Xian Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Astragalus membranaceus suffers severe yield and quality losses due to root rot caused by Fusarium solani. To address this, we analyzed the root-associated microbial communities of healthy and diseased plants in northwest China using high-throughput sequencing. Combining community analysis with pot experiments and transcriptomic profiling, we elucidated the molecular mechanisms by which the biocontrol fungus Purpureocilliu lilacinum BP2-7 suppresses root rot. Root rot reshaped root-associated microbial structure, affecting fungal diversity more than bacterial diversity. The antagonistic effect of P. lilacinum BP2-7 against F. solani reached 71.43% in plate assays and 63.7% control efficacy in pot experiments, representing the first report of P. lilacinum application for managing root rot in A. membranaceus. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that P. lilacinum BP2-7 promotes the transition of plants from a damaged to a recovering state by modulating translation and metabolic processes, and enhancing protein homeostasis, while moderately downregulating defense-related responses to alleviate pathogen-induced excessive defense mechanisms. Additionally, twenty candidate genes involved in the direct inhibition of F. solani were identified, suggesting a role in enhancing host resistance. This study supports eco-friendly biocontrol strategies and advances understanding of plant-microbe interactions for managing soil-borne diseases in other important crops.

This study examines the impact of new-quality productive forces (NQPF) on the innovation performance of China’s pharmaceutical manufacturing enterprises and explores its internal mechanisms. Using panel data of A-share listed pharmaceutical firms from 2015 to 2023, a fixed-effects model is constructed, with instrumental variable (IV) and system GMM estimations applied to address endogeneity. The empirical results show that NQPF significantly enhance firms’ innovation performance, and the findings remain robust under multiple model specifications. Mechanism analysis further reveals that NQPF promote innovation both directly and indirectly by improving technological stability and technological diversification. These results indicate that NQPF strengthen the depth of technological accumulation while expanding the breadth of innovation exploration. From a policy perspective, fostering NQPF should be prioritized to upgrade China’s pharmaceutical industry. Governments should enhance innovation policy frameworks and digital infrastructure, while firms should advance intelligent transformation and data-driven innovation management to achieve high-quality and sustainable development.

The prevalence, epidemiological history and disease risk posed by pathogenic tick-borne viruses (TBVs) remain poorly understood in Northeast Asia. Here, over 12,000 ticks were collected from diverse ecological environments in Northeast China, leading to the identification of 44 TBVs from which 1,221 viral sequences were assembled. This included six human/mammal-infecting TBVs: Alongshan virus, Beiji nairovirus, Mukawa virus, Nuomin virus, tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), and Yezo virus. Aga, Izumo, and Nishinomiya in Japan were identified as tick diversity hotspots, while Shangzhi City, Genhe City, and Raohe County in China were classified as TBV hotspots. We then performed an ecological modelling of seven human-infecting TBVs and their major tick species. Both TBVs and their tick vectors were projected to have a wider distribution potential than previously recognized, including the human-infecting Wetland virus (WELV) identified in 2024. Notably, aside from WELV, the other six human-infecting TBVs were predicted to circulate in all five Northeast Asian countries. Specifically, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus was projected to potentially impact 266.74 million people, including nearly 100% of the population of Liaoning of China, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and 91.6% of the Japanese population. TBEV was modelled to have the widest distribution potential area of 8.56 million km2 (95.4%), potentially impacting 226.65 million people (71.1%). Overall, our study highlighted Northeast China and its adjacent countries as high-risk regions for several human-infecting TBVs. It is imperative to prioritize preventive and therapeutic measures for these high-risk TBVs.

Neonatal obesity has profound effects across the entire life. Although maternal diet and environmental exposures such as high altitude are potential influencing factors, the modulating effects of the unique high-altitude environment and distinct ethnic dietary patterns prevalent on the Tibetan Plateau remain unexplored. To investigate this association, we utilized Compositional Data Analysis (CoDA) to model dietary patterns. This study aims to investigate the associations between maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy and neonatal obesity, examining the potential modification effect by altitude and ethnicity. Furthermore, we apply the CoDA approach to quantify the impact of dietary redistribution on obesity risk. The findings are expected to inform targeted dietary interventions and public health strategies for high-risk populations. A birth cohort study encompassed 1173 pregnant women from the Tibetan Plateau. Dietary intake frequency during pregnancy was assessed using the food frequency questionnaire. Principal component analysis was used to identify the dietary patterns. Linear and logistic regression was used to examine the associations between dietary patterns and neonatal obesity. CoDA was employed to assess the association between redistribution of diet servings during pregnancy and altered risk of high ponderal index (HPI). Of the total 1173 mother-neonate pairs, 40.3% were Tibetans, 22.7% resided in ultra-high altitude areas, and 4.9% of neonates had obesity. Four dietary patterns were identified. A higher protein-fruit pattern score was significantly associated with a lower risk of HPI (OR = 0.66, 95% CI 0.47-0.93). We also observed a modification effect by altitude (Pinteraction = 0.026). Stratified by living altitude, this association was statistically significant only in Tibetans who lived in ultra-high altitude areas (OR = 0.39, 95% CI 0.20-0.69, P = 0.003). Composition of data analysis showed that when fruit consumption increased, estimated Δβ of HPI and z-score of ponderal index (PI) decreased. Higher adherence to protein-fruit dietary patterns during pregnancy was negatively associated with neonatal obesity in the Tibetans living in ultra-high altitude areas. Encouraging healthy diets during pregnancy, particularly through initiatives such as increasing fruit intake, may help to prevent neonatal obesity.

