Visualization Analysis of Artificial Intelligence Literature in Forensic Research.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the literature on artificial intelligence in forensic research from 2012 to 2022 in the Web of Science Core Collection Database, to explore research hotspots and developmental trends. METHODS: A total of 736 articles on artificial intelligence in forensic medicine in the Web of Science Core Collection Database from 2012 to 2022 were visualized and analyzed through the literature measuring tool CiteSpace. The authors, institution, country (region), title, journal, keywords, cited references and other information of relevant literatures were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 736 articles published in 220 journals by 355 authors from 289 institutions in 69 countries (regions) were identified, with the number of articles published showing an increasing trend year by year. Among them, the United States had the highest number of publications and China ranked the second. Academy of Forensic Science had the highest number of publications among the institutions. Forensic Science International, Journal of Forensic Sciences, International Journal of Legal Medicine ranked high in publication and citation frequency. Through the analysis of keywords, it was found that the research hotspots of artificial intelligence in the forensic field mainly focused on the use of artificial intelligence technology for sex and age estimation, cause of death analysis, postmortem interval estimation, individual identification and so on. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to pay attention to international and institutional cooperation and to strengthen the cross-disciplinary research. Exploring the combination of advanced artificial intelligence technologies with forensic research will be a hotspot and direction for future research.

Screening Biomarkers of Sudden Coronary Death Based on mRNA Expression Profile of Rat Myocardial Tissues.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the differential expression of messenger RNA (mRNA) in myocardial tissues of rats with sudden coronary death (SCD), and to provide ideas for the forensic identification of SCD. METHODS: The rat SCD model was established, and the transcriptome sequencing was performed by next-generation sequencing technology. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in myocardial tissues of SCD rats were screened by using the R package limma. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by using the STRING database and Cytoscape 3.8.2 on DEG, and hub genes were screened based on cytoHubba plug-in. Finally, the R package clusterProfiler was used to analyze the biological function and signal pathway enrichment of the selected DEG. RESULTS: A total of 177 DEGs were associated with SCD and were mainly involved in the renin-angiotensin system and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. The genes including angiotensinogen (AGT), complement component 4a (C4a), Fos proto-oncogene (FOS) and others played key roles in the development of SCD. CONCLUSIONS: Genes such as AGT, C4a, FOS and other genes are expected to be potential biomarkers for forensic identification of SCD. The study based on mRNA expression profile can provide a reference for forensic identification of SCD.

Mapping the structure of depression biomarker research: A bibliometric analysis.

Background: Depression is a common mental disorder and the diagnosis is still based on the descriptions of symptoms. Biomarkers can reveal disease characteristics for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. In recent years, many biomarkers relevant to the mechanisms of depression have been identified. This study uses bibliometric methods and visualization tools to analyse the literature on depression biomarkers and its hot topics, and research frontiers to provide references for future research. Methods: Scientific publications related to depression biomarkers published between 2009 and 2022 were obtained from the Web of Science database. The BICOMB software was used to extract high-frequency keywords and to construct binary word-document and co-word matrices. gCLUTO was used for bicluster and visual analyses of high-frequency keywords. Further graphical visualizations were generated using R, CiteSpace and VOSviewer software. Results: A total of 14,403 articles related to depression biomarkers were identified. The United States (34.81%) and China (15.68%), which together account for more than half of all publications, can be considered the research base for the field. Among institutions, the University of California, University of London, and Harvard University are among the top in terms of publication number. Three authors (Maes M, Penninx B.W.J.H., and Berk M) emerged as eminent researchers in the field. Finally, eight research hotspots for depression biomarkers were identified using reference co-citation analysis. Conclusion: This study used bibliometric methods to characterize the body of literature and subject knowledge in the field of depression biomarker research. Among the core biomarkers of depression, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), cytokines, and oxidative stress are relatively well established; however, research on machine learning, metabolomics, and microRNAs holds potential for future development. We found "microRNAs" and "gut microbiota" to be the most recent burst terms in the study of depression biomarkers and the likely frontiers of future research.

Identification of maternal continuous glucose monitoring metrics related to newborn birth weight in pregnant women with gestational diabetes.

