Objective:To investigate whether chemokine like factor (CKLF)-like myelin and lympho-cyte and related proteins for vesicle trafficking and membrane link (MARVEL)transmembrane domain-containing protein 2 (CMTM2)is involved in spermatogenesis in varicocele induced sub-fertility rats and to discuss the possible mechanisms.Methods:Forty male SD rats (body weight:220 -330 g,age:6 -7 weeks)were randomly divided into 4 groups:varicocele for 4 weeks,varicocele for 12 weeks,sham operation for 4 weeks and sham operation for 12 weeks,with 10 rats in each group.These rats were intro-duced by partially ligating left kidney veins for the experimental groups,and the sham surgery groups as controls were executed with exactly the same surgery as in the experimental groups except for the ligation. The rats in control and experimental groups for 4 and 12 weeks were killed after laparotomy at the end of 4 and 12 weeks,respectively,the left testes and epididymis were taken out for counting the sperm,ob-serving the seminiferous tubule change and immunochemistry for CMTM2.The changes included sperm density and motility,the outer diameter and inner diameter change and the changes of epithelium and the CMTM2 expression in immunochemistry.Results:Compared with the control groups,the sperm density [(63.9 ±7.1)×106 /mL vs.(74.3 ±5.0)×106 /mL]and motility[(58.7% ±7.9%)vs.(66.1% ± 4.3%)]were reduced slightly in group of varicoele for 4 weeks,respectively (t =1.432,1.563;P =0.076,0.059,respectively ).Varicocele significantly caused a decrease in sperm concentration [(40.5 ±7.2)×106 /mL vs.(71.1 ±4.5)×106 /mL]and motility [(35.2% ±8.5%)vs.(63.4% ± 4.1%)]at 12 weeks,compared with the related sham groups (t =3.754,3.933;P =0.004,0.002, respectively).Additionally,testis CMTM2 exhibited the same disparity,that is,the CMTM2 protein ex-pression in varicocele group was significantly reduced,with the ratio of sham group to varicocele group at the end of 12 weeks 2.3 ±0.4 (t =1.978;P =0.039).In the evaluation of seminiferous tubules diame-ter,the external [(198.2 ±10.2)μm vs.(255.8 ±12.7)μm,t =2.125,P =0.003]and epithelium diameter [(54.1 ±1.5)μm vs.(75.5 ±4.1)μm,t =2.246,P =0.021]were decreased compared with the sham-related groups and previous varicocele groups.In all the varicocele groups,all types of sperm motility decreased compared with the related sham-operated group (P <0.05).Conclusion:This study suggests varicocele has a detrimental effect on CMTM2 levels and decreases spermatogonia cell number,seminiferous tubules diameter,and sperm indices.CMTM2 is associated with sperm changes in rats with varicocele,and further studies are needed to study the mechanism.

Objective To evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for prostate cancer patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).Methods We studied 200 patients with prostate cancer who were treated with primary ADT in Peking University People's Hospital from June 2014 to June 2015.The patients'average age was 73.9 years.The mean PSA level was 21.57 ng/ml when they were diagnosed with prostate cancer.Of these 200 patients,79％ (158/200) were localized and seclected ADT therapy due to age,body condition,basic diseases or individual will.21％ (42/200) were locally advanced or metastasic,which accord with the indication of ADT therapy.The scales,including the MOS item short from health survey (SF-36),Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General module (FACT-G),Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Prostate instrument (FACT-P),Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) were used to evaluate their HRQOL.Results According to results of SF36,the physical health component score and mental health component score was 67.41 ± 16.39 and 64.81 ± 17.51,respectively.They indicated that the overall quality of life of these patients was at an acceptable level.And the average score of all domains exceeded 60 except general health domain,which the score was only 40.03 ± 21.89.When it comes to FACT-P,the sum score,emotional well-being score and prostate cancer component score were 8.15 ± 3.72,12.30 ± 4.04 and 77.41 ± 9.95,respectively,which were less than half of their respective top score.However the physical well-being score was 20.41 ±4.29,which was a relatively satisfactory value.In addition,61％ (121/200) patient selected not at all in item I am able to have and keep an erection.The score of SDS and SAS was 46.76 ± 8.29 and 43.25 ±9.69,respectively.And there were 23.0％ (46/200) and 21.5％ (43/200) patiens exhibited depression and anxiety,respectively.Conclusion In the present study,the prostate cancer patients receiving ADT showed acceptable HRQOL,but some patients sufferd from depression,anxiety and erectile dysfunction.

