OBJECTIVETo investigate the association of male reproductive tract infection (RTI) with semen parameters and sperm DNA damage.

METHODSWe classified 1 084 males attending the infertility clinic into an RTI group (n = 300) and a non-RTI control group (n = 784). According to the WHO standards, we obtained routine semen parameters, detected sperm morphology, and determined the sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) by sperm chromatin structure assay.

RESULTSThere were statistically significant differences between the RTI and control groups in the semen volume ( [2.58 ± 1.20] vs [3.00 ± 2.10] ml), grade a + b sperm ([50.6 ± 17.2] vs [53.2 ± 15.8]%), grade d sperm ( [39. 8 ± 17.8] vs [36.5 ± 16.2]%), and total sperm count ([218.5 ± 185.0 ] vs [278.5 ± 375.5 ] x 10(6)/ejaculate) (all P < 0.05), but not in the males' age, sperm concentration or pH value (P > 0.05). The percentage of morphologically normal sperm was significantly lower ([3.46 ± 2.90] vs [4.61 ± 3.60%, P < 0.05) but the DFI was markedly higher in the RTI group than in the control ([19.4 ± 11.4] vs [15.2 ± 8.8]% , P < 0.01). The percentage of the cases with DFI > 30% was remarkably higher (13.0 vs 5.74% ) while that of the cases with DFI < 10% dramatically lower in the former than in the latter (16.0 vs 28.0%). The level of seminal plasma elastase was correlated negatively to sperm concentration, sperm count, and the percentage of morphologically normal sperm (P < 0.05) but positively to DFI and grade d sperm (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONMale reproductive tract infection not only affects semen parameters and sperm morphology but also causes serious sperm DNA damage.

DNA Fragmentation ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; physiopathology ; Male ; Reproductive Tract Infections ; physiopathology ; Semen ; chemistry ; Semen Analysis ; Sperm Count ; Spermatozoa ; pathology

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of periradicular compound betamethasone injections into the periganglionic space in the treatment of radicular pain.Methods Periganglionic compound betamethasone infiltrations were performed in 76 patients with lumbar radicular pain under MSCT guidance.All patients were divided into two groups including group 1(31 cases of lumbar disc herniation)and group 2(45 cases of lumbar degenerative disorders).The total and two groups scores of VAS were compared after the therapeutic procedure with evaluation of the efficacy.Results 88%(69/76)of patients showed significant pain reduction,with the score of VAS 6.5?2.0(before therapy)dropping to 3.4?1.8(after 1 week)and 3.8?1.9(after 3 month).Differences in improvements before and after the therapy were statistically significant.Differences between one-week and three-month follow-up were not statistically significant.Differences between the two groups demonstrated no statistical significance.Conclusion Periradicular compound betamethasone injection under CT guidance is safe and useful in the treatment of lumbar radicular pain.

Objective: To establish capillary zone electrophoresis method for determination of sildenafil citrate (Viagra) content in its troche. Methods： Using tetrandrine as internal standard(IS), the electrophoretic separation was achieved with 25 mmol/L borate (pH=7.89) running buffer. And a voltage of 14 kV was applied to the 40 cm×75 μm(i.d) capillary. The analytes were introduced into capillary by siphon (1 s) and determined with on-column monitoring at 214 nm. Results：The determination could be completed within 4 min and the minimum concentration of detection was 5 μg/ml.The analytical results of sildenafil citrate samples demonstrated a good linear relationship within the range of 24-480 μg/ml.The relative standard deviations (RSD) of intra-day was less than 1.58% and that of inter-day was less than 2.46%.The present recoveries were between 95%-105％. Conclusion：The CZE method is accurate, simple, rapid and reliable, so it can be applied to the determination of sildenafil citrate content.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical effect of microsurgical vasoepididymostomy and/or vasovasostomy in the treatment of obstructive azoospermia.

METHODSThis study included 76 patients with obstructive azoospermia, 53 treated by bilateral vasoepididymostomy (8 involving the epididymal head, 18 involving the epididymal body, 5 involving the epididymal tail, and 22 involving the epididymal head, body and tail), 14 by unilateral vasoepididymostomy, and the other 9 by unilateral vasoepididymostomy + unilateral vasovasostomy (including cross anastomosis). We followed up the patients for 2 to 16 months for the patency rate, routine semen parameters, and pregnancy outcomes.

