Previous studies have discovered that an increase in aerosol concentration could affect the development of precipitation and tropical cyclones. However, with increasing efforts to mitigate climate change, the amount of anthropogenic aerosols in the atmosphere is expected to decrease in the future. This study aims at understanding how such a reduction in aerosol number concentration could affect the precipitation pattern of tropical cyclones through case studies of Typhoon Haikui and Koinu. The Thompson aerosol-aware microphysics scheme in the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model is used, and the water-friendly aerosol number concentration is reduced by a factor of 100. For both tropical cyclones, a reduction in aerosol results in consistent expansion of precipitation area due to the enhanced warm rain process. However, the total precipitation of Koinu decreases while that of Haikui increases, depending on whether warm-rain or ice-phase processes dominate and whether upper-level convection is altered.

Severe community-acquired pneumonia (sCAP) remains a major cause of mortality in critically ill patients, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is a frequent pathogen associated with poor prognosis in this population. While metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is widely used for pathogen detection, its value in quantifying pathogen abundance and linking it to lung microbiome alterations remains unclear. This study investigated the association between P. aeruginosa abundance quantified by mNGS and lung microbiome alterations and clinical outcomes in sCAP patients. This multicenter retrospective study included 130 patients with sCAP caused by P. aeruginosa from five hospitals (September 2021–June 2025). Patients were stratified into low, medium, and high abundance groups according to mNGS-derived reads per ten million (RPTM) values of P. aeruginosa. Lung microbiome diversity and community structure were analyzed, and differences between groups were assessed using appropriate statistical methods. The association between P. aeruginosa abundance and clinical outcomes was evaluated using correlation analysis, sankey diagram, receiver operating characteristic curve, grey zone analysis and logistic regression. A total of 130 patients with sCAP due to P. aeruginosa were stratified into low, medium, and high abundance groups based on mNGS-derived RPTM value. Microbial diversity decreased progressively with increasing abundance, and community structures differed significantly among groups (all P < 0.05). P. aeruginosa became increasingly dominant, accounting for up to 95.99

Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV), a member of the genus Orthoebolavirus, family Filoviridae, is hereafter referred to as Bundibugyo virus, with the associated illness termed Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD). First identified in Uganda in 2007, the virus has received far less scientific attention than the highly pathogenic Zaire ebolavirus. In April 2026, a cluster of unexplained deaths emerged in the mining-intensive Mongbwalu Health Zone of Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and the causative agent was confirmed by whole-genome sequencing on 14 May 2026 as Bundibugyo virus. This is the DRC's 17th Ebola outbreak and only the third BVD epidemic globally. As of 10 June 2026, the DRC has reported 662 confirmed cases and 124 confirmed deaths, with the outbreak expanding across 25 health zones in Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces; Uganda has reported 19 confirmed cases and 2 deaths. Unlike Zaire ebolavirus outbreaks, no licensed vaccine or specific therapeutic exists for BVD, and the response is further complicated by armed conflict, population mobility through mining corridors, fragile health systems, and community mistrust that has occasionally erupted into violence against responders. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on 17 May 2026, and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) declared a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) on 18 May 2026. Under a unified "One Team, One Plan, One Budget, and One M&E Framework" architecture, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization jointly issued the Bundibugyo Virus Disease Continental Preparedness and Response Plan, with a budget of $517.7 million over six months and structured around 14 technical pillars. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of the virology, epidemiology, critical research gaps, and international response strategy, aiming to inform both ongoing outbreak operations and future scientific efforts.

