Validity of self-reported male sexual function scales in a young Chinese population: a comparative study with clinician-assisted evaluation.

Psychometric scales, commonly used to gauge sexual function, can sometimes be influenced by response biases. In our research from June 2020 to April 2021, we examined the accuracy of self-reported sexual function scales. We invited patients from the Department of Infertility and Sexual Medicine at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (Guangzhou, China), who have male sexual dysfunction, to participate by filling out a self-reported version of a specific questionnaire. In addition, they went through a clinician-assisted version of this questionnaire, encompassing tools such as the Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT), the 6-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-6), the Erection Hardness Scale (EHS), and the Masturbation Erection Index (MEI). Using the clinician-assisted version as a reference, we categorized patients and applied various statistical methods, such as the Chi-square test, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), logistic regression, and the Bland-Altman plot, to gauge reliability. In our study with 322 participants, we found that while there were no notable discrepancies in error rates based on our categorization, certain scales showed significant differences in terms of overestimation and underestimation, with the exception of the PEDT. The positive diagnosis rate consistency between the self-reported and clinician-assisted versions was observed. High ICC values between the two versions across the scales were indicative of remarkable reliability. Our findings show that the self-reported versions of tools such as EHS, IIEF-6, MEI, and PEDT are credible and hold clinical reliability. However, employing a dual-diagnosis approach might be more prudent to circumvent potential misdiagnoses.

ELOVL2 restrains cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of prostate cancer via regulation of the tumor suppressor INPP4B.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer is one of the most common malignancies in men. Members of the elongation of the very-long-chain fatty acid (ELOVL) gene family have been reported to participate in the occurrence and development of various cancers. However, the function of ELOVL gene family members (ELOVLs) in prostate cancer has not been fully elucidated. METHODS: The mRNA expression and prognostic value of ELOVLs in prostate cancer were analyzed using the GEPIA database. The Oncomine database and PrognoScan database were used to further verify the mRNA expression level and prognostic value of ELOVL2 in prostate cancer. RT-qPCR and Western blotting were used to validate the expression levels of ELOVL2 in four prostate cancer cell lines. Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the ELOVL2 protein expression levels in prostate cancer tissues. Coexpression analysis in the cBioPortal database and enrichment analysis in Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), CCK8, colony formation, and transwell assays were used to identify the functions and mechanisms of ELOVL2. RESULTS: ELOVL2 expression was upregulated in prostate cancer tissues compared with normal tissues. High expression of ELOVL2 indicated a better prognosis in prostate cancer patients. ELOVL2 expression was negatively correlated with Gleason score. Knockdown of ELOVL2 promoted cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, invasion, and the growth of subcutaneous xenografts and activated the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway by downregulating INPP4B, while overexpression of ELOVL2 reversed these effects. In addition, overexpression of INPP4B blocked the promoting effect of sh-ELOVL2 on cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, invasion, and the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that ELOVL2 might be a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for prostate cancer.

A Modified Procedure to Diagnose Erectile Dysfunction Using the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-6) Combined With the Premature Ejaculation Diagnosis Tool (PEDT) via an Internet Survey.

BACKGROUND: The reliability of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) in diagnosing erectile dysfunction (ED) is significantly decreased for the population with premature ejaculation (PE). AIM: We aimed to illustrate a better way of diagnosing ED among the general population through a web survey study. METHODS: We collected online surveys from 2,746 men between the ages of 18 and 65. Two methods were used to determine the prevalence of ED, and these 2 methods were compared. Additionally, we divided our sample into 2 equally sized groups by median age and repeated the analyses for each group. In Method Ⅰ (M Ⅰ), men with an IIEF-5 score ≤ 21 were diagnosed with ED. In Method Ⅱ (M Ⅱ), PE was defined as a PEDT score ≥ 9, and no-PE was defined as a PEDT score ≤ 8. We used an IIEF-6 score cutoff of ≤ 24 among the PE population and a cutoff of ≤ 25 among the no-PE population to diagnose ED. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We examined the results from the IIEF-5, PEDT, and IIEF-6. RESULTS: Of the 2,746 men, 1,540 were in a stable heterosexual relationship, and the prevalence of ED among these men was determined. The prevalence of ED, as measured by Method Ⅰ, was significantly higher than that measured by Method Ⅱ. The kappa coefficients between the 2 methods were 0.595, 0.704, and 0.430 for the overall, no-PE, and PE populations, respectively. The internal consistency of the IIEF-5 for the PE population increased if Question 5 (intercourse satisfaction) was removed. Similar trends were observed for the groups, and there were no substantial differences. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Our research suggests that before using the erectile function assessment scale to evaluate erectile function, ejaculatory function should be assessed with the PEDT. STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS: This was the first study to highlight the importance of evaluating ejaculatory function using the PEDT before diagnosing ED via an internet survey. There may have been recruitment bias because our study was an internet survey. CONCLUSION: Establishing the prevalence of ED by using a combination of the IIEF-6 and PEDT was more reliable than using the IIEF-5 alone. Further validation of the modified procedure, especially regarding the effects of age on the results, in future studies is required. Wang C, Zhang H, Liu Z, et al. A Modified Procedure to Diagnose Erectile Dysfunction Using the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-6) Combined With the Premature Ejaculation Diagnosis Tool (PEDT) via an Internet Survey. Sex Med 2022;10:100506.