PURPOSE: To identify the specific glucose metrics derived from maternal continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data, which were associated with a higher percentile of offspring birth weight. METHODS: In this cohort study, we recruited singleton pregnant women with GDM who underwent CGM for 5-14 days at a mean of 28.8 gestational weeks between Jan 2017 and Nov 2018. Commonly used single summary glucose metrics of glucose exposure (including mean 24-h, daytime, and nighttime glucose level) and variability (including J-index and mean amplitude of glycaemic excursions) were derived from CGM data. A novel comprehensive glucose metric-hours per-day spent in a severe variability glucose mode (HSSV)-was identified using the spectral clustering method, which reflects both glucose level and variability. Multiple linear regression models were used to estimate the associations of sex- and gestational age-adjusted birth weight percentile with CGM parameters. RESULTS: Ninety-seven women comprising 127,279 glucose measurements were included. Each 1-SD increase in maternal nighttime mean glucose level and HSSV was associated with 6.0 (95% CI 0.4, 11.5) and 6.3 (95% CI 0.4, 12.2) percentage points increase in birth weight percentile, respectively. No associations were found between other glucose metrics and birth weight percentile. CONCLUSION: Nighttime mean glucose level has a comparable effect size to HSSV in association with fetal growth, suggesting that endogenous hyperglycemia might drive the association between maternal hyperglycemia and birth weight. Further studies need to examine the effect of lowering nighttime glucose level and/or HSSV on preventing fetal overgrowth in GDM women.

Predictions of Preterm Birth from Early Pregnancy Characteristics: Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study.

Preterm birth (PTB, <37 weeks) is the leading cause of death in children <5 years of age. Early risk prediction for PTB would enable early monitoring and intervention. However, such prediction models have been rarely reported, especially in low- and middle-income areas. We used data on a number of easily accessible predictors during early pregnancy from 9044 women in Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study, China to generate prediction models for overall PTB and spontaneous, iatrogenic, late (34⁻36 weeks), and early (<34 weeks) PTB. Models were constructed using the Cox proportional hazard model, and their performance was evaluated by Harrell's c and D statistics and calibration plot. We further performed a systematic review to identify published models and validated them in our population. Our new prediction models had moderate discrimination, with Harrell's c statistics ranging from 0.60⁻0.66 for overall and subtypes of PTB. Significant predictors included maternal age, height, history of preterm delivery, amount of vaginal bleeding, folic acid intake before pregnancy, and passive smoking during pregnancy. Calibration plots showed good fit for all models except for early PTB. We validated three published models, all of which were from studies conducted in high-income countries; the area under receiver operating characteristic for these models ranged from 0.50 to 0.56. Based on early pregnancy characteristics, our models have moderate predictive ability for PTB. Future studies should consider inclusion of laboratory markers for the prediction of PTB.

The role of social support in family socio-economic disparities in depressive symptoms during early pregnancy: Evidence from a Chinese birth cohort.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the association between a composite measure of family socio-economic position (SEP)2 and depressive symptoms among Chinese pregnant women, nor any potential underlying mechanisms which may be amenable to preventative interventions. METHODS: We investigated the association between a composite SEP measure and depressive symptoms during early pregnancy, and tested for mediation by social support and moderation by parity in the Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study (n = 12,382) using adjusted logistic regression and causal mediation analysis. RESULTS: In this population, 18.4% of women experienced depressive symptoms before the 20th gestational week. Compared with the highest quartile, the lowest SEP score quartile was associated with a higher risk of depressive symptoms (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.31-1.71), which was more pronounced among multiparous women than nulliparous women (P for interaction <0.001). Social support mediated the association between SEP and depressive symptoms, with greater proportion mediated in nulliparous women (73.4% for the lowest SEP score quartile) than multiparous women (30.5%). LIMITATIONS: Depressive symptoms were measured by Self-rated Depression Scale, which is not designed as a clinical diagnosis tool for depression. We only had information on perceived social support but not actual social support, although these two parameters were modestly correlated. CONCLUSION: Lower SEP was associated with higher risk of depressive symptoms in pregnant women, driven by social support. And the association between SEP and depressive symptoms and mediation by social support were modified by parity. Whether this association extends to the post pregnancy period or is amenable to cost-effective interventions should be investigated in further studies.

