[Varicocelectomy combined with Qilin Pills for the treatment of varicocele-associated male infertility: A multi-center retrospective study].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of varicocelectomy (VCE) combined with medication of Qilin Pills (QLP) in the treatment of varicocele (VC)-associated male infertility. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data on 180 cases of VC-associated male infertility treated in our hospitals between October 2017 and March 2019, 67 by VCE ( the control group) and 113 by VCE in combination with 6-month medication of QLP after operation (the VCE+QLP group). We obtained the semen parameters from the patients before and at 1, 2, 3 and 6 months after surgery, measured their sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) before and at 6 months after operation, and recorded the rate of pregnancy at months postoperatively. RESULTS: There were no severe complications in any of the cases after surgery or during the whole course of medication. Compared with the baseline, the patients in control group showed significant increases at 6 months postoperatively in sperm concentration (ï¼»17.1 ± 12.4ï¼½ vs ï¼»29.5 ± 14.4ï¼½ ×106/ml, P < 0.01), sperm motility (ï¼»33.6±13.5ï¼½% vs ï¼»54.5±12.0ï¼½% , P <) and the percentage of progressively motile sperm (PMS) (ï¼»22.8 ± 10.9ï¼½% vs ï¼»43.7 ± 11.7ï¼½%, P <) but a remarkable decrease in sperm DFI (16.5 ± 7.6ï¼½% vs ï¼»13.3 ± 4.4ï¼½% , P <), and so did those in the VCE+QLP group in sperm concentration (ï¼»16.8 ± 10.7ï¼½ vs ï¼»38.9 ± 24.1)×106/ml, P < 0.01), sperm motility (ï¼»32.8 ± 14.0ï¼½% vs ï¼»50.1 ± 15.0)%, P <), PMS (ï¼»21.8 ± 11.3ï¼½% vs ï¼»39.6 ± 13.3ï¼½% , P <) and sperm DFI (ï¼»17.8 ± 9.0ï¼½% vs ï¼»11.8 ± 4.8ï¼½%, P <). There were even more statistically significant differences between the control and VCE+QLP groups at 6 months in the above semen parameters (P < 0.01) and in the rate of natural pregnancy (32.8% ï¼»22/67ï¼½ vs 48.7% ï¼»55/113ï¼½, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Varicocelectomy combined with medication of Qilin Pills can effectively improve semen quality and increase the rate of natural pregnancy in the treatment of VC-associated male infertility.

Effects of Qilin pills on spermatogenesis, reproductive hormones, oxidative stress, and the TSSK2 gene in a rat model of oligoasthenospermia.

BACKGROUND: Qilin pills (QLPs), a classic Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) formula for treating male infertility, effectively improve semen quality in clinical trials. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of QLPs on spermatogenesis, reproductive hormones, oxidative stress, and the testis-specific serinekinase-2 (TSSK2) gene in a rat model of oligoasthenospermia. METHODS: Forty adult male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into four groups. The rat model with oligoasthenospermia was generated by intragastric administration of tripterygium glycosides (TGs) once daily for 4 weeks. Then, two treatment groups were given different doses (1.62 g/kg and 3.24 g/kg) of QLPs once daily for 60 days. Sperm parameters, testicular histology and reproductive hormone measurements, oxidative stress tests, and TSSK2 expression tests were carried out. RESULTS: QLPs effectively improved semen parameters and testicular histology; restored the levels of FSH, LH, PRL, fT, and SHBG; reduced the levels of oxidative stress products (ROS and MDA); increased testicular SOD activity; and restored the expression of spermatogenesis-related gene TSSK2. CONCLUSION: QLPs have a therapeutic effect on a rat model of oligoasthenospermia, and this effect is manifested as improvement of semen quality and testis histology, gonadal axis stability, decreased oxidative stress, and the regulation of testis-specific spermatogenesis-related gene TSSK2.

[Qilin Pills improve sperm quality in patients with oligozoospermia].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic effect of Qilin Pills (QLP) on oligoasthenospermia. METHODS: This prospective study included 168 patients diagnosed with oligozoospermia in our hospital between September 2015 and September 2017, and all of them failed to achieve pregnancy. We randomly divided them into a QLP group (n = 82) and a placebo control group (n = 86) to receive oral QLPs or placebo pills, respectively, both at 6 g tid for 6 months. We followed up the patients and recorded their routine semen parameters every month during the medication and the rate of pregnancy in their spouses. RESULTS: After 6 months of treatment, the QLP group, as compared with the placebo controls, showed significantly improved sperm concentration (25.13 ×106/ml vs 11.62 ×106/ml, P < 0.01), grade a+b sperm (33.81% vs 17.32%, P < 0.01), grade a sperm (22.84% vs 13.56%, P < 0.01) and sperm motility (56.33% vs 26.23%, P < 0.01); and 26 pregnancies were achieved in the QLP group (32.91%), remarkably more than 13 in the placebo control group (15.85%) (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Qilin Pills can effectively improve sperm quality and increase the rate of pregnancy.

