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Sporothrix globosa is the main causative agent of sporotrichosis, a common mycosis that usually affects the skin, in China. Despite increasing efforts in the molecular identification of this fungal pathogen, its modes of transmission and epidemiology remain poorly understood. The goals of this study were to assess the genetic diversity of S. globosa using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis and to assess the correlation of AFLP profiles with the geographic origins, growth rates, clinical forms, and antifungal susceptibilities of S. globosa isolates. AFLP analysis of 225 clinical S. globosa isolates from eight provinces or municipalities in China identified eight distinct clustering groups (I–VIII), with groups I, II and IV being the most common. The AFLP genotypes showed distinct distribution patterns among different regions within Jilin Province and between northern and southern China, but there was no obvious association between the AFLP genotypes and the growth rates, clinical forms or antifungal susceptibilities of the S. globosa isolates. These results expand our understanding of the genetic variation of S. globosa and suggest that AFLP analysis is a potentially useful tool for studying the epidemiology of this fungal pathogen.Emerging Microbes & Infections (2017) 6, e88; doi:10.1038/emi.2017.75; published online 11 October 2017

This paper focuses on the abnormal nodes detection of poisonous gas in wireless sensor networks, namely, finding these nodes whose concentrations are higher than the threshold. In order to detect abnormal nodes, we had better collect sensory data from all nodes. However, this strategy requires much more energy consumption, so we should try to wake up these nodes near the abnormal filed. Based on this observation, we propose a novel energy-efficient method to wake them up. The main idea is to let abnormal nodes send out control packets to activate their one-hop neighbor nodes; then, neighbor nodes continue detecting, and finally, all abnormal nodes send information to the sink node through the shortest paths. Thereafter, we further propose to handle these information in the sink node, including extracting boundary nodes, drawing isolines, and estimating the location of leakage source. To extract boundary nodes, we divide all abnormal nodes into different intervals in an ascending or descending order, and then find two nodes with minimum and maximum in each interval, so these nodes are regarded as boundary nodes. As to the second point, we reuse the wide-adopted interpolation methods to draw isolines, such as cubic, nearest, and invdist. Besides, we use interpolation to find the coordinate of the peak, and then, it is deemed to be the leakage source. The experimental results show that our proposed method is feasible.

Background Many recent studies have demonstrated the predominant role chronic inflammation plays in cancer cell propagation, angiogenesis and immunosuppression. Cancer-related inflammation (CRI) has been shown to correlate with poor cancer prognosis. Our study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who have undergone liver resection. Methods Between 2012 and 2015, 239 patients with HCC who had undergone liver resection at XiangYa Hospital Central South University were included in this study. The values of simple inflammatory markers, including the NLR and PLR, used in predicting the long-term outcomes of these patients were evaluated using Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox regression models. Results The cutoff values of the NLR and PLR were 2.92 and 128.1, respectively. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, high NLR (≥2.92) and high PLR (≥128.1) were independent risk factors predicting poorer outcomes in patients with HCC. However, high NLR and high PLR were prognostic factors in tumor size and tumor number. Conclusions In this study, we identified that high NLR (≥2.92) and high PLR (≥128.1) are useful prognostic factors in predicting outcomes in patients with HCC whom underwent liver resection.

Large-scale voltage collapse incidences, which result in power outages over large regions and extensive economic losses, are presently common occurrences worldwide. Therefore, the voltage stability analysis of power systems has become a topic of increasing interest. This paper firstly presents a comprehensive evaluation method for conducting static and transient voltage stability analysis in electric power systems. To overcome the limitations associated with single-index systems in the evaluation of voltage stability, the analysis approach employs a multi-index system with four primary criteria based on separate analysis methods with ten sub-criteria based on individual indices. In addition, this paper proposes a comprehensive method for establishing index weights, which combines the subjective analytic hierarchy process weighting method and the objective entropy weighting method. An innovative index-weight optimization method based on the Lagrange conditioned extreme value is presented and sensitivity analysis is applied to test the robust of the proposed method. Finally, Fuzzy-TOPSIS is employed to rank the voltage buses of a power system as the final results, considering system functionality and proportionality. The results obtained for an actual power grid in Hami City, China demonstrate that the proposed method represents an effective approach for determining the weakest bus in power systems.

