Genetic Characterization of a Novel HIV-1 Second-Generation Recombinant Form (CRF01_AE/CRF07_BC) Identified in Yan'an City, China.

Owing to co-epidemic of CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC in China, increasing numbers of the second-generation recombinants between them have been identified especially among sexual population. In this study, we identified a unique CRF01_AE/CRF07_BC recombinants from a male HIV-1 positive individual (18YA004) infected by heterosexual contact in Yan'an city, Shaanxi province. The near full-length genome analyses showed 18YA004 was divided into six fragments by five breakpoints located in the pol, vpr, vpu, and nef gene, respectively. Three CRF01_AE segments (segments I, III, and V) were all clustered within the cluster 4a lineage, exclusively circulating among MSM in the northern China. Coupled with our previous finding of CRF01_AE/C recombinant in Yan'an city, the emergence of CRF01_AE/CRF07_BC strain further suggested coexistence of multiple HIV-1 genotypes here. Therefore, it is necessary to continue monitoring the molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 among high-risk groups to obtain a better understanding of the genetic complexity and transmission of HIV-1 in this region.

Genetic Characteristics of Three Unique Recombinant Forms of HIV-1 in Yunnan, China.

To explore the molecular epidemiological status of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in Yunnan, China, three HIV-1 near full-length genomes were amplified and sequenced from plasma samples that were collected from Burmese patients newly diagnosed with HIV-1 in Dehong Prefecture in Yunnan Province in 2017. Phylogenetic and bootscanning analyses revealed that all the sequences might be HIV-1 second-generation recombinant forms of circulating recombinant forms (CRF07_BC and CRF83_cpx) and unique recombinant forms. One of the sequences contained six CRF01_AE fragments, five subtype C fragments, and two subtype B fragments, which were separated by 12 breakpoints. These results revealed that the second-generation recombination of HIV-1 within different strains is still ongoing in Dehong, China. Systematic surveys and immediate interventions are urgently needed to prevent the formation of increasingly complex HIV-1 recombinant forms.

The Genetic Diversity of HIV-1 Within Antiretroviral-Naive Outpatients in Ganzhou, China.

To explore the molecular epidemiological status of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in Ganzhou, China, eight HIV-1-positive outpatients were recruited from July 5 to 21, 2018. Six HIV-1 near-full-length sequences were amplified and sequenced from the plasma samples that were collected before the patients' antiretroviral treatments. Phylogenetic and bootscan analyses revealed that one of the sequences was CRF01_AE, one was CRF55_01B, and two were CRF07_BC. Notably, one of the sequences was a unique recombinant form, and one of them was a second-generation recombinant form of CRF07_BC and subtype C. These results revealed that multiple HIV-1 subtypes are circulating in Ganzhou, China. Systematic surveys with large sample sizes are urgently needed to explore the exact molecular epidemiological characteristics and to trace the origins of HIV-1 in Ganzhou, China.

Identification of a Novel HIV-1 Unique CRF01_AE/C Recombinant in Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province.

A wide variety of HIV-1 recombinants are constantly discovered in China. Comprehensively monitoring the genetic diversity of HIV-1 is very essential for understanding the molecular epidemiology and controlling the spread of the HIV-1 epidemic. In this study, we presented a novel HIV-1 unique CRF01_AE/C recombinant (19YA001) isolated from a female patient infected HIV-1 through heterosexual transmission in Yan'an city, Shaanxi province. The near full-length genome analyses showed 19YA001 was divided into two CRF01_AE and one C segments by two breakpoints observed in the vif/vpr region. To date, this is the first report revealing the characteristic of HIV-1 subtype in Yan'an city. And this unique recombinant strain might imply that the genetic diversity of HIV-1 in Yan'an city is complex. However, the sample size is too small. Further larger studies of HIV-1 molecular epidemiology are urgently needed to provide a better understanding of HIV-1 diversity and transmission in this region.

The US stock market leads the federal funds rate and treasury bond yields.

Using a recently introduced method to quantify the time-varying lead-lag dependencies between pairs of economic time series (the thermal optimal path method), we test two fundamental tenets of the theory of fixed income: (i) the stock market variations and the yield changes should be anti-correlated; (ii) the change in central bank rates, as a proxy of the monetary policy of the central bank, should be a predictor of the future stock market direction. Using both monthly and weekly data, we found very similar lead-lag dependence between the S&P 500 stock market index and the yields of bonds inside two groups: bond yields of short-term maturities (Federal funds rate (FFR), 3M, 6M, 1Y, 2Y, and 3Y) and bond yields of long-term maturities (5Y, 7Y, 10Y, and 20Y). In all cases, we observe the opposite of (i) and (ii). First, the stock market and yields move in the same direction. Second, the stock market leads the yields, including especially the FFR. Moreover, we find that the short-term yields in the first group lead the long-term yields in the second group before the financial crisis that started in mid-2007 and the inverse relationship holds afterwards. These results suggest that the Federal Reserve is increasingly mindful of the stock market behavior, seen as key to the recovery and health of the economy. Long-term investors seem also to have been more reactive and mindful of the signals provided by the financial stock markets than the Federal Reserve itself after the start of the financial crisis. The lead of the S&P 500 stock market index over the bond yields of all maturities is confirmed by the traditional lagged cross-correlation analysis.