Qilin pills alleviate oligoasthenospermia by inhibiting Bax-caspase-9 apoptosis pathway in the testes of model rats.

At present, the treatment of oligoasthenospermia with western medicine is ineffective. Qilin pill (QLP) is a Chinese traditional medicine for treating male infertility. Recent multicenter clinical studies in China reported that QLPs markedly improved sperm quality. However, the mechanism of action of QLPs on oligoasthenospermia remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the mechanistic basis for improvement of semen parameters and reversal of testis damage by QLPs in a rat model of oligoasthenospermia induced by treatment with tripterygium glycosides (TGs) (40 mg/kg) once daily for 4 weeks. Rats were administered QLPs (1.62 g/kg or 3.24 g/kg) each day for 60 days, with untreated animals serving as controls. The concentration and motility of sperm extracted from rat epididymis were determined, whereas histopathological examination and immunohistochemical apoptosis analysis of rat testes was performed. Expression profiles of apoptosis-related genes were determined by microarray analysis; the results were validated by quantitative real-time PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. Sperm concentration and motility in the QLP treatment group were increased relative to those in control rats. Testis tissue and DNA damage were reversed by QLP treatment. The improvement function of QLPs on sperm and testis works mainly by suppressing mitochondrial apoptosis in the testis via modulation of B cell lymphoma (Bcl)-2, Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), cytochrome C, caspase-9 and caspase-3 expression. QLPs could improve sperm quality and testis damage in a rat model of oligoasthenospermia by inhibiting the Bax-Caspase-9 apoptosis pathway and exerting therapeutic effects.

[Qilin Pills for idiopathic oligoasthenospermia: A multi-centered randomized double-blind controlled clinical trial].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Qilin Pills in the treatment of oligoasthenospermia in infertile men. METHODS: This multi-centered randomized double-blind controlled clinical trial included 216 infertile males with oligoasthenospermia, 108 in the trial group and the other 108 in the control, the former treated with Qilin Pills at the dose of 6 g tid while the latter with Wuziyanzong Pills at 6 g bid, both for 12 weeks. We examined the total sperm count, sperm motility and the count of progressively motile sperm of the patients before and at 4, 8 and 12 weeks after medication and evaluated the safety of the drug based on the adverse events and the laboratory results of blood and urine routine examinations and liver and kidney function tests. RESULTS: Compared with the baseline, the patients in the trial group showed a significant time-dependent improvement after 4, 8 and 12 weeks of medication in sperm motility (21.75% vs 27.54%, 29.04% and 32.95%, P <0.05), total sperm count (156.27 ×106 vs 177.33, 188.18 and 205.44 ×106, P <0.05), and the count of progressively motile sperm (32.08 ×106/ml vs 46.33, 50.98 and 61.10 ×106/ml, P <0.05). The three parameters above were also improved in the controls, but more significantly in the trial group (P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Qilin Pills can evidently improve the semen quality of oligoasthenospermia patients with no obvious adverse events.

[Oral Testosterone Undecanoate Capsules combined with Qilin Pills for late-onset hypogonadism in males].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical effects of oral Testosterone Undecanoate Capsules (TUC) combined with Qilin Pills (QLP) on late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) in men. METHODS: Sixty-three LOH patients meeting the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into a control group (aged ï¼»48.4 ± 6.2ï¼½ yr, n = 32) and an experimental group (aged ï¼»47.2 ± 5.6ï¼½ yr, n = 31) to be treated with oral TUC (80 mg, qd) and TUC + QLP (6g, tid), respectively, both for 3 months. Comparisons were made between the two groups of patients in the IIEF-5 scores, total testosterone (TT) levels, and scores in the Aging Males' Symptoms (AMS) scale before and after treatment. RESULTS: After treatment, the patients of the experimental group, as compared with the controls, showed a significantly increased IIEF-5 score (21.7 ± 5.8 vs 15.9 ± 4.7, P <0.05) and TT level (ï¼»16.7 ± 2.2ï¼½ vs ï¼»13.1 ± 2.8ï¼½ nmol/L, P <0.05), but a decreased AMS score (20.7 ± 5.7 vs 31.3±6.5, P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: TUC combined with Qilin Pills has a better effect and a lower rate of adverse reactions than TUC used alone in the treatment of late-onset hypogonadism in males.

[Protective effect of Qilin Pills on the reproductive function of oligoasthenospermia rats].

OBJECTIVE: To study the protective effect of Qilin Pills (QLP) on the reproductive function of rats with oligoasthenospermia (OAS) induced by tripterygium glycosides. METHODS: Twenty-eight male SD rats were randomly divided into a normal control, an OAS model control, a low-dose QLP, and a high-dose QLP group of equal number. OAS models were made in the latter three groups by intragastrical administration of tripterygium glycosides at 40 mg per kg of the body weight per day, and meanwhile the animals in the low- and high-dose QLP groups were treated with QLP at 1.62 and 3.24 g per kg of the body weight per day, respectively, while those in the OAS model group with normal saline, all for 30 consecutive days. Then all the rats were executed for obtaining the testis weight, testis viscera index, epididymal sperm concentration and motility, reproductive hormone levels, and antioxidation indexes and observation of the histomorphological changes of the testis tissue by HE staining. RESULTS: After 30 days of intervention, the low- and high-dose QLP groups, as compared with the OAS model controls, showed significantly improved epididymal sperm concentration (ï¼»14.57 ± 3.95ï¼½ and ï¼»39.71 ± 11.31ï¼½ vs ï¼»4.71 ± 1.25ï¼½ ×106/ml, P <0.05) and motility (ï¼»3.71 ± 1.11ï¼½ and ï¼»4.29 ± 1.80ï¼½ vs ï¼»0.57 ± 0.53ï¼½%, P <0.05), increased levels of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) (ï¼»94.83 ± 11.17ï¼½ and ï¼»88.05 ± 9.21ï¼½ vs ï¼»56.74 ± 8.29ï¼½ nmol/L, P <0.05) and free testosterone (FT) (ï¼»27.27 ± 3.63ï¼½ and ï¼»32.80 ± 2.51ï¼½ vs ï¼»22.81 ± 2.75ï¼½ nmol/L, P <0.05), decreased level of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) (ï¼»1.49 ± 0.62ï¼½ and ï¼»1.12 ± 0.83ï¼½ vs ï¼»1.71 ± 0.52ï¼½ mIU/ml, P <0.05), but no significant change in the total testosterone (TT) level. Meanwhile, the level of superoxide dismutase (SOD) was markedly elevated in the low- and high-dose QLP groups in comparison with the OAS model control group (ï¼»277.14 ± 15.84ï¼½ and ï¼»299.60 ± 20.83ï¼½ vs ï¼»250.04 ± 31.06ï¼½ U/ml, P <0.05) while that of reactive oxygen species (ROS) remarkably reduced (ï¼»397.61 ± 62.71ï¼½ and ï¼»376.84 ± 67.14ï¼½ vs ï¼»552.20 ± 58.07ï¼½ IU/ml, P <0.05). HE staining showed that QLP intervention significantly increased the layers and quantity of spermatogenic cells in the testicular seminiferous tubules of the OAS rats. CONCLUSIONS: QLP can effectively protect the reproductive system of oligoasthenospermia rats by raising sperm quality, elevating reproductive hormone levels, reducing oxidative stress injury, and improving histomorphology of the testis.

[ilin Pills for oligoasthenospermia: Advances in clinical studies].

Industrialization and environmental pollution are bringing more problems to human reproduction and increasing the prevalence of male infertility. Western medicine has shown its limitations in the management of male infertility, especially that of oligoasthenospermia. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), however, has long and rich experiences in the treatment of oligoasthenospermia, with a large variety of medicinal prescriptions based on the TCM theories, among which Qilin Pills shows a particularly significant therapeutic effect on oligoasthenospermia, especially when combined with Western medicine. At present, published studies on Qilin Pills are mainly in the stage of clinical observation, while basic researches and studies on its relevant mechanisms are rarely seen.

Clinical Study on Qilin Pills Combined with Three-Spot Caressing in Treatment of Acquired Non-consolidated Kidney Qi Premature Ejaculation / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective To observe clinical efficacy of Qilin Pills combined with Three-Spot Caressing in the treatment of acquired non-consolidated kidney qi premature ejaculation (PE). Methods Totally 129 acquired non-consolidated kidney qi PE patients were randomly divided into TCM group, Fangzhognshu group and combination group. TCM group was given Qilin Pills, 6 g each time, three times a day, orally. Fangzhognshu group was guided to conduct Three-spot Caressing during sexual intercourse, no less than twice a week. Combination group was given Qilin Pills and Three-spot Caressing with the same method as Fangzhognshu group. The treatment course for each group lasted for 8 weeks. Before and after treatment of 4 weeks, 8 weeks and 4 weeks after with drawal, the intravaginal ejaculatory latency time (IELT), Chinese Index of Sexual Function for Premature Ejaculation-5 (PECI-5) scores and TCM syndrome scores (TCMS) were compared. Results Compared with before treatment, IELT increased in three groups at different time points after treatment (P<0.05). In the combination group, IELT was superior to the other two groups (except for TCM group after 4-week treatment), with statistical significance (P<0.05). Compared with before treatment, PECI-5 scores improved in three groups (except for Q6 and Q7 in Fangzhongshu group after 4-week treatment) at different time point after treatment (P<0.05). The improvement of Q5, Q6 and Q7 scores in PECI-5 of combination group was significantly better than that in the other two groups at 8-week treatment and 4-week after treatment (P<0.05). Compared with before treatment, TCMS in TCM group and combination group were improved significantly (P<0.05), PE and loss of libido score improved significantly in Fangzhongshu group (P<0.05);mental malaise and move spontaneous perspiration were significantly improved at 8-week treatment and 4 weeks after treatment (P<0.05). The improvement in TCMS was significantly better in combination group than that in the other two groups at 8-week treatment and 4 weeks after treatment (P<0.05). Conclusion Qilin Pills combined with Three-Spot Caressing has definite and long-term efficay for the treatment of acquired non-consolidated kidney qi PE.

Oral Testosterone Undecanoate Capsules combined with Qilin Pills for late-onset hypogonadism in males / 中华男科学杂志

Objective@#To investigate the clinical effects of oral Testosterone Undecanoate Capsules (TUC) combined with Qilin Pills (QLP) on late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) in men.@*METHODS@#Sixty-three LOH patients meeting the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into a control group (aged ［48.4 ± 6.2］ yr, n = 32) and an experimental group (aged ［47.2 ± 5.6］ yr, n = 31) to be treated with oral TUC (80 mg, qd) and TUC + QLP (6g, tid), respectively, both for 3 months. Comparisons were made between the two groups of patients in the IIEF-5 scores, total testosterone (TT) levels, and scores in the Aging Males' Symptoms (AMS) scale before and after treatment.@*RESULTS@#After treatment, the patients of the experimental group, as compared with the controls, showed a significantly increased IIEF-5 score (21.7 ± 5.8 vs 15.9 ± 4.7, P <0.05) and TT level (［16.7 ± 2.2］ vs ［13.1 ± 2.8］ nmol/L, P <0.05), but a decreased AMS score (20.7 ± 5.7 vs 31.3±6.5, P <0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#TUC combined with Qilin Pills has a better effect and a lower rate of adverse reactions than TUC used alone in the treatment of late-onset hypogonadism in males.

Qilin Pills for idiopathic oligoasthenospermia: A multi-centered randomized double-blind controlled clinical trial / 中华男科学杂志

Objective@#To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Qilin Pills in the treatment of oligoasthenospermia in infertile men.@*METHODS@#This multi-centered randomized double-blind controlled clinical trial included 216 infertile males with oligoasthenospermia, 108 in the trial group and the other 108 in the control, the former treated with Qilin Pills at the dose of 6 g tid while the latter with Wuziyanzong Pills at 6 g bid, both for 12 weeks. We examined the total sperm count, sperm motility and the count of progressively motile sperm of the patients before and at 4, 8 and 12 weeks after medication and evaluated the safety of the drug based on the adverse events and the laboratory results of blood and urine routine examinations and liver and kidney function tests.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the baseline, the patients in the trial group showed a significant time-dependent improvement after 4, 8 and 12 weeks of medication in sperm motility (21.75% vs 27.54%, 29.04% and 32.95%, P <0.05), total sperm count (156.27 ×106 vs 177.33, 188.18 and 205.44 ×106, P <0.05), and the count of progressively motile sperm (32.08 ×10⁶/ml vs 46.33, 50.98 and 61.10 ×10⁶/ml, P <0.05). The three parameters above were also improved in the controls, but more significantly in the trial group (P <0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Qilin Pills can evidently improve the semen quality of oligoasthenospermia patients with no obvious adverse events.

ilin Pills for oligoasthenospermia: Advances in clinical studies / 中华男科学杂志

Industrialization and environmental pollution are bringing more problems to human reproduction and increasing the prevalence of male infertility. Western medicine has shown its limitations in the management of male infertility, especially that of oligoasthenospermia. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), however, has long and rich experiences in the treatment of oligoasthenospermia, with a large variety of medicinal prescriptions based on the TCM theories, among which Qilin Pills shows a particularly significant therapeutic effect on oligoasthenospermia, especially when combined with Western medicine. At present, published studies on Qilin Pills are mainly in the stage of clinical observation, while basic researches and studies on its relevant mechanisms are rarely seen.

Protective effect of Qilin Pills on the reproductive function of oligoasthenospermia rats / 中华男科学杂志

Objective@#To study the protective effect of Qilin Pills (QLP) on the reproductive function of rats with oligoasthenospermia (OAS) induced by tripterygium glycosides.@*METHODS@#Twenty-eight male SD rats were randomly divided into a normal control, an OAS model control, a low-dose QLP, and a high-dose QLP group of equal number. OAS models were made in the latter three groups by intragastrical administration of tripterygium glycosides at 40 mg per kg of the body weight per day, and meanwhile the animals in the low- and high-dose QLP groups were treated with QLP at 1.62 and 3.24 g per kg of the body weight per day, respectively, while those in the OAS model group with normal saline, all for 30 consecutive days. Then all the rats were executed for obtaining the testis weight, testis viscera index, epididymal sperm concentration and motility, reproductive hormone levels, and antioxidation indexes and observation of the histomorphological changes of the testis tissue by HE staining.@*RESULTS@#After 30 days of intervention, the low- and high-dose QLP groups, as compared with the OAS model controls, showed significantly improved epididymal sperm concentration (［14.57 ± 3.95］ and ［39.71 ± 11.31］ vs ［4.71 ± 1.25］ ×10⁶/ml, P <0.05) and motility (［3.71 ± 1.11］ and ［4.29 ± 1.80］ vs ［0.57 ± 0.53］%, P <0.05), increased levels of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) (［94.83 ± 11.17］ and ［88.05 ± 9.21］ vs ［56.74 ± 8.29］ nmol/L, P <0.05) and free testosterone (FT) (［27.27 ± 3.63］ and ［32.80 ± 2.51］ vs ［22.81 ± 2.75］ nmol/L, P <0.05), decreased level of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) (［1.49 ± 0.62］ and ［1.12 ± 0.83］ vs ［1.71 ± 0.52］ mIU/ml, P <0.05), but no significant change in the total testosterone (TT) level. Meanwhile, the level of superoxide dismutase (SOD) was markedly elevated in the low- and high-dose QLP groups in comparison with the OAS model control group (［277.14 ± 15.84］ and ［299.60 ± 20.83］ vs ［250.04 ± 31.06］ U/ml, P <0.05) while that of reactive oxygen species (ROS) remarkably reduced (［397.61 ± 62.71］ and ［376.84 ± 67.14］ vs ［552.20 ± 58.07］ IU/ml, P <0.05). HE staining showed that QLP intervention significantly increased the layers and quantity of spermatogenic cells in the testicular seminiferous tubules of the OAS rats.@*CONCLUSIONS@#QLP can effectively protect the reproductive system of oligoasthenospermia rats by raising sperm quality, elevating reproductive hormone levels, reducing oxidative stress injury, and improving histomorphology of the testis.

[Qilin Pills for obstructive azoospermia after ejaculatory duct reconstruction].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of Qilin Pills in the treatment of severe oligozoospermia after microsurgical ejaculatory duct reconstruction for obstructive azoospermia. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 75 cases of obstructive azoospermia treated by ejaculatory duct reconstruction followed by administration of Qilin Pills. The patients were divided into a Qilin group (n=42) and a control group (n=33) postoperatively, treated with Qilin Pills and placebo, respectively. After 3 months of medication, we compared the sperm quality between the two groups of patients. RESULTS: After 3 months' treatment, all the patients experienced remarkable improvement in sperm quality (P<0.05). Compared with the controls, the patients in the Qilin group showed dramatic increases in sperm concentration, from (0.57±0.25) and (0.60±0.18) ×106/ml before medication to (2.83±0.59) and (1.72 ±0.52) ×106/ml after medication, significantly higher in the Qilin than in the control group (P<0.05). The percentage of grade a sperm was increased from (5.52±5.97) and (5.30±6.26)% to (11.56±9.96) and (10.27±6.52)%, that of grade a+b sperm from (9.68±8.63) and (8.64±10.10)% to (23.42 ±14.10) and (20.81±14.70)%, and that of morphologically normal sperm from (2.00±1.27) and (2.31±0.94)% to (3.54±2.47) and (3.47±1.33)%, respectively. No statistically significant differences were observed in sperm motility and normal sperm morphology between the two groups after treatment (P>0.05). The total effectiveness rate was higher in the Qilin group than in the controls (88.1% vs 72.7%), but with no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Qilin Pills are fairly effective in improving the quantity of sperm in obstructive azoospermia patients after ejaculatory duct reconstruction.

[Testicular artery-sparing microscopic varicocelectomy combined with Qilin Pills for bilateral varicocele-induced oligoasthenospermia].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical effect of testicular artery-sparing microscopic varicocelectomy (MV) in combination with Qilin Pills (QL) in the treatment of bilateral varicocele-induced oligoasthenospermia. METHODS: Sixty patients with bilateral varicocele-induced oligoasthenospermia were randomly assigned to receive MV (n=30) or MV+QL (n=30), those in the latter group treated with oral QL for 12 weeks postoperatively. At 4, 8, and 12 weeks after operation, we compared the semen volume, sperm concentration, sperm motility, the levels of serum Inh B, luteinizing hormone (LH) and total testosterone (TT), and the testosterone secretion index (TSI) between the two groups. RESULTS: After surgery, all the patients showed disappearance of varicocele symptoms, remarkably improved semen volume, sperm concentration, sperm motility, serum Inh B and TT levels, TSI, decreased LH and FSH (P<0.01). At 12 weeks after treatment, statistically significant differences were found between the MV and MV+QL groups in Inh B (138.96±22.26 vs 129.54±22.23) ng/L, LH (3.17±0.12 vs 3.59±0.11) IU/L, TT (13.98±3.02 vs 12.68±3.12) nmol/L, and TSI (4.41±0.53 vs 3.53±0.51) nmol/ IU (P<0.05). The pregnancy rate was significantly higher in the MV+QL than in the MV group (73.4% vs 36.6%, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Testicular artery-sparing microscopic varicocelectomy combined with Qilin Pills is an effective strategy for the treatment of bilateral varicocele-induced oligoasthenospermia by significantly improving the semen quality of the patient.

Qilin Pills for obstructive azoospermia after ejaculatory duct reconstruction / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>Objective</b>To observe the clinical effect of Qilin Pills in the treatment of severe oligozoospermia after microsurgical ejaculatory duct reconstruction for obstructive azoospermia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We retrospectively analyzed 75 cases of obstructive azoospermia treated by ejaculatory duct reconstruction followed by administration of Qilin Pills. The patients were divided into a Qilin group (n=42) and a control group (n=33) postoperatively, treated with Qilin Pills and placebo, respectively. After 3 months of medication, we compared the sperm quality between the two groups of patients.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After 3 months' treatment, all the patients experienced remarkable improvement in sperm quality (P<0.05). Compared with the controls, the patients in the Qilin group showed dramatic increases in sperm concentration, from (0.57±0.25) and (0.60±0.18) ×10⁶/ml before medication to (2.83±0.59) and (1.72 ±0.52) ×10⁶/ml after medication, significantly higher in the Qilin than in the control group (P<0.05). The percentage of grade a sperm was increased from (5.52±5.97) and (5.30±6.26)% to (11.56±9.96) and (10.27±6.52)%, that of grade a+b sperm from (9.68±8.63) and (8.64±10.10)% to (23.42 ±14.10) and (20.81±14.70)%, and that of morphologically normal sperm from (2.00±1.27) and (2.31±0.94)% to (3.54±2.47) and (3.47±1.33)%, respectively. No statistically significant differences were observed in sperm motility and normal sperm morphology between the two groups after treatment (P>0.05). The total effectiveness rate was higher in the Qilin group than in the controls (88.1% vs 72.7%), but with no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Qilin Pills are fairly effective in improving the quantity of sperm in obstructive azoospermia patients after ejaculatory duct reconstruction.</p>