Distribution of TCM syndrome types and their correlation semen parameters in infertility patients with varicocele / 中华男科学杂志

Objective@#To explore the distribution of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndrome types and their relationship with semen parameters in infertility male patients with varicocele (VC).@*METHODS@#Using Questionnaire on Clinical Symptoms of Varicocele-Caused Male Infertility, we made an investigation among 147 infertility male patients with VC, determined the types of their TCM syndromes, obtained their semen parameters, and analyzed the distribution of the TCM syndrome types and their correlation with semen parameters.@*RESULTS@#Of the TCM syndrome types identified, kidney deficiency and stagnated heat constituted the largest proportion (34.7%), and the mixed type accounted for a significantly higher percentage than the simple type (P < 0.05). The patients with kidney deficiency and stagnated heat, compared with those with other syndrome types, had a dramatically lower sperm concentration (［21.62 ± 9.25］ vs ［28.88 ± 12.92］ ×10⁶/ml, P < 0.01), but a higher percentage of morphologically abnormal sperm (［98.33 ± 0.15］% vs ［96.27 ± 0.18］%, P < 0.05) and DNA fragmentation index (［19.72 ± 3.17］% vs ［10.96 ± 3.82］%, P < 0.01). No statistically significant differences were observed in the percentage of progressively motile sperm among different TCM syndrome types.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Kidney deficiency and stagnated heat is a main TCM syndrome type in infertility male patients with varicocele and correlated with sperm concentration, the percentage of morphologically abnormal sperm and DNA fragmentation index.

Role of ubiquitin E3 ligase TRIM10 in regulating cardiomyocyte hyper-trophy / 中国病理生理杂志

AIM:To explore the role of ubiquitin E3 ligase tripartite motif 10 (TRIM10) in the development of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy .METHODS: Primary cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes ( NRCMs ) were infected with siRNA-TRIM10, siRNA-control, Ad-TRIM10 or Ad-GFP for 24 h respectively, and then stimulated with phenylephrine ( PE) for additional 24 h.The protein levels of TRIM10, AKT and ERK1/2 were determined by Western blot .The size of the NRCMs was measured by immunofluorescence staining .The mRNA expression of atrial natriuretic peptide ( ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide ( BNP) was detected by RT-qPCR.RESULTS:Compared with the control , PE treatment signifi-cantly increased the protein expression of TRIM 10.Moreover, transfection of NRCMs with siRNA-TRIM10 markedly inhibi-ted cardiomyocyte size , the mRNA expression of ANP and BNP , and the phosphorylation levels of AKT and ERK as com-pared with siRNA-control after PE treatment.In contrast, overexpression of TRIM10 significantly enhanced PE-induced hy-pertrophic effect on NRCMs above .CONCLUSION:TRIM10 regulates cardiomyocyte hypertrophy partially through AKT and ERK signaling pathways .

Role of ubiquitin E3 ligase TRIM10 in regulating cardiomyocyte hyper-trophy / 中国病理生理杂志

AIM:To explore the role of ubiquitin E3 ligase tripartite motif 10 (TRIM10) in the development of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy .METHODS: Primary cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes ( NRCMs ) were infected with siRNA-TRIM10, siRNA-control, Ad-TRIM10 or Ad-GFP for 24 h respectively, and then stimulated with phenylephrine ( PE) for additional 24 h.The protein levels of TRIM10, AKT and ERK1/2 were determined by Western blot .The size of the NRCMs was measured by immunofluorescence staining .The mRNA expression of atrial natriuretic peptide ( ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide ( BNP) was detected by RT-qPCR.RESULTS:Compared with the control , PE treatment signifi-cantly increased the protein expression of TRIM 10.Moreover, transfection of NRCMs with siRNA-TRIM10 markedly inhibi-ted cardiomyocyte size , the mRNA expression of ANP and BNP , and the phosphorylation levels of AKT and ERK as com-pared with siRNA-control after PE treatment.In contrast, overexpression of TRIM10 significantly enhanced PE-induced hy-pertrophic effect on NRCMs above .CONCLUSION:TRIM10 regulates cardiomyocyte hypertrophy partially through AKT and ERK signaling pathways .