Highlights What are the main findings? A nonlinear relationship between cropland fragmentation and both production and ecological functions is identified using a restricted cubic spline model. Based on these thresholds, three functional zones were demarcated, and land use patterns for 2030 were simulated under multiple scenarios using the PLUS model. What are the implications of the main findings? The identified thresholds provide a scientific basis for delineating functional zones to balance food production and ecological conservation. Differentiated regulation strategies should be adopted for the eastern, central, and western regions to support sustainable land use planning.Highlights What are the main findings? A nonlinear relationship between cropland fragmentation and both production and ecological functions is identified using a restricted cubic spline model. Based on these thresholds, three functional zones were demarcated, and land use patterns for 2030 were simulated under multiple scenarios using the PLUS model. What are the implications of the main findings? The identified thresholds provide a scientific basis for delineating functional zones to balance food production and ecological conservation. Differentiated regulation strategies should be adopted for the eastern, central, and western regions to support sustainable land use planning.Abstract Elucidating the mechanisms by which cropland fragmentation impacts production and ecological functions is critical for ensuring food security and ecological sustainability. Using Jilin Province as a case study, this research develops a cropland fragmentation evaluation framework based on landscape pattern indices. A restricted cubic spline model is employed to quantify nonlinear relationships and identify critical thresholds between fragmentation and both production and ecological functions. Furthermore, the PLUS model is utilized to simulate land-use patterns for 2030 under three scenarios: natural development, cropland protection, and ecological protection. The primary findings are as follows: (1) From 2000 to 2023, cropland fragmentation displayed pronounced spatial heterogeneity. Fragmentation was consistently high in the eastern mountainous areas and showed significant spatial clustering; the central region maintained relatively contiguous cropland, while the western region exhibited marked spatial variability. (2) Cropland fragmentation exhibits a nonlinear negative correlation with production functions, wherein the marginal negative impact attenuates beyond a threshold of 0.340. Conversely, its association with ecological functions follows a U-shaped trajectory, with a critical inflection point at 0.363 marking a directional shift in the fragmentation-ecology nexus. (3) Based on these nonlinear thresholds, the study area was delineated into production-ecology synergy zones, dysfunctional sensitive zones, and ecosystem landscape trade-off zones. Specifically, the central agricultural core is characterized by functional synergy; the ecologically fragile western zone resides near the nadir of the U-shaped curve, rendering its balance between production and ecological functions highly vulnerable to shifts in development intensity; and the eastern ecological barrier zone manifests a distinct trade-off prioritizing ecological functions. (4) Multi-scenario simulations reveal that the natural development scenario exacerbates the expansion risk of dysfunctional sensitive zones. While the cropland protection scenario enhances production capacity, it concurrently introduces risks of ecological instability. Conversely, the ecological protection scenario effectively steers sensitive zones toward ecological recovery. Consequently, we propose a differentiated spatial regulation strategy: prioritizing land consolidation in the central region, integrating ecological restoration with capacity enhancement in the west, and sustaining ecological barriers in the east, thereby fostering sustainable regional development.

The transportation sector powered by fossil fuels is a significant contributor to PM2.5 pollution. Systematic evaluation of traffic-related PM2.5 on acute coronary syndrome (ACS) onset is not yet characterized, and the health benefits of reduced traffic-related PM2.5 and evidence-based mitigation strategies are currently absent. We investigated the association of ACS onset with short-term traffic-related PM2.5 exposure in a nationwide time-stratified case-crossover study, using 627,828 ACS cases extracted from the China Cardiovascular Association. We evaluated the risks of ACS onset associated with traffic-related PM2.5, calculated the attributable onsets, and then conducted cluster analysis using the K-means algorithm to identify priority cities for emission reduction. We found a robust association between traffic-related PM2.5 and ACS onset, i.e., an increased risk of 2.39% (95% CI: 1.79-3.00%) for same-day (lag 0) PM2.5 per 10 μg/m3 increase. The greatest health benefits due to a 1 μg/m3 PM2.5 reduction were achieved by traffic-related PM2.5, reaching 10,267 (95%CI: 4503-16,063) onsets per year. In addition, three obvious categories were clustered, and traffic-polluted cities were highlighted (cluster 2, not belonging to megacities), with high emissions and concentrations of traffic-related PM2.5. Therefore, intensified efforts to mitigate traffic-related PM2.5 emissions should be promoted, and the prioritization of emission reduction strategies in these traffic-polluted cities is imperative for safeguarding public health.

