Vasectomy reversal in China during the recent decade: insights from a multicenter retrospective investigation / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

To date, there is little information about the demography of vasectomy reversal (VR) patients or the factors currently influencing VR effectiveness in China, especially after the universal two-child policy was released in 2015. In this research, demographic data and perioperative medical records of VR patients were extracted from seven major hospitals in different provinces or municipalities of China. Meanwhile, a telephone survey of the patients was conducted to collect follow-up information. Eventually, 448 VR cases from the past 13 years were included. The results were analyzed by stratified comparison to investigate factors that can influence postoperative vas deferens patency and pregnancy rate. Appropriately statistical methods were used, and all of the protocols were approved by the Ethics Committees of the institutes in this research. The results showed that the annual operation volume of VR quadrupled after the two-child policy was implemented. Nonmicrosurgery and a long duration of vasectomy were significantly associated with a lower patency rate. A follow-up survey showed that the general postoperative pregnancy rate was 27.2%. For female partners over the age of 35 years, the postoperative pregnancy rate showed a more severe decline, but only 35.5% of them had been given a fertility examination before their husbands' VR surgery. Our work revealed that more patients in China have been demanding VR in recent years. High-quality microsurgery and a short duration of vasectomy are crucial for restoring patency by VR. Clinical andrologists should perform a preoperative fertility evaluation of the patients' female partners.

Associations of sex hormone levels with body mass index (BMI) in men: a cross-sectional study using quantile regression analysis / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

Body mass index (BMI) has been increasing globally in recent decades. Previous studies reported that BMI was associated with sex hormone levels, but the results were generated via linear regression or logistic regression, which would lose part of information. Quantile regression analysis can maximize the use of variable information. Our study compared the associations among different regression models. The participants were recruited from the Center of Reproductive Medicine, The First Hospital of Jilin University (Changchun, China) between June 2018 and June 2019. We used linear, logistic, and quantile regression models to calculate the associations between sex hormone levels and BMI. In total, 448 men were included in this study. The average BMI was 25.7 (standard deviation [s.d.]: 3.7) kg m-2; 29.7% (n = 133) of the participants were normal weight, 45.3% (n = 203) of the participants were overweight, and 23.4% (n = 105) of the participants were obese. The levels of testosterone and estradiol significantly differed among BMI groups (all P < 0.05). In linear regression and logistic regression, BMI was associated with testosterone and estradiol levels (both P < 0.05). In quantile regression, BMI was negatively associated with testosterone levels in all quantiles after adjustment for age (all P < 0.05). BMI was positively associated with estradiol levels in most quantiles (≤80th) after adjustment for age (all P < 0.05). Our study suggested that BMI was one of the influencing factors of testosterone and estradiol. Of note, the quantile regression showed that BMI was associated with estradiol only up to the 80th percentile of estradiol.

Inverted U-Shaped Associations between Glycemic Indices and Serum Uric Acid Levels in the General Chinese Population: Findings from the China Cardiometabolic Disease and Cancer Cohort (4C) Study / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

Objective@#The relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and glycemic indices, including plasma glucose (FPG), 2-hour postload glucose (2h-PG), and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), remains inconclusive. We aimed to explore the associations between glycemic indices and SUA levels in the general Chinese population.@*Methods@#The current study was a cross-sectional analysis using the first follow-up survey data from The China Cardiometabolic Disease and Cancer Cohort Study. A total of 105,922 community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 40 years underwent the oral glucose tolerance test and uric acid assessment. The nonlinear relationships between glycemic indices and SUA levels were explored using generalized additive models.@*Results@#A total of 30,941 men and 62,361 women were eligible for the current analysis. Generalized additive models verified the inverted U-shaped association between glycemic indices and SUA levels, but with different inflection points in men and women. The thresholds for FPG, 2h-PG, and HbA1c for men and women were 6.5/8.0 mmol/L, 11.0/14.0 mmol/L, and 6.1/6.5, respectively (SUA levels increased with increasing glycemic indices before the inflection points and then eventually decreased with further increases in the glycemic indices).@*Conclusion@#An inverted U-shaped association was observed between major glycemic indices and uric acid levels in both sexes, while the inflection points were reached earlier in men than in women.

