Safety, immunogenicity and protection of heterologous boost with an aerosolised Ad5-nCoV after two-dose inactivated COVID-19 vaccines in adults: a multicentre, open-label phase 3 trial.

BACKGROUND: Aerosolised Ad5-nCoV is one of the first licensed mucosal respiratory vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 in the world; however, the safety profile of this vaccine has not been reported in a large population yet. METHODS: This multicentre, open-label phase 3 trial, done in 15 centres in six provinces (Jiangsu, Hunan, Anhui, Chongqing, Yunnan, Shandong) in China, aimed to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of aerosolised Ad5-nCoV in healthy adults (members of the general population with no acute febrile disorders, infectious disease, serious cardiovascular diseases, serious chronic diseases or progressive diseases that cannot be controlled) at least 18 years old, who had received two doses of inactivated COVID-19 vaccine as their primary regimen. This study contained a non-randomly assigned safety cohort and a centrally randomly assigned (1:1) immunogenicity subcohort. The patients in the immunogenicity subcohort received aerosolised Ad5-nCov (aerosolised Ad5-nCoV group) or inactivated vaccine (inactivated COVID-19 group) The primary endpoints were the incidence of adverse reactions within 28 days following the booster vaccination with aerosolised Ad5-nCoV in the safety population (collected through a daily record of any solicited or unsolicited adverse events filled by each participant) and the geometric mean titre of neutralising antibodies at day 28 after the booster dose in the immunogenicity subcohort (measured with a pseudovirus neutralisation test). This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05204589. FINDINGS: Between Jan 22, 2022, and March 12, 2022, we recruited 11 410 participants who were screened for eligibility, of whom 10 267 (99·8%) participants (5738 [55·9%] men, 4529 [44·1%] women; median age 53 years [18-92]) received the study drugs: 9847 (95·9%) participants in the open-label cohort to receive aerosolised Ad5-nCoV, and 420 (4·1%) in the immunogenicity subcohort (212 in the aerosolised Ad5-nCoV group and 208 in the inactivated vaccine group). Adverse reactions were reported by 1299 (13%) of 10 059 participants within 28 days after receiving the booster vaccination with aerosolised Ad5-nCoV, but most of the adverse reactions reported were mild to moderate in severity. Participants in the aerosolised Ad5-nCoV group had a significantly higher level of the neutralising antibodies against omicron BA.4/5 (GMT 107·7 [95% CI 88·8-130·7]) than did those in the inactivated vaccine group (17·2 [16·3-18·2]) at day 28. INTERPRETATION: The heterologous booster regimen with aerosolised Ad5-nCoV is safe and highly immunogenic, boosting both systemic and mucosal immunity against omicron subvariants. FUNDING: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Jiangsu Provincial Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, and Jiangsu Provincial Key Project of Science and Technology Plan. TRANSLATION: For the Chinese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Current trends and future prediction of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic in China: a dynamical modeling analysis.

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection broke out in December 2019 in Wuhan, and rapidly overspread 31 provinces in mainland China on 31 January 2020. In the face of the increasing number of daily confirmed infected cases, it has become a common concern and worthy of pondering when the infection will appear the turning points, what is the final size and when the infection would be ultimately controlled. Based on the current control measures, we proposed a dynamical transmission model with contact trace and quarantine and predicted the peak time and final size for daily confirmed infected cases by employing Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm. We estimate the basic reproductive number of COVID-19 is 5.78 (95%CI: 5.71-5.89). Under the current intervention before 31 January, the number of daily confirmed infected cases is expected to peak on around 11 February 2020 with the size of 4066 (95%CI: 3898-4472). The infection of COVID-19 might be controlled approximately after 18 May 2020. Reducing contact and increasing trace about the risk population are likely to be the present effective measures.

