic Pain through NF-κB-Driven Neuroinflammation in Dorsal Root Ganglia of Mice.
Ling-Jie MA ; Tian WANG ; Ting XIE ; Lin-Peng ZHU ; Zuo-Hao YAO ; Meng-Na LI ; Bao-Tong YUAN ; Xiao-Bo WU ; Yong-Jing GAO ; Yi-Bin QIN
Neuroscience Bulletin 2025;41(12):2201-2217
Neuropathic pain, a debilitating condition caused by dysfunction of the somatosensory nervous system, remains difficult to treat due to limited understanding of its molecular mechanisms. Bioinformatics analysis identified cerebellin 2 (CBLN2) as highly enriched in human and murine proprioceptive and nociceptive neurons. We found that CBLN2 expression is persistently upregulated in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) following spinal nerve ligation (SNL) in mice. In addition, transcription factor SOX11 binds to 12 cis-regulatory elements within the Cbln2 promoter to enhance its transcription. SNL also induced SOX11 upregulation, with SOX11 and CBLN2 co-localized in nociceptive neurons. The siRNA-mediated knockdown of Sox11 or Cbln2 attenuated SNL-induced mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia. High-throughput sequencing of DRG following intrathecal injection of CBLN2 revealed widespread gene expression changes, including upregulation of numerous NF-κB downstream targets. Consistently, CBLN2 activated NF-κB signaling, and inhibition with pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate reduced CBLN2-induced pain hypersensitivity, proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines production, and neuronal hyperexcitability. Together, these findings identified the SOX11/CBLN2/NF-κB axis as a critical mediator of neuropathic pain and a promising target for therapeutic intervention.
Animals
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Neuralgia/metabolism*
;
Ganglia, Spinal/metabolism*
;
Up-Regulation
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Mice
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NF-kappa B/metabolism*
;
SOXC Transcription Factors/genetics*
;
Male
;
Neuroinflammatory Diseases/metabolism*
;
Mice, Inbred C57BL
;
Nerve Tissue Proteins/genetics*
;
Hyperalgesia/metabolism*
;
Signal Transduction
;
Spinal Nerves
5.Study on the inhibition mechanism of melatonin for neuroglioma cell proliferation based on whole transcriptome sequencing
Li XU ; Xiu-jiao CHEN ; Wei-nan ZHENG ; Xin-ling MAO ; Li-bin LIN ; Qun XIE ; Qing-dong JIN
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(1):163-170
Aim To detect the non-coding RNA(ncRNA)expression profile of neuroglioma cells via whole transcriptome sequencing,establish the ceRNA network and reveal the molecular mechanism of ncRNA participating in the inhibition of neuroglioma cell prolif-eration by melatonin.Methods Neuroglioma cells were intervened with by 0,2,4,6 and 8 mmol·L-1 melatonin for 24,48 and 72 h,and the inhibitory effect of melatonin on cell proliferation was detected via CCK-8;after the intervention of 0 and 4 mmol·L-1 melatonin to U251 cells for 24 h,differentially ex-pressed miRNA(DEmiRNA),lncRNA(DElncRNA)and mRNA(DEmRNA)were detected through whole transcriptome sequencing,along with GO and KEGG enrichment analysis of DEmRNA;the ceRNA network was constructed,and the key gene expression of ceR-NA was verified through qRT-PCR.Results Melato-nin exerts a time-dose-dependent inhibitory effect on the proliferation of neuroglioma cells;a total of 5049 DEmRNA,635 DElncRNA and 146 DEmiRNA in 0 and 4 mmol·L-1 melatonin groups were screened out via whole transcriptome sequencing;DEmRNAs were mainly enriched in cancer-related signaling pathways,such as ferroptosis,mTOR signaling pathway,FoxO signaling pathway and cell cycle;the ceRNA network included 4 lncRNAs,3 miRNAs and 48 mRNAs.As verified through real-time PCR,the expressions of hsa-miR-129-5p,hsa-miR-362-5p,LINC00707 and SLC16A1-AS1 of U251 cells were consistent with the sequencing results,and the gene expression of U87 cells was basically consistent with the sequencing re-sults.Conclusions Melatonin affects cancer-related signaling pathways through the differential expression of ncRNA so as to inhibit the proliferation of U251 cells;the ceRNA network composed of LINC00707,SLC16A1-AS1,hsa-miR-129-5p and hsa-miR-362-5p may take a part in the molecular mechanism of melato-nin in inhibiting neuroglioma cell proliferation.