Synergistic impact of pre-diabetes and immunosuppressants on the risk of diabetes mellitus during treatment of glomerulonephritis and renal vasculitis

Background@#Glomerulonephritis is often treated with kidney-saving, but potentially diabetogenic immunosuppressants such as glucocorticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors. Unfortunately, there are little data on dysglycemia before and after diagnosis and during treatment of glomerulonephritis. We aimed to evaluate the occurrence and risk factors for pre-diabetes and incident diabetes among non-diabetic patients with glomerular disease with or without treatment with immunosuppressants. @*Methods@#A single-center, retrospective cohort study was performed on 229 non-diabetic immunosuppressantnaïve adults diagnosed with glomerulonephritis and renal vasculitis. Patients with known diabetes and prior immunosuppressant treatment were excluded. Outcomes of new-onset pre-diabetes and new-onset diabetes were defined according to American Diabetic Association criteria. @*Results@#Pre-diabetes was present pre-biopsy in 74 of the 229 patients (32.3%). During the median follow-up of 34.0 (23.3-47.5) months, 29 patients (12.7%) developed new-onset diabetes and 58 (25.3%) had new-onset prediabetes. Immunosuppressive therapy in patients with pre-existing pre-diabetes was associated with increased odds of new-onset diabetes compared to those without either risk factor (26.0% versus 5.0%; odds ratio, 6.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.41 to 31.64), P = 0.02). @*Conclusion@#New-onset diabetes after immunosuppressant treatment occurred in one-quarter of patients with glomerulonephritis and pre-existing pre-diabetes. Physicians should screen for pre-diabetes when planning treatment with immunosuppressants, as its presence significantly increases the risk of diabetes mellitus.

Discussion on variation law of origin and medicinal parts of Chinese medicine materials in Chinese Pharmacopoeia / 中草药

Under the guidance of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) variety, quality and TCM resource theory, based on the consistency of clinical efficacy and the availability of Chinese medicinal materials, the change reasons had been analyzed and its change rule had been expounded in this paper from the perspective of the origin and medicinal parts of the Chinese medicinal materials in Chinese Pharmacopoeia of various editions. On the basis of this study, the future trend of the total number of Chinese medicinal materials, multi-base original varieties and multi-part varieties would been predicted in Chinese Pharmacopoeia, and the corresponding suggestions had been put forward according to deficiencies in Chinese Pharmacopoeia, so as to realize effective control of the quality of Chinese medicinal materials.

Effect of endometrial thickness on the day of hCG administration on pregnancy outcome in the fresh IVF/ICSI cycle-a retrospective multicenter study / 中国实用妇科与产科杂志

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of endometrial thickness(EMT)on the day of hCG administration on preg⁃nancy outcome in the fresh in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection(IVF/ICSI)cycle.METHODS:A retrospec⁃tive analysis was conducted of 3601 IVF/ICSI-ET cycles between January 1,2015 and December 31,2015 in eight repro⁃ductive centers.The endometrial thickness was measured on hCG injection day and the distribution of endometrial thick⁃ness and pregnancy outcome was drawn.Patients were divided into two groups based on the EMT:group A(289 cycles,EMT<8 mm),group B(3312 cycles,EMT≥duration of pregnancy and birth weight of single gestation were compared.RESULTS:Group A had significantly lower clini⁃cal pregnancy rate(46.0% vs.55.9%,P=0.001),live birth rates(35.3% vs. 47.0%,P=0.000)and higher pregnancy loss rate(23.3% vs.15.8%,P=0.024)compared with group B,while there was no significant difference in duration of pregnan⁃cy or birth weight of single gestation.Logistic regression analyses showed that clinical pregnancy rate(aOR=1.492,P=0.001)and live birth rate(aOR=1.621,P=0.000)increased in group B compared with group A,when correcting for the women age,BMI and transfer embryo numbers.CONCLUSION:The endometrial thickness on the day of hCG administra⁃tion affects the pregnancy outcome in the fresh IVF/ICSI cycle.When EMT<8 mm,the clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate of IVF-ET are lower,and the patient should be well informed before making the decision of em⁃bryo transfer.However,endometrial thickness on the day of hCG administration does not affect the duration of preg⁃nancy and the birth weight of the fetus.

