Testicular histology based on testicular biopsy is an important factor for determining appropriate testicular sperm extraction surgery and predicting sperm retrieval outcomes in patients with azoospermia. Therefore, we developed a deep learning (DL) model to establish the associations between testicular grayscale ultrasound images and testicular histology. We retrospectively included two-dimensional testicular grayscale ultrasound from patients with azoospermia (353 men with 4357 images between July 2017 and December 2021 in The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China) to develop a DL model. We obtained testicular histology during conventional testicular sperm extraction. Our DL model was trained based on ultrasound images or fusion data (ultrasound images fused with the corresponding testicular volume) to distinguish spermatozoa presence in pathology (SPP) and spermatozoa absence in pathology (SAP) and to classify maturation arrest (MA) and Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCOS) in patients with SAP. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs), accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were used to analyze model performance. DL based on images achieved an AUC of 0.922 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.908-0.935), a sensitivity of 80.9%, a specificity of 84.6%, and an accuracy of 83.5% in predicting SPP (including normal spermatogenesis and hypospermatogenesis) and SAP (including MA and SCOS). In the identification of SCOS and MA, DL on fusion data yielded better diagnostic performance with an AUC of 0.979 (95% CI: 0.969-0.989), a sensitivity of 89.7%, a specificity of 97.1%, and an accuracy of 92.1%. Our study provides a noninvasive method to predict testicular histology for patients with azoospermia, which would avoid unnecessary testicular biopsy.
Humans ; Male ; Azoospermia/diagnostic imaging* ; Deep Learning ; Testis/pathology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Adult ; Ultrasonography/methods* ; Sperm Retrieval ; Sertoli Cell-Only Syndrome/diagnostic imaging*

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the dynamic changes in serum microRNA-15b (miR-15b) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in preterm infants with mild or moderate-to-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), as well as their value in assessing short-term neurodevelopment. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical data of 156 preterm infants with BPD who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit from January 2020 to February 2023. According to the severity of BPD, they were divided into a mild group (n=88) and a moderate-to-severe group (n=68). Serum levels of miR-15b and VEGF were measured on postnatal days 1, 7, 14, and 28. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to assess the dynamic changes in serum levels of miR-15b and VEGF. The mediating effect of VEGF between miR-15b and short-term neurological development was tested and analyzed using the stepwise regression method and the Bootstrap method. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors influencing adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. RESULTS: In the mild group, there was a significant reduction in the serum level of miR-15b and a significant increase in VEGF over time (P<0.05), while in the moderate-to-severe group, there was a significant increase in miR-15b and a significant reduction in VEGF over time (P<0.05). Serum miR-15b and VEGF levels were important factors influencing neurodevelopmental outcomes, showing independent correlations (P<0.001). The mediating effect analysis indicated that miR-15b indirectly affected short-term neurodevelopment by inhibiting VEGF expression [indirect effect: -0.705 (95%CI: -1.178 to -0.372)], with the indirect effect accounting for 54.36% of the total effect. CONCLUSIONS There are different changing trends in serum levels of miR-15b and VEGF in preterm infants with mild and moderate-to-severe BPD. miR-15b primarily influences neurodevelopment through VEGF.
Humans ; Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia/physiopathology* ; MicroRNAs/blood* ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/blood* ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature/blood* ; Female ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Child Development ; Nervous System/growth & development*

Objective Pancreatic cancer(PC)is a malignant tumor of the digestive tract that is difficult to diagnose early,easily metastasizes and relapses,and resistant to conventional chemotherapy.PC is a very difficult disease to treat.The key regulatory factors of PC resistance,such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition phenotypic cells,tumor stem cells,and miRNAs,have been reviewed in the past few years,and some new regulatory factors have been discovered as supplements.This review mainly focuses on the characteristics and properties of the key regulatory factors of PC chemotherapy resistance including long noncoding RNAs,nuclear factor KB and exosomes,drug resistance mechanisms,and treatment related strategies,and future treatment directions were predicted.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Chinese patent medicine combined with inhalation therapy for bronchial asthma in children with network meta-analysis.Methods CNKI,CBM,Wanfang Data,VIP,Embase,PubMed,and Web of Science were searched for obtaining the clinical randomized controlled trials of Chinese patent medicine combined with inhalation therapy for the treatment of bronchial asthma in children.Stata14 was used for network meta-analysis of the data.Results A total of 28 studies were eventually included,involving seven kinds of Chinese patent medicines,namely Hanchuan Zupa Granules,Huaiqihuang Granules,Tanreqing Injection,Xiaoer Feire Kechuan Granules,Chuankezhi Injection,Yupingfeng Granules and Zhubei Dingchuan Pills.The results of network meta-analysis showed that for improving the total effective rate,Tanreqing Injection combined with inhalation therapy,Chuankezhi Injection combined with inhalation therapy,and Zhubei Dingchuan Pills combined with inhalation therapy had the top 3 rankings of surface under the cumulative ranking curve(SUCRA).The optimal intervention measures to improve the peak expiratory flow(PEF),forced expiratory volume at one second(FEV1),and the ratio of FEV1 to forced vital capacity(FEV1/FVC)may separately be Tanreqing Injection combined with inhalation therapy,Hanchuan Zupa Granules combined with inhalation therapy,and Zhubei Dingchuan Pills combined with inhalation therapy.The analysis of the SUCRA ranking of the incidence of adverse reactions showed that Xiaoer Feire Kechuan Granules combined with inhalation therapy may be the intervention with the least side effects,and Zhubei Dingchuan Pills combined with inhalation therapy may be the intervention with greater side effects.Conclusion Compared with inhalation therapy alone,Chinese patent medicine combined with inhalation therapy can enhance the effective rate of bronchial asthma in children and improve lung function indicators,and has good safety.