Massive migration promotes the early spread of COVID-19 in China: a study based on a scale-free network.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic met coincidentally with massive migration before Lunar New Year in China in early 2020. This study is to investigate the relationship between the massive migration and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic in China. METHODS: The epidemic data between January 25th and February 15th and migration data between Jan 1st and Jan 24th were collected from the official websites. Using the R package WGCNA, we established a scale-free network of the selected cities. Correlation analysis was applied to describe the correlation between the Spring Migration and COVID-19 epidemic. RESULTS: The epidemic seriousness in Hubei (except the city of Wuhan) was closely correlated with the migration from Wuhan between January 10 and January 24, 2020. The epidemic seriousness in the other provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions was largely affected by the immigration from Wuhan. By establishing a scale-free network of the regions, we divided the regions into two modules. The regions in the brown module consisted of three municipalities, nine provincial capitals and other 12 cities. The COVID-19 epidemics in these regions were more likely to be aggravated by migration. CONCLUSIONS: The migration from Wuhan could partly explain the epidemic seriousness in Hubei Province and other regions. The scale-free network we have established can better evaluate the epidemic. Three municipalities (Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin), eight provincial capitals (including Nanjing, Changsha et al.) and 12 other cities (including Qingdao, Zhongshan, Shenzhen et al.) were hub cities in the spread of COVID-19 in China.

Basic reproduction number and predicted trends of coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic in the mainland of China.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a serious epidemic around the world, but it has been effectively controlled in the mainland of China. The Chinese government limited the migration of people almost from all walks of life. Medical workers have rushed into Hubei province to fight against the epidemic. Any activity that can increase infection is prohibited. The aim of this study was to confirm that timely lockdown, large-scale case-screening and other control measures proposed by the Chinese government were effective to contain the spread of the virus in the mainland of China. METHODS: Based on disease transmission-related parameters, this study was designed to predict the trend of COVID-19 epidemic in the mainland of China and provide theoretical basis for current prevention and control. An SEIQR epidemiological model incorporating asymptomatic transmission, short term immunity and imperfect isolation was constructed to evaluate the transmission dynamics of COVID-19 inside and outside of Hubei province. With COVID-19 cases confirmed by the National Health Commission (NHC), the optimal parameters of the model were set by calculating the minimum Chi-square value. RESULTS: Before the migration to and from Wuhan was cut off, the basic reproduction number in China was 5.6015. From 23 January to 26 January 2020, the basic reproduction number in China was 6.6037. From 27 January to 11 February 2020, the basic reproduction number outside Hubei province dropped below 1, but that in Hubei province remained 3.7732. Because of stricter controlling measures, especially after the initiation of the large-scale case-screening, the epidemic rampancy in Hubei has also been contained. The average basic reproduction number in Hubei province was 3.4094 as of 25 February 2020. We estimated the cumulative number of confirmed cases nationwide was 82 186, and 69 230 in Hubei province on 9 April 2020. CONCLUSIONS: The lockdown of Hubei province significantly reduced the basic reproduction number. The large-scale case-screening also showed the effectiveness in the epidemic control. This study provided experiences that could be replicated in other countries suffering from the epidemic. Although the epidemic is subsiding in China, the controlling efforts should not be terminated before May.

The effects of acupuncture on pregnancy outcomes of in vitro fertilization: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The effects of acupuncture on in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes remain controversial. And the variation in participant, interventions, outcomes studied, and trial design may relate to the efficacy of adjuvant acupuncture. METHODS: We searched digital databases for relevant studies, including Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library and some Chinese databases up to December 2018, for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effects of acupuncture on women undergoing IVF. We included studies with intervention groups using needling, and control groups consisting of no acupuncture or sham (placebo) acupuncture. Primary outcomes were clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) and live birth rate (LBR). Meta-regression and subgroup analysis were conducted on the basis of eight pre-specified covariates to investigate the variances of the effects of adjuvant acupuncture on pregnancy rates and the sources of heterogeneity. RESULTS: Twenty-seven studies with 6116 participants were included. The pooled clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) from all of acupuncture groups was significantly greater than that of control groups (RR 1.21, 95% CI: 1.07-1.38), whereas the pooled live birth rate (LBR) was not. Meta-regression subgroup analysis showed a more significant benefit of acupuncture for repeated IVF cycle proportion (number of women with a history of prior unsuccessful IVF attempt divided by number of women included in each trial) ≥ 50% group (CPR: RR 1.60, 95% CI: 1.28-2.00; LBR: RR 1.42, 95% CI: 1.05-1.92), and this covariate explained most of the heterogeneity (CPR and LBR: adjusted R2 = 100 and 87.90%). Similar results were found between CPR and number of acupuncture treatments (CPR: p = 0.002, adjusted R2 = 51.90%), but not LBR. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis finds a benefit of acupuncture for IVF outcomes in women with a history of unsuccessful IVF attempt, and number of acupuncture treatments is a potential influential factor. Given the poor reporting and methodological flaws of existing studies, studies with larger scales and better methodologies are needed to verify these findings.