Reversal of multidrug resistance by icaritin in doxorubicin-resistant human osteosarcoma cells / 中国天然药物

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is one of the major obstacles in cancer chemotherapy. Our previous study has shown that icariin could reverse MDR in MG-63 doxorubicin-resistant (MG-63/DOX) cells. It is reported that icariin is usually metabolized to icariside II and icaritin. Herein, we investigated the effects of icariin, icariside II, and icaritin (ICT) on reversing MDR in MG-63/DOX cells. Among these compounds, ICT exhibited strongest effect and showed no obvious cytotoxicity effect on both MG-63 and MG-63/DOX cells ranging from 1 to 10 μmol·L. Furthermore, ICT increased accumulation of rhodamine 123 and 6-carboxyfluorescein diacetate and enhanced DOX-induced apoptosis in MG-63/DOX cells in a dose-dependent manner. Further studies demonstrated that ICT decreased the mRNA and protein levels of multidrug resistance protein 1 (MDR1) and multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1). We also verified that blockade of STAT3 phosphorylation was involved in the reversal effect of multidrug resistance in MG-63/DOX cells. Taken together, these results indicated that ICT may be a potential candidate in chemotherapy for osteosarcoma.

Reversal of multidrug resistance by icaritin in doxorubicin-resistant human osteosarcoma cells / 中国天然药物

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is one of the major obstacles in cancer chemotherapy. Our previous study has shown that icariin could reverse MDR in MG-63 doxorubicin-resistant (MG-63/DOX) cells. It is reported that icariin is usually metabolized to icariside II and icaritin. Herein, we investigated the effects of icariin, icariside II, and icaritin (ICT) on reversing MDR in MG-63/DOX cells. Among these compounds, ICT exhibited strongest effect and showed no obvious cytotoxicity effect on both MG-63 and MG-63/DOX cells ranging from 1 to 10 μmol·L. Furthermore, ICT increased accumulation of rhodamine 123 and 6-carboxyfluorescein diacetate and enhanced DOX-induced apoptosis in MG-63/DOX cells in a dose-dependent manner. Further studies demonstrated that ICT decreased the mRNA and protein levels of multidrug resistance protein 1 (MDR1) and multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1). We also verified that blockade of STAT3 phosphorylation was involved in the reversal effect of multidrug resistance in MG-63/DOX cells. Taken together, these results indicated that ICT may be a potential candidate in chemotherapy for osteosarcoma.

Expression, purification and characterization of diphtheria toxin mutant CRM197 in Eschrichia coli / 生物工程学报

CRM197 (cross-reacting material 197), a non-toxic mutant of diphtheria toxin, has wide application potential in biopharmaceuticals. However, it is difficult to express CRM197 in bacteria other than Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Here we proposed a new alternative method to produce soluble CRM197 without label in Escherichia coli. In particular, a synthetic gene coding for CRM197, optimized for E. coli codon usage, was cloned in the pET32a (+) vector. Accordingly, the over-expression of the protein was simply induced with IPTG in E. coli BL21 (DE3). The target protein was soluble and accounted for about 40% of the total protein in the supernatant. Following an ultrasonic cytolysis step, the recombinant protein was purified by anion exchange, affinity and desalting chromatography and the purity of the final preparation reached 95%. Cytotoxicity tests showed that the IC₅₀ value of CRM197 was 2.1×10⁷ times the IC₅₀ value of diphtheria toxin, and 9.6 times the IC50 value of diphtheria toxoid, telling that the target protein is safe and non-toxic. Subsequently, we found that both the high dose (20 μg) and the low dose (2 μg) of CRM197 were equally efficient in inducing an immune response against diphtheria toxiod in mice, and the antibodies titer of mice after three immunizations with low dose could reach 1:409 600. In conclusion, our findings provide a highly efficient strategy for the rapid production and purification of unlabeled and soluble recombinant CRM197 in E. coli, with good immunogenicity and safety.