6.Establishement and ethical optimization of rat oral mucosa ulcer model
Xiang LI ; Kaiyan WANG ; Weiwei YU ; Xinyi HAO ; Ling LI ; Jianhong DUAN ; Bin FENG ; Qing LIU ; Lingyun XIA ; Lina NIU
Journal of Practical Stomatology 2025;41(1):26-33
Objective:To develop rat models of oral mucosa ulcer using distinct experimental methodologies,fulfilling research requirements and adhering to the ethical standards for animal care.Methods:96 SD rats were randomly allocated into groups.The rats in control group(n=8)were regularly fed without other treatment.Those in chemical cauterization groups were treated by 20%,40%,60%of glacial acetic acid(GAA)on oral mucosa(n=8);in mechanical damage groups by 30 000 r/min high speed drill induced trauma of 10,20 and 30 mm2 respectively(n=8);in ionizing radiation groups were treated with 10,12,15,20 and 30 Gy on the mucosa respectively(n=8).After the ulcer was appeared,the morphology of the mucosa were observed,the mucosal tissue lesions were examined by HE,Masson and immunofluorescence staining,the expression of TNF-α and IL-1β were detected by qPCR and ELISA respectively,and the body conditions such as diet and body weight of the rats were observed,the pain,dis-tress and discomfor of the rats were evaluated by MORTON&Griffits Guidelines.Results:40%and 60%GAA,20 mm2 and 30 mm2 friction damage and ionizing radiation of 12 Gy or greater may induce oral mucosa ulcer with a diseas coruse of 6-7 d in SD rats.TNF-α and IL-1β mRNA expression in the damaged tissue,the related protein expression in blood serum of the rats were in-creased.MORTON&Griffits Guidelines analysis showed 40%GAA,20 mm2 friction damage and 12 Gy ionizing radiation induced the lowest scores of pain,distress and discomfort of the rats with compatible oral mocosa ulcere induced by the relevat treatment.Conclusion:40%GAA,20 mm2 of friction damage and 12 Gy of ionizing radiation can reliably establish oral mucosa ulcer models and minimize adverse effects on SD rats,and accord with ethical standards of 3R for laboratory animal.
7.Construction and biological characteristics study of RuvB gene deletion strain of Glaesserella parasuis
Jiancheng ZHAO ; Ling HUAGN ; Lihua XU ; Xiufang YUAN ; Bin YU ; Fei SU ; Shiyi YE ; Hongchao SUN ; Hui ZHANG ; Junxing LI
Chinese Journal of Veterinary Science 2025;45(11):2358-2364
Glaesserella parasuis is the causative agent of Gl?sser's disease in pigs.However,the pathogenic mechanisms underlying its virulence is not yet fully understood.The RuvB protein,a member of the AAA+superfamily,is implicated in various cellular processes,yet its specific role in the virulence of Glaesserella parasuis has not been fully characterized.In this study,we con-structed a RuvB gene deletion mutant,designated ΔRuvB,using the serotype 13 Glaesserella pa-rasuis strain ZJ1208 and a suicide plasmid-mediated natural transformation approach.To elucidate the functional role of the RuvB gene,we comprehensively evaluated the biological characteristics of the ΔRuvB strain through a series of assays,including growth kinetics,colony morphology,bac-terial staining,transmission electron microscopy(TEM),osmotic stress tolerance,high-tempera-ture tolerance,heat shock resistance,UV resistance,capsular polysaccharide quantification,serum bactericidal assays,and murine virulence experiments.Our findings revealed that the growth rate of ΔRuvB showed no significant difference compared to the parental strain.TEM revealed a notable increase in bacterial cell length;however,the number of outer membrane vesicles(OMVs)on the surface of ΔRuvB did not significantly increase.Notably,the ΔRuvB strain displayed a significant reduction in capsular polysaccharide production and serum resistance,as well as diminished toler-ance to UV radiation and high temperatures.Significant alterations were observed in its resistance to osmotic stress or oxidative stress.In the mouse toxicity challenge experiment,in com-parison with the parental strain ZJ1208,the mortality rate dropped by 20 percentage points,suggesting that the virulence of ΔRuvB has been weakened to some extent.Collectively,these results underscore the critical role of the RuvB gene in enhancing the environmental adaptability of Glaesserella parasuis.