Immune mechanisms of the active ingredients of Chinese medicinal herbs for chronic prostatitis / 中华男科学杂志

Chronic prostatitis is a common male disease, and its pathogenesis is not yet clear. Most scholars believe that oxidative stress and immune imbalance are the keys to the occurrence and progression of chronic prostatitis. Currently immunotherapy of chronic prostatitis remains in the exploratory stage. This article relates the active ingredients of 5 Chinese medicinal herbs (total glucosides of paeony, tripterigium wilfordii polglycosidium, curcumin, geniposide, and quercetin) for the treatment of chronic prostatitis and their possible action mechanisms as follows: 1) inhibiting the immune response and activation and proliferation of T-cells, and adjusting the proportion of Th1/Th2 cells; 2) upregulating the expression of Treg and enhancing the patient's tolerability; 3) suppressing the activation of the NF-kB factor, reducing the release of iNOS, and further decreasing the release of NO, IL-2 and other inflammatory cytokines, which contribute to the suppression of the immune response; 4) inhibiting the production of such chemokines as MCP-1 and MIP-1α in order to reduce their induction of inflammatory response. Studies on the immune mechanisms of Chinese medicinal herbs in the treatment of chronic prostatitis are clinically valuable for the development of new drugs for this disease.

Modified Jujing No.2 Decoction for varicocele-induced male infertility / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>Objective</b>To investigate the clinical effect of Jujing No.2 Decoction on male infertility induced by varicocele.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We equally randomized 70 male patients with varicocele-induced infertility into a treatment group and a control group, the former treated with modified Jujing No.2 Decoction (1 dose a day, bid) and the latter given Danshen Tablets (4 tablets once, tid) plus Liu Wei Di Huang Wan (8 pills once, tid), both for 3 months. We examined the spermatic veins of the patients by ultrasonography and performed seminal analysis before and after medication.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the controls, the patients in the treatment group showed significant improvement after medication in sperm concentration (［12.35±2.12］ vs ［18.56±4.16］ ×10⁶/ml, P<0.05), progressively motile sperm (［16.18±6.34］ vs ［24.63±8.51］ %, P<0.05), and morphologically normal sperm (［11.59±5.31］ vs ［14.17±6.02］ %, P<0.05). In the control group, sperm concentration was increased from (12.29±2.07) ×10⁶/ml at the baseline to (13.13±3.13) ×10⁶/ml after medication, progressively motile sperm from (16.13±6.45) % to (20.55±7.30) % (P<0.05), and morphologically normal sperm from (11.62±5.35) % to (12.69±5.77) %. The total effectiveness rate was significantly higher in the treatment than in the control group (71.88% vs 46.67%, P<0.05). The inner diameter of the left spermatic vein was decreased from (0.32±0.05) mm at the baseline to ［0.26±0.05］ mm after medication in the treatment group (P<0.05) and from (0.32±0.03) mm to (0.29±0.04) mm in the control (P<0.05), with statistically significant difference between the two groups after medication (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Jujing No.2 Decoction is effective in the treatment of varicocele-induced male infertility.</p>

Distribution, combination, and evolution of syndromic etiologies of erectile dysfunction / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the distribution, combination and evolution of various syndromic etiologies of erectile dysfunction (ED) based on the syndrome etiology theory.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Using the ED Syndromic Etiology Scale, we collected the clinical data on the Chinese medicine diagnoses of 297 cases of ED, extracted the core syndromic etiologies by analysis of principal components and factors, and analyzed the patterns of distribution, combination, and evolution of ED syndromic etiologies according to the general information of the patients.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Through analysis of principal components and factors, 9 core syndromic etiologies were extracted, i. e. , liver constraint with qi stagnation, kidney yin deficiency, damp-heat, liver constraint transforming into liver-fire, blood stasis, kidney yang deficiency, heart-spleen paired deficiency, qi-yin paired deficiency, and phlegm-damp. Each of these syndrome etiologies exhibited its own specific distribution patterns. Of the total number of cases studied, 51.52% had 2 or 3 core syndromic etiologies and 36.03% had only one.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>In the early stage of ED, its syndromic etiologies are usually liver constraint with qi stagnation, kidney yin deficiency, damp-heat, liver constraint transforming into liver-fire, and blood stasis. With the natural progres- sion of the disease, its syndromic etiologies gradually evolve into kidney yang deficiency, heart-spleen paired deficiency, qi-yin paired deficiency, phlegm-damp, and blood stasis, and finally into yin-yang deficiency of the heart, spleen and kidneys, combined with phlegm-damp and blood stasis.</p>