RESULTSThe success rate of bilateral vasoepididymostomy, unilateral vasoepididymostomy, and unilateral vasoepididymostomy + unilateral vasovasostomy (including cross anastomosis) were 62.26% (33/53), 35.71% (5/14), and 77.78% (7/9), respectively. The average sperm concentrations in the three groups of patients were (27.9 +/- 5.74), (11.8 +/- 8.33), and (19.9 +/- 7.53) x 10(6)/ml, the average total sperm counts were (65.6 +/- 13.71), (28.0 +/- 15.86), and (69.2 +/- 28.59) x 10(6), and the mean rates of progressively motile sperm were (22.3 +/- 3.18), (11.0 +/- 9.77), and (15.8 +/- 5.05)%, respectively. The success rates of bilateral vasoepididymostomy that involved the epididymal head, body, tail, and all the three parts were 62.5, 72.22, 60, and 54.55%, respectively. Natural pregnancy was achieved in 8 (10.53%) of the total number of cases.

CONCLUSIONMicrosurgery is effective for the treatment obstructive azoospermia. Unilateral vasoepididymostomy + unilateral vasovasostomy is superior to the other procedures, followed by bilateral vasoepididymostomy. Bilateral vasoepididymostomy involving the epididymal body may achieve a slightly better effect than that involving the other epididymal parts.

Adult ; Anastomosis, Surgical ; methods ; Azoospermia ; etiology ; surgery ; Epididymis ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; surgery ; Male ; Microsurgery ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Sperm Count ; Treatment Outcome ; Vas Deferens ; surgery ; Vasovasostomy ; methods

OBJECTIVETo explore the distribution characteristics of basic syndromes and its related factors in patients with chronic functional constipation (CFC).

METHODSThe complete data of 538 patients with CFC were collected and initial database was established with Epidata 3. 0. TCM syndrome typing was performed. The distribution characteristics of basic syndromes were analyzed using SPSS 17. 0 Software. The univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were performed with SPSS 17. 0 Software to determine basic syndrome related factors such as age, engaged professionals, sleep quality, depression, mental stress, interpersonal relations, work fatigue, stimulating beverage, exercise conditions, Western medicine type of constipation, and so on.

RESULTSThe TCM syndrome frequency of CFC patients was sequenced from high to low as qi deficiency syndrome (380 cases, 70.6%), qi stagnation syndrome (337 cases, 62.6%), blood deficiency syndrome (234 cases, 43.5%), yin deficiency syndrome (220 cases, 40.9%), yang deficiency syndrome (197 cases, 36.6%), and others(58 cases, 10. 8%) . Most patients were complicated with complex syndromes, and the most common complex syndromes were qi deficiency complicated qi stagnation syndrome (275 cases, 51.1%) and qi deficiency complicated blood deficiency syndrome (222 cases, 41.3%). Aging, work fatigue, and exercise conditions were main related factors for qi deficiency syndrome (P <0. 01, P <0. 05). Poor emotional (depression and anxiety tendencies), mental stress, interpersonal relations, defecation barriers constipation were main related factors for qi stagnation syndrome (P <0.01). Sleep quality and poor emotional (depression and anxiety tendencies) were main related factors for blood deficiency syndrome (P <0. 01, P < 0.05). Stimulating beverages were main related factor for yin deficiency syndrome (P <0.05). Engaged in mental work and slow transit constipation were main related factors for yang deficiency syndrome (P < 0. 01, P <0. 05).

CONCLUSIONSCFC is featured as complex syndromes. The most common complex syndromes were qi deficiency complicated qi stagnation syndrome and qi deficiency complicated blood deficiency syndrome. Basic syndrome related factors such as age, engaged professionals, sleep quality, poor emotional (depression and anxiety tendencies), mental stress, interpersonal relations, work fatigue, stimulating beverage, exercise conditions, Western medicine type of constipation were associated with the distribution of CFC syndromes.

