Xuebijing injection, a Chinese patent medicine, against severe pneumonia: Current research progress and future perspectives / 中西医结合学报

Severe pneumonia is one of the most common infectious diseases and the leading cause of sepsis and septic shock. Preventing infection, balancing the patient's immune status, and anti-coagulation therapy are all important elements in the treatment of severe pneumonia. As multi-target agents, Xuebijing injection (XBJ) has shown unique advantages in targeting complex conditions and saving the lives of patients with severe pneumonia. This review outlines progress in the understanding of XBJ's anti-inflammatory, endotoxin antagonism, and anticoagulation effects. From the hundreds of publications released over the past few years, the key results from representative clinical studies of XBJ in the treatment of severe pneumonia were selected and summarized. XBJ was observed to effectively suppress the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, counter the effects of endotoxin, and assert an anticoagulation effect in most clinical trials, which are consistent with experimental studies. Collectively, this evidence suggests that XBJ could play an important and expanding role in clinical medicine, especially for sepsis, septic shock and severe pneumonia. Please cite this article as: Zhang M, Zheng R, Liu WJ, Hou JL, Yang YL, Shang HC. Xuebijing injection, a Chinese patent medicine, against severe pneumonia: Current research progress and future perspectives. J Integr Med. 2023; 21(5): 413-422.

Causative Microorganisms Isolated from Patients with Intra-Abdominal Infections and Their Drug Resistance Profiles: An 11-Year (2011-2021) Single-Center Retrospective Study / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility of causative microorganisms recovered from patients with intra-abdominal infections (IAIs).@*METHODS@#A total of 2,926 bacterial and fungal strains were identified in samples collected from 1,679 patients with IAIs at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital between 2011 and 2021. Pathogenic bacteria and fungi were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) was performed using the VITEK 2 compact system and the Kirby-Bauer method. AST results were interpreted based on the M100-Ed31 clinical breakpoints of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute.@*RESULTS@#Of the 2,926 strains identified, 49.2%, 40.8%, and 9.5% were gram-negative bacteria, gram-positive bacteria, and fungi, respectively. Escherichia coli was the most prevalent pathogen in intensive care unit (ICU) and non-ICU patients; however, a significant decrease was observed in the isolation of E. coli between 2011 and 2021. Specifically, significant decreases were observed between 2011 and 2021 in the levels of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli (from 76.9% to 14.3%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (from 45.8% to 4.8%). Polymicrobial infections, particularly those involving co-infection with gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, were commonly observed in IAI patients. Moreover, Candida albicans was more commonly isolated from hospital-associated IAI samples, while Staphylococcus epidermidis had a higher ratio in community-associated IAIs. Additionally, AST results revealed that most antimicrobial agents performed better in non-ESBL-producers than in ESBL-producers, while the overall resistance rates (56.9%-76.8%) of Acinetobacter baumanmii were higher against all antimicrobial agents than those of other common gram-negative bacteria. Indeed, Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus faecalis, S. epidermidis, and S. aureus were consistently found to be susceptible to vancomycin, teicoplanin, and linezolid. Similarly, C. albicans exhibited high susceptibility to all the tested antifungal drugs.@*CONCLUSION@#The distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility of the causative microorganisms from patients with IAIs were altered between 2011 and 2021. This finding is valuable for the implementation of evidence-based antimicrobial therapy and provides guidance for the control of hospital infections.

The role of regulated cell death in renal ischemia-reperfusion injury / 生理学报

Renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is histologically characterized by tubular cell death. Diverse pathways of regulated cell death (RCD) have been reported to contribute to renal IRI in recent studies. In this review, we discuss the signaling pathways, regulators and crosstalk of RCD, including necroptosis, ferroptosis and pyroptosis, and their role in renal IRI in order to pave the way for new therapeutic opportunities.