Objective: To explore the epidemiological characteristic of a COVID-19 outbreak caused by 2019-nCoV Omicron variant BF.7 and other provinces imported in Shenzhen and analyze transmission chains and characteristics. Methods: Field epidemiological survey was conducted to identify the transmission chain, analyze the generation relationship among the cases. The 2019-nCoV nucleic acid positive samples were used for gene sequencing. Results: From 8 to 23 October, 2022, a total of 196 cases of COVID-19 were reported in Shenzhen, all the cases had epidemiological links. In the cases, 100 were men and 96 were women, with a median of age, M (Q₁, Q₃) was 33(25, 46) years. The outbreak was caused by traverlers initial cases infected with 2019-nCoV who returned to Shenzhen after traveling outside of Guangdong Province.There were four transmission chains, including the transmission in place of residence and neighbourhood, affecting 8 persons, transmission in social activity in the evening on 7 October, affecting 65 persons, transmission in work place on 8 October, affecting 48 persons, and transmission in a building near the work place, affecting 74 persons. The median of the incubation period of the infection, M (Q₁, Q₃) was 1.44 (1.11, 2.17) days. The incubation period of indoor exposure less than that of the outdoor exposure, M (Q₁, Q₃) was 1.38 (1.06, 1.84) and 1.95 (1.22, 2.99) days, respcetively (Wald χ²=10.27, P=0.001). With the increase of case generation, the number and probability of gene mutation increased. In the same transmission chain, the proportion of having 1-3 mutation sites was high in the cases in the first generation. Conclusions: The transmission chains were clear in this epidemic. The incubation period of Omicron variant BF.7 infection was shorter, the transmission speed was faster, and the gene mutation rate was higher. It is necessary to conduct prompt response and strict disease control when epidemic occurs.
Male ; Humans ; Female ; SARS-CoV-2 ; COVID-19/epidemiology* ; Disease Outbreaks ; Epidemics ; China/epidemiology*

Genetic risk factors have been shown to contribute to the development of sexual dysfunction. However, the role of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene variants in the risk of erectile dysfunction (ED) remains unclear. In this study, we recruited 1254 participants who underwent ED assessed by the International Index of Erectile Function-5. The MTHFR c.677C>T variant was also measured by fluorescence polymerase chain reaction (PCR). No significant difference in the genotypic frequency of the MTHFR C677T polymorphism (CC, CT, and TT) was observed between men from the ED and non-ED groups. In addition, on binary logistic regression analysis, both crude and adjusted models showed that the risk of ED was not significantly associated with the C677T polymorphism. Interestingly, a significantly higher frequency of the 677TT polymorphism was found in severe and moderate ED (P = 0.02). The positive correlation between the MTHFR 677TT polymorphism and severe ED was confirmed by logistic regression analysis, even after adjusting for potential confounders (odds ratio [OR] = 2.46, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.15-5.50, P = 0.02). These findings suggest a positive correlation between the MTHFR 677TT polymorphism and the risk of severe ED. Identification of MTHFR gene polymorphisms may provide complementary information for ED patients during routine clinical diagnosis.