Precise-surgical-opening intramedullary nail insertion in treating unstable femoral intertrochanteric fractures with closed-reposition difficulty / 中国骨伤

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare clinical efficacy of repositioning with precise-surgical-opening intramedullary nail insertion and traditional repositioning in treating unstable femoral intertrochanteric fractures with closed-reposition difficulty.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Clinical data of 58 patients with unstable femoral intertrochanteric fractures after closed-reposition difficulty (AO 31A2.2-3.3) were retrospective analyzed. Among them, 32 patients were treated with first open intramedullary nail and then reduction operation(modified reductuon group) including 9 males and 23 females with an average age of (80.9±11.1) years old ranging from 46 to 99 years old; and 26 patients were treated by traditional reduction(traditional reduction group) including 7 males and 19 females with an average of(78.1±13.9) years old ranging from 41 to 89 years old. The time of operation, the amount of bleeding, the length of hospital stay, the first weight-bearing time and the time of fracture healing, postoperative complications and Harris hip score were evaluated and compared between the two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All patients were followed up for 12 to 24 months with an average of 17.3 months. The operative time(3.612, 0.008 2) nd the blood loss(3.389, 0.007 5) in the modified reduction group were lower than those in the traditional reduction group. There were no significant differences in hospitalization time(0.851, 0.392), fracture healing time(0.640, 0.531), and the first loading time(0.845, 0.411) between two groups. There was no significant difference in the Harris score between two groups(χ²=0.66, 0.831>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Traditional repositioning requires a repositioning of the fracture bone and a correct opening reaming before the insertion and fixture of the intramedullary nail, which is a complicated operation in unstable femoral intertrochanteric fractures after closed-reposition difficulty. On the other hand, the new method implements the insertion of the intramedullary nail before the repositioning of the fracture bone, greatly simplifying the operation procedure, shortening the total operation time and reducing the amount of intraoperative blood loss.</p>

Particle Size Distribution of Phenols in Mainstream Cigarette Smoke Aerosol / 分析化学

To measure particle size distribution of phenols in mainstream cigarette smoke aerosol,the particles of cigarette smoke aerosol were divided into 12 stages using single channel smoking machine coupled electrical low-pressure impactor (ELPI) and collected by 12 polyester films.The collected particles were weighted and then analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection (UPLC-FLD) to determine the 14 phenols in the different size particles.The results showed that the aerosols collecting method had good stability with relative standard deviation (RSD) of collected particles mass less than 10%.The analyzing results of 14 phenols by UPLC-FLD showed that the linear correlation coefficients(R2) were greater than 0.9959,with detection limits were less than 1.2 ng/cig and recoveries were 80.1%-115.0%.The distributions of 14 phenols with respect to smoke aerosol particle size were investigated.The results indicated that except 4-ethyl-2-methoxy-phenol not detected,the other 13 phenols were detected in mainstream cigarette smoke aerosol.The content of 13 phenols appeared increasing at first and then decreasing with increase of the particle size which distributed in a pattern similar to that of particle mass.All of 13 phenols were present in higher amounts in the medium size particles (0.261-0.722 μm) with peak content in particles 0.431 μm.The distribution of concentrations (ratio of content to particle mass) of 13 phenols in different size particles was different.The concentrations of phenol and mono-substituted phenol appeared to first increase and then decrease with increasing smoke aerosol particle size and were higher in medium size particles (0.261-0.772 μm).The concentrations of benzenediol and mono-substituted benzenediol were uniformly distributed in medium size particles (0.144-1.166 μm),and the concentration of disubstituted phenol was uniform throughout the particles of varying sizes.