Evaluation of porcine urine-derived cells as nuclei donor for somatic cell nuclear transfer

Background@#Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is used widely in cloning, stem cell research, and regenerative medicine. The type of donor cells is a key factor affecting the SCNT efficiency. @*Objectives@#This study examined whether urine-derived somatic cells could be used as donors for SCNT in pigs. @*Methods@#The viability of cells isolated from urine was assessed using trypan blue and propidium iodide staining. The H3K9me3/H3K27me3 level of the cells was analyzed by immunofluorescence. The in vitro developmental ability of SCNT embryos was evaluated by the blastocyst rate and the expression levels of the core pluripotency factor. Blastocyst cell apoptosis was examined using a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end-labeling assay. The in vivo developmental ability of SCNT embryos was evaluated after embryo transfer. @*Results@#Most sow urine-derived cells were viable and could be cultured and propagated easily. On the other hand, most of the somatic cells isolated from the boar urine exhibited poor cellular activity. The in vitro development efficiency between the embryos produced by SCNT using porcine embryonic fibroblasts (PEFs) and urine-derived cells were similar.Moreover, The H3K9me3 in SCNT embryos produced from sow urine-derived cells and PEFs at the four-cell stage showed similar intensity. The levels of Oct4, Nanog, and Sox2 expression in blastocysts were similar in the two groups. Furthermore, there is a similar apoptotic level of cloned embryos produced by the two types of cells. Finally, the full-term development ability of the cloned embryos was evaluated, and the cloned fetuses from the urine-derived cells showed absorption. @*Conclusions@#Sow urine-derived cells could be used to produce SCNT embryos.

G6PD Regulates Cyclin E1 and CDK2 to Promote Cell Proliferation and Its Prognostic Value in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) has been proved to be a metabolic disease with high

Effect of Morinda officinalis on serum metabolic spectrum in ovariectomized osteoporosis rats / 中国药理学通报

Aim To study the effect of Morinda officinalis on serum metabolisms in ovariectomized osteoporosis rats based on metabonomics, and explore the mechanism of Morinda officinalis in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis.Methods Forty-eight SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group, model group and Morinda officinalis group.The Morinda officinalis group was given Morinda officinalis water extract by gavage.The model group and sham operation group were given normal saline by gavage.The bone mineral density(BMD)of the right femur was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry; the maximum load of the tibia bending at three points and the lumbar compression was measured by universal material testing machine.The endogenous metabolites of ovariectomized osteoporosis rats were identified by serum metabonomics, and the potential differential metabolites were screened and identified..Results The BMD and maximum load of the model group decreased significantly, while the Morinda officinalis group increased significantly compared with the model group.The serum metabolic spectrum of the sham operation group was completely separated from that of the model group, and the Morinda officinalis group was close to the sham operation group, suggesting that the body had a tendency to return to normal after intervention of Morinda officinalis.28 metabolites and 5 metabolic pathways were identified to be related to ovariectomized osteoporosis.Morinda officinalis could regulate the contents of stearic acid, uracil and other metabolites, which were related to the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, the metabolism of pyrimidine and so on.Conclusion Morinda officinalis can prevent ovariectomized osteoporosis by regulating the lipid metabolism and nucleic acid metabolism.

Endophthalmitis Caused by Mixed Infections in Silicone Oil-filled Eye:One Case Report / 中国医学科学院学报

The incidence of endophthalmitis after vitrectomy is extremely low,especially lower in silicone oil-filled eyes.Silicone oil exerts a toxic effect on the cell membranes of microorganisms and leads to the lack of nutrients.It is thus believed to inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi.Endophthalmitis induced by mixed bacteria in silicone oil-filled eye has been rarely reported.We reviewed the clinical manifestations,diagnosis,and treatment of a patient with endophthalmitis caused by mixed infection of