Objective:To investigate the association between metabolic factors,such as obesity,blood pressure,blood glucose,serum lipid profile,and the histopathological characteristics of renal cell carci-noma.Methods:The medical records of 382 consecutive renal cell carcinoma patients who underwent radical or partial nephrectomy at Peking University People’s Hospital from January 2009 to January 2015 were retrospectively reviewed.Metabolic factors were collected from the records,including weight,body mass index,waist circumstance,blood pressure,fasting blood glucose,serum total triglyceride,serum total cholesterol,serum low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and serum high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. The patients were divided into different groups according to tumor grade,stage and diameter.Statistics analysis,such as t test,Mann-Whitney U test and Logistic analysis,were performed to investigate the as-sociation between metabolic factors and grade,stage and tumor diameter of renal cell carcinoma.Re-sults:A total of 80 (20.94%)of the tumors were classified as high grade disease,63 (16.49%)were classified as advanced disease and 153 (40.05%)tumor diameter more than 4 cm.The patients in high grade group were found to have lower high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol level than in low grade group (P =0.015),body mass index,total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol were found to be lower in advanced disease than in localized disease (P =0.022,P =0.005 and P =0.006,respec-tively),and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol was found to be lower in larger tumors (P =0.030). Other factors were comparable between the different groups.The results of Logistic analyses showed that, body mass index (OR =0.906,95%CI:0.852 -0.986,P =0.023)and total cholesterol (OR =0.660,95%CI:0.492 -0.884,P =0.005)were associated with the tumor stage,high-density lipopro-tein-cholesterol level was significantly associated with tumor grade (OR =0.293,95% CI:0.108 -0.797,P =0.016)and stage (OR =0.204,95%CI:0.065 -0.635,P =0.006),and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol level was significantly associated with tumor diameter (OR =0.756,95% CI:0.586 -0.975,P =0.031).Conclusion:The results of our study indicate that metabolic factors,espe-cially obesity and serum lipid profile,are closely related with the histopathological characteristics of renal cell carcinoma.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical effects of " watching without dealing" aortic root repair technique in acute Stanford type A aortic dissection(ATAAD).Methods:From October 2017 to October 2018, " watching without dealing" technique was performed in ATAAD patients with mild aortic root involvement. The proximal aortic anastomosis was at the level of the sinotubular junction, without " pursuing" complete excision of the intra-sinus dissections. The perioperative clinical data and follow-up imaging results of the patients were collected and analyzed to evaluate early and mid-term efficacy of the technique.Results:A total of 20 patients received " watching without dealing" technique in our hospital, including 15 males and 5 females with a mean age of(48.0±12.1) years old(34-73 years old). The preoperative aortic sinus diameter was(41.3±3.6)mm and the aortic sinotubular junction diameter was(43.9±6.6) mm. All patients underwent ascending aortic replacement and total arch replacement plus frozen elephant trunk surgery. The cardiopulmonary bypass time was(179.5±41.5)min(132~255 min), the cross-clamp time was(120.3±23.7) min(95~180 min), and the circulatory arrest time was(8.8±7.6) min(2~22 min). During perioperative period, no adverse events such as death, secondary opening, renal failure, cerebral infarction, and paraplegia occurred. The CTA examination of the aorta before the patients were discharged showed that all residual false lumen in the sinus disappeared, the diameter of the aortic sinus was(30.8±2.6) mm, and the diameter of the aortic sinotubular junction was(27.2±2.5) mm. The patients were followed up for mean(28.5±7.8) months(3~35 months). No surgical re-intervention of the aortic root occurred. The aortic CTA during follow-up period showed no residual or new dissection in the aortic sinus, the diameters of the aortic sinus and aortic sinotubular junction were(30.9±2.4) mm and(27.5±2.7) mm respectively; the ultrasonic cardiogram showed normal aortic valve structure and function. No statistically significant differences were found when comparing the aortic sinus diameter and aortic sinotubular junction diameter between two time points of at discharge and follow-up.Conclusion:The " watching without dealing" aortic root repair technique for ATAAD is relatively simple to learn and safe in the perioperative period. Early and mid-term follow-up imaging showed normalization of the aortic sinus structure. Further follow-up and observation were necessary to figure out the long-term clinical outcome of this modified aortic root repair.