In this paper, ethyl cellulose (EC)/montmorillonite (MMT) composite membranes were prepared. As a potential candidate for drug delivery, the hole structures during acid treatment were characterized by XRD, SEM and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). SEM pictures showed the formation of micrometer-size holes after adding MMT in the EC matrix. A new time constant appeared in the impedance spectrum of the composite membrane, implying structure variation by MMT. These rigid platelets would confine the relaxation of EC chain segments around MMT in the phase inversion process. During the acid treatment, EIS results indicated these micrometer-size holes would tend to shrink while the small holes in the EC matrix enlarged. The shrinkage of the micrometer-size holes could be attributed to the chain disentanglement due to the acid treatment. The above results suggest that it is easier to distinguish the hole variation by EIS, which is beneficial for analyzing the mechanism of the drug-releasing process. Keywords: Ethyl cellulose, Montmorillonite, Membrane, Hole structure, Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

The survival of motor neuron (SMN) protein is ubiquitously involved in spliceosome assembly and ribonucleoprotein biogenesis. SMN protein is expressed in kidney and can affect cell death processes. However, the role of SMN in acute kidney injury (AKI) is largely unknown. In the current study, we found that the expression of SMN in the kidney was significantly reduced in both clinical ischemic AKI and a mouse model of renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). We then used SMN heterozygous knockout (SMN+/-) mice and found that the declines in renal function, tubular injury, and tubular cell apoptosis after experimental IRI were significantly more severe in SMN+/− mice than those in their wild-type littermates. Concomitantly, the canonical transcription factor nuclear factor-κb (NFκb) signaling was enhanced in ischemic SMN+/− mice. In vitro, cobalt dichloride (CoCl2) treatment reduced SMN expression in proximal tubular epithelial cells. In addition, CoCl2-induced apoptosis and activation of NFκb signaling pathway were enhanced by transient transfection of a small-interfering RNA (siRNA) against SMN while attenuated by transient transfection of a full-length SMN plasmid. Taken together, this study for the first time supported the protective role of SMN in ischemic AKI.

Although research relating to the urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon has been significantly increasing in recent years, there is still a lack of a continuous and clear recognition of the potential gradient effect on the UHI—landscape relationship within large urbanized regions. In this study, we chose the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region, which is a large scaled urban agglomeration in China, as the case study area. We examined the causal relationship between the LST variation and underlying surface characteristics using multi-temporal land cover and summer average land surface temperature (LST) data as the analyzed variables. This study then further discussed the modeling performance when quantifying their relationship from a spatial gradient perspective (the grid size ranged from 6 to 24 km), by comparing the ordinary least squares (OLS) and geographically weighted regression (GWR) methods. The results indicate that: (1) both the OLS and GWR analysis confirmed that the composition of built-up land contributes as an essential factor that is responsible for the UHI phenomenon in a large urban agglomeration region; (2) for the OLS, the modeled relationship between the LST and its drive factor showed a significant spatial gradient effect, changing with different spatial analysis grids; and, (3) in contrast, using the GWR model revealed a considerably robust and better performance for accommodating the spatial non-stationarity with a lower scale dependence than that of the OLS model. This study highlights the significant spatial heterogeneity that is related to the UHI effect in large-extent urban agglomeration areas, and it suggests that the potential gradient effect and uncertainty induced by different spatial scale and methodology usage should be considered when modeling the UHI effect with urbanization. This would supplement current UHI study and be beneficial for deepening the cognition and enlightenment of landscape planning for UHI regulation.