Application of electric tube stapler in laparoscopic colorectal tumor surgery / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Objective: To investigate the application of electric tube stapler in laparoscopic colorectal tumor surgery. Methods: A descriptive case series study was conducted. Clinical data of patients who underwent laparoscopic colorectal surgery in Peking Union Medical College Hospital in August 2021 using domestic electric tube stapler were collected to analyze the occurrence of postoperative anastomotic leakage, anastomotic bleeding and other complications as well as postoperative intestinal function recovery. Results: A total of 11 patients with colorectal tumor were enrolled in this study, including 8 males and 3 females. Eight patients underwent laparoscopic low anterior resection (1 patient underwent protective ileostomy), and three patients underwent laparoscopic sigmoid carcinoma radical resection. During operation, power system failure of stapler occurred in 1 patient, and the replacement manual device was used to complete the anastomosis. No anastomotic leakage or bleeding occurred in the cohort of patients. There was no conversion to laparotomy or conventional anastomosis. One patient developed acute myocardial infarction 2 days after surgery. The average time to the first flatus after surgery was (2.4±0.8) days and the average length of hospital stay was (10.0±6.1) days. Conclusions: The application of electric tube stapler in laparoscopic colorectal tumor surgery has many advantages, such as safe and effective anastomosis, low morbidity of postoperative complications, and rapid recovery of intestinal function. Domestic electric tube stapler can be applied in minimally invasive surgery for colorectal tumor.

Rapid chemome profiling of chemical components of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos using DI-MS/MS~(ALL) / 中国中药杂志

A new method of MS/MS~(ALL) was designed to sequentially record a MS~2 spectrum at each unit mass window through gas phase fractionation concept, so as to offer an opportunity for universal MS~2 spectral recording with direct infusion(DI). As a proof-of-concept, DI-MS/MS~(ALL) was applied for rapid chemome profiling of a famous herbal medicine named Lonicerae Japonicae Flos. After each MS~2 spectrum was correlated to its precursor ion, the structural annotation was conducted by applying well-defined mass cracking rules, matching the mass spectral data with literatures and referring to those accessible databases. As a result, a total of 54 components were identified from Lonicerae Japonicae Flos extract, including 21 phenolic acids, 13 flavonoids, 12 iridoids, 4 triterpenoids and 4 other compounds. Therefore, DI-MS/MS~(ALL) is a powerful tool for comprehensive, rapid qualitative analysis of chemical profiles of traditional Chinese medicine and other chemical components of complex systems.

Two new polypeptides from extract of deer bone extract / 中国中药杂志

Two new polypeptides were isolated and purified from the extract of deer bone (constitutive part of Cucumis and Cervus polypeptide injection) by various column chromatography including C₄ 300Å and Sephadex G-50, as well as semipreparative HPLC. Their N-terminal amino acid sequences were identified by De Novo sequencing on the basis of MALDI-TOF-MS data and Explorer™ software. The N-terminal amino acid sequences of polypeptides were identified as NH₂-Gly-Pro-Val-Gly-Pro-Thr-Gly-Pro-Val-Gly-Ala-Ala-Gly-Pro-Ser-Gly-Pro-Asp (Mei18 peptide, 1) and NH₂-Ala-Gly-Pro-Ala-Gly-Pro-Leu-Gly-Pro-Leu-Gly-Pro-Leu-Gly-Pro-Leu-Gly-Pro-Pro-Asp-Ser-Try-Asp (Mei23 peptide, 2), respectively. Mei18 and Mei 23 peptides are new polypeptides.

Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 as a Poor Prognostic Indicator in Resectable Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

Background@#Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) was previously established to impact several phenotypes in many kinds of cancer, including pancreatic cancer. However, its prognostic significance in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) needs support of further evidence. This study was designed to address the issue.@*Methods@#PAI-1 expression was detected by tissue microarray-based immunohistochemical staining in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens from 93 PDAC patients with surgical resection from September 2004 to December 2008. Its relationships with clinicopathologic variables and tumor-specific survival (TSS) were further evaluated using Chi-square, Kaplan-Meier, log-rank, as well as Cox regression analyses.@*Results@#Expression of PAI-1 was much higher in tumor than that in nontumor tissues, based on comparison of all samples and 74 matched ones (95 [47.5, 180] vs. 80 [45, 95], Z = -2.439, P = 0.015 and 100 [46.9, 182.5] vs. 80 [45, 95], Z = -2.594, P = 0.009, respectively). In addition, tumoral PAI-1 expression was positively associated with N stage (22/35 for N1 vs. 21/51 for N0, χ = 3.903, P = 0.048). Univariate analyses showed that TSS of patients with high PAI-1 tumors was significantly poorer than that of those with low PAI-1 tumors (log rank value = 19.00, P < 0.0001). In multivariate Cox regression test, PAI-1 expression was identified as an independent predictor for long-term prognosis of resectable PDAC (hazard ratio = 2.559, 95% confidence interval = 1.499-4.367, P = 0.001).@*Conclusion@#These results suggest that expression of PAI-1 is upregulated in PDAC and might serve as a poor prognostic indicator.