Associations between maternal exposure to incense burning and blood pressure during pregnancy.

Incense burning is a popular practice in Asian and Arabic countries. Previous studies show that incense burning was associated with increased risks of adverse outcomes among non-pregnant population. However, very few studies explored its health effects among pregnant women, who are more susceptible to environmental stressor. We aimed to examine the association between incense burning at home and hypertensive disorders as well as blood pressure levels during pregnancy, using data from 10,563 pregnant women recruited in Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study, China between January 2013 and December 2015. Information on frequency and duration of exposure to incense burning were collected at early and late pregnancy using questionnaire. Data on outcome variables, including hypertensive disorders diagnosis and blood pressure levels at the final antenatal visit before delivery, were extracted from medical records. We used Poisson regression model and general linear model to examine the associations between incense exposure and the outcomes. We found incense use at early pregnancy was not significantly associated with outcomes. Pregnant women who frequently smelled the incense burning at late pregnancy was associated with higher risk of hypertensive disorders (relative risk, 1.84; 95% confidence interval, 1.14-2.98) and higher levels of blood pressure (1.6mmHg increase of systolic blood pressure; 95% confidence interval, 0.4-2.8mmHg) before delivery, compared to those did not burn incense. These associations tended to more evident among women without active and passive smoking. We did not observe significant dose-response relationship between exposure duration and the risk of hypertensive disorders. We firstly reported exposure to incense burning was associated with the risk of hypertensive disorders and blood pressure levels during pregnancy. Given hypertensive disorders in pregnancy are well-established risk factors for a variety of adverse outcomes and the incense burning is a modifiable factor, our finding may have important public health significance.

Association Between Maternal Hyperglycemia and Composite Maternal-Birth Outcomes.

Objective: The overall impact of maternal hyperglycemia on maternal and birth outcomes is largely underestimated, therefore quantifying the true burden of hyperglycemia in a whole population it is a challenging task. This study aims at examining the association between blood glucose concentration during pregnancy and a composite score of adverse maternal-birth outcomes in a large-scale prospective cohort study in China. Methods: Pregnant women within "the Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study" China who underwent a standard 75-g oral-glucose-tolerance-test (OGTT) between 22 and 28 gestational weeks were included. A composite score of stillbirth, duration of pregnancy, birth weight, preeclampsia, and cesarean section was developed based on a published maternal-fetal outcomes scale, weighed by the relative severity of the outcomes. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess the associations between OGTT glucose measurements and log composite score. Logistic regression models were used to assess relations with outcome as a categorical variable (0, 1- < 3, and ≥3). Findings: Among 12,129 pregnancies, the composite score ranged from 0 to 100 with a median of 2.5 for non-zero values. Elevated fasting glucose level was associated with higher composite score (adjusted coefficients 0.03 [95% CI, 0.02-0.04] for 1-SD increase). For 1-SD increase in fasting glucose, the risk of having a composite score 1- < 3 and ≥3 rises by 13% (95% CI, 8-17%) and 15% (95% CI, 7-23%), respectively. Similar association and increase in risk was found for 1 and 2-h glucose. Conclusion: Elevated fasting, 1 and 2-h glucose levels are associated with a range of adverse maternal-birth outcomes. The composite score model can be applied to the risk assessment for individual pregnant women and to evaluate the benefits for controlling glucose levels in the population.

Connections between the human gut microbiome and gestational diabetes mellitus.

The human gut microbiome can modulate metabolic health and affect insulin resistance, and it may play an important role in the etiology of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Here, we compared the gut microbial composition of 43 GDM patients and 81 healthy pregnant women via whole-metagenome shotgun sequencing of their fecal samples, collected at 21-29 weeks, to explore associations between GDM and the composition of microbial taxonomic units and functional genes. A metagenome-wide association study identified 154 837 genes, which clustered into 129 metagenome linkage groups (MLGs) for species description, with significant relative abundance differences between the 2 cohorts. Parabacteroides distasonis, Klebsiella variicola, etc., were enriched in GDM patients, whereas Methanobrevibacter smithii, Alistipes spp., Bifidobacterium spp., and Eubacterium spp. were enriched in controls. The ratios of the gross abundances of GDM-enriched MLGs to control-enriched MLGs were positively correlated with blood glucose levels. A random forest model shows that fecal MLGs have excellent discriminatory power to predict GDM status. Our study discovered novel relationships between the gut microbiome and GDM status and suggests that changes in microbial composition may potentially be used to identify individuals at risk for GDM.

