Correlation between TCM syndrome types and clinical symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia with chronic prostatitis / 中华男科学杂志

Objective@#To investigate the correlation between the syndrome types of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and clinical symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) with chronic prostatitis (BPH-CP).@*METHODS@#We selected 150 cases of BPH-CP in this study and divided them into 7 TCM syndrome types. Using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, we studied the correlation of each TCM syndrome type with the age, disease course, prostate volume, postvoid residual urine volume (PVR), prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax), and International Prostate Symptoms Score (IPSS).@*RESULTS@#Kidney-yin deficiency was correlated positively with the prostate volume but negatively with Qmax and IPSS; kidney-yang deficiency positively with the age and prostate volume but negatively with IPSS; the damp heat syndrome positively with the PSA level but negatively with the disease course, prostate volume and Qmax; the spleen-qi deficiency syndrome positively with the prostate volume but negatively with the disease course; liver-qi stagnation positively with the disease course but negatively with the age, prostate volume and PVR; the syndrome of qi stagnation and blood stasis positively with the disease course and IPSS but negatively with PVR; the syndrome of lung-heat and qi blockage positively with the age, Qmax and IPSS but negatively with the disease course.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The TCM syndrome types of BPH-CP are closely correlated to their clinical symptoms. The analysis of the clinical objective indexes of BPH-CP can provide some reliable evidence for accurate identification of the TCM syndrome type of the disease.

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.

Modified Jujing No.2 Decoction for varicocele-induced male infertility / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>Objective</b>To investigate the clinical effect of Jujing No.2 Decoction on male infertility induced by varicocele.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We equally randomized 70 male patients with varicocele-induced infertility into a treatment group and a control group, the former treated with modified Jujing No.2 Decoction (1 dose a day, bid) and the latter given Danshen Tablets (4 tablets once, tid) plus Liu Wei Di Huang Wan (8 pills once, tid), both for 3 months. We examined the spermatic veins of the patients by ultrasonography and performed seminal analysis before and after medication.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the controls, the patients in the treatment group showed significant improvement after medication in sperm concentration (［12.35±2.12］ vs ［18.56±4.16］ ×10⁶/ml, P<0.05), progressively motile sperm (［16.18±6.34］ vs ［24.63±8.51］ %, P<0.05), and morphologically normal sperm (［11.59±5.31］ vs ［14.17±6.02］ %, P<0.05). In the control group, sperm concentration was increased from (12.29±2.07) ×10⁶/ml at the baseline to (13.13±3.13) ×10⁶/ml after medication, progressively motile sperm from (16.13±6.45) % to (20.55±7.30) % (P<0.05), and morphologically normal sperm from (11.62±5.35) % to (12.69±5.77) %. The total effectiveness rate was significantly higher in the treatment than in the control group (71.88% vs 46.67%, P<0.05). The inner diameter of the left spermatic vein was decreased from (0.32±0.05) mm at the baseline to ［0.26±0.05］ mm after medication in the treatment group (P<0.05) and from (0.32±0.03) mm to (0.29±0.04) mm in the control (P<0.05), with statistically significant difference between the two groups after medication (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Jujing No.2 Decoction is effective in the treatment of varicocele-induced male infertility.</p>

Distribution, combination, and evolution of syndromic etiologies of erectile dysfunction / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the distribution, combination and evolution of various syndromic etiologies of erectile dysfunction (ED) based on the syndrome etiology theory.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Using the ED Syndromic Etiology Scale, we collected the clinical data on the Chinese medicine diagnoses of 297 cases of ED, extracted the core syndromic etiologies by analysis of principal components and factors, and analyzed the patterns of distribution, combination, and evolution of ED syndromic etiologies according to the general information of the patients.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Through analysis of principal components and factors, 9 core syndromic etiologies were extracted, i. e. , liver constraint with qi stagnation, kidney yin deficiency, damp-heat, liver constraint transforming into liver-fire, blood stasis, kidney yang deficiency, heart-spleen paired deficiency, qi-yin paired deficiency, and phlegm-damp. Each of these syndrome etiologies exhibited its own specific distribution patterns. Of the total number of cases studied, 51.52% had 2 or 3 core syndromic etiologies and 36.03% had only one.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>In the early stage of ED, its syndromic etiologies are usually liver constraint with qi stagnation, kidney yin deficiency, damp-heat, liver constraint transforming into liver-fire, and blood stasis. With the natural progres- sion of the disease, its syndromic etiologies gradually evolve into kidney yang deficiency, heart-spleen paired deficiency, qi-yin paired deficiency, phlegm-damp, and blood stasis, and finally into yin-yang deficiency of the heart, spleen and kidneys, combined with phlegm-damp and blood stasis.</p>

Yiqi Zhujing granule for idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermia: a clinical study / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the efficacy of Yiqi Zhujing Particle in the treatment of idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We equally randomized 78 patients with idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermia to a control group and a Yiqi Zhujing group, the former treated with oral medication of zinc gluconate liquid (10 ml, bid) and vitamin E (100 mg, bid), and the latter given Yiqi Zhujing Granule (1 packet, bid) in addition, both for 3 months. We compared the semen parameters and biochemical indexes of the seminal plasma obtained before and after medication between the two groups of patients.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After 3 months of treatment, remarkable improvement was observed in the percentage of progressively motile sperm and sperm viability in the control group (P < 0.05) as well as in the total sperm count, sperm concentration, percentage of progressively motile sperm, and sperm viability in the Yiqi Zhujing group (P < 0.05). The total sperm count, sperm concentration, percentage of progressively motile sperm, and sperm viability were even more significantly improved in the Yiqi Zhujing than in the control group (P < 0.05). Besides, both groups showed different degrees of improvement in the biochemical indexes of the seminal plasma, and the Yiqi Zhujing group exhibited even more significant improvement in seminal plasma zinc, alpha-glucoside enzyme, seminal plasma fructose, and acid phosphatase than the control (P < 0.05). The improvement of sperm concentration was correlated positively with the change of seminal plasma zinc (r = 0.201, P < 0.05) but negatively with that of seminal plasma fructose after treatment (r = -0.136, P < 0.05). There was a positive correlation between the alpha-glucoside enzyme level and sperm viability (r = 0.314, P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Yiqi Zhujing Particle is effective for idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermia by significantly improving the total sperm count, sperm concentration, percentage of progressively motile sperm, sperm viability, seminal plasma zinc, seminal plasma fructose, and alpha-glucoside enzyme.</p>

A preliminary study of serum free testosterone and testosterone secreting index in men with erectile dysfunction / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the changes of serum free testosterone (FT) and testosterone secreting index (TSI) in ED patients, and to assess the contribution of these two indexes to the diagnosis of ED caused by endocrine factors.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We studied 120 ED patients and 30 healthy men undergoing pre-marital medical check-up in Jiangsu Province Hospital of TCM by analyzing the scores on erectile function and desire domain in IIEF, testing the serum total testosterone, luteinizing hormone by chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay (CLIA), measuring free testosterone by radioimmunoassay( RIA), and calculating TSI.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the 120 ED patients, 5% and 1538% were below the reference norm of TT and FT values respectively. TT, FT and TSI decreased with age, with statistical with FT and TSI, but not with TT. FT and TSI statistically declined with lower IIEF score on ED domain, but this was not the case with TT. There were no significant differences in TI, FT and TSI among different sexual desire groups the ED patients.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>FT is much more valuable than TF in the diagnosis of ED with hypogonadism. Both FT and TSI are important parameters in assessing the severity of ED.</p>