Publications by authors named "Zhang Xiaoai"

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging tick-borne disease with a high fatality rate. The clinical diagnosis criteria mainly rely on white blood cell (WBC) and platelet (PLT), which, however, are of limited usage in identifying atypical SFTS. A multicenter study was performed in two hospitals from 2011 to 2023.

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Background: Wild birds are significant vectors in global pathogen transmission, but the diversity and spatial distribution of the pathogens detected in them remain unclear. Understanding the transmission dynamics and hotspots of wild-bird-associated pathogens (WBAPs) is crucial for early disease prevention.

Methods: We compiled an up-to-date dataset encompassing all WBAPs by conducting an extensive search of publications from 1959 to 2022, mapped their diversity and global distribution, and utilized three machine learning algorithms to predict geospatial hotspots where zoonotic and emerging WBAPs were prevalent.

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Lipids and lipid metabolism play an important role in RNA virus replication, which typically occurs on host cell endomembrane structures in the cytoplasm through mechanisms that are not yet fully identified. We conducted genome-scale CRISPR screening and identified sphingomyelin synthase 1 (SMS1; encoded by SGMS1) as a critical host factor for infection by severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV). SGMS1 knockout reduced sphingomyelin (SM) (d18:1/16:1) levels, inhibiting SFTSV replication.

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  • - The Usutu virus (USUV) is a rising concern as a mosquito-borne flavivirus leading to more human infections globally, prompting a need for better monitoring and understanding.
  • - Researchers created an extensive database to analyze USUV infections across vectors, animals, and humans, using boosted regression tree models to understand the virus's geographic spread and main vectors and hosts.
  • - Their findings indicate that about 1.04 billion people are at risk for USUV infection worldwide, with a large potential exposure area, emphasizing the need for enhanced surveillance, especially in high-risk regions.
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  • Fusarium mycotoxins, including Fusaric acid (FA) and others, are prevalent global contaminants that pose serious health risks.
  • CRISPR screening identified Malate dehydrogenase 2 (MDH2) and Pyruvate dehydrogenase E1 subunit beta (PDHB) as critical genes related to FA-induced cell death, particularly through their involvement in mitochondrial functions.
  • MDH2 was found to play a vital role in regulating the toxicity of various Fusarium toxins, suggesting potential targets for treatment strategies against their harmful effects.
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  • A 30-year-old pregnant woman in Shandong Province, China, was diagnosed with a persistent high fever, and high-throughput sequencing identified the presence of the parasite Trypanosoma dionisii in her blood.
  • The patient showed symptoms like fever and respiratory issues but made a full recovery without long-term effects; genetic analysis revealed her infection was closely related to T. dionisii found in local bats.
  • This case highlights T. dionisii as a potential zoonotic pathogen, emphasizing the risk of its transmission from wildlife, particularly rodents and bats, to humans.
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Bile acids are microbial metabolites that can impact infection of enteric and hepatitis viruses, but their functions during systemic viral infection remain unclear. Here we show that elevated levels of the secondary bile acid taurolithocholic acid (TLCA) are associated with reduced fatality rates and suppressed viraemia in patients infected with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), an emerging tick-borne haemorrhagic fever virus. TLCA inhibits viral replication and mitigates host inflammation during SFTSV infection in vitro, and indirectly suppresses SFTSV-mediated induction of ferroptosis by upregulating fatty acid desaturase 2 via the TGR5-PI3K/AKT-SREBP2 axis.

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  • In June 2019, a patient in Inner Mongolia developed severe symptoms after a tick bite, leading to the discovery of a new virus named Wetland virus (WELV) through advanced genetic testing.
  • Active surveillance identified 17 cases of WELV infection across multiple regions in China, with patients exhibiting a range of nonspecific symptoms and laboratory abnormalities.
  • WELV was isolated from various ticks and animals, and studies showed that it can cause serious illness in mice, indicating a potential tick vector for the virus.
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  • California hare coltivirus (CHCV) was first isolated in 1976, but its distribution and host range were unclear until recent studies in China expanded its known presence.
  • Using next-generation sequencing, researchers found CHCV RNA in 1.56% of tick samples collected from northeastern China, with the highest positivity rates in Inner Mongolia.
  • Genetic analysis showed that current CHCV strains have high identity with previously reported strains and are closely related to human pathogenic coltiviruses, therefore expanding our understanding of CHCV’s diversity and geographic scope.
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Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Morus alba L. are widely used as ethnomedicine and functional food in China, Japan, Korea and other Asian countries. Morus alba L.

