OBJECTIVETo explore the mechanism of hyperthermia inducing infertility by observing the expression of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in rat Sertoli cells cultured in vitro at different temperatures.

METHODSUsing combination enzyme digestion and selective adhesion, we isolated Sertoli cells from male Wistar rats and cultured them in vitro at different temperatures, followed by observation of the changes in their adhesion and morphology and identification by FasL immunohistochemical staining. We divided the Sertoli cells into a control group (35 degrees C) and four experimental groups (36 degrees C, 37 degrees C, 38 degrees C, and 39 degrees C), measured their proliferation by CCK-8, observed their morphology and structure by HE staining, and determined the expression of GDNF by RT-PCR, immunofluorescence and Western blot.

RESULTSSertoli cells were successfully isolated and in vitro-cultured, with a purity of (95.30 +/- 2.15)% (n = 10). The CCK-8 assay showed that the proliferation of the Sertoli cells was the highest at 36 degrees C, gradually decreasing with the temperature above 36 degrees C, and significantly inhibited at 39 degrees C (P < 0.01). Immunofluorescence revealed the expression of GDNF in the cytoplasm, with the highest fluorescence intensity at 36 degrees C. RT-PCR and Western blot exhibited a decreasing trend of the GDNF expression with the increasing temperature above 36 degrees C. There were statistically significant differences in the expression of GDNF between the control group and the four experimental groups (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe proliferation and GDNF expression of in vitro-cultured Sertoli cells differ significantly at different temperatures. At > 36 degrees C, the higher the temperature is, the lower the Sertoli cell proliferation and GDNF expression are. Our findings suggest that high temperature above 36 degrees C suppresses the function of Sertoli cells and may also damage spermatogenesis.

Animals ; Cells, Cultured ; Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; metabolism ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Sertoli Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Temperature ; Testis ; cytology

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Jianpi Jieyu Decoction (JJD) for treating patients with mild-to-moderate depression of Xin (Heart)-Pi (Spleen) deficiency (XPD) syndrome. METHODS: In this multi-center, randomized, controlled study, 140 patients with mild-to-moderate depression of XPD syndrome were included from Xiyuan Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences and Botou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from December 2017 to December 2019. They were randomly divided into JJD group and paroxetine group by using a random number table, with 70 cases in each group. The patients in the JJD group were given JJD one dose per day (twice daily at morning and evening, 100 mL each time), and the patients in the paroxetine group were given paroxetine (10 mg/d in week 1; 20 mg/d in weeks 2-6), both orally administration for a total of 6 weeks. The primary outcome was the change of 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) score at week 6 from baseline. The secondary outcomes included the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) score, Traditional Chinese Medicine Symptom Scale (TCMSS), and Clinlcal Global Impression (CGI) scores at the 2nd, 4th, and 6th weekends of treatment, HAMD-17 response (defined as a reduction in score of >50%) and HAMD-17 remission (defined as a score of ⩽7) at the end of the 6th week of treatment. Adverse events (AEs) were also recorded. RESULTS: From baseline to week 6, the HAMD-17 scores decreased 10.2 ± 4.0 and 9.1 ± 4.9 points in the JJD and paroxetine groups, respectively (P=0.689). The HAMD-17 response occurred in 60% of patients in the JJD group and in 50% of those in the paroxetine group (P=0.292); HAMD-17 remission occurred in 45.7% and 30% of patients, respectively (P=0.128). The differences of CGI scores at the 6th week were not statistically significant (P>0.05). There were significant differences in HAMD-17 scores between the two groups at 2nd and 4th week (P=0.001 and P=0.014). The HAMA scores declined 8.1 ± 3.0 and 6.9 ± 4.3 points from baseline to week 6 in the JJD and paroxetine groups, respectively (P=0.905 between groups). At 4th week of treatment, there was a significant difference in HAMA between the two groups (P=0.037). TCMSS decreased 11.4 ± 5.1, and 10.1 ± 6.8 points in the JJD and paroxetine groups, respectively (P=0.080 between groups). At the 6th week, the incidence of AEs in the JJD group was significantly lower than that in the paroxetine group (7.14% vs. 22.86%, P<0.05). CONCLUSION Compared with paroxetine, JJD was associated with a significantly lower incidence of AEs in patients with mild-to-moderate depression of XPD syndrome, with no difference in efficacy at 6 weeks. (Trial registration No. ChiCTR2000040922).
Humans ; Paroxetine/adverse effects* ; Spleen ; Anxiety ; Syndrome ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Treatment Outcome ; Double-Blind Method

