Effects of Saikokaryukotsuboreito on Spermatogenesis and Fertility in Aging Male Mice / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Aspermia caused by exogenous testosterone limit its usage in late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) patients desiring fertility. Saikokaryukotsuboreito (SKRBT) is reported to improve serum testosterone and relieve LOH-related symptoms. However, it is unclear whether SKRBT affects fertility. We aimed to examine the effects of SKRBT on spermatogenesis and fertility in aging male mice.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty aging male mice were randomly assigned to three groups. Mice were orally administered with phosphate-buffer solution or SKRBT (300 mg/kg, daily) or received testosterone by subcutaneous injections (10 mg/kg, every 3 days). Thirty days later, each male mouse was mated with two female mice. All animals were sacrificed at the end of 90 days. Intratesticular testosterone (ITT) levels, quality of sperm, expression of synaptonemal complex protein 3 (SYCP3), and fertility were assayed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the SKRBT-treated group, ITT, quality of sperm, and expression of SYCP3 were all improved compared with the control group (ITT: 85.50 ± 12.31 ng/g vs. 74.10 ± 11.45 ng/g, P = 0.027; sperm number: [14.94 ± 4.63] × 106 cells/ml vs. [8.79 ± 4.38] × 106 cells/ml, P = 0.002; sperm motility: 43.16 ± 9.93% vs. 33.51 ± 6.98%, P = 0.015; the number of SYCP3-positive cells/tubule: 77.50 ± 11.01 ng/ml vs. 49.30 ± 8.73 ng/ml, P < 0.001; the expression of SYCP3 protein: 1.23 ± 0.09 vs. 0.84 ± 0.10, P < 0.001), but fertility was not significantly changed (P > 0.05, respectively). In the testosterone-treated group, ITT, quality of sperm, and expression of SYCP3 were markedly lower than the control group (ITT: 59.00 ± 8.67, P = 0.005; sperm number: [4.34 ± 2.45] × 106 cells/ml, P = 0.018; sperm motility: 19.53 ± 7.69%, P = 0.001; the number of SYCP3-positive cells/tubule: 30.00 ± 11.28, P < 0.001; the percentage of SYCP3-positive tubules/section 71.98 ± 8.88%, P = 0.001; the expression of SYCP3 protein: 0.71 ± 0.09, P < 0.001), and fertility was also suppressed (P < 0.05, respectively).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>SKRBT had no adverse effect on fertility potential in aging male mice.</p>

Predictive factors and unfavourable prognostic factors of interstitial lung disease in patients with polymyositis or dermatomyositis: a retrospective study / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a serious lung complication in polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM) which affects prognosis and requires a more aggressive approach in therapy. This study investigated the prevalence, characteristics, predictive factors and unfavourable prognostic factors of ILD in newly diagnosed PM, DM and amyopathic DM (ADM).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From January 2000 to December 2008, the medical records of 197 consecutive PM and DM patients at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University were reviewed excluding overlapping, juvenile, and malignancy-associated cases. The patients were assigned to an ILD (69 patients) and a non-ILD group (128 patients). The clinical features, laboratory findings, and prognosis were compared.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The multivariate analysis indicated that older age at onset (OR 1.033, 95%CI 1.009 - 1.058, P = 0.007), fever (OR 4.109, 95%CI 1.926 - 8.767, P < 0.001) and arthritis/arthralgia (OR 2.274, 95%CI 1.101 - 4.695, P = 0.026) were the independent predictive factors for developing ILD in PM/DM after excluding anti-Jo-1. Regarding anti-Jo-1, fever (OR 4.912, 95%CI 2.121 - 11.376, P < 0.001) was associated with ILD. Poor survival in ILD patients was associated with ILD clinical subset (RR 0.122, 95%CI 0.049 - 0.399, P < 0.001), ADM/DM/PM-ILD (RR 0.140, 95%CI 0.031 - 0.476, P = 0.002), cardiac involvement (RR 4.654, 95%CI 1.391 - 15.577, P = 0.013) and serum albumin level (RR 0.910, 95%CI 0.831 - 0.997, P = 0.042).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Patients who presented with fever tended to have a higher frequency of PM/DM-associated ILD. A Hamman-Rich-like presentation, ADM-ILD, cardiac involvement and hypoalbuminemia were poor prognostic factors in ILD-PM/DM.</p>