Transformation pathways in methanol of echinacoside, a principal effective ingredient of Cistanches Herba / 中国中药杂志

Echinacoside (ECH) is one of the active ingredients in Cistanche Herba and the principal effective component of Memoregain© as well. Moreover, a new agent namely Naoqing Zhiming tablet, derived from ECH has been licensed for clinical trials. However, the knowledge regarding the stability of is limited, till now, initiating a significant barrier for its further development along with the clinical trials. Herein, we aim to in depth characterize the transformation pattern of ECH in methanol. When ECH was stored in methanol, two primary products (P1 and P2) could be observed in HPLC chromatogram. A home-made automated fraction collector was configured via employing two 2-phase/6-port electronic valves to prepare P1 and P2. Following ¹H-NMR and LC-MS/MS assays, P1 and P2 were unambiguously identified as acteoside and cistanoside A, respectively. Moreover, the existences of cis-ECH, cis-acteoside, and cis-cistanoside A were claimed after careful analysis of the ¹H-NMR spectra of ECH, P1 and P2. Above all, the primary transformation pathways of ECH in methanol included methylation as well as hydrolysis, and mild transformation could also be initiated by cis/trans- configuration transferring for the caffeoyl group. The findings obtained in current study are envisioned to provide useful insight for the further development of ECH and the impurity detection of Naoqing Zhiming tablet. Moreover, the automated fraction collector configured in current study is able to serve as a versatile tool for the collection of signals-of-interest within phytochemical evaluations and impurity isolation.

Chemome comparison between cultivated and wild Cistanche tubulosa using ¹H-NMR spectroscopy / 中国中药杂志

As a famous tonic medicine, Cistanche tubulosa has been honored as "ginseng of the deserts" for centuries. Aiming to address the resource shortage as well as the wild resource protection towards this herbal medicine, wide cultivation has been achieved in the southern Xinjiang. Herein, in-depth chemome comparison was conducted between cultivated and wild plants using ¹H-NMR spectroscopy that is capable of comprehensively providing qualitative and quantitative information of given complicated matrices. Multivariate statistical analysis was employed to process the dataset as well as to consolidate that the cultivated plants are comparable to those wild ones in term of chemome. ¹H-NMR spectra of both wild and cultivated plants were acquired in parallel after extraction. Following direct overlaying, great similarity occurred between these two groups. A total of 28 compounds were tentatively identified by referring to authentic compounds together with those available databases, such as HMDB and BMRB. Following principal component analysis, none significant difference was observed between wild and cultivated groups. Above all, from the viewpoint of chemical profile, the cultivated plants were almost equal to the wild plants; therefore, the cultivated plants are able to take the load of wild plants in clinical usage. Moreover, ¹H-NMR spectroscopy is a promising tool for chemical profiling traditional Chinese medicines because of the potential towards simultaneously exhibiting both quantitative and qualitative information for complicated matrices.

Chemical characterization for flowers and lignified stems of Cistanche deserticola / 中国中药杂志