Therapeutic efficacy of Bushengzhuyang Fang (Yangjing Capsule) on phytoestrogen-induced erectile dysfunction: an experimental study / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of Bushengzhuyang Fang (Yangjing Capsule, YJC) on penile erectile function and its action mechanisms in rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty-six male SD rats were randomly divided into seven groups of equal number: blank control, daidzein, daidzein + testosterone, daidzein + sildenafil, daidzein + low-dose YJC, daidzein + medium-dose YJC, and daidzein + high-dose YJC. The rats in the blank control group were treated intragastrically with normal saline and those in the other groups with daidzein at the dose of 100 mg per kg per day for 30 days. Then the last five groups received additionally testosterone (4 mg per kg per day), sildenafil (2.5 mg per kg per day), low-dose YJC, (0.315 mg per kg per day), medium-dose YJC (0.63 mg per kg per day), and high-dose YJC (1. 26 mg per kg per day), respectively. At 0, 30 and 60 days of treatment, we observed the apomorphine-induced spontaneous erectile response and pathological changes in the corpus cavernosum of the rats, recorded the number of penile erection and erectile incubation period, and determined the serum levels of testosterone (T) and luteinizing hormone (LH).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>At 30 days of treatment, the number of apomorphine-induced erections was decreased, the erectile incubation period prolonged, and the serum levels of T and LH reduced remarkably in all groups of rats (P < 0.05). Compared with the findings at 30 days, the number of penile erections was significantly decreased at 60 days in the daidzein group (1.39 ± 0.42 vs 2.67 ± 0.33, P < 0.05) and daidzein + low-dose YJC group (1.33 ± 0.49 vs 2.83 ± 0.61, P < 0.05); the erectile incubation period was markedly ex- tended ([16.33 ± 3.11] vs [8.50 ± 0.93] min and [15.50 ± 3.21] vs [8.63 ± 1.54] min, P < 0.05); and the serum levels of T ([5.34 ± 0.89] vs [1.24 ± 0.30] ng/ml and [5.28 ± 1.12] vs [2.07 ± 0.76] ng/ml, P < 0.05) and LH ([3.62 ± 0.37] vs [2.09 ± 0.12] ng/ml and [3.79 ± 0.28] vs [2.17 ± 0.33] ng/ml, P < 0.05) were significantly reduced in the daidzein and daidzein + low-dose YJC groups, respectively. Pathological examination revealed slightly decreased cavernous sinuses and blood vessels in the corpus cavernosum of the rats in the daidzein + testosterone, daidzein + sildenafil, daidzein + medium-dose YJC, and daidzein + high-dose YJC groups as compared with those in the blank control group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>High-dose Yangjing Capsule is efficacious for the recovery of erectile function in rats, especially for phytoestrogen-induced erectile dysfunction.</p>

Analysis of four fetuses with de novo chromosomal rearrangments using single nucleotide polymorphism microarray chips / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the value of single nucleotide polymophism (SNP) microarray for delineation of de novo chromosomal rearrangements detected upon prenatal diagnosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>SNP microarray analysis was carried out for 4 fetuses with de novo sSMCs or balanced reciprocal translocations. Genomic DNA was extracted from cord blood samples, and amplified, tagged and hybridized following the manufacturer's protocol. Data were collected and analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>No pathogenic CNVs were detected in fetus A, whose sSMCs was verified to be heterochromatin. Fetus B, who had a de novo mosaic sSMCs, was found to have a 9 Mb duplication in 4p12-q13 which is associated with speech delay and mental retardation. No pathogenic CNVs were detected in fetus C who has 2 translocation chromosomes inherited from its mother and 2 chromosomes derived from a de novo translocation. Fetus D, who had a de novo "balanced" reciprocal translocation, was found to have a 25 Mb duplication in 1q25 and a 17 Mb deletion in 9p22. Cases A and C had normal physical and mental evaluation after birth.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>For its ability to detect cryptic imbalance in de novo sSMCs or balanced reciprocal translocations, SNP-array has provided a powerful aid to conventional karyotype analysis during prenatal diagnosis.</p>

AZF microdeletions on the Y chromosome in infertile Chinese men: a five-year retrospective analysis / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>The past few years have seen great progress in the studies of the relationship between AZF microdeletions and male infertility. However, some molecular and clinical concerns are not supported by definitive data. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and types of AZF microdeletions in infertile Chinese men, and the indications for genotype-phenotype correlation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We retrospectively analyzed Y chromosome AZF microdeletions among 502 patients with nonobstructive azoospermia and 306 with severe oligozoospermia received in our hospital during the past five years.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Microdeletions were detected in 7.80% of the patients (63/808), 9.16% in the men with nonobstructive azoospermia (46/502) and 5.56% in those with severe oligozoospermia (17/306). Complete AZFa and AZFb (P5/Proximal P1) deletions were associated with azoospermia, whereas AZFc deletion with variable spermatogenic phenotypes. A mild decline in sperm concentration was found in one male with partial AZFb deletion. The most frequent deletion was the AZFc b2/b4 subtype (60.32%, 38/63), and 39.47% of the cases (15/38) had sperm in the ejaculate. Of the 63 deletions, only one case of the AZFc b2/b4 type had a sperm concentration of over 2 million sperm/ml.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>AZF microdeletions play a significant role in the diagnosis and evaluation of spermatogenic defects. Larger-scale clinical researches on Y chromosome microdeletions may give us a deeper insight into their mechanism and the genotype-phenotype relationship.</p>