BackgroundPrenatal PM2.5 exposure has been associated with preterm birth (PTB), but evidence on exposure windows and population heterogeneity remain inconsistent.MethodsThis retrospective cohort included 35,136 singleton births at a Chengdu hospital from 2015 to 2024. Satellite- and monitor-based PM2.5 exposures were estimated for conventional and fixed gestational windows. Logistic regression adjusted for individual characteristics, meteorological factors, conception season, and district fixed effects, with cluster-robust standard errors by district and last-menstrual-period year-month. PTB was classified as earlier (28–33 weeks) or late (34–36 weeks), and exploratory subgroup analyses were conducted.ResultsAmong 35,136 births, 2,622 (7.46%) were preterm. Mean whole-pregnancy PM2.5 concentrations were 49.11 ug/m3 for satellite data and 51.92 ug/m3 for monitoring data. Per 10 ug/m3 increase, the whole-pregnancy ORs were 1.089 (95% CI: 1.010–1.174) and 1.091 (95% CI: 0.996–1.195), respectively. Positive associations were observed during the first and third trimesters. For exposure during weeks 32–33, the ORs for late PTB were 1.063 and 1.069 using monitoring and satellite data, respectively; corresponding ORs for exposure during weeks 34–35 and PTB at week 36 were 1.084 and 1.095. Positive estimates occurred for late but not earlier PTB. Exploratory analyses suggested potential heterogeneity by ethnicity, parity, and migrant status.ConclusionPrenatal PM2.5 exposure was associated with PTB,with positive associations observed for the first and third trimesters and in the landmark analyses of weeks 32–33 and 34–35. Satellite and monitoring data yielded similar district-level estimates, while satellite data provided complete coverage and narrower confidence intervals. Reducing PM2.5 exposure throughout pregnancy may help reduce PTB burden.

Objective:Despite effective historical control, Mountain-Type zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (MT-ZVL) resurged in China in the early 2000s, risking geographical expansion and increased incidence. This study assessed progress in applying the One Health approach for MT-ZVL control in endemic provinces and identified optimization for current control framework. Methods:Seven endemic provinces (2022 data) were assessed with a pre-developed evaluation tool by a weighted scoring method. Results were analyzed to identify progress and challenges and formulate recommendations. Results:The average total score was 47.77/100 (range: 38.59-61.72). Category scores ranked: Disease Control (58.28) > External Environment (50.22) > Internal Support (36.86). Within the External Environment, Social Conditions scored highest (90.43), while Natural Environment scored lowest (31.96). Within the Internal Support, Resource Allocation scored highest (75.71), and Financial Investment scored lowest (27.90). Within the Disease Control, Epidemic Surveillance and Reporting scored highest (72.00), while Control Effectiveness scored lowest (42.78). Conclusion:This study evaluated the current status of One Health implementation for MT-ZVL control in seven endemic provinces. The results indicate slow overall progress, with the lowest scores observed for operational capacity and the highest for disease control activities. To advance MT-ZVL control, endemic provinces in China should prioritize integrating the One Health concept into control policies, strengthening the establishment and implementation of multisectoral coordination mechanisms, promoting scientific and technological innovation, and optimizing key interventions such as canine management.

Particulate matter was shown to significantly affect children's cognition through intermediate-term to long-term exposure; however, whether and to what extent air purification can improve the neurodevelopment of schoolchildren remains unclear. We conducted a randomized, controlled, double-blind, crossover trial for cognitive health among primary children aged 10-12 years through a multi-setting, mid-term air-purification intervention in Henan Province, China. The intervention and control groups received alternative true or sham purification in classrooms and bedrooms in a random manner. The two intervention phases (76 days) were separated by a washout period of 88 days. Among 57 participants, air purification reduced personal exposure to PM2.5 from 35.13 to 18.19 μg/m3. For academic performance, compared to the control group, the intervention group showed significant increases (0.22, 0.20, 5.19, and 4.11, respectively) in the improvement of standardized Chinese score (derived from raw scores through Z score transformation), total score (including Chinese and math), Chinese ranking, and total ranking. Regarding the cognitive-function test, executive function was significantly improved in the intervention group. For example, there were greater reductions in total errors (10.58) and non-perseverative errors (10.31) and more pronounced improvements in completed categories (12.94) and conceptualized thinking (2.02). We also observed significant increases in plasma amyloid β42 associated with the intervention. The improvements in cognitive health were also associated with reduced personal PM2.5 concentrations. Collectively, this trial provides robust evidence that mid-term, multi-setting indoor air purification can significantly enhance cognitive health in children in areas with high air-pollution levels.

