[Yijingfang for the treatment of asthenospermia: A randomized controlled clinical trial].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical therapeutic effects of Yijingfang, a Chinese medicinal liquid, on asthenospermia. METHODS: We randomly divided 450 asthenospermia patients into a treatment group (n = 300) and a control group (n = 150), the former treated with Yijingfang once half a dose, bid, and the latter with Wuziyanzong Pills (9 g, bid) + L-carnitine oral liquid (10 ml, bid), both for 3 months. Before and at 1, 2, and 3 months after medication, we compared the semen volume, sperm concentration, percentages of progressively motile sperm (PMS) and total motile sperm (TMS), and semen liquefaction time between the two groups of patients. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was observed in the semen parameters between the treatment and control groups before medication (P >0.05). In comparison with the baseline, the treatment group showed significant differences at 1, 2, and 3 months after medication in sperm concentration (ï¼»35.96 ± 8.50ï¼½ vs ï¼»49.66 ± 10.91ï¼½, ï¼»55.21 ± 11.46ï¼½, ï¼»74.90 ± 13.07ï¼½ ×106/ml, P <0.01), PMS (ï¼»19.72 ± 2.06ï¼½ vs ï¼»23.81 ± 2.56ï¼½, ï¼»26.12 ± 2.34ï¼½, and ï¼»32.17 ± 1.62ï¼½ %, P <0.01) and TMS (ï¼»28.86 ± 2.70ï¼½ vs ï¼»34.17 ± 3.43ï¼½, ï¼»36.59 ± 3.36ï¼½, and ï¼»47.08 ± 2.97ï¼½ %, P <0.01), but not in the semen volume (ï¼»3.35 ± 0.99ï¼½ vs ï¼»3.15 ± 1.06ï¼½, ï¼»3.12 ± 0.90ï¼½, and ï¼»3.27 ± 0.78ï¼½ ml, P >0.05) or semen liquefaction time (ï¼»32.31 ± 8.15ï¼½ vs ï¼»31.68 ± 3.14ï¼½, ï¼»30.38 ± 3.44ï¼½, and ï¼»30.86 ± 2.42ï¼½ min, P >0.05); the control group exhibited similar results at the three time points in sperm concentration (ï¼»36.85 ± 6.88ï¼½ vs ï¼»40.53 ± 8.32ï¼½, ï¼»47.51 ± 12.73ï¼½, and ï¼»56.14 ± 11.98ï¼½ ×106/ml, P <0.01), PMS (ï¼»20.26 ± 2.73ï¼½ vs ï¼»25.17 ± 2.64ï¼½, ï¼»27.23 ± 2.25ï¼½, and ï¼»31.89±2.27ï¼½ %, P <0.01), and TMS (ï¼»30.03 ± 2.67ï¼½ vs ï¼»33.89±2.26ï¼½, ï¼»37.38±4.79ï¼½, and ï¼»40.35±3.06ï¼½ %, P <0.01), but not in the semen volume (ï¼»3.03 ± 1.09ï¼½ vs ï¼»3.16±1.78ï¼½, ï¼»3.15±0.96ï¼½, and ï¼»3.12±0.65ï¼½ ml, P >0.05) or semen liquefaction time (ï¼»30.25 ± 5.20ï¼½ vs ï¼»29.36±4.25ï¼½, ï¼»28.21±3.26ï¼½, and ï¼»28.33±3.59ï¼½ min, P >0.05). There were statistically significant differences between the treatment and control groups in the increase rates of sperm concentration and TMS after medication (P <0.01) but not in that of PMS (P >0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Yijingfang is an effective drug for the treatment of asthenospermia, which can regulate the spermatogenesis, increase the percentage of PMS, and improve the total sperm motility of the patients.

[Triple acupuncture at the Qugu acupoint as an adjunctive therapy for type-â ¢ chronic prostatitis: Analysis of short- and long-term clinical effects].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the short- and long-term effects of triple acupuncture at the Qugu acupoint as an adjunctive therapy on type-Ⅲ chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). METHODS: We equally randomized 90 CP/CPPS patients into a control and a treatment group, both treated with Levofloxacin Mesylate Tablets (0.5 g, tid) + Terazosin Hydrochloride Capsules (2 mg qd) for 4 weeks, while the latter group by triple acupuncture at the Qugu acupoint as an adjunctive therapy twice a week at the same time. Then, we followed up all the patients for 4 weeks, recorded the cases, time and rate of recurrence, obtained the scores in National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI), quality of life (QoL) and Zung Depression Scale (ZDS), and compared them between the two groups of patients. RESULTS: Compared with the controls, the patients of the treatment group showed significantly decreased NIH-CPSI scores in pain (8.6 ± 2.12 vs 6.2 ± 2.25, P <0.05), micturition (5.8 ± 1.22 vs 3.1 ± 1.10, P <0.05), and QoL (6.0 ± 1.33 vs 3.4 ± 1.71, P <0.05) and ZDS score as well (43.9 ± 4.53 vs 33.6 ± 3.20, P <0.01). The recurrence rate was markedly lower while the recurrence time remarkably longer in the treatment than in the control group (15.56 vs 35.56% and ï¼»20.0 ± 2.72ï¼½ vs ï¼»12.5 ± 3.47ï¼½ d, P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: As an adjunctive therapy, triple acupuncture at the Qugu acupoint can evidently ameliorate the clinical symptoms, enhance the curative effect of antibacterials, reduce the recurrence rate, and prolong the recurrence time in the treatment of CP/CPPS.