Gardenia jasminoides Ellis is a famous fragrant flower in China. Previous pharmacological research mainly focuses on its fruit. In this study, the essential oil of the flower of ‘Shanzhizi’, which was a major variety for traditional Chinese medicine use, was extracted by hydro distillation and analyzed by GC-MS. Mouse anxiety models included open field, elevated plus maze (EPM), and light and dark box (LDB), which were used to evaluate its anxiolytic effect via inhalation. The involvement of monoamine system was studied by pretreatment with neurotransmitter receptor antagonists WAY100635, flumazenil and sulpiride. The monoamine neurotransmitters contents in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus after aroma inhalation were also analyzed. The results showed that inhalation of G. jasminoides essential oil could significantly elevated the time and entries into open arms in EPM tests and the time explored in the light chamber in LDB tests with no sedative effect. WAY100635 and sulpiride, but not flumazenil, blocked its anxiolytic effect. Inhalation of G. jasminoides essential oil significantly down-regulated the 5-HIAA/5-HT in the PFC and reduced the 5-HIAA content in hippocampus compared to the control treatment. In conclusion, inhalation of gardenia essential oil showed an anxiolytic effect in mice. Monoamine, especially the serotonergic system, was involved in its anxiolytic effect.

Polyoxometalates (POMs) has proved its advantage in constructing high-performance nanocomposite membranes such as catalytic membranes, adsorptive membranes, and forward osmosis membranes. However, it is challenging or tedious to characterize its distribution and effect on the membrane structures due to the equipment resolution limitation, discrete nano-scaled structures of POMs, and limited doping amount compared to the polymeric membrane matrix. In this paper, POMs-functionalized polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes were fabricated by phase inversion combined with the sol-gel method, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was utilized to analyze the nanocomposite membrane intrinsic properties. Through adjusting the additives in the sol-forming process, a set of membranes with varied intrinsic properties were developed accordingly. The wetting degree of the membranes related to the hydrophilic nature of the membrane surfaces had a crucial influence on the impedance measurements at the early stage. Through EIS analysis, it was demonstrated that the amination of the membrane matrix through (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (APTMS) treatment and the immobilization of POMs through electrostatic attraction would not generate new pore structures into the membrane and only alter the membrane surface roughness and composition. To my knowledge, it is the first time that EIS was utilized to characterize the hydrophilicity of the membranes and pore structures of the POMs-modified membranes. Our findings indicate that EIS can provide valuable information for probing the structures of other nano-materials-incorporated membranes.

The presence of resistance to available antivirals calls for the development of novel therapeutic agents. Plant-derived essential oils may serve as alternative sources of virus-induced disease therapy. Previous studies have demonstrated essential oils to be excellent candidates to treat antiviral-resistant infection associated with their chemical complexity which confers broad-spectrum mechanisms of action and non-specific antiviral properties. However, almost no comprehensive reviews are updated to generalize knowledge in this regard and disclose the interplay between the components and their antiviral activities. This review provides an up-to-date overview of the antiviral efficacy of essential oils from a wide range of plant species and their characteristic components, as well as their overall mechanisms of action, focusing on the last decade. The roles of individual components relative to the overall antiviral efficacy of essential oils, together with the antiviral activity of essential oils in comparison with commercial drugs are also discussed. Lastly, the inadequacies in current research and future research are put forward. This review will provide references in the design of new drug prototypes and improve our understanding of the proper applications of essential oils in the future.

In this study, the cold-start failure processes of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell have been investigated numerically for different initial membrane water content λ 0 and the startup current densities I 0 . The result shows that the failure of the cell cold-start process is mostly attributed to the anode dehydration when the cell operates with relatively large current density. However, the failure is dominated by the cathode pore blockage when the cell starts with relatively high initial membrane water content. Corresponding maps for the classification of startup failure modes are plotted on the λ 0 − I 0 plane with different startup temperatures. Three zones, including the anode dehydration, the cathode pore blockage, and the ambiguous region, can be observed. They can be distinguished with different startup failure mechanisms. The anode dehydration zone is expanded as the cell startup temperature drops due to the weakening of the membrane water back-diffusion ability. In the ambiguous region, the startup failure phenomena may be either anode dehydration or cathode pore blockage, which depends on the stochastic freezing process of the supercooled water.