ObjectivePhlebotomus chinensis (P. chinensis) serves as the primary vector of visceral leishmaniasis, a persistent public health threat, and its suitable distribution range and expansion trends remain unclear.MethodsThis study integrated two sets of baseline data, with 24,281 specimens collected from 45 counties across six provinces through field surveys and extra records from 475 distribution sites collated via literature retrieval. Climate data with 19 bioclimatic variables and geographic data including elevation, slope, aspect and vegetation coverage were obtained from open-access online databases (data retrieval cutoff: 2023). The Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) model was applied to simulate habitat suitability. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate model performance, and the Jackknife test was conducted to determine the relative importance of each environmental factor.ResultsThe MaxEnt model produced an outstanding AUC value of 0.917 ± 0.007, demonstrating robust predictive performance. Vegetation coverage emerged as the primary environmental driver, followed by the minimum temperature of the coldest month (bio_6), mean temperature of the driest quarter (bio_9), and annual precipitation (bio_12). The contemporary suitable habitat for P. chinensis on the Chinese mainland spans 2,295,360 km², constituting 23.91% of the total land area. Core suitable habitats concentrate in central Shanxi, northern and western Henan, southern Shaanxi and Gansu, southwestern Hebei, and northern Sichuan. Under the RCP4.5 scenario, the suitable distribution range will expand to 2,834,001 km² (29.52%) by 2050 and 2,934,104 km² (30.56%) by 2070. The centroid of current suitable habitats is situated in Dagui Town, Pingli County, Ankang City, Shaanxi Province (109.137665°E, 32.438831°N), with a northwestward shift of 112.37 km by 2050 and 100.15 km by 2070.ConclusionsThis study potentially delineates the suitable ecological niche of P. chinensis across the Chinese mainland, identifies key environmental drivers, and provides scientific references for regional risk assessment and targeted prevention measures.

In this study, cohort studies retrieved from PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase were systematically evaluated to clarify the link between long-term ozone exposure and cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related mortality and morbidity, addressing gaps in previous reviews that were not comprehensive or did not distinguish specific CVD types. For every 10 µg/m3 increase in ozone concentration, the relative risk (RR) of CVD mortality was 1.0105 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.0027, 1.0185], and that of CVD morbidity was 1.0578 (95% CI: 1.0289, 1.0874). In different exposure windows, the CVD mortality risk associated with warm-season ozone exposure (RR=1.0186, 95% CI: 1.0119, 1.0253) was higher than that associated with annual average ozone exposure (RR=0.9971, 95% CI: 0.9781, 1.0164). The RRs for CVD mortality were 1.1135 (95% CI: 1.0057, 1.2328) for females and 1.0707 (95% CI: 0.9855, 1.1633) for males. By region, the RRs were 1.0129 (95% CI: 1.0085, 1.0173) in Europe and the USA, and 1.0326 (95% CI: 0.9323, 1.1436) in Asia. Long-term ozone exposure is associated with a modest increase in the risk of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. However, evidence regarding the long-term effects of ozone exposure on cardiovascular disease-related health outcomes remains sparse, and further studies covering a broader range of regions and vulnerable populations are urgently required.

