In China,compared with other high risk population, drug users have higher rates of HIV infection, HCV infection and co-infection of HIV and HCV. These infections are major factors influencing this population’s health status. By describing and comparing the status of HIV infection, HCV infection, and HIV/HCV co-infection among drug users in China in terms of geographic distribution, demographic distribution, analyzing the interaction of the two viruses and the velocity of transmission and pathogenicity, this article provides recommendation for prevention and control of HIV and HCV.

Oncolytic viruses,a novel class of virus vectors,which selectively replicate only in tumor cells,have excellent tumor targeting and good tansfection efficiency.Many oncolytic viruses have apparent curative effect when administered intratumorally.However,the host immune system remains a critical obstacle to systemic administration of virotherapeutics.It appears that cell-based delivery of oncolytic viruses could offer one solution to this critical problem,which provides a new platform to the biological therapy of cancer.

Objective To understand the prevalence and the factors associated with depression and anxiety among patients attending the community-based methadone maintenance treatment(MMT) program.Methods 9 MMT clinics in 3 provinces were randomly selected,in which 1 301 MMT patients who met the criteria of recruitment were all interviewed.A cross-sectional study by administrative questionnaire was employed to investigate the demographics,drug abuse and MMT treatment status of the respondents.The 1301 respondents were also evaluated for depression and anxiety by SDS(Self-Rating Depression Scale) and SAS(Self-Rating Anxiety Scale) respectively.ANOVA and multivariate linear regressions analysis was used to verify the factors associated with depression and anxiety respectively.Results The prevalence of depression and anxiety among the MMT patients were 38.3%(498/1 301) and 18.4%(239/1 301).The multivariates linear regression analysis indicated that at the level of ?=0.05,gender,employment status were associated with depression,while gender,employnment status,educational level,drug abuse and methadone daily dosage were associated with anxiety.Conclusions There are certain proportions of MMT clients who suffer from depression and anxiety.The MMT clinic staff should put more emphasis on the efforts to reduce psychological disorders and its potential risks by enhancing psychological councelling,intervention and social support towards the MMT patients.

Objective To understand the distribution of population viral load (PVL) data in HIV infected men who have sex with men (MSM), fit distribution function and explore the appropriate estimating parameter of PVL. Methods The detection limit of viral load (VL) was ≤ 50 copies/ml. Box-Cox transformation and normal distribution tests were used to describe the general distribution characteristics of the original and transformed data of PVL, then the stable distribution function was fitted with test of goodness of fit. Results The original PVL data fitted a skewed distribution with the variation coefficient of 622.24%, and had a multimodal distribution after Box-Cox transformation with optimal parameter (λ) of-0.11. The distribution of PVL data over the detection limit was skewed and heavy tailed when transformed by Box-Cox with optimal λ=0. By fitting the distribution function of the transformed data over the detection limit, it matched the stable distribution (SD) function (α=1.70, β=-1.00, γ=0.78, δ=4.03). Conclusions The original PVL data had some censored data below the detection limit, and the data over the detection limit had abnormal distribution with large degree of variation. When proportion of the censored data was large, it was inappropriate to use half-value of detection limit to replace the censored ones. The log-transformed data over the detection limit fitted the SD. The median (M) and inter-quartile ranger (IQR) of log-transformed data can be used to describe the centralized tendency and dispersion tendency of the data over the detection limit.

Objective To compare results of different methods in organizing HIV viral load (VL) data with missing values mechanism. Methods We used software SPSS 17.0 to simulate complete and missing data with different missing value mechanism from HIV viral loading data collected from MSM in 16 cities in China in 2013. Maximum Likelihood Methods Using the Expectation and Maximization Algorithm (EM), regressive method, mean imputation, delete method, and Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) were used to supplement missing data respectively. The results of different methods were compared according to distribution characteristics, accuracy and precision. Results HIV VL data could not be transferred into a normal distribution. All the methods showed good results in iterating data which is Missing Completely at Random Mechanism (MCAR). For the other types of missing data, regressive and MCMC methods were used to keep the main characteristic of the original data. The means of iterating database with different methods were all close to the original one. The EM, regressive method, mean imputation, and delete method under-estimate VL while MCMC overestimates it. Conclusion MCMC can be used as the main imputation method for HIV virus loading missing data. The iterated data can be used as a reference for mean HIV VL estimation among the investigated population.