8.Predictive value of ox-LDL combined with ECG ischaemia grading for MACE after PCI in STEMI pa-tients
Ya-zhao SUN ; Gang LI ; Shu-yan ZHANG ; Pei SUN ; Hai-lin LI ; Ling-xiao ZHANG ; Bin LIU ; Dong-sheng LIU
Chinese Journal of cardiovascular Rehabilitation Medicine 2025;34(2):199-204
Objective:The predictive value of oxidized low density lipoprotein(ox-LDL)and electrocardiogram(ECG)ischaemia grade for major adverse cardiovascular events(MACE)in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction(STEMI)after percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI)was assessed by a retrospective cohort study de-sign.Methods:A total of 336 STEMI patients admitted to Cangzhou People's Hospital between October 2019 and May 2022 were selected,and the medical record information was obtained through the hospital medical record sys-tem,and all patients received PCI and physician-recommended basic treatment.With occurrence of MACE with in 12-month follow-up as the evaluation index,they were divided into MACE group(n=65)and no MACE group(n=271).Multifactorial Logistic regression model was used to study the influencing factors of MACE after PCI in STEMI patients,and Spearman test for association of ox-LDL level,ECG ischaemia grade with MACE after PCI.ROC curve was used to evaluate the predictive efficacy of ox-LDL,ECG ischaemia grade and their combination for MACE after PCI.Results:The overall MACE incidence was 19.35%.Compared with patients in no MACE group,those in MACE group had significant higher ox-LDL level[46.34(29.46,66.29)U/L vs.33.00(23.02,50.03)U/L]and proportion of ECG grade Ⅲ ischaemia(64.62%vs.42.80%)(P<0.01 all).Multifactorial Logistic re-gression analysis showed that ox-LDL(OR=1.022,95%CI 1.011~1.033,P=0.001)and ECG grade Ⅲ ischae-mia(OR=1.878,95%CI 1.007~3.504,P=0.048)were the independent risk factors of post-PCI MACE in STEMI patients.Spearman test showed that ox-LDL and ECG grade Ⅲ ischaemia were positively correlated with post-PCI MACE(r=0.209,0.173,P<0.001 all).ROC curve analysis showed that the AUCs of ox-LDL,ECG grade Ⅲ ischaemia and their combination in predicting post-PCI MACE were respectively 0.653(95%CI 0.599~0.704),0.609(95%CI 0.555~0.662)and 0.758(95%CI 0.709~0.803),in which the predictive value of the combination of the two was significantly higher than any single detection(Z=2.030,3.097,P=0.042,0.002).Conclusion:ox-LDL combined with ECG ischaemia grading has a high predictive value for the occurrence of MACE with in 12 months after PCI in STEMI patients.