As a holoparasitic plant, Cistanche deserticola is one of the two original sources of Cistanches Herba that is one of the most famous tonic medicines, in Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The succulent stems are used for medicinal usage, whereas those lignified stems as well as flowers of less pharmacological importance are usually deserted, suggesting extensive resource waste. Herein, chemical characterization of the flowers along with lignified stems was conducted using HPLC-IT-TOF-MS aiming to explore the medicinal valu of those non-medicinal parts. Following ultrasonication-assisted extraction with 50% aqueous methanol, either flower or lignified stem extract was subjected onto LC-IT-TOF-MS equipped with a Capcell core ADME column to acquire both MS¹ and MSº spectra, and gradient elution was carried out with combinatory 0.1% aqueous formic acid and acetonitrile. Both positive and negative ionization polarities were deployed, resulting in the observation of 62 components, in total. Thirty-nine signals were structurally annotated, including phenylethanoid glycosides, iridoids, lignans and saccharides according to matching with authentic components and literature information, as well as applying the proposed mass fragmentation rules. A total of 62 ones were putatively identified. Above all, lignified stems and flowers should not the qualified substitutes for the succulent stems attributing to the significant differences between the medicinal portion and those parts with less medicinal values.

Combined use of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and dexamethasone promotes osteogenic differentiation of synovial fluid mesenchymal stem cells from human temporomandibular joint / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND:Synovial fluid mesenchymal stem cells can be amplified rapidly in vitro and collected by a minimally invasive method. Recent studies have suggested that synovial fluid mesenchymal stem cells have become an important kind of seed cells for bone tissue engineering. Osteogenic differentiation is required to be optimized prior to the application of synovial fluid mesenchymal stem cells in the bone regeneration. OBJECTIVE: To describe a protocol to generate osteoblast-lineage cells from human synovial fluid mesenchymal stem cells of the temporomandibular joint using a cocktail that includes glutamax, dexamethasone, β-glycerophosphate, vitamin C, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, and to investigate the effect of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and dexamethasone on the osteogenic capacity of synovial fluid mesenchymal stem cells. METHODS:Synovial fluid mesenchymal stem cells from the human temporomandibular joint were expanded in vitro and cultured in different osteogenic induction media. The mineralization capacity of osteogenic differentiation was evaluated by alizarin red and Von kossa staining. And the osteogenic markers, including ALP, RUNX2 and OCN, were assessed by reverse transcription-PCR. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The mineralization formation increased greatly in the medium with 100 nmol/L dexamethasone and 10 nmol/L 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. The expression of ALP, RUNX2 and OCN was enhanced distinctly in the 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-induced differentiated cells. These findings reveal that appropriate concentration of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and dexamethasone can be ideal ingredients to induce the osteogenic differentiation of human synovial fluid mesenchymal stem cells of the temporomandibular joint. Thus, this effective condition can be used to induce the osteogenic differentiation of synovial fluid mesenchymal stem cells for the bone regeneration in the temporomandibular joint.

Clinical analysis of factors affecting colorectal adenoma recurrence after endoscopic resection / 复旦学报（医学版）

Objective To analyze the factors that might affect the recurrence after endoscopic resection of colorectal adenoma,we aim to provide a reference for the regular follow-up of colorectal adenoma after endoscopic resection.Methods In the Department of Gastroenterology,Huadong Hospital from Jan.,2013 to Dec.,2014,patients received endoscopic resection during hospital stay and postoperative follow-up colonoscopy.We collected their information of gender,age,smoking history,drinking history,hypertension,diabetes,fatty liver,cholecystectomy history,Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) infection,related metabolic indicators,number of adenoma,size of adenoma,location of adenoma and pathology of adenoma.Multivariate and univariate analysis were performed by Logistic regression analysis to explore factors influencing the recurrence risk of colorectal adenoma.Results A total of 283 cases were enrolled.The recurrence rate of low-risk and high-risk adenoma was 39.3 ％ and 56.3 ％,respectively,and therate of all adenoma was 52.7％.Multivariate and univariate analysis both found that H.pylori infection (P＜0.001,OR:3.316 and 2.802,95％CI:1.869-5.884 and 1.660-4.728) and adenoma number (P＜0.001,OR:2.799 and 2.789,95％ CI:1.578-4.963 and 1.667-4.668) were risk factors for colorectal adenoma recurrence after endoscopic excision.Conclusions H.pylori infection and the number of base colorectal adenoma maybe associated with colorectal adenoma recurrence.