Background:Mountain-type zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (MT-ZVL) is undergoing rapid re-emergence in central China and demonstrates significant potential for further dissemination. The aim of this study was to provide information on optimal control strategies by estimating the disease's current distribution and potential for spread into new areas. Methods:We used a three-pronged approach: (1) active field surveillance in 57 potential-risk counties in 2022 to investigate the distribution of the Phlebotomus chinensis (P. chinensis) vector and canine infections based on serological positivity; (2) study of annual surveillance reports of P. chinensis distribution and canine infection in 42 counties in Henan, Shanxi and Beijing (2023-2024); and (3) passive surveillance via China's National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (NNDSS) revealing 1137 human MT-ZVL cases for the 2019-2024 period. We constructed a database based on an innovative active/passive surveillance approach and applied the optimized ecological niche model based on incorporating environmental, biological (the P. chinensis vector and infectious canines) and socioeconomic covariates to predict the relative risk of transmission at the 1 × 1 km resolution across central China. Model performance was validated using 239 unique, geolocated human case occurrences (2022-2024). This allowed us to map the MT-ZVL risk and quantify the populations at-risk within stratified risk tiers. Findings:The field surveillance across 20 of 57 potential MT-ZVL risk counties captured 7552 P. chinensis specimens (mean density: 13.7 sandflies/trap/night), with a high peak in Jiexiu County, Shanxi Province (499.8). In 14 counties with confirmed P. chinensis presence, canine infections were recorded in 9 counties giving a mean seroprevalence of 2.7% (44/1648), with the highest proportion at 16.2% (21/130) seen in Yuzhou County, Henan Province. Annual surveillance reports confirmed P. chinensis presence in 24 of 42 monitored counties, with seropositive canines in two counties. The final training dataset included the recorded findings of 270 P. chinensis sandflies, 224 infected canines and 213 human case records. Extreme gradient boosting demonstrated superior predictive performance for human MT-ZVL infection risk, significantly outperforming benchmark models, with the area under the curve (AUC) of 0.950 (95% CI: 0.921-0.979) in internal validation and 0.913 (95% CI: 0.886-0.940) in external validation. Model performance was further validated by 88.3% of indigenous cases occurring within predicted high-risk zones. These high-risk zones were concentrated in hilly terrain along the Taihang, Lvliang and Qinling Mountains-primarily in central-southern Shanxi, Hebei-Shanxi border regions, eastern Shaanxi and north-western Henan. This study identified 117 high-risk or very high-risk counties with a combined population of 19.24 million. Medium-risk areas were found to encompass surrounding regions across Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan, eastern Gansu, central-western Hebei and western/northern Beijing (87 counties; 12.07 million residents), while low-risk zones covered 87 counties in eastern Gansu, northern Sichuan, north-western Henan and central Hebei mountains (15.35 million residents). The optimized multi-source data-driven model exhibited robust predictive performance, identifying 291 at-risk counties threatening about 46.67 million residents. Interpretation:This study demonstrated MT-ZVL to be a significant public health threat with rapid expansion across central China. Key findings revealed unabated endemic transmission, with the presence of P. chinensis and infectious canines in non-endemic areas signifying new emerging foci. By the identification of specific regions at risk for MT-ZVL, an evidence base warranting heightened public health vigilance against potential transmission has been established. Surveillance for MT-ZVL in central China and targeted interventions are strongly recommended. Funding:This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 32161143036, No. 82473688), National Key Research and Development Program (2021YFC2300800, 2024YFC2310902), the Three-Year Initiative Plan for Strengthening Public Health System Construction in Shanghai (2023-2025) (No. GWVI-11.1-12).