The NAC designation is derived from petunia (Petunia hybrida) gene NO APICAL MERISTEM (NAM) and Arabidopsis genes ATAF1/ATAF2 and CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON2 (CUC2), which belongs to the family of plant-specific transcription factors (TFs), and plays important role in plant development processes, such as response to biotic and abiotic stress, and hormone signaling. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small, non-coding endogenous RNAs which play versatile and significant role in plant stress response and development via negatively affecting gene expression at a post-transcriptional level. Here, we showed that Stu-mi164 had a complementary sequence in the CDS sequence of potato NAC TFs, and that NAC expression exhibited significant differences under osmotic stress. We measured expression levels of the Stu-mi164 target gene StNAC262 between control and PEG-treated plants using real-time PCR, and the results demonstrated that they had inverse relationship. We suggested that Stu-miR164 might drive overexpression of NAC gene under osmotic stress in potato. To confirm the regulation of NAC TFs by Stu-mi164, we developed transgenic plants, using Agrobacterium tumefaciens–mediated transformation, of the potato cultivars “Gannongshu 2” and “Kexin 3” overexpressing the Stu-mi164 or the TF StNAC262. Real-time PCR analysis of transgenic potato plants under osmotic (PEG) stress, showed that potato plants overexpressing Stu-mi164 had reduced expression of StNAC262 and their osmotic resistance decreased. Furthermore, these plants had low number of lateral roots although the same length as the control. Our findings support the regulatory role of Stu-miRNAs in controlling plant response to osmotic stress via StNAC262.

BackgroundHeart failure is a complex syndrome characterized by cardiac contractile impairment with high mortality. Defective intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis is the central cause under this scenario and tightly links to ultrastructural rearrangements of sarcolemmal transverse tubules and the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR); however, the modulators of the SR architecture remain unknown. The SR has been thought to be a specialized endoplasmic reticulum membrane system. Receptor accessory proteins (REEPs)/DP1/Yop1p are responsible for shaping high‐curvature endoplasmic reticulum tubules. This study aimed to determine the role of REEPs in SR membrane shaping and thus cardiac function. Methods and ResultsWe identified REEP5 (receptor accessory protein 5) as more highly expressed than other REEP members in adult rat ventricular myocardium, and it was downregulated in the failing hearts. Targeted inactivation of REEP5 in rats specially deformed the cardiac SR membrane without affecting transverse tubules, and this was visualized by focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy–based 3‐dimensional reconstruction. Accordingly, simultaneous recordings of depolarization‐induced Ca2+ currents and Ca2+ transients in REEP5‐null cardiomyocytes revealed normal L‐type Ca2+ channel currents but a depressed SR Ca2+ release. Consequently, the excitation–contraction coupling gain of cardiomyocytes and consequent cardiac contractility were compromised. REEP5 deficiency did not alter the expression of major proteins involved in Ca2+ handling in the heart. ConclusionsREEP5 modulates cardiac function by shaping the SR. REEP5 defect deforms the SR architecture to depress cardiac contractility. REEP5‐dependent SR shaping might have potential as a therapeutic target for heart failure.

Individuals with tetraplegia lack independent mobility, making them highly dependent on others to move from one place to another. Here, we describe how two macaques were able to use a wireless integrated system to control a robotic platform, over which they were sitting, to achieve independent mobility using the neuronal activity in their motor cortices. The activity of populations of single neurons was recorded using multiple electrode arrays implanted in the arm region of primary motor cortex, and decoded to achieve brain control of the platform. We found that free-running brain control of the platform (which was not equipped with any machine intelligence) was fast and accurate, resembling the performance achieved using joystick control. The decoding algorithms can be trained in the absence of joystick movements, as would be required for use by tetraplegic individuals, demonstrating that the non-human primate model is a good pre-clinical model for developing such a cortically-controlled movement prosthetic. Interestingly, we found that the response properties of some neurons differed greatly depending on the mode of control (joystick or brain control), suggesting different roles for these neurons in encoding movement intention and movement execution. These results demonstrate that independent mobility can be achieved without first training on prescribed motor movements, opening the door for the implementation of this technology in persons with tetraplegia.