Effects of Acupuncture on the Outcomes of Assisted Reproductive Technology: An Overview of Systematic Reviews.

OBJECTIVES: To conclude the evidence from systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses assessing the effectiveness of acupuncture to treat couples with subfertility undergoing ART. METHODS: We searched the major databases from their inception to March 2018: PubMed, Embase, The Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, Chongqing VIP, and Sino-Med (the Chinese database). The primary outcomes of the overview were live birth and clinical pregnancy, and secondary outcomes were ongoing pregnancy, miscarriage, and adverse events. Study selection, quality assessment, and data extraction were performed independently by two review authors. Review methodological quality was assessed by using the AMSTAR tool, and the quality of the evidence was rated by GRADE methods. RESULTS: Eleven systematic reviews were included and published between 2009 and 2017. Our study showed that the acupuncture treatment seems to be a useful tool to improve the clinical pregnancy rate in patients who undergo assisted reproduction therapy. However, there was no evidence that acupuncture had any effect on live birth rate, ongoing pregnancy rates, or miscarriage regardless of whether acupuncture was performed around the time of oocyte retrieval or around the day of embryo transfer; this evidence is inconclusive because of the low quality of the included studies. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence for acupuncture to treat couples with subfertility undergoing ART remains unclear. Further research is needed, with high-quality trials undertaken and reported.

Genetic variations in vitamin D receptor were associated with the outcomes of hepatitis C virus infection among Chinese population.

Vitamin D has been considered as an immune modulator, and exerted the effect through the vitamin D receptor (VDR). This study investigated the associations of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of VDR with the outcomes of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Three SNPs (rs2228570, rs757343 and rs739837) were genotyped by TaqMan assay among Chinese population, including 538 HCV spontaneous clearance subjects, 834 persistent infection subjects and 1030 uninfected subjects. Binary logistic analyses were used to control the effects of confounding factors. The results showed that subjects with the rs757343 A allele and rs739837 A allele had the significantly reduced risk of HCV susceptibility (all PBonferroni<0.05 in dominant/additive model). In the stratified analysis, the protection of rs757343 A allele and rs739837 A allele against HCV infection remained effective in some subgroups. In addition, patients carrying rs739837 CA genotype were less prone to develop persistent infection (PBonferroni=0.033) and such effect still work in several subgroups in the stratified analysis. Furthermore, haplotype analysis indicated that when compared with the most frequent GC haplotype, the haplotype carrying AA (odds ratio (OR)=0.66, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.56-0.78) and GA (OR=0.64, 95% CI=0.47-0.85) suggested a protective effect. Our findings indicated that the polymorphisms of VDR are associated with the outcomes of HCV infection among Chinese population.

Human Leukocyte Antigen Class II Alleles Are Associated with Hepatitis C Virus Natural Susceptibility in the Chinese Population.

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II molecule influences host antigen presentation and anti-viral immune response. The aim of this study was to investigate whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within HLA class II gene were associated with different clinical outcomes of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Three HLA class II SNPs (rs3077, rs2395309 and rs2856718) were genotyped by TaqMan assay among Chinese population, including 350 persistent HCV infection patients, 194 spontaneous viral clearance subjects and 973 HCV-uninfected control subjects. After logistic regression analysis, the results indicated that the rs2856718 TC genotype was significantly associated with the protective effect of the HCV natural susceptibility (adjusted OR: 0.712, 95% CI: 0.554-0.914) when compared with reference TT genotype, and this remained significant after false discovery rate (FDR) correction (p = 0.024). Moreover, the protective effect of rs2856718 was observed in dominant genetic models (adjusted OR: 0.726, 95% CI: 0.574-0.920), and this remained significant after FDR correction (p = 0.024). In stratified analysis, a significant decreased risk was found in rs2856718C allele in the male subgroup (adjusted OR: 0.778, 95% CI: 0.627-0.966) and hemodialysis subgroup (adjusted OR: 0.713, 95% CI: 0.552-0.921). Our results indicated that the genetic variations of rs2856718 within the HLA-DQ gene are associated with the natural susceptibility to HCV infection among the Chinese population.