Objective    To summarize the clinical characteristics and outcome of tricuspid valve replacement (TVR) in children aged no more than 14 years, and to discuss the selection of prosthesis. Methods    From September 2002 to August 2019, 14 patients aged no more than 14 years who received TVR were included in our study. There were 9 males and 5 females, with a mean age of 9.8±4.3 years. Results    Mechanical prosthesis was implanted in 8 patients, and bioprosthesis in 6 patients. The mean cardiopulmonary time and aortic-clamp time was 170.3±109.8 min and 95.1±63.1 min, respectively. The mortality within 30 days after surgery was 21.4% (3/14), and all 3 patients died of severe low cardiac output syndrome. Eleven patients were followed up for 34-199 (100.1±57.4) months. During the follow-up, mechanical prosthesis dysfunction occurred in 3 patients, 2 of whom received secondary TVR. One patient died during the follow-up. Conclusion    The bioprosthesis is the first choice for TVR in children. Some long-term complications may occur after TVR, and close follow-up and timely intervention are needed.

Objective    To summarize the surgical strategy of reoperative aortic root replacement after prior aortic valve replacement (AVR), and analyze the early and mid-term outcomes. Methods    From April 2013 to January 2020, 75 patients with prior AVR underwent reoperative aortic root replacement in Fuwai Hospital. There were 54 males and 21 females with a mean age of 56.4±12.7 years. An emergent operation was performed in 14 patients and an elective operation in 61 patients. The indications were aortic root aneurysm in 38 patients, aortic dissection involving aortic root in 30 patients, root false aneurysm in 2 patients, prosthesis valve endocarditis with root abscess in 2 patients, and Behçet's disease with root destruction in 3 patients. The survival and freedom from aortic events during the follow-up were evaluated with the Kaplan-Meier survival curve and the log-rank test. Results    The operative procedures included prosthesis-sparing root replacement in 45 patients, Bentall procedure in 26 patients, and Cabrol procedure in 4 patients. Operative mortality was 1.3% (1/75). A composite of adverse events occurred in 5 patients, including operative death (n=1), stroke (n=1), and acute renal injury necessitating hemodialysis (n=3). The follow-up was available for all 74 survivors, with the mean follow-up time of 0.5-92.0 (30.3±25.0) months. Four late deaths occurred during the follow-up. The survival rate at 1 year, 3 years and 6 years was 97.2%, 91.4% and 84.4%, respectively. Aortic events developed in 2 patients. The rate of freedom from aortic events at 1 year, 3 years, and 6 years was 98.7%, 95.0% and 87.7%, respectively. There was no difference in rate of survival or freedom from aortic events between the elective patients and the emergent patients. Conclusion    Reoperative aortic root replacement after prior AVR can be performed to treat the root pathologies after AVR, with acceptable early and mid-term outcomes.

Objective    To summarize the surgical experience of infants with transposition of the great arteries (TGA) and intramural coronary artery (IMCA) in our center, and analyze the early and mid-term outcomes. Methods    We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 384 infants with TGA undergoing arterial switch operation (ASO) from June 2010 to December 2018 at Fuwai Hospital. According to operative records, 21 (5.5%) infants had IMCA, among whom 20 were males, with a median age of 33 (9-319) d. Coronary transfer using double coronary buttons with unroofed intramural course was performed in all 21 infants. Results    There was no statistical difference in the early mortality after ASO between infants with IMCA and infants with normal coronary anatomy (9.5% vs. 3.0%, P=0.15). In the IMCA group, 2 dead patients presented inadequate coronary artery perfusion after first aortic unclamping. In addition, 1 patient underwent extracorporeal membrane pulmonary support for myocardial dysfunction. The follow-up was available for all 19 survivors, with an average follow-up time of 29.0-120.0 (74.8±27.3) months. During the follow-up, all patients had no obvious symptoms, death, reoperation, or coronary complications. One patient developed moderate pulmonary valve regurgitation and another patient developed distal stenosis of the right pulmonary artery. Conclusion    For infants with TGA and IMCA, coronary transfer using double coronary buttons with unroofed intramural course is a safe and reliable technique, with satisfactory early and mid-term outcomes.

