Association of Alcohol Consumption with Markers of Prostate Health and Reproductive Hormone Profiles: A Multi-Center Study of 4,535 Men in China.

BACKGROUND: The effect of alcohol consumption on prostate health and reproductive hormone profiles has long been investigated and currently, no consensus has been reached. Additionally, large studies focusing on this topic are relatively rare in China. PURPOSE: To investigate the association of alcohol consumption with prostate measurements and reproductive hormone profiles in Chinese population; and to examine the relationship between hormone levels and prostate measurements. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 4535 men from four representative provinces of China. Demographic details, family history of prostate disease, tobacco and alcohol consumption, as well as International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS) were collected through a questionnaire. Total prostate specific antingen (total PSA), free PSA, free PSA/total PSA ratio (f/tPSA), and reproductive hormones were measured in serum. Multi-variable regression models were used to test for association of alcohol consumption with markers of prostate health, used to test for association of alcohol consumption with reproductive hormones, and reproductive hormones with markers of prostate health. RESULTS: Alcohol consumption had no obvious impact on total PSA concentration and I-PSS. Current drinkers had lower level of free PSA (ß = -0.11, p = 0.02) and f/tPSA (ß = -0.03, p = 0.005), former drinkers also had lower level of free PSA (ß = -0.19, p = 0.02) when compared with never drinkers. Lower Luteinizing hormone (LH) (ß = -1.05, p = 0.01), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) (ß = -4.71, p = 0.01) and higher estradiol (ß = 7.81, p = 0.01) was found in current drinkers than never drinkers, whereas higher LH (ß = 1.04, p = 0.04) and free testosterone (FT) (ß = 0.03, p = 0.02) was detected in former drinkers than never drinkers. Furthermore, LH was positively associated with f/tPSA (ß = 0.002, p = 0.006), SHBG was also positively related with free PSA (ß = 0.003, p = 0.003) and f/tPSA (ß = 0.0004, p = 0.01). Both total testosterone (TT) and FT were inversely related with I-PSS (OR = 0.97, 95% CI, 0.95-0.98; OR = 0.23, 95% CI, 0.11-0.45, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol consumption could affect serum free PSA concentration and also f/tPSA ratio, and also acts as an endocrine disruptor on the male reproductive hormone profiles. LH and SHBG were positively related with fPSA and f/tPSA, and higher level of TT and FT may be helpful for improving participants' subjective symptoms.

Factors of the HIV Transmission in Men Who Have Sex with Men in Suizhou City from 2009 to 2013.

INTRODUCTION: The primary transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been recently changing worldwide. In China, HIV transmission through heterosexual contact remains the predominant mode, but the prevalence of men who have sex with men (MSM) has been increasing. AIM: This article investigated the overall epidemic trend and associated high-risk behavior among MSM in Suizhou City and explored the government's responses to the epidemic. METHODS: We conducted yearly cross-sectional behavioral surveillance surveys among MSM in Suizhou City from 2009 to 2013. Participation was anonymous and self-completed. Recruitment methods were consistently applied in each survey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Semi-structured questionnaire surveys and yearly work summaries were conducted. RESULTS: Most of the MSM groups in Suizhou City were young adults (P < 0.05), well educated (P < 0.05), and married (P < 0.05). Two years after our interventions, we found an increasing trend of condom use during anal sex (P < 0.05), as well as commercial sex trade (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: HIV continues to spread rapidly among MSM in Suizhou City. The high-risk behavior among MSM remains a hindrance to HIV prevention. Innovative intervention approaches are essential for HIV surveillance and prevention among MSM in Suizhou City. Yang F, Shi X, He W, Wu S, Wang J, Zhao K, Yuan H, Martin K, and Zhang H. Factors of the HIV transmission in men who have sex with men in Suizhou City from 2009 to 2013. Sex Med 2015;3:24-31.

Comparison of three different techniques of human sperm DNA isolation for methylation assay / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

Human sperm DNA is an important genetic and epigenetic material, whose chromatin structure differs from that of somatic cells. As such, conventional methods for DNA extraction of somatic cells may not be suitable for obtaining sperm DNA. In this study, we evaluated and compared three sperm DNA extraction techniques, namely, modified guanidinium thiocyanate method (method A), traditional phenol-chloroform method (method B), and TianGen kit method (method C). Spectrophotometry and agarose gel electrophoresis analyses showed that method A produced DNA with higher quantity and purity than those of methods B and C (P<0.01). PCR results revealed that method A was more reliable in amplifying DEAD-box polypeptide 4 (DDX4) and copy number variations (CNVs) than methods B and C, which generated false-positive errors. The results of sperm DNA methylation assay further indicated that methods A and B were effective, and the former yielded higher quantitative accuracy. In conclusion, the modified guanidinium thiocyanate method provided high quality and reliable results and could be an optimal technique for extracting sperm DNA for methylation assay.