Associations of maternal PLA2G4C and PLA2G4D polymorphisms with the risk of spontaneous preterm birth in a Chinese population.

Preterm birth is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in infants. Its etiology is multifactorial with genes and immune homeostasis. The authors investigated whether prostaglandin (PG) synthesis related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) PLA2G4C rs1366442 and PLA2G4D rs4924618 were associated with the risk of spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB) in a Chinese population of 114 cases of SPTB and 250 controls of term delivery. The risk associations were determined by odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) calculated using multivariate logistic regression. Homology modeling was performed to elucidate potential mechanism of the SNP function. The maternal AT/TT genotype of PLA2G4D rs4924618 was associated with a reduced risk of SPTB (OR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.37­0.99), while no significant association between PLA2G4C rs1366442 and SPTB risk was identified. Structure and sequence analysis revealed that the amino acid substitution introduced by this SNP located at the conserved central core of the catalytic domain of cytosolic phospholipase A2 δ and was close to the active site. These findings suggested that the polymorphism of PLA2G4D rs4924618 may have a protective influence on the SPTB susceptibility in a Chinese population, supporting a role for genetics in the association between PG synthesis and preterm birth.

The Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study (BIGCS).

The Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study (BIGCS) is a large-scale prospective observational study investigating the role of social, biological and environmental influences on pregnancy and child health and development in an urban setting in southern China. Pregnant women who reside in Guangzhou and who attend Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center (GWCMC) for antenatal care in early pregnancy (<20 weeks' gestation) are eligible for inclusion. Study recruitment commenced in February 2012, with an overall participation rate of 76.3%. Study recruitment will continue until December 2018 to achieve the target sample size of 30,000 mother-child pairs. At 30 April 2016, a total of 75,422 questionnaires have been collected, while 14,696 live births have occurred with planned follow-up of cohort children until age 18 years. During the same period a total of 1,053,000 biological samples have been collected from participants, including maternal, paternal and infant blood, cord blood, placenta, umbilical cord, and maternal and infant stool samples. The dataset has been enhanced by record linkage to routine health and administrative records. We plan future record linkage to school enrolment and national examination records.

Does tea consumption during early pregnancy have an adverse effect on birth outcomes?

BACKGROUND: Tea, a common beverage, has been suggested to exhibit a number of health benefits. However, one of its active ingredients, caffeine, has been associated with preterm birth and low birthweight. We investigated whether tea consumption during early pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth and abnormal fetal growth. METHODS: A total of 8775 pregnant women were included from the Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study. Tea consumption (type, frequency, and strength) during their first trimester and social and demographic factors were obtained by way of questionnaires administered during pregnancy. Information on birth outcomes and complications during pregnancy was obtained from hospital medical records. RESULTS: Overall habitual tea drinking (≥1 serving/week) prevalence among pregnant women was low, at 16%. After adjustment for potential confounding factors (eg, maternal age, educational level, monthly income) tea drinking during early pregnancy was not associated with an increased risk of preterm birth or abnormal fetal growth (small or large for gestational age) (P>.05). CONCLUSIONS: We did not identify a consistent association between frequency of tea consumption or tea strength and adverse birth outcomes among Chinese pregnant women with low tea consumption. Our findings suggest that occasional tea drinking during pregnancy is not associated with increased risk of preterm birth or abnormal fetal growth. Given the high overall number of annual births in China, our findings have important public health significance.

Maternal IGF1 and IGF1R polymorphisms and the risk of spontaneous preterm birth.

