Impact of varicocele on semen quality and inhibin B concentration in serum and seminal plasma / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the influence of varicocele (VC) on semen parameters and the concentration of inhibin B in the serum and seminal plasma of VC men.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We collected semen and peripheral blood samples from 95 infertile VC patients and 55 normal fertile men. We performed semen routine examination by computer-assisted semen analysis and sperm morphology examination by modified Papanicolaou staining, and measured the levels of inhibin B in the peripheral blood and seminal plasma of the subjects by ELISA.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the normal fertile controls, the infertile men with grade-I, -II and -III VC showed significantly lower percentages of morphologically normal sperm ([7.5 +/- 5.2]% vs [6.3 +/- 6.5]%, [2.6 +/- 3.0]% and [1.0 +/- 0.7]%, P < 0.05) and progressively motile sperm ([43.9 +/- 22.7]% vs [33.3 +/- 20.8]%, [28.9 +/- 19.8]% and [13.5 +/- 8.4]%, P < 0.05). The majority of the morphologically abnormal sperm were of the type of head deformity. The concentrations of inhibin B in the peripheral blood and seminal plasma were evidently lower in the infertile men with grade-I VC ([160.9 +/- 48.9] pg/ml and [208.3 +/- 28.1] pg/ml), grade-II VC ([150.6 +/- 44.7] pg/ml and [201.5 +/- 83.5] pg/ml), and grade-III VC ([132.6 +/- 41.5] pg/ml and [150.2 +/- 51.6] pg/ml) in comparison with those of the fertile control group ([201.0 +/- 38.1] pg/ml and [225.3 +/- 82.5] pg/ml).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Varicocele reduces sperm motility, increases sperm abnormality, decreases the concentration of inhibin B in the serum and seminal plasma, and consequently damages male fertility.</p>

Observation on therapeutic effect of digital acupoint pressure for treatment of the nerve root type of cervical spondylosis / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the therapeutic effect of digital acupoint pressure for treatment of the nerve root type of cervical spondylosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Four hundred cases were randomly divided into a digital acupoint pressure group (DAP group) and a medicine group, 200 cases in each group. Acupoints of Quepen (ST 12), Jianjing (GB 21) and Tianzong (ST 11) etc. were used for digital pressing in the DAP group; and Chinese herb medicine of Gentongping was routinely taken in the medicine group. After three treatment courses, the symptoms of pain and numbness, the signs of pressure measurement by compression of head, brachial plexus drawer test and arm myodynamia, as well as the total cumulative scores of daily living capability, were compared.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After treatment, the total cumulative scores of numbness, pressure measurement by compression of head, brachial plexus drawer test, arm myodynamia and daily living capability in both groups were obviously better than those of before treatment (all P<0.01); but there was a significant difference on the total cumulative score of the symptoms and signs between the two groups. The cured rate of 78.0% and total effective rate of 99.0% in the DAP group were better than those of 61.0% and 87.0% in the medicine group, respectively (both P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Digital acupoint pressure plays an active role in improving the symptoms and signs on patients with nerve root type of cervical spondylosis, which is better than Chinese herb medicine of Gentongping.</p>

The mechanisms of p21WAF1/Cip-1 expression in MOLT-4 cell line induced by TSA / 中国实验血液学杂志

To investigate the function and molecular mechanism of p21(WAF1/Cip-1) expression in MOLT-4 cells induced by HDAC inhibitor TSA, the expression pattern of p21(WAF1/Cip-1) and the distribution of cell cycle in TSA treated cells were analyzed. The results showed that TSA could effectively induce G(2)/M arrest and apoptosis of MOLT-4 cells. Kinetic experiments demonstrated that p21(WAF1/Cip-1) were upregulated quickly before cell arrested in G(2)/M and began decreasing at the early stage of apoptosis. Meanwhile, the proteasome inhibitor MG-132 could inhibit the decrease of p21(WAF1/Cip-1) at the early stage of apoptosis, which showed that proteasome pathway involved in p21(WAF1/Cip-1) degradation during the TSA induced G(2)/M arrest and apoptosis responses. This study also identified that the protein level of p21(WAF1/Cip-1) was highly associated with the cell cycle change induced by TSA. Compared to cells treated by TSA only, exposure MOLT-4 cells to TSA meanwhile treatment with MG-132 increased the protein level of p21(WAF1/Cip-1) and increased the numbers of cell in G(2)/M-phase, whereas the cell apoptosis were delayed. It is concluded that p21(WAF1/Cip-1) plays a significant role in G(2)/M arrest and apoptosis signaling induced by TSA in MOLT-4 cells.