Clinical outcomes of transperitoneal laparoscopic unroofing and fenestration under seminal vesiculoscopy for seminal vesicle cysts / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

Symptomatic seminal vesicle cysts (SVCs), especially those of a large size, can be removed by surgical treatments. Currently, open surgeries for SVC are rarely performed due to their extensive surgical trauma, and minimally invasive surgical therapies for treating seminal vesicle cysts are still in the early stages. In addition, relevant studies are mostly confined to case reports. In this study, we retrospectively reviewed 53 patients who had received transperitoneal laparoscopic unroofing or fenestration under seminal vesiculoscopy for SVC in our institution. Both surgeries decreased the cyst volume to a significant extent; however, according to the remnant lesion size after rechecking images, seminal vesiculoscopic fenestration tended to have a higher recurrence than laparoscopic unroofing. Regarding complications, two individuals in the laparoscopic unroofing group experienced ureteral injury and rectal injury, while patients in the fenestration group only had temporary hemospermia, which indicates that fenestration surgery tends to have less severe complications than laparoscopic unroofing. There was no solid evidence confirming semen improvement after these surgical therapies in our study. Future studies with a prospective design, larger sample size, and longer follow-up period are required to verify and further explore our findings.

Research progress of molecular targeting treatment in pancreatic cancer / 复旦学报（医学版）

Pancreatic cancer is the seventh most common cause of cancer deaths worldwide.Although more and more progress of oncotherapy has been achieved in recent years,very few progress has been achieved in pancreatic cancer.This review summarizes the molecular signaling pathway and relevant targeting drug,their recent clinical and experimental findings of this disease.It also presents the situation and future development of targeting treatment in pancreatic cancer.

Research progress of microglia and peripheral monocytes in mood disorders / 上海交通大学学报（医学版）

The role of inflammation in the pathomechanism and treatment of mood disorders has drawn public attention in the field.As representatives of central and peripheral immune systems,microglia and peripheral monocytic cells become more active and release relative cytokines in mood disorders patients.These two classes of immune cells have similar genetic expression and functions.It is beneficial to explore how microglia and monocytes influence emotion and behavior via immunc signaling pathway for understanding the disease pathogenesis and developing potential therapeutic strategies.

Clinical observation on electroacupuncture at four sacral points for overactive bladder syndrome / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective:To observe the clinical effect of electroacupuncture (EA) at four sacral points on overactive bladder syndrome.Methods:A total of 120 female patients with overactive bladder syndrome were allocated to a treatment group of 80 cases and a control group of 40 cases on a voluntary basis.The patients in the treatment group received EA at four sacral points,and the treatment was given three times a week for 6 consecutive weeks,while the patients in the control group received oral administration of M-receptor antagonist tolterodine tartrate,which was given 4 mg each time,once a day for 6 consecutive weeks.Then the symptom scores were compared between the two groups before and after treatment.Results:At the end of treatment,the symptom scores showed statistical significant differences in comparing with those before treatment in both groups (both P＜0.01);the symptom score in the treatment group was lower than that in the control group,showing a statistically significant difference (P＜0.05).Conclusion:EA at four sacral points is an effective method for overactive bladder syndrome.

Research progress of microglia and peripheral monocytes in mood disorders / 上海交通大学学报（医学版）

The role of inflammation in the pathomechanism and treatment of mood disorders has drawn public attention in the field. As representatives of central and peripheral immune systems, microglia and peripheral monocytic cells become more active and release relative cytokines in mood disorders patients. These two classes of immune cells have similar genetic expression and functions. It is beneficial to explore how microglia and monocytes influence emotion and behavior via immune signaling pathway for understanding the disease pathogenesis and developing potential therapeutic strategies.