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of fibrinolysis strategy in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) during the COVID-19 epidemic, and to provide reference value for optimization of fibrinolytic process on the premise of prevention and control of COVID-19 transmission, including self-protection of medical staff. Methods: The efficacy and safety of fibrinolysis were retrospectively analyzed in 7 patients with acute STEM, who hospitalized from February 29, 2020 to April 3, 2020 in the Department of Cardiology, Wuhan Union Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. To optimize the fibrinolytic process on the premise of prevention and control of COVID-19 transmission, including self-protection of medical staff, a full-time medical team in charge of fibrinolysis under third-grade protection was established. The acute STEMI patients were treated immediately in a fixed and isolated area in emergency department before receiving green channel fibrinolysis. Blood samples for complete blood count, COVID-19 antibody test and nasopharyngeal swab samples for COVID-19 nucleic acid test were made before fibrinolysis, while the chest CT examination was accomplished after fibrinolysis. By comparing differences of time from the first electrocardiogram (ECG) to fibrinolysis before and after the improvement of fibrinolytic process, the effect of optimization of the fibrinolytic process was evaluated. Results: In the present study, seven patients with acute STEMI received fibrinolysis therapy, 6 of them achieved reperfusion and no bleeding was observed in all of the patients. Five out of the 7 patients were hospitalized after fibrinolysis, and the hospitalization days were 19.6 days on average. By following up to April 14, 2020, none of the 7 patients died. The first 2 patients were treated according to the routine medical procedure and the time from the first ECG to fibrinolysis were 201 and 106 minutes, respectively. After the optimization of the fibrinolytic process, the time from the first ECG to fibrinolysis of the last 5 patients were 42, 46, 51, 43 and 54 minutes, respectively，which was significantly shorter than that before optimization. Conclusions: During the COVID-19 epidemic, fibrinolysis in patients with acute STEMI is safe, effective and easy to implement. Therefore, it is recommended as the top priority for the patients with acute STEMI with indications for fibrinolysis. On the premise of prevention and control of COVID-19 transmission, including self-protection of medical staff, the duration of myocardial ischemia can be shortened by optimization of the fibrinolytic process.
Betacoronavirus ; COVID-19 ; Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology* ; Epidemics ; Fibrinolytic Agents/therapeutic use* ; Humans ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; SARS-CoV-2 ; ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction/drug therapy* ; Thrombolytic Therapy ; Time Factors ; Treatment Outcome

The study aims to qualitatively analyze the chemical composition of compound Nanxing acesodyne plaster by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry( UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS). The analysis was performed on Agilent Zorbax SB-C_(18)( 4. 6 mm×250 mm,5 μm) column. The mobile phase consisted of methanol and 0. 2% formic acid-water was used as gradient elution. The flow rate was 1 mL·min~(-1) and column temperature was 30 ℃. The Mass spectrometry was acquired in both positive and negative ion modes using ESI. The components were identified by the precise mass-to-charge ratio,secondary fragmentation and other information combined with reference substance and literature data. As a result,58 compounds were identified and predicted,including alkaloids,flavonoids,coumarins,organic acids and lactone compounds,of which 12 compounds were verified by the reference substances. The results provide reference for the quality control of compound Nanxing acesodyne plaster,and lay the foundation for elucidating the active components mechanism.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Phytochemicals ; analysis ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry