Effect of scrotal heating on sperm quality, seminal biochemical substances, and reproductive hormones in human fertile men.

At present, male contraceptive methods are only vasectomy and condoms, so it is necessary to research on male contraceptive techniques. The aim of this study is to observe the effects of scrotal heating (SH) on semen parameters, seminal l-carnitine (LC), epidermal growth factor (EGF), macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), reproductive hormones and sperm chromosome numbers of adult healthy men, and to provide the experimental data for male contraception. The scrotums of 30 healthy male volunteers were exposed to the condition of 40 to 43°C SH belt warming 40 minutes each day for successive 2 days per week. The course of SH was continuous for 3 months. Computer-assisted semen analysis and hypo-osmotic swelling test, sperm DNA integrity, l-carnitine, MIF and EGF, and sperm fluorescence in situ hybridization were performed before, during, and after SH. The serum level of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and testosterone (T) were measured by chemiluminescent immunoassay. The mean parameters of sperm concentration, vitality, and normal morphological sperm were significantly decreased in groups with sperms being collected during 1, 2, and 3 months of SH when compared with those in groups of pre-SH (P < 0.01). Statistically significant differences of sperm DNA fragmentation, normal sperm membrane functionality, levels of LC and MIF in semen, and LH, FSH, and T in serum were observed between the groups of before SH and after SH 3 months and the groups of during SH 1, 2, and 3 months (P < 0.001). The total rate of chromosome number for 13, 18, 21, X, and Y in the 3 months of SH was 13.7-fold greater (13.72%/1.69%) than before SH (P < 0.001). The constant SH can impact the semen quality, sperm DNA integrity, sperm chromosome, LC and MIF, and LH, FSH, and T in serum. Transient SH may be a new method for male contraception.

[Older age is not related to hemorrhagic transformation and favorable outcomes in patients with wake-up ischemic stroke undergoing intravenous thrombolytic therapy].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate factors related to hemorrhagic transformation and favorable outcomes in wake-up ischemic stroke (WUIS) patients undergoing intravenous thrombolytic therapy. METHODS: Clinical data of 600 patients undergoing multimodal image-guided intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) therapy in Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine center from May 2009 to May 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Among 600 patients, 68 were diagnosed as WUIS including 17 cases aged 80 or older. Hemorrhagic transformation within the first 24 h after thrombolysis was assessed according to ECASS II criteria. Favorable outcome was defined as three-month modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 0-3. Univariate and binary logistic regression were used to analyze the risk factors of hemorrhagic transformation and poor clinical outcomes in WUIS patients. RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed that WUIS patients aged ≥ 80 years had a lower rate in males (41.2% vs 76.5%, P=0.007), smokers (11.8% vs 43.1%, P=0.019) and favorable outcome (52.9% vs 78.4%, P=0.043); and a higher rate of cardiac embolism (64.7% vs 35.3%, P=0.034) compared with those aged <80 years. Binary logistic regression showed that age was not an independent risk factor for favorable outcome (OR=0.524, 95% CI:0.141-1.953, P=0.336) or hemorrhagic transformation (OR=1.039, 95% CI: 0.972-1.111, P=0.262). CONCLUSION: Older age is not related to the favorable outcome or hemorrhagic transformation in WUIS patients undergoing multimodal image-guided intravenous thrombolytic therapy.

Sperm Parameters, ASAs and Apoptosis After Processing by the Double Tube and Swim up Methods.

The aim of this study was to improve the quality of semen samples by using a novel double-tube (DT) method. The DT method was developed to select sperm and compared with traditional swim-up (SU) technique for 31 semen samples. Sperm DNA integrity were tested with TUNEL and SCSA. Content of antisperm antibodies (ASA) in the semen was measured by ELISA and MAR. Levels of the caspase-3 in the sperm were assessed by western blotting. After SU and DT, 15 couples and 16 couples were underwent IVF-ET. The number of RCDs, the percentage of SDF and DFI, ASA and the level of caspase-3 were significantly decreased after DT and SU (p = .001 and p< .001). When the DT and SU compared, there were significant changes in the number of RCD, the percentage of SDF and DFI, ASA and the level of caspase-3 (p< 0.05-0.001). There was a higher cleavage rate (p = .017) and a lower abortion rate (p< .05) in DT-IVF group than in SU-IVF group. DT selection yielded spermatozoa with low RCDs, DFI, ASA, and caspase-3 which would be benefit for ART.

[Study on the present status of the areas with high iodine concentration in drinking water and edible salt at household levels in Ohio of Yellow River].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the present condition of iodine excess areas and edible salt at household levels in Ohio of Yellow River,which will provide the evidence to control it. METHODS: A cross section in one time was adopted for the epidemiological survey based on the east, west, south, north and central in all of townships from 8 counties. 2 samples of drinking water from each village were tested their water iodine content as well as the data regarding to their recourses and the depth of wells. 5 samples of edible salt were collected from each village for quantitative analysis. RESULTS: We investigated 451 villages in 92 townships of 8 counties. 800 samples of drinking water were tested which values of iodine content were (110.93 +/- 152.26) microg/L in main, 55.83 microg/L (0.84 - 997.82 microg/L) in medium. 102.39 thousand population are at risk for iodine excess and living in 24 townships of 7 counties where iodine concentration is over 150 microg/L in drinking water, with (327.72 +/- 192.19) microg/L in mean value or 253.87 microg/L (150.78 - 997.82 microg/L) in medium. The rate of iodized salt is 97.2%. All the iodine excess areas are located in alluvial plain of Yellow River. The etiology of high iodine in shallow well water may be supposed to be iodine aggregation formed by Yellow River in terms of thousands of flood in thousands of years. But iodine excess in deep well water may be related to rotten, deposit marine living beings rich in iodine millions upon millions years ago. CONCLUSION: There were distinctive features of iodine excess in drinking water from both shallow well and deep well, 24 iodine excess areas in Ohio of Yellow River. It has suggested that iodized salt intervention should be stopped in the areas and starting the health education project, survey of iodized salt in the region.

Octarepeat peptides of prion are essential for multidrug resistance in gastric cancer cells.

OBJECTIVE: In previous studies cellular prion protein (PrPc) is confirmed to be involved in multidrug resistance (MDR) of gastric cancer. Although octarepeat peptides are important functional domains of PrPc and are closely related to the transport of Cu2+/Zn2+ and antioxidative function, the significance in MDR remains unknown. We aimed to investigate the role of octarepeat peptides in gastric cancer MDR. METHODS: Small interfering RNA (siRNA) against PrPc were transfected into adriamycin-resistant gastric cancer cell lines to inhibit the expression of wild type PrPc, and then constructs encoding PrPc without octarepeat peptides and PrPc without the fifth repeat peptide were transfected, respectively, to establish the cell models. In vitro drug sensitivity, cell apoptosis, measurement of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and glutathione (GSH), as well as changes in glutathione S-transferase (GST) were detected. RESULTS: In vitro drug sensitivity test showed that octarepeat peptides could modulate the drug resistance of gastric cancer cells, but the deletion of the fifth repeat peptide had no effect. Specifically, the anti-apoptotic capacity of gastric cancer cells decreased significantly when the octarepeat peptides of PrPc was absent. Moreover, the activities of total SOD, Cu2+/Zn2+-SOD, GSH-Px, GSH, and GST detected in different stressing periods revealed that cells lacking octarepeat peptides of PrPc exhibited weakened responses to stress. However, absence of the fifth repeat peptide did not exert any effect on stress response. CONCLUSION: The octarepeat peptides of prion is responsible for MDR in gastric cancer cells while the fifth repeat peptide is not.