A study on the associations between reduced kidney function and metabolic syndrome and its components / 预防医学

Objective To explore the association between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and metabolic syndrome (MS) . Method The data were from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) . The data included the physical measurement and biochemical markers of adults of CHNS in 2009. Finally, 7309 individual observations were included in the analysis. Results According to the criteria of MS, 2034 patients were diagnosed as MS, and the prevalence was 27.83%. There were 1508 (74.14%) patients had moderate reduced eGFR in MS patients, and 3357 individuals (63.64%) were diagnosed as moderate reduced eGFR in non-MS patients. There was significant difference between two groups (X2=72.13, P<0.001) . The incident of moderate reduced eGFR was positively associated with fasting plasma glucose (OR=1.22, 95%CI: 1.06-1.42, P=0.005), triglyceride (OR=1.21, 95%CI: 1.05-1.38, P=0.005) and negatively associated with HDL-C (OR=1.23, 95% CI: 1.06-1.41, P=0.004) . Conclusion The MS and its components might be the influencing factors of developing moderate reduced eGFR, and the screening should be focused on the population with MS.

Clinical study of root canal numbers in maxillary second primary molars / 口腔疾病防治

Objective@#To investigate the root canal numbers of maxillary second primary molars.@*Methods @#216 max illary second primary molars from 204 children aged 3-8 years old were selected. All the teeth need to do the root canal therapy. After opening the pulp chamber, the root canal were examined and determined with small size K file and 17％ethylene diaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). Hand instruments were used for root canal preparation and then zinc-oxide iodoform paste was used for filling. @*Results @#216 maxillary second p rimary molars, 122 teeth had three root canals(56.5%), and 94 teeth had four root canals (43.5%). The incidence of second mesiobuccal canal (MB2) was 41.2%. There was no correlation between the incidence of the MB2 canal and gender and tooth position. @*Conclusion@# The root canals of maxillary second primary molars had more variations, and there was a high incidence of the second mesiobuccal canal.

Insight into recently issued community herbal monograph on Ginkgo biloba L., folium and its impact on registration strategy of Ginkgo Folium products in EU / 中草药

In January, 2014, European Medicines Agency (EMEA) issued a draft for community herbal monograph on Ginkgo biloba L., folium. That means the community herbal monograph on Ginkgo biloba L., folium has been settled finally. This assay introduces the new Ginkgo monograph briefly, describes the two registering methods and requirements for herbal medicines in EU, and reads the new monograph in more detail. By analyzing the impact of the new monograph on Ginkgo Folium products, this monograph will offer a very important reference and basis for the herbal registration application of Ginkgo Folium products in EU.

Pharmacokinetic study on peoniflorin, astilbin, rosmarinic acid, isofraxidin and liquiritin in rat blood after oral administration of shaolin xiaoyin tablets / 中国中药杂志

To establish a method for the determination of astilbin, peoniflorin, rasmarinci acid, isofraxidin and liquiritin contained in Shaolin Xiaoyin tablets, in order to lay a foundation for designing late-stage dosage forms and clinical medication schemes. In this paper, efforts were made to establish a method for the determination of the blood concentration of the five components and study the in vivo pharmacokinetics in rats. The blood concentration was determined by HPLC. Phenomenex C18 column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) was adopted and eluted with methanol-acetonitrile-0.05% formic acid, the flow rate was 0.8 mL x min(-1), and the wavelength was 275 nm. The samples were processed by the solid phase extraction method. After oral administration of Shaoling Xiaoyin tablets, the rat bloods were collected at different time points to determine the blood concentrations. The experimental results showed that the baseline separation could be adopted for the five components, and astilbin, peoniflorin, rasmarinci acid, isofraxidin and liquiritin showed good linear relations within ranges of 2.48-248, 0.213 6-21.36, 0.531-53.1, 0.704-70.4, 0.253-25.3 mg x L(-1). All the five components could be absorbed in blood and excreted quickly. The method established in this paper is rapid and accurate, and could be used for in vivo analysis on preparations containing similar components. The main components in Shaoling Xiaoyin tablets could be absorbed and excreted quickly, and thus suitable to be made into sustained release tablets. Common preparations are required to be taken for 4-6 times a day.