9.Inhibition of the Arp2/3 Complex Attenuates Angiotensin Ⅱ-Induced Cardiomyocyte Hypertrophy
Li LING ; Cong-Bin PAN ; Lu-Xuan WAN ; Zhuang-Zhuang YANG ; Zhan-Hong REN
Chinese Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2025;41(9):1332-1341,中插1-中插5
Pathological cardiac hypertrophy is an early and significant cardiac structural charac-teristic that contributes to the onset and progression of heart failure(HF).Its mainly structural feature is the abnormally enlarged cardiomyocyte.Effective intervention targets for abnormally en-larged cardiomyocyte remain to be identified.Previous studies have shown that the cellular shape and size can be regulated by the actin related protein 2/3(Arp2/3)complex,which is an actin-binding protein complex involved in the actin nucleation and assembly.However,the roles of the Arp2/3 complex in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy remain unknown.Here our study identifies its no-vel roles in the occurrence and development of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy.We found that mRNA levels of all subunits from the Arp2/3 complex are significantly upregulated(P<0.05)in the an-giotensin II(Ang Ⅱ)-induced neonatal rat primary and H9c2 cardiomyocyte hypertrophy.Fur-ther studies showed that siRNA-directed ARPC2 silencing inhibits the reactivation of fetal genes and enlargement of cardiomyocyte area induced by Ang Ⅱ in neonatal rat primary cardiomyocytes(NRCMs)and H9c2 cells(P<0.05).In addition,the upstream activators of the Arp2/3 com-plex including SH3 protein interacting with Nck,90 kD(SPIN90)and Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1(Rac1)/WASp family Verprolin-homologous protein-2(WAVE-2)are upregu-lated(P<0.05)in Ang Ⅱ-induced neonatal rat primary and H9c2 cardiomyocyte hypertrophy,indicating the excessive activation of the Arp2/3 complex.We further show that CK666,a specif-ic Arp2/3 complex inhibitor,prevents the reactivation of fetal genes and the enlargement of car-diomyocyte area induced by Ang Ⅱ in NRCMs and H9c2 cells(P<0.05).Our results reveal that the Arp2/3 complex plays a crucial role in Ang Ⅱ-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy,which is beneficial to further studies about the molecular mechanisms by which the Arp2/3 complex regu-lates pathological cardiac hypertrophy.
10.Structural equation analysis of the incidence of shoulder WMSDs and individual and work-related factors
Shuang ZHOU ; Zhongxu WANG ; Ruijie LING ; Qing XU ; Huadong ZHANG ; Yimin LIU ; Gang LI ; Yan YIN ; Hua SHAO ; Jue LI ; Hengdong ZHANG ; Bing QIU ; Dayu WANG ; Qiang ZENG ; Yan YE ; Bin XIAO ; Hua ZOU ; Jianchao CHEN ; Dongxia LI ; Yongquan LIU ; Jixiang LIU ; Enfei JIANG ; Jun QI ; Liangying MEI ; Xianfeng ZHAO ; Mimi YANG ; Ning JIA
Chinese Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Diseases 2025;43(2):91-100
Objective:To investigate the incidence of shoulder work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among occupational population in China, and to explore their intrinsic association with personal and work-related factors.Methods:In April 2024, 73497 valid questionnaires of the Chinese version of the Musculoskeletal Disorders Electronic Questionnaire were retrospectively analyzed from June 2018 to December 2023 in 22 provinces and 29 key industries in China, and the general information, occurrence of WMSDs and related risk factors of key occupational populations in different regions in China were collected. By using Chi-square test and confirmatory factor analysis, the relationship between shoulder fatigue and pain in key occupational groups and individual factors, work type, work posture and work organization was discussed, and the internal relationship was analyzed based on structural equation model.Results:Higher incidence of shoulder fatigue and pain were associated with female, lack of physical exercise, uncomfortable working posture and neck leaning forward ( P<0.05). Structural equation model analysis showed that work type, work posture and work organization were strongly correlated ( r=0.58, 0.55). Work organization and work type were strongly correlated with shoulder fatigue ( r=0.65) and moderately correlated with shoulder fatigue ( r=0.21). Shoulder fatigue was moderately associated with shoulder pain ( r=0.40). Individual factors, work type, work posture and shoulder fatigue could directly affect shoulder pain ( OR=0.07, -0.09, 0.17 and 0.40), and work type and work posture could also indirectly affect shoulder pain through shoulder fatigue ( OR=0.08, 0.03). Work organization only indirectly affected shoulder pain through shoulder fatigue ( OR=0.26) . Conclusion:The main influencing factor of shoulder pain is shoulder fatigue, followed by work posture and individual factors. Structural equation model can better reflect the complex relationship between work type, work posture and work organization and shoulder WMSDs. Improving work posture and work organization may be an effective way to control the influence of shoulder fatigue on shoulder pain.

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