Kidney-tonifying and dampness-expelling Chinese herbal medicine combined with doxazosin for the treatment of chronic epididymitis / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the clinical effects of kidney-tonifying and dampness-expelling Chinese herbal medicine combined with doxazosin in the treatment of chronic epididymitis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 64 patients with chronic epididymitis were equally randomized into a treatment and a control group, the former treated with kidney-tonifying and dampness-expelling Chinese herbal decoction combined with doxazosin, and the latter given doxazosin only, both for 4 weeks. The clinical symptoms were measured by Chronic Epididymitis Symptom Index (CESI), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) before and after the treatment, and the therapeutic effects were evaluated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After 4 weeks of medication, the total mean scores on CESI, pain, and quality of life (QOL) were significantly decreased in both the treatment and the control groups (P < 0.05), even more significantly in the former than in the latter (P < 0.05), and so were the scores on SAS and SDS (P < 0.05), but with no significant differences between the two groups (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Either doxazosin alone or kidney-tonifying and dampness-expelling Chinese herbal decoction combined with doxazosin is obviously effective on chronic epididymitis, but the combined medication produces an even better efficacy.</p>

Correlation of premature ejaculation with central lumber intervertebral disc herniation / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the correlation of premature ejaculation (PE) with central lumber intervertebral disc herniation (CLIDH) and the pathogenesis of PE, and to search for a convenient, effective and non-invasive method for the treatment of PE.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 263 selected PE patients underwent CT, and those that were found with CLIDH were randomized into a treatment group (n=180) and a control (n=60), the former treated by lumbar traction and the latter with sertraline hydrochloride tablets, both for 24 weeks. CIPE-5 scores of all the patients were analyzed, and the ejaculation latency and sexual satisfaction were recorded before and after the treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among the 263 PE patients, CLIDH was confirmed in 240 (91%). After the treatment, CIPE-5 scores, ejaculation latency and sexual satisfaction were markedly improved in the treatment group, with significant statistic difference from pre-treatment (P < 0.01). Significant differences were also observed between the treatment and the control groups after the treatment (P < 0.05), but not in the control group between pre- and post-treatment.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>CLIDH may be one of the important causes of most "unexplainable" PE cases. And lumbar traction, non-invasive, highly effective and easily manipulable, has provided a new access to the diagnosis and treatment of the PE patients with CLIDH.</p>

Qianlie Beixi capsule for unliquefiable semen: a clinical study of 180 cases / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the efficacy and possible action mechanism of Qianlie Beixi Capsule in the treatment of unliquefiable semen.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 240 patients with unliquefiable semen were randomly divided into a treatment group (n = 180), treated with Qianlie Beixi Capsule, and a control group (n = 60), given compound tablets of zinc and protein. The treatment lasted two courses of 45 days each, and the seminal changes were observed and recorded.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the patients in the treatment group, 144 were cured, 12 responded and 24 failed to respond to the medication after the first course; and 158 were cured, 7 responded and 15 failed to after the second course, with the effectiveness rate of 91.67%. Meanwhile, sperm motility was obviously improved, with statistically significant difference from that of the controls (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Qianlie Beixi Capsule is effective for unliquefiable semen by improving the function of the prostate and shortening the time of seminal liquefaction.</p>

Purification and clinical application of egg yolk immunoglobulins / 中华男科学杂志

IgY antibodies, also called egg yolk immunoglobulins, are the only immunoglobulins in egg yolk and transferred in the female from serum to egg yolk to confer passive immunity to embryos and neonates. Using hens instead of mammals as the immunization host brings a number of advantages: Eggs are cheap and readily available; antibody levels in yolks are high; IgY isolation is fast and simple; and what is more; IgY neither binds the rheumatoid factor nor reacts to the mammalian complement factor. All these differences make IgY technology more widely applicable, such as in the production of polyclonal antibodies against various antigens, immunodiagnostics and immunotherapy, and many medical areas in both animals and human. IgY also has a good prospect in human immunocontraception.

Development and status quo of testis transplantation / 中华男科学杂志

A lot of advances have been made in testis autotransplantation, testis homotransplantation, testicular tissue transplantation, Leydig cell transplantation and spermatogonial stem cell transplantation in the past decades. And recent years, have witnessed remarkable progress in Leydig cell transplantation and spermatogonial stem cell transplantation, which promise to be new means for the treatment of male infertility and hypogonadism. The development and present state of testis transplantation are summarized in this paper based on the related literature of recent years.