An unusual presentation of infective endocarditis: Transient encephalopathy with reversible lesions in corpus callosum and white matter

Clinical mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion (MERS) is a clinicradiologicalsyndrome, which has been reported to be associated with many conditions and the mostcommon pathogens are virus. However, bacteria are rare pathogens for MERS. We report a 20-year-oldman diagnosed with definite infective endocarditis, who presented with transient encephalopathy withreversible lesions in the entire corpus callosum and bilateral white matter on magnetic resonance imaging(MRI). The blood culture indicated a Staphylococcus aureus infection. His neurological manifestationimproved and imaging abnormalities faded after receiving a combination of intravenous immunoglobulin,methylprednisolone, and antibiotics. Clinicians should be aware of transient encephalopathy withreversible callosal lesions as a potential unusual presentation of infective endocarditis.

Clinical application of tibial composite saphenous nervetissue flap for the treatment of traumatic bone-skin defect of leg / 中国骨伤

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of tibial composite saphenous nerve tissue flap in repairing traumatic bone-skin defect of leg.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From February 2009 to May 2015, 23 patients with focile skin defect caused by trauma were treated, including 18 males and 5 females, aged from 8 to 59 years old with an average age of 35.6 years old. Length of tibia bone cortex defect ranged from 4 to 12 cm, width ranged from 2 to 2.5cm, skin defect ranged from 8 cm× 3 cm to 18 cm× 11 cm, all the wound surfaces had purulent exudation. Cross shift and ipsilateral shift methods of tibial composite saphenous nerve tissue flap were used to reconstruct continuity of the injured limb tibial brace and repair wound surface. Cutting flap ranged from 9 cm× 4 cm to 20 cm × 12 cm, bone flap length was 6 to 15 cm, width was 1.5 to 2.5 cm. Fracture healing time and recovery of limb function were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>At 3 to 5 months after operation, bone flap and area of affected area were healed with an average of 4.7 months. Twenty-three cases were followed up for 6 months to 5 years with an average of 30.3 months. Thirteen patients were able to walk without abnormal gait and could be engaged into original work. According to Enneking evaluation systems, 13 patients obtained excellent results, 8 moderate and 2 poor.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>With tibial composite saphenous nerve tissue flap transplantation at stage one to repair tibia and skin defects according to specific condition of affected limbs has a high rate of success and creates less damage to region of limb injury, which is an ideal method to repair skin defect of focile.</p>

Research progress in antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect of medicinal and edible plants / 中草药

The medicinal and edible plants (MEP) are edible plants which are characterized with medical care and nutrition value, most of them have the effect of antibacterial and anti-inflammation. The paper reviewed the recently related research, generalized polyphenols, polysaccharides, saponins, and volatile oil from MEP as four main components which are effective in the function. Compared with traditional drugs, MEP are character of safe, non-side effect, low tolerance, and strong specificity, which is worth further research in the application area.

Factors influencing the clinical pregnancy rate following intrauterine insemination / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the factors that affect the clinical pregnancy rate after intrauterine insemination (IUI).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 611 IUI cycles and analyzed the relationship of the clinical pregnancy rate after IUI with the female age, infertility duration, type of infertility, cycle number, cycle protocol, thickness and type of endometrium, and semen parameters before processing.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The clinical pregnancy rate was significantly higher in the ovulation induction than in the natural ovulation cycles (23.03% vs 11.03%, P < 0.01), but lower in the 4th cycle and above than in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd cycles (2.04% vs 21.30%, 18.13%, and 12.67%, P < 0.01). Marked decreases were found in the clinical pregnancy rate in the females aged ≥ 40 years and the cases with pre-processing total progressively motile sperm count (TPMSC) < 10 x 10(6), progressive motile sperm < 20%, or morphologically normal sperm < 2% (all P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis revealed the cycle protocol, cycle number, and percentage of progressively motile sperm as three predictive variables affecting the clinical pregnancy rate after IUI (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The cycle protocol, cycle number, percentage of progressively motile sperm, female age, TPMSC, and sperm morphology are the main factors affecting the clinical pregnancy rate following IUI, while infertility duration, type of infertility, and thickness and type of endometrium exert little influence.</p>