Integrative bioinformatics approaches for identifying potential biomarkers and pathways involved in non-obstructive azoospermia.

BACKGROUND: Non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) is a disease related to spermatogenic disorders. Currently, the specific etiological mechanism of NOA is unclear. This study aimed to use integrated bioinformatics to screen biomarkers and pathways involved in NOA and reveal their potential molecular mechanisms. METHODS: GSE145467 and GSE108886 gene expression profiles were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between NOA tissues and matched obstructive azoospermia (OA) tissues were identified using the GEO2R tool. Common DEGs in the two datasets were screened out by the VennDiagram package. For the functional annotation of common DEGs, DAVID v.6.8 was used to perform Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis. In accordance with data collected from the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING) database, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by Cytoscape. Cytohubba in Cytoscape was used to screen the hub genes. Furthermore, the hub genes were validated based on a separate dataset, GSE9210. Finally, potential micro RNAs (miRNAs) of hub genes were predicted by miRWalk 3.0. RESULTS: A total of 816 common DEGs, including 52 common upregulated and 764 common downregulated genes in two datasets, were screened out. Some of the more important of these pathways, including focal adhesion, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, cell cycle, oocyte meiosis, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway, FoxO signaling pathway, and Huntington disease, were involved in spermatogenesis. We further identified the top 20 hub genes from the PPI network, including CCNB2, DYNLL2, HMMR, NEK2, KIF15, DLGAP5, NUF2, TTK, PLK4, PTTG1, PBK, CEP55, CDKN3, CDC25C, MCM4, DNAI1, TYMS, PPP2R1B, DNAI2, and DYNLRB2, which were all downregulated genes. In addition, potential miRNAs of hub genes, including hsa-miR-3666, hsa-miR-130b-3p, hsa-miR-15b-5p, hsa-miR-6838-5p, and hsa-miR-195-5p, were screened out. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, the identification of the above hub genes, miRNAs and pathways will help us better understand the mechanisms associated with NOA, and provide potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for NOA.

Mutation analysis of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene in Chinese congenital absence of vas deferens patients.

To find the variant spectrum of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene, and evaluate its frequent variants in Chinese congenital absence of vas deferens (CAVD) patients. A total of 276 patients with azoospermia and CAVD (aged from 21 to 44 years old) were investigated from May 2013 to September 2019 in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. Additionally, 50 healthy, unrelated volunteers were recruited as controls (aged from 21 to 46 years old). The 5'-UTR, exons and their flanking side of the CFTR gene were sequenced by high-throughput sequencing technology. The results were compared with those retrieved from the Ensembl Genome Browser. In addition, all 13 novel variants were further confirmed independently by Sanger sequencing and evaluated in the bioinformatics web servers. A schematic of the variant spectrum of the CFTR gene, including 13 novel variants (12 in CAVD patients, one in the control group), is shown, and the frequent variants in Chinese CAVD patients were 5 T (27.54%), c.-8G > C (7.25%), p.Q1352H (5.98%), and p.I556V (3.08%). 5 T was found to be the most frequent variant. p.Q1352H had a significantly high allelic frequency in CAVD patients (P < 0.05). c.-8G > C and p.I556V had high allelic frequencies but showed no difference between patients and controls (P > 0.05). p.Q1352H is the most common and important missense variant in Chinese patients with CAVD, while the pathological effects of C.-8G > C and p.I556V may be weak after evaluation.