Objective To compare the community viral load (CVL) among MSM in 15 cities in China using standardized national reference sources.Methods The study analyzed the existing database of National Major Science and Technology Project of China.The database was established with serial random survey of MSM HIV CVL among MSM in 15 cities from 2013 to 2015.VL tests were conducted in 15 laboratories with different equipment and methods,including RT-PCR,nucleic acid sequence based amplification (NASBA),branched DNA testing (bDNA) and Abbott M2000 RealTime system (M2000).Based on proficiency test for 15 laboratories conducted by National HIV Reference Laboratory,VL test values detected with EasyQ,bDNA and M2000 were converted and standardized into resultant values of TaqMan 2.0.Software SPSS 17.0 was used to produce descriptive statistics for the dataset.Results From 2014 to 2015,the 15 testing sites were found to use a number of different viral load detection techniques.In 2014,the community viral load values were (2.38 ±1.47) and (2.99 ± 1.31) in 15 testing sites,while in 2015 these values were found to be (2.07± 1.34) and (2.72± 1.19).The measurement of community VL was done using standard benchmarks of ≤200 copies/ml,≤400 copies/ml and ≤1 000 copies/ml,that were used for reference for now.Conclusion It is necessary to use standard detection method to improve the comparability of annual results.Using a standardized rate of ≤400 copies/ml or ≤ 1 000 copies/ml for successful control of VL was found with high stability for the result comparison among different areas.

Objective: To assess risk of HIV infection and its risk factors among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Beijing, China. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey in October, 2017. Inclusion criteria of participants were: aged 18 year or more; resided in Beijing; conducted homosexual activities in past six months; self-reported HIV status as negative or unclear. Demographic information, HIV test history, social media use, and high-risk sexual behaviors were collected by a self-reporting questionnaire, and a HIV risk assessment tool was used to assess HIV risk of MSM, 5 388 particpants were finally enrolled in the study. Logistic regression model was used to analyze factors associated with risk of HIV infection. Results: Of the total 5 388 participants, most were 18-29 years old (64.35%), and the proportion of medium and high HIV risk score was 40.36%. The odds of medium and high HIV risk score among MSM who logged onto the app 1-20 times per week and>20 times per week were higher comparing with those who logged onto the app<1 time per week (OR=1.22, 95%CI: 1.02-1.46; OR=1.69, 95%CI: 1.38-2.06, respectively); MSM who completed college or higher education had lower probability of medium and high HIV infection risk, comparing with those who only had high school education level (OR=1.25, 95%CI:1.09-1.43) or junior or below education level (OR: 1.27, 95%CI: 1.05-1.53); MSM who did not conduct HIV test in past year had lower risk of medium and high HIV infection risk comparing with MSM who conducted HIV test in past year (OR=0.87, 95%CI: 0.77-0.99), and those who reported their HIV infection status unclear had higher probability of medium and high HIV infection risk than MSM who reported their HIV infection status negative (OR: 1.63, 95%CI: 1.44-1.86). Conclusion The proportion of MSM who were in medium and high HIV infection risk score was high in Beijing. Lower level of education, high frequency of social media use, conducted HIV test in past year, and unclear of their own HIV infection status were associated with medium and high level of HIV infection risk.

OBJECTIVESTo investigate the incidence of syphilis infection and to determine the risk factors related to syphilis infection among young men who had sex with men (YMSM), which were documented for developing effective intervention to prevent sexually transmitted diseases among YMSM.

METHODSA cohort study was conducted in 8 cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Kunming,Guiyang, Chongqing, Chengdu, Urumqi and Nanning) from May to December, 2009. A total of 1 037 syphilis-negative YMSM aged 18-25 were enrolled in the cohort and the two follow-up surveys were carried out every six months. The contents of study included sociodemographic characteristics, HIV-related knowledge, sexual behavior and condom use in the 6 months prior to survey. All participants were tested for syphilis with whole blood specimens. Chi-square test was used to compare demographic characteristics of participants in baseline with those of two follow-up, and Cox regression analysis was used to identify risk factors associated with syphilis infection.