Xing Gong,1,&ast; Li Wei,1,&ast; Yunshu Xu,2 Changdi Xu,3 Yi Zhang,1 Fengxia Sun,1 Man Tian,3 Liya Wang,4 Hengxue Wang,5 Ming Ge,1 Feng Liu,3 Lilin Xiong,1 Wei Pan61Department of Environment Health Promotion, Nanjing Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 2Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Respiratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Physical and Chemical Inspection, Nanjing Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Acute Infectious Diseases Control and Prevention, Nanjing Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Clinical Laboratory, Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Lilin Xiong, Department of Environment Health Promotion, Nanjing Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China, Email hzxionglilin@163.com Wei Pan, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China, Email panwei303303@sina.comPurpose: Extreme cold exposure may trigger respiratory morbidity in children, but whether concurrent ambient air pollution modifies cold-related risks of pediatric asthma remains unclear. This study evaluated associations between extreme cold events and pediatric asthma outpatient visits and assessed whether these associations differed according to ambient pollutant concentrations.Patients and methods: We conducted a time-series study of 62,167 pediatric asthma outpatient visits among children diagnosed with asthma at a tertiary children’s hospital in Nanjing, China, from 2019 to 2024. Daily asthma visits were linked with meteorological variables and ambient concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, CO, and O3. Extreme cold events were defined as ≥ 2, ≥ 3, or ≥ 4 consecutive days with daily mean temperature ≤ 4.5°C (the 10th percentile of the study-period distribution). Quasi-Poisson distributed-lag non-linear models were used to estimate cumulative relative risks over lag 0– 14 days. Pollutant-related effect modification was evaluated using stratified analyses and interaction measures.Results: Overall, extreme cold events were not significantly associated with pediatric asthma outpatient visits. However, stronger associations were observed during periods with higher CO and SO2 concentrations. For lag 0– 14 days, cumulative relative risks for ≥ 2-day cold events were 2.60 (95% CI: 1.13– 5.95) in the higher-CO stratum and 3.41 (95% CI: 1.15– 10.11) in the higher-SO2 stratum. Similar patterns were observed for longer cold-event definitions. Multiplicative interactions were identified for both CO and SO2, whereas additive interaction evidence was clearer for CO. Other pollutants showed less consistent modification patterns.Conclusion: The association between extreme cold events and pediatric asthma outpatient visits may depend on concurrent gaseous pollutant conditions. Relatively elevated CO and SO2 may help identify cold-event periods with greater pediatric asthma outpatient burden.Keywords: pediatric asthma outpatient visits, extreme cold events, ambient air pollutants, distributed-lag non-linear models, effect modification

Sand fly-borne visceral leishmaniasis (VL) has re-emerged in parts of North-central China, while conventional insecticidal control is constrained by the predominantly exophilic ecology of sand flies. Wolbachia-based approaches have shown field utility in medical vector control, but baseline data on Wolbachia infection and strain diversity in sand flies from VL resurgence settings in China remain limited. Sand flies were collected during 2023–2024 at sentinel sites located in VL resurgence areas across four provincial-level administrative regions in China (Beijing Municipality, Shanxi Province, Henan Province, and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region). Wolbachia was detected and typed by PCR and sequencing of the Wolbachia surface protein (wsp) gene, followed by estimation of pool positivity and bias-corrected maximum likelihood estimation (MLE)-based individual infection prevalence, haplotype inference, and phylogenetic and haplotype-network analyses. Three sand fly species—Phlebotomus chinensis, Ph. smirnovi, and Sergentomyia squamirostris—were identified across the surveyed sites. Overall, 268 pools (10 individuals per pool; 2680 specimens) were screened for Wolbachia, and 194 pools were PCR-positive (72.4

The effect of particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) on thyroid function has been reported. However, thyroid function can be affected by iron and iodine, which are essential for the synthesis of thyroid hormones. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between PM2.5 exposure and thyroid function during the first trimester (T1) and evaluate whether iron or iodine status mediate this association. Demographic information, serum ferritin (SF), and thyroid function, including free thyroxine (FT4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), were collected from 3922 pregnant women at Peking University First Hospital between October 2017 to August 2018. Serum iodine (SI) levels were additionally measured in women with hypothyroxinemia. Ambient PM2.5 concentrations were estimated by monitor stations. The general linear models were employed to assess the association between PM2.5 exposure and thyroid function. Furthermore, mediation analysis was performed to evaluate the potential mediating roles of iron status in the relationship between PM2.5 exposure and thyroid function. In the first trimester, per 1-interquartile range (IQR) increase in PM2.5 exposure was associated with a significant decrease in maternal FT4 levels (β = − 0.166; 95