Male fertility has declined rapidly in recent decades, a trend coinciding with increased environmental exposure pressures. Among these, perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) have been reported to exert male reproductive toxicity, yet comparative risks across individual PFAS remain unclear. In this study, we employed an innovative systematic review strategy, the Targeted Risk Assessment of Environmental Chemicals (TRAEC) strategy, integrating all available evidence from 25 epidemiological studies, 75 in vivo, and 43 in vitro experiments, alongside independent experiments, to assess the effects of multiple PFAS on semen quality and sex hormone levels. The integrated evidence indicated that PFAS exposure posed a moderate risk level to male reproductive health with a comprehensive risk score of 6.47. Among individual PFAS, exposure to perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS, risk score: 7.43) and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA, risk score: 6.38) presented the highest risk of sperm abnormalities, followed by perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDoA, risk score: 6.29), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA, risk score: 5.83), and perfluorohexyl sulfonic acid (risk score: 4.87), all of which are at moderate risk levels. And the risk of these PFAS compounds causing reproductive hormone abnormalities was at a low to moderate level, with the risk scores ranging from 3.79 (PFOA) to 6.74 (PFDoA). Additionally, PFAS exposure showed a relatively high risk of adversely affecting sperm progressive motility (risk score range: 5.23–5.62), particularly for PFOS (risk score: 5.57) and PFNA (risk score: 5.62). Risk for other sperm parameters was relatively lower (risk score range: 4.01–5.49). Notably, independent in vivo experiments confirmed that PFNA exposure significantly impaired sperm routine parameters and sperm dynamics across multiple mouse strains (including C57BL/6J, CC002, CC037, and CC057 strains). Our study identified PFOS and PFNA as particularly detrimental to male reproductive health across multiple dimensions, underscoring the urgent need for measures to reduce PFAS exposure and mitigate risks to male fertility.

While early-life growth patterns are thought to be pivotal for long-term cardiovascular health, their specific links to adolescent blood pressure (BP) and potential mediators remain unclear. We aimed to examine the associations of growth trajectories from birth to age two with systolic and diastolic BP in adolescence, and to quantify the proportion mediated by concurrent adolescent BMI. In a prospective birth cohort in rural China, we repeatedly measured infant weight and length at birth and at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24months of age. Adolescent BP was measured and converted into percentiles. We used group-based trajectory modeling to identify early-life weight-, length-, BMI- and weight-for-length z-score trajectories and examined their associations with adolescent BP. A general causal mediation estimated the natural indirect effects and corresponding proportions mediated through adolescent BMI. Among the 1388 infants enrolled, 741 (60.9% male; mean age, 11.26 (SD, 0.57) years old) were followed at adolescence. Greater and rapid BMI and weight-for-length growth trajectories were statistically associated with elevated adolescent BP and BP percentiles, with adjusted mean differences ranging from 2.32 to 5.29 mmHg. Adolescent BMI mediated a substantial portion (up to 85%) of the association with systolic BP, but it showed no significant mediating effect for diastolic BP.Conclusion: Rapid adiposity growth in infancy predicts elevated adolescent BP. Since adolescent BMI did not fully explain this association, especially for diastolic BP, preventive interventions within the first 1000 days may be critical for lifelong cardiovascular health beyond managing later childhood weight. Trial registration: ISRCTN08850194, retrospectively registered December 14, 2006. https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN08850194?q=ISRCTN08850194&filters=&sort=&offset=1&totalResults=1&page=1&pageSize=10 . What is Known • Childhood body mass index (BMI) is positively associated with blood pressure at later life. What is New • This study identifies distinct weight, length, BMI, and weight-for-length growth trajectories from birth to two years of age and links rapid weight-related growth trajectories to elevated blood pressure in early adolescence. • Using causal mediation analysis, it shows adolescent BMI largely mediates the association for systolic, but not diastolic, blood pressure, highlighting interventions within the first 1000 day for lifelong cardiovascular health beyond managing later childhood weight.