Seroepidemiology of hepatitis B virus infection and impact of vaccination.

AIM: To investigate hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevalence in the general population in China. METHODS: A total of 148931 individuals were investigated by multistage random sampling in Eastern China. Data were collected on demographics and hepatitis B vaccination history, and serum was tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) by ELISA. RESULTS: A total of 11469 participants (7.70%, 95%CI: 7.57%-7.84%) were positive for HBsAg. HBsAg prevalence was 0.77% among children < 5 years old but increased progressively from adolescents (1.40%-2.55%) to adults (5.69%-11.22%). A decrease in HBsAg prevalence was strongly associated with vaccination and familial history of HBV among both children and adult groups. Meanwhile, HBsAg risk in adults was associated with invasive testing and sharing needles. The HBV immunization rate among participants aged < 20 years was 93.30% (95%CI: 93.01%-93.58%). Significant difference in HBsAg prevalence appeared between vaccinated and unvaccinated participants (3.59% vs 10.22%). CONCLUSION: Although the national goal of HBsAg prevalence < 1% among children < 5 years old has been reached, immunization programs should be maintained to prevent resurgence.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms of toll-like receptor 7 in hepatitis C virus infection patients from a high-risk chinese population.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection varies in the outcomes depending on both viral and host factors. This study aims to investigate the associations of three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7), rs179016, rs5743733, and rs1634323, with susceptibility to HCV infection and clearance. The three SNPs were genotyped in a high-risk Chinese population, including 444 HCV spontaneous clearance cases, 732 persistent infection cases, and 1107 healthy controls. The G allele of rs1634323 was related to the protection from persistent infection among females (dominant model: odds ratio (OR) = 0.558, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 0.348-0.894, P = 0.015). This protective effect was more evident in blood donation and HCV non-1 genotype-infected subgroups (all P < 0.05). The carriage of rs179016 C allele was more prone to develop persistent infection (OR = 1.444, 95 % CI = 1.096-1.903, P = 0.009) in males, and the risk effect remained significant among older (>50 years), hemodialysis (HD), and HCV-1 and HCV non-1 genotypes-infected subjects (all P < 0.05). Haplotype analyses showed that CCA haplotype among females was correlated with the elevated risk of HCV susceptibility while the carriage of GGA was more prone to be infected with HCV and CCA was more likely to develop persistent infection (all P < 0.05) among males. Our results first demonstrated that the carriage of rs179016 C allele had a negative effect on spontaneous clearance of HCV among males while rs1634323 G allele conferred a protective effect against persistent infection among female subjects.

Toll-like receptor 7 variations are associated with the susceptibility to HCV infection among Chinese females.

Toll-like receptors 7 (TLR7) play a crucial role in provoking an immune response in HCV infection. We aimed to investigate whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of TLR7, including rs179009, rs179010 and rs179012, affect the outcomes of HCV infection among the Chinese population. A total of 1767 Chinese Han individuals were enrolled. The distribution of SNP frequencies among three groups with different outcomes of HCV infection was assessed, including healthy controls, cases with spontaneous clearance and cases with viral persistence. Then TLR7 mRNA expression and the production of IFN-α and IL-6 after TLR7 agonist Imiquimod stimulation in vitro were determined. Our results suggested that rs179009 GG genotype was significantly associated with a higher risk of the susceptibility to HCV infection among female subjects (OR=2.42, 95% CI=1.24-4.71, P=0.01). Haplotype GCG was significantly associated with a high risk for HCV susceptibility (OR=1.50, 95% CI=1.11-2.03, P=0.01) as compared with the reference haplotype ACG among females. In the functional research of rs179009, a lower IFN-α level was observed in GG genotype than in AA genotype (P=0.032). Our data indicate that TLR7 rs179009 GG genotype and haplotype GCG were associated with an increased risk of the susceptibility to HCV infection among Chinese females, which may be due to the impaired IFN-α response.