RESULTSThe rates of participants in 6, 12 months follow-up surveys was 79.85% (828/1 037) and 82.16% (852/1 037) respectively.39 syphilis seroconversions were found in the 12 months follow-up survey. Cumulative observed person-years during follow-up time was 1 106.67. The syphilis incidence rate was 3.5%. The Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the education of senior high school (senior high school vs some college or higher, RR = 2.19, 95% CI:1.21-3.98), bisexual orientation (bisexual orientation vs homosexual orientation, RR = 2.19, 95% CI:1.21-3.97), score of HIV/AIDS knowledge <8 (score of HIV/AIDS knowledge <8 vs knowledge = 8, RR = 2.39, 95%CI:1.35-4.21), had two and more sexual partners and inconsistent condom use in the past 6 months (inconsistent condom use vs consistent condom use, RR = 3.10, 95% CI:1.39-6.91) were significantly associated with syphilis seroconversion in the 12-month period.

CONCLUSIONSThe syphilis incidence was high and risk behaviors were common among YMSM of China.

Adolescent ; Adult ; China ; epidemiology ; Cohort Studies ; Homosexuality, Male ; Humans ; Male ; Risk Factors ; Risk-Taking ; Syphilis ; epidemiology ; Young Adult

Objective To assess the change of sexual behaviors before and after HIV was recently identified among men who have sex with men(MSM). Methods A retrospective study was conducted on recently identified HIV-infected MSM in Chengdu and Tianjin. A face-to-face questionnaire interview was administrated to collect sexual behaviors within six months,before and after HIV was diagnosed. Differences in sexual behavior before and after the diagnosis were assessed, using the McNemar χ 2 test. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify predictors for sexually risk behaviors. Results Of 129 HIV-infected MSM under survey,the average age was 31.8 years and the main venue in seeking male sex partners was through Internet. The proportions of MSM with unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) decreased from 70.5% before diagnosis to 16.3% after diagnosis and the percentage of having more than 1 partner decreased from 66.7%before diagnosis to 33.3%after diagnosis. After the diagnosis was made,there appeared a significant decrease in the percentage of persons who had one main partner from 72.9% to 55.0% and having casual partners declined from 62.8% to 31.0%. Data from multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that risk factors as UAI before diagnosis,more than 1 partner after diagnosis and having one main partner,were all significantly associated with UAI after diagnosis. After the diagnosis was made for UAI,risk factors for‘having more than 1 partner’after diagnosis,would include:using Internet to seek for sexual partners,after diagnosis,having one main partner but not disclosing to him. Conclusion After the diagnosis was made,most HIV-infected MSM would reduce their high risk sexual behaviors but some continued to practice UAI.

Objective To analyze the effect of missing data in population based viral load (PVL) survey in HIV infected men who have sex with men (MSM) sampled in 16 cities in China.Methods The database of 3 virus load sampling survey conducted consecutively in HIV infected MSM population in 16 large cities (Beijing,Shanghai,Nanjing,Hangzhou,Wuhan,Chongqing,Kunming,Xi' an,Guangzhou,Shenzhen,Narning,Urumuqi,Harbin,Changchun,Chengdu and Tianjin) during 2013-2015 was used.SPSS 17.0 software was used to describe distribution of the missing data and analyze associated factors.Results A total of 12 150 HIV infected MSM were randomly selected for the surveys,in whom,9 141 (75.2％) received virus load tests,while 3 009 (24.8％) received no virus load tests,whose virus load data missed.The virus load data missing rates in MSM with or without access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) were 11.5％ (765/6 675) and 39.4％ (2 060/5 223) respectively,and the virus load data missing rates were 21.9％ (1 866/8 523) and 28.4％ (959/3 374),respectively,in local residents and non-local residents (migrants).Conclusions The analysis indicated that the data missing occurred in the virus load survey in HIV infected MSM population.ART status and census registering status were the main influencing factors.Data missing could influence the accurate evaluation of community viral load (CVL) and population viral load (PVL) levels in HIV infected MSM in China.