In this paper, graphene was introduced in the PVDF to improve the thermal stability of the pore structure, which is the key feature for the membrane applied for the thermo-osmotic energy conversion (TOEC) process. The PVDF/graphene composite membranes were characterized by a scanning electron microscopy (SEM), a water contact angle measurement, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). It was found that the composite membranes exhibited improved surface hydrophobicity. Moreover, the pores in pure PVDF membrane would expand during the heat process while the existence of graphene in PVDF clearly suppressed the expansion, which implied better thermal stability of the pores in the composite membrane. According to the pore deformation time, the heat conductivities of the membranes were calculated and compared with each other. It confirmed that the composite membrane with higher graphene content exhibited enhanced heat conductivity. EIS can be used to monitor the temperature dependence of the pore structure in aqueous environments.

An innovative solution to provide a demand response for power system is proposed in this paper by considering the feasibility of two-way direct load control (TWDLC) of central air conditioning chiller system for wide-area in real-time manner. Particularly, the proposed TWDLC scheme is designed to tackle the load shedding ratio optimization problem for all under-controlled customers, aiming to satisfy the target load curtailment defined in each scheduling step. Another notable contribution of this work is the utilization of constraint loosening concept on actual load, curtailed to overcome the uncertainties of load reduction during TWDLC. Given the presence of fuzzy constraints, the proposed load shedding ratio optimization problem can be tackled using fuzzy linear programming. A delicate strategy is then formulated to transform the proposed fuzzy linear programming problem into a regular linear programming problem. A selection scheme used to obtain the feasible candidates set for load shedding at every sampling interval of TWDLC is also designed along with the fuzzy linear programming.

This passage introduces the researches of Deployable and Lockable mechanism for a new Gossamer Spacecraft built by space apply which can be locked and deployed by its own. This mechanism integrates deploying and locking. Its advantages are simple and reliable. It is based on a serious project “Platform Technology of Gossamer Spacecraft” from Lanzhou Institute of Physics. This project manufactured a model machine, finished the ground experiment, passed the project check. This passage introduces work theory particularly, builds the dynamics models, analyzes experiment results factors and presents measurement methods. Results show that the mechanism designed can meet the project requirement; it can build the foundation for the super-large Gossamer Spacecraft of China and improve the degree of the Aerospace technology application.

This paper presents a novel matrix completion algorithm to enable energy efficient data gathering in wireless sensor networks. The algorithm takes full advantage of both the low-rankness and the DCT compactness features in the sensory data to improve the recovery accuracy. The time complexity of the algorithm is analyzed, which indicates it has a low computational cost. Moreover, the recovery error is carefully analyzed and a theoretical upper bound is derived. The error bound is then validated by experimental results. Extensive experiments are conducted on three datasets collected from two testbeds. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms state-of-the-art methods for low sampling rate and achieves a good recovery accuracy even if the sampling rate is very low.

An automatic detection model adopting pattern recognition technology is proposed in this paper; it can realize the measurement to the element of nanocomposite film. The features of gray level cooccurrence matrix (GLCM) can be extracted from different types of surface morphology images of film; after that, the dimension reduction of film can be handled by principal component analysis (PCA). So it is possible to identify the element of film according to the Adaboost M1 algorithm of a strong classifier with ten decision tree classifiers. The experimental result shows that this model is superior to the ones of SVM (support vector machine), NN and BayesNet. The method proposed can be widely applied to the automatic detection of not only nanocomposite film element but also other nanocomposite material elements.

Extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (EHCC) is a refractory malignancy with poor prognosis due to its early invasion, metastasis and recurrence after operation. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of invasion and metastasis is the key to the development of new and effective therapeutic strategies for EHCC. In the present study we demonstrated that miR-221 promoted EHCC invasion and metastasis through targeting PTEN and formed a positive feedback loop with β-catenin/c-Jun signaling pathway. We found miR-221 was upregulated in EHCC specimens and CC cell lines. Moreover, miR-221 was found strongly associated with the metastasis and prognosis of EHCC patients. The expression of PTEN was downregulated in EHCC patients and CC cell lines, and was further demonstrated as one of the downstream targets of miR-221. In addition, our data indicated that β-catenin activated miR-221 through c-jun, while miR-221 enhanced β-catenin signaling induced-epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by targeting PTEN, hence forming a positive feedback loop in EHCC cell lines. In conclusion, our results suggested that miR-221 promotes EMT through targeting PTEN and forms a positive feedback loop with β-catenin/c-Jun signaling pathway in EHCC.

Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent psychiatric disorders and affect a great number of people worldwide. Essential oils, take effects through inhalation or topical application, are believed to enhance physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Although clinical studies suggest that the use of essential oils may have therapeutic potential, evidence for the efficacy of essential oils in treating medical conditions remains poor, with a particular lack of studies employing rigorous analytical methods that capture its identifiable impact on human biology. Here, we report a comprehensive gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOFMS) based metabonomics study that reveals the aromas-induced metabolic changes and the anxiolytic effect of aromas in elevated plus maze (EPM) induced anxiety model rats. The significant alteration of metabolites in the EPM group was attenuated by aromas treatment, concurrent with the behavioral improvement with significantly increased open arms time and open arms entries. Brain tissue and urinary metabonomic analysis identified a number of altered metabolites in response to aromas intervention. These metabolic changes included the increased carbohydrates and lowered levels of neurotransmitters (tryptophan, serine, glycine, aspartate, tyrosine, cysteine, phenylalanine, hypotaurine, histidine, and asparagine), amino acids, and fatty acids in the brain. Elevated aspartate, carbohydrates (sucrose, maltose, fructose, and glucose), nucleosides and organic acids such as lactate and pyruvate were also observed in the urine. The EPM induced metabolic differences observed in urine or brain tissue was significantly reduced after 10 days of aroma inhalation, as noted with the loss of statistical significance on many of the metabolites in the aroma-EPM group. This study demonstrates, for the first time, that the metabonomics approach can capture the subtle metabolic changes resulting from exposure to essential oils and provide the basis for pinpointing affected pathways in anxiety-related behavior, which will lead to an improved mechanistic understanding of anxiolytic effect of essential oils.

The machine learning (ML) method emerges as an efficient and precise surrogate model for high-level electronic structure theory. Its application has been limited to closed chemical systems without considering external potentials from the surrounding environment. To address this limitation and incorporate the influence of external potentials, polarization effects, and long-range interactions between a chemical system and its environment, the first two terms of the Taylor expansion of an electrostatic operator have been used as extra input to the existing ML model to represent the electrostatic environments. However, high-order electrostatic interaction is often essential to account for external potentials from the environment. The existing models based only on invariant features cannot capture significant distribution patterns of the external potentials. Here, we propose a novel ML model that includes high-order terms of the Taylor expansion of an electrostatic operator and uses an equivariant model, which can generate a high-order tensor covariant with rotations as a base model. Therefore, we can use the multipole-expansion equation to derive a useful representation by accounting for polarization and intermolecular interaction. Moreover, to deal with long-range interactions, we follow the same strategy adopted to derive long-range interactions between a target system and its environment media. Our model achieves higher prediction accuracy and transferability among various environment media with these modifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Although several studies have investigated whether CCL3L1 copy number variation (CNV) influences the risk of HIV-1 infection, there are still no clear conclusions. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis using two models to generate a more robust estimate of the association between CCL3L1 CNV and susceptibility to HIV-1 infection. METHODS: We divided the cases and controls into two parts as individuals with CCL3L1 gene copy number (GCN) above the population specific median copy number (PMN) and individuals with CCL3L1 GCN below PMN, respectively. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were given for the main analysis. We also conducted stratified analyses by ethnicity, age group and sample size. Relevant literatures were searched through PubMed and ISI Web of Knowledge up to March 2010. RESULTS: In total, 9 studies with 2434 cases and 4029 controls were included. ORs for the main analysis were 1.35 (95% CI, 1.02-1.78, model: GCN ≤ PMN Vs. GCN > PMN) and 1.70 (95% CI, 1.30-2.23, model: GCN < PMN Vs. GCN ≥ PMN), respectively. Either in stratified analysis, statistically significant results can be detected in some subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Our analyses indicate that CCL3L1 CNV is associated with susceptibility to HIV-1 infection. A lower copy number is associated with an increased risk of HIV-1 infection, while a higher copy number is associated with reduced risk for acquiring HIV-1.