Spatial distribution and risk factors of influenza in Jiangsu province, China, based on geographical information system.

Influenza poses a constant, heavy burden on society. Recent research has focused on ecological factors associated with influenza incidence and has also studied influenza with respect to its geographic spread at different scales. This research explores the temporal and spatial parameters of influenza and identifies factors influencing its transmission. A spatial autocorrelation analysis, a spatial-temporal cluster analysis and a spatial regression analysis of influenza rates, carried out in Jiangsu province from 2004 to 2011, found that influenza rates to be spatially dependent in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008. South-western districts consistently revealed hotspots of high-incidence influenza. The regression analysis indicates that railways, rivers and lakes are important predictive environmental variables for influenza risk. A better understanding of the epidemic pattern and ecological factors associated with pandemic influenza should benefit public health officials with respect to prevention and controlling measures during future epidemics.

Association between macroscopic-factors and identified HIV/AIDS cases among injecting drug users: an analysis using geographically weighted regression model.

Drug use (DU), particularly injecting drug use (IDU) has been the main route of transmission and spread of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) among injecting drug users (IDUs). Previous studies have proven that needles or cottons sharing during drug injection were major risk factors for HIV/AIDS transmission at the personal level. Being a social behavioral issue, HIV/AIDS related risk factors should be far beyond the personal level. Therefore, studies on HIV/AIDS related risk factors should focus not only on the individual factors, but also on the association between HIV/AIDS cases and macroscopic-factors, such as economic status, transportation, health care services, etc. The impact of the macroscopic-factors on HIV/AIDS status might be either positive or negative, which are potentially reflected in promoting, delaying or detecting HIV/AIDS epidemics.

Spatial analyses of typhoid fever in Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China.

An analysis of the geographical distribution of typhoid incidence rates, based on various statistical approaches such as trend surface, spatial autocorrelation, spatial correlation and spatial regression, was carried out at the county level in Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. Temperature, moisture content, proximity to water bodies and the normalized difference vegetation index in the autumn were the four underlying factors found to contribute the most to the development of the epidemic. Typhoid infection was most severe in the south-eastern region of Jiangsu and a significant hotspot with high positive autocorrelation was detected in Taicang county in the south-east of the province. To improve the typhoid situation, intervention efforts should be concentrated in the south-eastern region of the province, targeting the hotspot and include reduction of lake pollution.

Geographical information systems-based spatial analysis and implications for syphilis interventions in Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China.

Spatial distribution rules and risk factors for syphilis were studied in Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China during 2005 and 2009. Trend surface analysis, spatial autocorrelation analysis and spatio-temporal clustering were applied with the incidence rates of the various counties in the province to determine spatial distribution rules and risk factors. Syphilis was found to be most severe in the southern region of the province where many counties could be shown to be hotspots with positive autocorrelation. Clusters were detected in the south-western region of Jiangsu with the county-level city of Yixing as the centre. Temperature, distance from railways and highways, and the normalised difference vegetation index were determined as supporting variables with regard to the transmission of the disease by both univariate and multivariate spatial correlation analyses. Interventions, including health education and awareness campaigns, should be strengthened throughout the province targeting the south-western areas, especially the clusters and hotspots detected in order to improve the situation.