BACKGROUND: The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) pathway was involved in the occurrence of spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB), but little is known regarding the relationship between genetic variations in IGF pathway and the risk of SPTB. We aimed to investigate the associations of IGF1 rs972936 and IGF1 receptor (IGF1R) rs2229765 polymorphisms with SPTB risk in a Chinese population. METHOD: A total of 114 cases of SPTB and 250 controls of term delivery were included from Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, China. The odds ratios (ORs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: We found that the GA and GA/AA genotypes of IGF1 rs972936 were associated with an increased risk of SPTB, and the adjusted ORs (95% CI) were 1.74 (1.01-3.02) and 1.75 (1.04-2.93) respectively. Women carrying GA and GA/AA genotypes of IGF1R rs2229765 had a reduced risk compared to those with the GG genotype (0.60 [0.37-0.98] and 0.64 [0.40-1.00] respectively). There were significant interactions between IGF1 rs972936 and GDM status (P for interaction=.02), as well as between IGF1R rs2229765 and pre-pregnancy BMI (P for interaction <.001) on the risk of SPTB. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that polymorphisms of IGF1 rs972936 and IGF1R rs2229765 were associated with the risk of SPTB in Chinese pregnant women and these effects depend on the maternal metabolic status.

Validity and Reproducibility of a Dietary Questionnaire for Consumption Frequencies of Foods during Pregnancy in the Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study (BIGCS).

This study aimed to examine the reproducibility and validity of a new food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) used in a birth cohort study to estimate the usual consumption frequencies of foods during pregnancy. The reference measure was the average of three inconsecutive 24 h diet recalls (24 HR) administrated between two FFQs, and the reproducibility was measured by repeating the first FFQ (FFQ1) approximately eight weeks later (FFQ2). A total of 210 pregnant women from the Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study (BIGCS) with full data were included in the analysis. The Spearman's correlation coefficients of FFQ1 and FFQ2 ranged from 0.33 to 0.71. The intraclass correlation coefficients of the two FFQs ranged from 0.22 to 0.71. The Spearman's correlation coefficients of the 24 HR and FFQ2 ranged from 0.23 to 0.62. Cross-classification analysis showed 65.1% of participants were classified into same and contiguous quintiles, while only 3.2% were misclassified into the distant quintiles. Bland-Altman methods showed good agreement for most food groups across the range of frequencies between FFQ1 and FFQ2. Our findings indicated that the reproducibility and validity of the FFQ used in BIGCS for assessing the usual consumption frequencies of foods during pregnancy were acceptable.

Maternal Dietary Patterns and Fetal Growth: A Large Prospective Cohort Study in China.

There was limited evidence revealing the association of Chinese maternal dietary patterns with fetal growth. We aimed to examine the relationship of maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy to neonatal birth weight and birth weight for gestational age in a Chinese population. A total of 6954 mother-child pairs were included from the Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study. Maternal diet during pregnancy was assessed using a self-administered food frequency questionnaire. Cluster analysis was used to identify dietary patterns. The following six dietary patterns were identified: "Cereals, eggs, and Cantonese soups" (n 1026, 14.8%), "Dairy" (n 1020, 14.7%), "Fruits, nuts, and Cantonese desserts" (n 799, 11.5%), "Meats" (n 1066, 15.3%), "Vegetables" (n 1383, 19.9%), and "Varied" (n 1224, 17.6%). The mean neonatal birth weight Z scores of women in the above patterns were 0.02, 0.07, 0.20, 0.01, 0.06, and 0.14, respectively. Women in the "Fruits, nuts, and Cantonese desserts" and "Varied" groups had significantly heavier infants compared with those in the "Cereals, eggs, and Cantonese soups" group. Compared with women in the "Cereals, eggs, and Cantonese soups" group, those in the "Varied" group had marginally significantly lower odds of having a small-for-gestational age (SGA) infant after adjustment for other confounders (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.57, 1.04, p = 0.08). These findings suggest that compared to a traditional Cantonese diet high in cereals, eggs, and Cantonese soups, a diet high in fruits, nuts, and Cantonese desserts might be associated with a higher birth weight, while a varied diet might be associated with a greater birth weight and also a decreased risk of having a SGA baby.

C1q and tumor necrosis factor-related protein 3 is present in human cord blood and is associated with fetal growth.