Objective    To compare the long-term durability of valved homograft conduit (VHC) in patients with Ross and non-Ross right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) reconstruction. Methods    Patients who underwent RVOT reconstruction using VHC in Fuwai Hospital from January 2008 to October 2020 were retrospectively included. Patients who received Ross RVOT reconstruction were allocated to a Ross group and patients who received non-Ross RVOT reconstruction were allocated to a non-Ross group. The survival and reintervention-free rates of the two groups were evaluated with the Kaplan-Meier survival curve and log-rank test. The propensity score matching analysis was performed on the patients who completed ultrasound follow-up in the two groups, and the VHC dysfunction-free rate was compared between the two groups. Results    A total of 243 patients were enrolled, including 142 males and 101 females, with a median age of 6 years (4 months to 56 years). There were 77 patients in the ROSS group and 166 patients (168 operations) in the non-ROSS group. The cardiopulmonary bypass time in the Ross group was shorter than that in the non-Ross group (175.4±45.6 min vs. 200.1±83.5 min, P=0.003). Five patients in the non-Ross group died early after the operation. The follow-up was available in 231 patients (93.1%), with the average follow-up time of 61.7±44.4 months. During the follow-up, 5 patients in the non-Ross group died. The 12-year survival rate was 100.0% in the Ross group and 93.2% in the non-Ross group (log-rank, P=0.026). In addition, 1 patient in the Ross group and 7 patients in the non-Ross group received VHC reintervention. There was no significant difference in the reintervention-free rate between the two groups (log-rank, P=0.096). Among the 73 patients in the Ross group and 147 patients in non-Ross group who were followed up by ultrasound after discharge, 45 patients (20.5%) developed VHC dysfunction. Before matching, the long-term durability of VHC in the Ross group was better than that in non-Ross group (10-year VHC dysfunction-free rate: 66.6% vs. 37.1%, log-rank, P=0.025). After the propensity score matching, 64 patients included in each group, and there was no statistical difference in the long-term durability of VHC between the two groups (10-year VHC dysfunction-free rate: 76.3% vs. 43.0%, log-rank, P=0.065). In the subgroup analysis, the 10-year VHC dysfunction-free rate in the Ross group was higher than that in the non-Ross group (71.0% vs. 20.0%, log-rank, P=0.032) among patients aged<6 years at surgery. However, there was no significant difference in the 10-year VHC dysfunction-free rate between the two groups (53.7% vs. 56.7%, log-rank, P=0.218) among patients aged ≥6 years at surgery. Conclusion    After the propensity score matching analysis, the long-term durability of VHC has no significant difference between the Ross group and non-Ross group. The long-term durability of VHC after Ross surgery is superior to that of non-Ross surgery in patients aged<6 years at surgery.

Objective    To evaluate the clinical outcome of valved homograft conduits (VHC) used for right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) reconstruction in Fuwai Hospital in recent 13 years, and explore the factors influencing the long-term durability of VHC. Methods    Clinical data of patients using VHC for RVOT reconstruction in Fuwai Hospital from November 2007 to October 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to evaluate survival, VHC reintervention and VHC dysfunction. Cox proportional risk regression model was used to analyze the risk factors for VHC dysfunction. Results    Finally 251 patients were enrolled, including 145 males and 106 females. The median age at surgery was 6.0 (0.3-67.0) years. Early death occurred in 5 (2.0%) patients. The follow-up was available for 239 (95.2%) patients, with the follow-up time of 0.3-160.0 (61.3±45.4) months. Five patients died during the follow-up, and the 1-year, 6-year, and 13-year survival rates were 96.6%, 95.5% and 95.5%, respectively. Eight patients received VHC reintervention during the follow-up, and freedom rates from VHC reintervention were 100.0%, 97.1% and 82.4% at 1 year, 6 years and 13 years, respectively. A total of 226 patients were followed up by echocardiography after discharge, with the follow-up time of 0.2-138.0 (48.5±40.5) months. During the follow-up, 46 (20.4%) patients developed VHC dysfunction, and freedom rates from VHC dysfunction at 1 year, 5 years, and 10 years were 92.6%, 79.6% and 59.3%, respectively. Univariate Cox regression analysis showed that age<6 years and VHC diameter<19 mm were risk factors for VHC dysfunction (P=0.029, 0.026), but multivariate regression analysis only indicated that age<6 years was an independent risk factor for VHC dysfunction (P=0.034). Conclusion    The early and late outcomes of VHC used for RVOT reconstruction are satisfactory, and the long-term durability of VHC is also optimal. In addition, age<6 years is an independent risk factor for VHC dysfunction.

The treatment of acute Stanford type A aortic dissection has always been extremely challenging. Organ malperfusion syndrome is a common severe complication of acute aortic dissection, which can cause organ ischemia and internal environment disorder. Malperfusion increases early mortality, and impacts the long-term prognosis. In recent years, many scholars have done some studies on aortic dissection complicated with malperfusion. They explored the pathogenesis, proposed new classification, and innovated new treatment strategies. However, at present, the treatment strategies of acute Stanford type A aortic dissection complicated with organ malperfusion are different at different centers and consensus on its treatment is still lacking. Therefore, this review summarized the pathogenesis, classification, treatment strategy, and prognosis of acute Stanford type A aortic dissection complicated with malperfusion.