Anxiety ; complications ; Constipation ; complications ; diagnosis ; psychology ; therapy ; Depression ; complications ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Factor Analysis, Statistical ; Fatigue ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Qi ; Stress, Psychological ; complications ; Syndrome ; Yang Deficiency ; diagnosis ; Yin Deficiency ; diagnosis

Objective To study the clinical feature,treatment,and prognosis of the cytomegalovirus (CMV)pneumonia patients treated with immunosuppressor against kidney disease.Mlethod The patients received immunosuppressor against kidney disease in The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from June 1999 to December 2006.CMV antigen of leucocyte in the peripheral blood and/or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of these patients were detected with immunocytochemical methods,and 21 patients were found suffering from CMV pneumonia.The 21 patients were introvenously injected with ganciclovir 5～10 mg/(kg?d),and the immunosuppressive agent treatment suspended.Their clinical feature and prognosis were retrospectively analyzed. Results The 21 patients received corticosteroids before CMV pneumonia contracted,of them,13 patients had been intensively treated with Methyllprednisolone with mean total dose(3.2?0.6)g.Of them,15 had been treated with cyclophosphamide with mean total dose(3.8?1.3)g.The median time from the beginning of using immunosuppressor to the onset of CMV pneumonia was 25(13～92)days.All patients had fever,cough, shortness of breath and X-ray showed interstitial pneumonia,of them,19 patients developed hypoxemia,and 11 patients' CMV antigen was positive in the leucocyte from bronchial lavage fluid.The result showed 9 patients survived and 12 died.The average duration of treatment with ganciclovir was(26.2?6.3)days. CMV pneumonia is a serious complication in patients who were treated with immunosuppressor against kidney disease.The mortality is high.Ganciclovir is a medicine of choice to treat CMV pneumonia.

Umbilical metastases from intraperitoneal malignancies are universally referred to Sister Mary Joseph's nodule (SMJN).The most frequent primary sites include the stomach and ovaries. SMJN caused by colon cancer is very uncommon. Likewise, carcinoma of the right side colon metastasizing to inguinal lymph nodes is considered almost impossible. To the best of our knowledge, no report of right side colon cancer synchronously involving both the umbilicus and inguinal lymph nodes is available. We present a case of right side colon cancer(RSCC) metastasizing to the umbilicus and inguinal lymph nodes, which was confirmed by pathology and immuohistochemistry.

Percutaneous osteoplasty (POP) as a technical extension of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) has been used to treat malignant disease that affects the skeletal system. POP has demonstrated good outcome for pain relief and functional improvement. Few studies have reported on the efficiency of POP to treat malignancies located in the femoral head. We designed a pilot study with the use of POP to treat intractable pain caused by a femoral head metastatic tumor in a 43-year-old man. During the follow-up period, the patient experienced sustained pain relief and improvement of quality of life that persisted for more than three months.
Adult ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Femoral Neoplasms/*diagnosis/secondary/*therapy ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/pathology ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Tomography, Emission-Computed ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Percutaneous sacroplasty is a safe and effective procedure for sacral insufficient fractures under CT or fluoroscopic guidance; although, few reports exist about sacral metastatic tumors. We designed a pilot study to treat intractable pain caused by a sacral metastatic tumor with sacroplasty. A 62-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman with medically intractable pain due to metastatic tumors of S1 from lymphoma and lung cancer, respectively, underwent percutaneous sacroplasty. Over the course of the follow-up period, the two patients experienced substantial and immediate pain relief that persisted over a 3-month and beyond. The woman had deposition of PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) in the needle track, but did not experience significant symptoms. No other peri-procedural complications were observed for either patient.
Adult ; Bone Cements/*therapeutic use ; Female ; *Fluoroscopy ; Humans ; Injections, Intralesional ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pain, Intractable/etiology/*therapy ; Polymethyl Methacrylate/administration & dosage ; *Radiography, Interventional ; *Sacrum ; Spinal Neoplasms/complications/radiography/*secondary ; *Vertebroplasty/methods

OBJECTIVETo establish a simple and rapid molecular detection for Legionella pneumophila.

METHODSThe loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) was applied for detection of Legionella pneumophila. A set of primers were designed to identify six special areas in mip gene of Legionella pneumophila. Genomic DNAs from 13 bacterial strains,including 8 Legionella pneumophila strains and 5 other bacterial strains were amplified by LAMP and general PCR method to evaluate the specificity and sensibility of LAMP.

RESULTAll positive tubes produced visible white precipitation, and no precipitation was observed in others. By adding smart green fluorescent dye, all Legionella pneumophila positive tubes presented a strong green fluorescence, while others showed weak fluorescence. The detection rate of LAMP was higher than that of general PCR. The detection limits were 576fg with genomic DNA of Legionella pneumophila,and 8 cfu/mL with positive water samples.

CONCLUSIONLAMP detection of Legionella pneumophila is an effective and low-cost method with high specificity and sensitivity requiring no special equipment.

DNA Primers ; Legionella pneumophila ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques ; methods ; Sensitivity and Specificity