[on oligozoospermia and asthenospermia].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of Yihechun Capsules (YHC) on oligozoospermia and asthenospermia. METHODS: A total of 181 male patients with infertility were randomly divided into a YHC+Levocarnitine (LC) group (n = 93, including 42 cases of oligozoospermia, 20 cases of asthenospermia and 31 cases of oligoasthenospermia) and an LC control group (n = 88, including 39 cases of oligozoospermia, 22 cases of asthenospermia and 27 cases of oligoasthenospermia), the former treated with YHC (ï¼»0.3 g per capsuleï¼½, once 4 capsules, bid, 30 minutes after meal) combined with LC oral liquid (2－3 g/d, tid, at mealtime) and the latter with LC oral liquid only (2－3 g/d, tid, at mealtime). After 3 months of treatment, comparisons were made between the two groups of patients in sperm concentration, the percentages of grade a and grade a+b sperm, and the rate of pregnancy. RESULTS: Of the 181 patients, 5 in the YHC+LC group and 2 in the LC control group failed to complete the course of treatment. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups of patients in the baseline sperm concentration and the percentages of grade a and grade a+b sperm (P > 0.05), wich were all markedly increased in both the YHC+LC and the LC control groups (P < 0.05) after 3 months of treatment. And the patients of the YHC+LC group, compared with the controls, showed even more significant increases, as the oligozoospermia patients in sperm concentration (ï¼»21.07 ± 6.98ï¼½ vs ï¼»16.56 ± 1.82ï¼½ ×106/ml, P < 0.05) and the percentages of grade a sperm (ï¼»27.53 ± 3.34ï¼½% vs ï¼»26.88 ± 1.35ï¼½%, P < 0.05) and grade a+b sperm (ï¼»53.32 ± 3.16ï¼½% vs ï¼»52.63 ± 2.48ï¼½%, P < 0.05), the asthenospermia patients in sperm concentration (ï¼»26.36 ± 3.37ï¼½ vs ï¼»24.42 ± 2.21ï¼½ ×106/ml, P < 0.05) and the percentages of grade a sperm (ï¼»25.28 ± 4.64ï¼½% vs ï¼»21.32 ± 3.28ï¼½%, P < 0.05) and grade a+b sperm (ï¼»49.19 ± 2.87ï¼½% vs ï¼»45.64 ± 1.78ï¼½%, P < 0.05), and the oligoasthenospermia patients in sperm concentration (ï¼»19.38 ± 3.39ï¼½ vs ï¼»18.75 ± 1.35ï¼½ ×106/ml, P < 0.05) and the percentages of grade a sperm (ï¼»22.65 ± 4.81ï¼½% vs ï¼»21.31 ± 2.42ï¼½%, P < 0.05) and grade a+b sperm (ï¼»48.74 ± 5.61ï¼½% vs ï¼»44.36 ± 1.32ï¼½%, P < 0.05). The pregnancy rate was dramatically higher in the YHC+LC than in the LC control group (36.4% ï¼»32/88ï¼½ vs 15.1% ï¼»13/86ï¼½, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Yihechun Capsules combined with Levocarnitine oral liquid is evidently effective for the treatment of oligozoospermia and asthenospermia.

Association between n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in erythrocytes and metabolic syndrome in Chinese men and women.

PURPOSE: Evidence of an association between n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and metabolic syndrome (MS) is limited and inconsistent. We investigated the association between n-3 PUFAs in erythrocytes and the presence of MS in Chinese adults. METHODS: The levels of α-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in erythrocytes were measured using gas chromatography in 3072 participants (900 men and 2172 women) aged 30-75 years from Guangzhou, China. Cardiometabolic factors were determined, and MS was defined using the updated Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Other covariates were collected via interviewer-administered questionnaires. RESULTS: After adjusting for age and other confounders, higher levels of marine-derived n-3 PUFAs, including EPA, DPA, and DHA, were associated with a lower presence of metabolic syndrome in both men and women. The odds ratios (95 % confidence interval) for MS obtained by comparing extreme quartiles were 0.55 (0.35-0.88) (EPA), 0.54 (0.34-0.87) (DPA), 0.45 (0.27-0.73) (DHA), and 0.52 (0.32-0.84) (total n-3 PUFAs) in men (p trend <0.05 for all results); and 0.74 (0.56-0.99) (EPA), 0.73 (0.55-0.98) (DPA), 0.75 (0.56-1.02) (DHA), and 0.71 (0.53-0.96) (total n-3 PUFAs) in women, respectively. No significant association of ALA with MS was observed (p trend > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Higher levels of total n-3 PUFAs, EPA, DPA, and DHA, but not of ALA, in erythrocyte membranes are associated with a lower presence of metabolic syndrome in Chinese adults.

Erythrocyte membrane n-3 fatty acid levels and carotid atherosclerosis in Chinese men and women.

OBJECTIVE: Prospective studies have supported the beneficial effects of n-3 fatty acid consumption on cardiac deaths, but limited data focused on atherosclerosis. We investigated the associations between n-3 fatty acids in erythrocytes and atherosclerosis in middle-aged and older Chinese. METHODS: 847 subjects (285 men and 562 women), aged 40-65 years, from Guangzhou, China were included in this community-based cross-sectional study between December 2005 and January 2008. The levels of α-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in erythrocytes were measured by gas chromatography. Carotid ultrasound examination was conducted to obtain intima-media thickness of the common carotid artery and the carotid bifurcation. Dietary data and other covariates were collected using interviewer-administered questionnaires. RESULTS: After adjustment for age, sex, and other confounders, negative dose-response associations between the contents of individual n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the erythrocyte membrane and the prevalence of carotid artery wall thickening and plaque were observed. A comparison in the highest and lowest tertiles gave odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for thickening in the walls of the common carotid artery of 0.58 (0. 34-0.97; P-trend = 0. 037) for DHA, and 0.39 (0.23-0.67; P-trend < 0.001) for ALA. However, EPA was not significantly associated with carotid atherosclerosis. Similar results were found for thickening at the carotid bifurcation and the occurrence of carotid artery plaque. CONCLUSIONS: Higher levels of DHA and ALA in the erythrocyte membrane were significantly associated with a lower burden of subclinical atherosclerosis.