BACKGROUND: To determine the presence of C1q and tumor necrosis factor-related protein 3 (CTRP3) in cord blood and its relationship with fetal growth among Chinese newborns. METHODS: This pilot study recruited 126 infants (small for gestational age [SGA], n=34; appropriate for gestational age [AGA], n=60; large for gestational age [LGA], n=32); cord blood CTRP3 levels were measured, and fetal growth parameters were collected. RESULTS: Median (25-75th percentile) CTRP3 levels in the SGA, AGA, and LGA groups were 297.2 (236.4-360.2), 297.5 (261.0-369.9), and 368.6 (298.5-507.1) ng/ml, respectively (P=0.01). LGA infants had higher CTRP3 levels than AGA infants (multiple linear regression analysis; P=0.01). The CTRP3 levels were positively correlated with birth weight (r=0.25, P<0.01), Ponderal index (r=0.28, P<0.01), and placental weight (r=0.20, P=0.03) in the total study population. In the subgroup analysis, CTRP3 levels were negatively correlated with birth length z scores (r=-0.39, P=0.03) and were positively correlated with the Ponderal index (r=0.43, P=0.02) only in the SGA group; no other significant correlations were observed. The CTRP3 levels were similar between the sexes (P=NS). CONCLUSIONS: CTRP3 is present in cord blood and might be involved in fetal growth.

Maternal dietary patterns and gestational diabetes mellitus: a large prospective cohort study in China.

Few studies have explored the relationship between dietary patterns and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Evidence from non-Western areas is particularly lacking. In the present study, we aimed to examine the associations between dietary patterns and the risk of GDM in a Chinese population. A total of 3063 pregnant Chinese women from an ongoing prospective cohort study were included. Data on dietary intake were collected using a FFQ at 24-27 weeks of gestation. GDM was diagnosed using a 75 g, 2 h oral glucose tolerance test. Dietary patterns were determined by principal components factor analysis. A log-binomial regression model was used to examine the associations between dietary pattern and the risk of GDM. The analysis identified four dietary patterns: vegetable pattern; protein-rich pattern; prudent pattern; sweets and seafood pattern. Multivariate analysis showed that the highest tertile of the vegetable pattern was associated with a decreased risk of GDM (relative risk (RR) 0·79, 95% CI 0·64, 0·97), compared with the lowest tertile, whereas the highest tertile of the sweets and seafood pattern was associated with an increased risk of GDM (RR 1·23, 95% CI 1·02, 1·49). No significant association was found for either the protein-rich or the prudent pattern. The protective effect of a high vegetable pattern score was more evident among women who had a family history of diabetes (P for interaction=0·022). These findings suggest that the vegetable pattern was associated with a decreased risk of GDM, while the sweets and seafood pattern was associated with an increased risk of GDM. These findings may be useful in dietary counselling during pregnancy.

[Characteristics and the estimated size of men who have sex with men in different venues of one city].

OBJECTIVE: To study the features, safe sex behavior and the size of men who have sex with men (MSM) population in actual and virtual venues in one city. METHODS: We carried out a cross-sectional study in actual and virtual venues, using the Estimated Size of Population from a Single Sample (LMS method) to estimate the size of MSM population. RESULTS: Most MSM in actual venues were 24 - 43 year olds and had received high school education, whereas in virtual venues, the majority of this population were younger than 29 years old and had higher education, including some college students. The awareness of AIDS of the two groups from different venues showed no statistically significant difference, neither the safe sex behaviors. Proportions of the MSM population in actual and virtual venues were 21.22% (16 383, 95%CI: 11 514 - 21 252) and 78.78% (60 830, 95%CI: 57 327 - 64 329), respectively. After adjusting the overlapping part of the MSM from both venues, the total number was between 60 830 and 77 213, constituting a proportion of 5.03% - 6.38% in the sexually active male population (15 - 64 year olds) in this city. CONCLUSION: The size of the MSM population was large but the characteristics were different in the actual or virtual venues. As most MSM preferred going to the virtual venues, intervention program on AIDS-specific strategy in this area, in particular dealing with the Internet, should be strengthened.