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Shrews being insectivores, serve as natural reservoirs for a wide array of zoonotic viruses, including the recently discovered Langya henipavirus (LayV) in China in 2018. It is crucial to understand the shrew-associated virome, viral diversity, and new viruses. In the current study, we conducted high-throughput sequencing on lung samples obtained from 398 shrews captured along the eastern coast of China, and characterized the high-depth virome of 6 common shrew species (Anourosorex squamipes, Crocidura lasiura, Crocidura shantungensis, Crocidura tanakae, Sorex caecutiens, and Suncus murinus).

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Background: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging viral hemorrhagic fever with high fatality rates. The blockade of pro-inflammatory cytokines presents a promising therapeutic strategy.

Methods: We conducted a randomized clinical trial at the 154th hospital, Xinyang, Henan Province.

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  • Foodborne diseases are a major global health threat, and traditional diagnostic methods often fall short, making new techniques like qPCR promising alternatives.
  • A study of 1,011 stool samples from suspected foodborne illness cases found high rates of enterotoxigenic bacteria and adenovirus, with a staggering 71.22% of samples showing co-infections.
  • The findings stress the need for advanced diagnostic methods in urban centers, underscoring the complexity of foodborne illnesses and the public health challenges they pose.
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Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) with a chemically modified surface typically have a complicated chemical composition, which can significantly differ from their intended design. In this study, we systematically studied the effects of two surface modification methods on active-targeting of intracellular organelles of SiNPs: (1) the widely used step-by-step approach, which involves modifying SiNPs in two steps, i.e.

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Mudanjiang phlebovirus (MJPV) is a newly discovered phlebovirus, initially detected from ticks in China in 2022. In this study, by next-generation sequencing (NGS) on a wide variety of ticks and wild small animals in China, we detected MJPV from and . Additionally, we conducted RT-PCR and sequencing on 1815 adult ticks and 805 wild small mammals collected from eight provinces in China between 2017 and 2021.

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CSFV infection in pigs causes persistent high fever, hemorrhagic necrotizing multi-organ inflammation, and high mortality, which seriously threatens the global swine industry. Cell death is an essential immune response of the host against pathogen invasion, and lymphopenia is the most typical clinical feature in the acute phase of CSFV infection, which affects the initial host antiviral immunity. As an "old" virus, CSFV has evolved mechanisms to evade host immune response after a long genetic evolution.

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Background: A viral infection can modify the risk to subsequent viral infections via cross-protective immunity, increased immunopathology, or disease-driven behavioral change. There is limited understanding of virus-virus interactions due to lack of long-term population-level data.

Methods: Our study leverages passive surveillance data of 10 human acute respiratory viruses from Beijing, Chongqing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai collected during 2009 to 2019: influenza A and B viruses; respiratory syncytial virus A and B; human parainfluenza virus (HPIV), adenovirus, metapneumovirus (HMPV), coronavirus, bocavirus (HBoV), and rhinovirus (HRV).

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Introduction: Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) are major intestinal coronaviruses that cause vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, and mortality in piglets. These viruses coexist and lead to significant economic losses in the swine industry. Virus-like particles (VLPs) have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional inactivated vaccines due to their exceptional safety, efficacy, and ability to provide multi-disease protection with a single dose.

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Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease with increasing incidence and geographic extent. The extent to which global climate change affects the incidence of SFTS disease remains obscure. We use an integrated multi-model, multi-scenario framework to assess the impact of global climate change on SFTS disease in China.

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Background: Optimal treatment strategy for severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) remained unknown. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) on SFTS.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted based on medical records of the laboratory-confirmed SFTS patients hospitalized during 2010-2020 in the 154th hospital, China.

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Pneumonia complicated by preterm birth is related to adverse clinical sequelae from the neonatal period to childhood. Children with pneumonia during 2009-2021 were enrolled at the Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University. Altogether 20 respiratory pathogens were detected and compared.

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Sweet orange 'Newhall' (C. sinensis) is a popular fruit in high demand all over the world. Its peel and pulp are rich in a variety of nutrients and are widely used in catering, medicine, food and other industries.

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  • Acute diarrhea with fever may indicate a more severe condition, and this study aimed to analyze the characteristics and pathogens involved in febrile diarrhea across different age groups in China between 2011 and 2020.
  • A nationwide survey of 146,296 acute diarrhea patients showed that 18.6% had fever, with the highest incidence (24.2%) in children under 5, who also had a greater prevalence of viral pathogens.
  • The study found notable differences in pathogen associations with fever, revealing that nontyphoidal Salmonella was more common in febrile patients across all ages, while rotavirus A and diarrheagenic E. coli were more strongly linked to fever in specific age groups.
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Objectives: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) virus (SFTSV) is an emerging tick-borne bunyavirus with a high pathogenicity. Little is known about the longitudinal dynamics of the SFTSV-specific neutralizing antibody (NAb) and the related factors in patients with SFTS.

Methods: A prospective cohort study of patients with laboratory-confirmed SFTS were conducted.

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