IntroductionTicks are well-known ectoparasites and vectors responsible for transmitting a diverse range of pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, and protozoa, many of which pose substantial risks to public health and livestock. In recent decades, the incidence and diversity of tick-borne diseases have increased globally, with several novel tick-borne viruses (TBVs) being discovered.MethodsThis study aimed to characterize the virome of ticks collected from various locations in Shanghai, China, using next-generation sequencing (NGS). A total of 2,568 ticks belonging to three dominant species—Haemaphysalis flava, Haemaphysalis longicornis, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato—were collected and analyzed through metagenomic sequencing.ResultsThe sequencing analysis identified 214 viral contigs classified into 32 viral families, including Chrysoviridae, Phenuiviridae, Partitiviridae, Nairoviridae, Dicistroviridae, Reoviridae, Botourmiaviridae, and Flaviviridae. Several TBVs with potential relevance to human and animal health, such as Cheeloo Jingmen-like virus (CJLV), Songling virus (SGLV), brown dog tick phlebovirus 1 (BDTPV1), brown dog tick phlebovirus 2 (BDTPV2), and Wuhan mosquito virus 1 (WMV1), were detected. Significant differences in virome composition among tick species based on geographical locations were also observed.DiscussionThese findings highlight the influence of environmental factors on viral diversity in ticks and underscore the need for ongoing surveillance of TBVs. Implementation of longitudinal virome monitoring across tick developmental stages in Shanghai will provide critical insights for early warning systems, disease prevention strategies, and public health interventions.

Trypanosoma dionisii, one of several species that parasitizes Chiroptera worldwide, was first reported in a 30 year-old pregnant woman in China. It is important to improve our understanding of ecological and epidemiological patterns to identify potential transmission vectors and to estimate the risk of T. dionisii infection in the local population as well as in various species of domestic and wild animals. We performed an ecological survey with epidemiological features in the area where the first T. dionisii case was found, including parasitological and serological tests and local demographic information for six surrounding villages. Sylvatic and domestic mammals and potential vector organisms in the same locality were investigated by nested-PCR for Trypanosoma and the phylogenetic analysis was performed. A total of 241 samples from the local population were screened for trypanosomiasis by parasitological and serological tests with no positive cases identified. However, 11 out of 18 bats collected from the village tested positively for Trypanosoma spp. by microscopy and nested-PCR, while 9 were positive for T. dionisii and 2 for T. vespertilionis. With regard to cats, 5 from a pet hospital in local showed 3 were co-infected with of T. dionisii and T. vespertilionis, and one having T. dionisii only, as well as one of the 29 animals examined was found infected with T. vespertilionis. Other animals seemed even less affected as all 163 blood samples collected from livestock and poultry, such as cows, sheep, chickens, ducks and geese, tested negative. Also 35 mosquito and mite pools tested negatively, while 4 out of 30 tick pools tested positive by nested-PCR with their sequences close to T. conorhini. The survey indicates that a natural epidemic foci of T. dionisii, exists in Dongying Region, Shandong Province, China. Although no evidence of a high risk for human epidemic was found, the widespread presence of this parasites in bat species and a relatively high infection rate observed in the surveyed cats and dogs emphasize the emerging threat it poses to human health. Further surveillance and analysis are warranted to evaluate the transmission risk.

New evidence has revealed ambient fine particulate matter < 2.5 μm (PM2.5) may have endocrine disrupting effect, such as thyroid hormone disorder, while which PM2.5 constituents contributed to the effect was debatable. The study aimed to identify the specific PM2.5 constituents regarding to acute endocrine disrupting effect. 2043 individuals aged over 40 years were included in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region and surrounding areas. Data on air pollutant concentrations and PM2.5 constituents' concentration were collected by fixed monitoring stations, and serum triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) were determined by chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA). Multiple linear regression models were used to analyze impacts of PM2.5 and its constituents on T3 and T4. PM2.5 had strongest effect on thyroid hormone level at a lag 0-day period, and its specific components interfere with thyroid hormones' homeostasis were NO3- and heavy metals such as Ag, As, Cd, K, Mn, Pb, Sn, and Zn, which were positively associated with T3 and T4. OC and Sb significantly increased T3 level, and similar associations of constituents, such as SO42-, Fe, Ga, with T4 levels were found. Pb, NO3- and Zn exhibited primary positive weight in association with increasing thyroid hormone levels, and each IQR increase corresponded to 3.43 (95 % CI: 2.40-4.46) nmol/L, 4.19 (95 % CI: 2.47-5.92) nmol/L, and 3.35 (95 % CI: 2.33-4.37) nmol/L changed in T4. It suggests that PM2.5 and its specific constituents were associated with thyroid hormone levels, NO3- and heavy metals may be key contributors in the acute endocrine disrupting effect.