[Association between IL-10 gene polymorphisms and the outcomes of hepatitis C virus infection among high risk populations in Jiangsu province].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between interleukin (IL)-10 gene polymorphisms and the susceptibility or the outcomes of HCV infection among high-risk populations in Jiangsu province. METHODS: IL-10 gene SNPs were detected in 1555 subjects including 264 self-limited HCV infections. 371 persistent HCV infections and 920 healthy controls were selected through Taqman-MGB. RESULTS: After adjusted for cofounders as sex, age and high-risk population, data from logistic regression analysis showed that the distribution of IL-10 genotypes among the controls, spontaneous clearances and those with persistent infections did not show much differences. RESULTS: from further stratified analysis showed that, at the position of -819T/C, when compared with TT genotype, TC genotype had a significantly increasing chance of self-limited HCV infection among middle-aged, females and paid blood doners (adjusted OR values and 95%CI were: 2.160, 1.163 - 4.011; 1.693, 1.066 - 2.688 and 4.084, 1.743 - 9.570). It also had a lower risk of progressing to persistent HCV infection among those paid blood doners (the adjusted OR values and 95%CI were: 0.312, 0.130 - 0.747). CC genotype had a higher chance of self-limited HCV infection among people underwent blood dialysis (the adjusted OR values and 95%CI were: 2.120, 1.071 - 4.197). RESULTS: also showed a decreased risk of progressing to persistent infection among paid blood doners (the adjusted OR values and 95%CI were: 0.156, 0.043 - 0.566). At the position of -592A/C, when compared to AA genotype, the AC genotype had a significantly increasing chance of self-limited HCV infection among middle-aged, females and paid blood doners (the adjusted OR values and 95%CI were: 2.176, 1.173 - 4.037; 1.659, 1.055 - 2.607; 3.704, 1.625 - 8.443) but had an increased risk of persistent HCV infection among females (the adjusted OR values and 95%CI were: 1.525, 1.017 - 2.286). AC genotype showed an increased opportunity to progress to HCV persistent infection among drug users (the adjusted OR values and 95%CI were: 1.845, 1.122 - 3.034) but had a reduced risk of progressing to HCV persistent infection among paid blood doners (the adjusted OR values and 95%CI were: 0.361, 0.155 - 0.841). CC genotype had an increased opportunity to self-limited HCV infection as well as having a decreased risk of progressing to persistent infection among paid blood doners (the adjusted OR values and 95%CI were: 3.125, 1.016 - 9.605; 0.218, 0.063 - 0.748). At the position of -1082A/G, AG/GG genotypes had an increased chance of self-limited infection among blood doners (the adjusted OR values and 95%CI were: 3.780, 1.620 - 8.820). CONCLUSION: IL-10-819T/C, -592A/C, -1082A/G SNPs might be related with the susceptibility and the outcomes of HCV infection among populations at high risk.

Spatial distribution of HIV/AIDS in Yunnan province, People's Republic of China.

Risk maps for the geographical distribution of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) are needed for the direction of HIV prevention interventions. Our study, based on county-level data on the numbers of HIV/AIDS patients in the Yunnan province, People's Republic of China, applied trend surface analysis and spatial autocorrelation analysis to demonstrate the geographical distribution of HIV-positive patients in the province. The case load of HIV was found to be most severe in the central-west region of the province. While Kunming county was shown to be negatively correlated with its surrounding counties, many high-burden counties are surrounded by other counties with similar case numbers. We conclude that intervention efforts in Yunnan province should concentrate on the western and northeast regions, targeting the hotspots of infection.

[Study on the spatial distribution of AIDS based on geographic information system in Jiangsu province].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the spatial distribution of AIDS in every city of Jiangsu province, trying to describe the geographic characteristics of AIDS and to develop a prediction model. METHODS: Numbers of patients in Jiangsu province were collected, to establish the database for the geographic information system, then setting up a 'risk map' of the disease. Spatial, autocorrelation. Linear spatial analyses were used to study the patients' numbers. RESULTS: (1) Results from the autocorrelation analysis showed that the distribution of AIDS was clustered at some places and was at random on the whole. The results also indicated that the distribution of AIDS in Nanjing was of negative correlation, while that in Suzhou and Wuxi were of positive correlation but in Tongshan, Wujiang, Pukou, Nanjing, Lishui, Wuxi and Suzhou showed seven locations of clusters with significantly higher numbers of patients. (2) The trend of 'surface analysis map' indicated that the disease was more severe in the southern than in the northern parts of Jiangsu province. (3) Ordinary Least Squares method was finally used in the linear spatial regression and the results were: t = -1.045 103 (P = 0.299 904); t = -1.443 668 (P = 0.153 714) respectively. CONCLUSION: According to the feature spatial distribution of the disease, effective measures should be taken to prevent and to keep the prevalence of AIDS under control.