Humans ; Infant ; Female ; Dandy-Walker Syndrome/diagnosis* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Craniocerebral Trauma/complications*

ObjectiveTo study the effects of Wendantang on the expression of miRNA-219， N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 2B （NR2B）， disrupted in schizophrenia 1 （DISC1）， and Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase Ⅱγ （CaMKⅡγ） in the frontal lobe of rats with schizophrenia. MethodSixty rats were randomly divided into six groups， namely normal group， model group， high-， medium-， and low-dose Wendantang groups， and clozapine group， with 10 rats in each group. Rats in high-， medium-， and low-dose Wendantang groups were intragastric with 40， 20， and 10 g·kg^-1 Wendantang， and the ones in clozapine group were intragastric with 0.02 g·kg^-1 clozapine， those in normal and model group were intragastric with equal volume of normal saline， once a day. After 21 days of administration， rats in all groups except for the normal group were injected with 0.6 mg·kg^-1 dizocilpine maleate （MK-801） into the left abdominal cavity for inducing acute schizophrenia. The stereotypic behavior and ataxia in rats were scored according to SAMS and HOFFMAN criteria. The morphological changes in the prefrontal cortex were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. The protein expression levels of NR2B, DISC1 and CaMKⅡγ in the frontal lobe was detected by Western blot. The mRNA expression levels of miRNA-219 was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR）. ResultCompared with normal group， the model group exhibited significantly increased stereotypic behavior and ataxia scores （P<0.01）， karyopyknosis and karyolysis in most neurons of the prefrontal cortex， and down-regulated NR2B， DISC1， and CaMKⅡγ protein expression （P<0.01） and miRNA-219， NR2B， DISC1， and CaMKⅡγ mRNA expression （P<0.01）. Compared with model group， Wendantang high-， medium-， and low-doses group lowered the scores of stereotypic behavior and ataxia at 50， 60 mmin（P<0.05，P<0.01）. In high- and medium-dose Wendantang groups， the neurons in the prefrontal cortex were densely arranged. The karyopyknosis and karyolysis were alleviated to varying degrees. The NR2B protein expression in the frontal lobe was up-regulated （P<0.01）. In the medium- and low-dose Wendantang groups， the DISC1 protein expression in the frontal lobe was up-regulated （P<0.05，P<0.01）. Wendantang at each dose significantly increased the CaMKⅡγ protein expression （P<0.05） and miRNA-219， NR2B， DISC1， and CaMKⅡγ mRNA expression in the frontal lobe （P<0.05，P<0.01）. ConclusionWendantang improves the scores of stereotypical behavior and ataxia， relieves the karyopyknosis and karyolysis of neurons in the prefrontal cortex， and increases the expression levels of miRNA-219， NR2B， DISC1， and CaMKⅡγ of rats with schizophrenia， so as to alleviate the schizophrenic-like symptoms and schizophrenia.

A total of 15 batches of the substance reference of Guizhi Jia Gegen Decoction(GZGGD) were prepared and the characteristic fingerprints of them were established. Furthermore, the similarity of the fingerprints and peak attributes were explored. The extraction rate, and the content and the transfer rate ranges of the index components, puerarin, paeoniflorin, liquiritin, and ammonium glycyrrhizate were determined for the analysis of the quality value transfer. The result demonstrated that the fingerprints of the 15 batches of the samples showed high similarity(>0.99). A total of 15 characteristic peaks were identified from the fingerprints, with 10 for Puerariae Lobatae Radix, 1 for Cinnamomi Ramulus, 2 for Paeoniae Radix Alba, and 2 for Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma. The content of puerarin was 11.05-18.35 mg·g~(-1) and the average transfer rate was 21.27%-39.49%. The corresponding figures were 7.95-10.90 mg·g~(-1) and 23.28%-43.23% for paeoniflorin, 3.25-4.95 mg·g~(-1) and 32.31%-61.27% for ammonium glycyrrhizate, and 3.65-5.80 mg·g~(-1) and 14.57%-27.05% for liquiritin. The extraction rate of the 15 batches of samples was in the range of 16.85%-21.78%. In this paper, the quality value transfer of the substance reference of GZGGD was analyzed based on characteristic fingerprint, content of index components, and the extraction rate. This study is expected to lay a basis for the quality control and further development of GZGGD.
Ammonium Compounds ; Benchmarking ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Paeonia

OBJECTIVES: To study the etiology and clinical features of children with ascites, so as to provide a basis for the diagnosis and treatment of ascites in children. METHODS: The medical data of the children with ascites, who were hospitalized from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2019, were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Among the 165 children with ascites, the male/female ratio was 1.53:1, and the mean age of onset was (6±4) years. The causes of ascites included surgical acute abdomen (39 children, 23.6%), infectious diseases (39 children, 23.6%), neoplastic diseases (27 children, 16.4%), hepatogenic diseases (18 children, 10.9%), pancreatitis (10 children, 6.1%), cardiogenic diseases (8 children, 4.8%), rheumatic immune diseases (6 children, 3.6%), and nephrogenic diseases (5 children, 3.0%). According to the age of onset, there were 33 infants, 24 young children, 30 preschool children, 41 school-aged children, and 37 adolescents. Surgical acute abdomen and hepatogenic diseases were the main causes of ascites in infants (P<0.05). Neoplastic disease was the leading cause in young children (P<0.05). Infectious diseases were the most common cause in adolescents (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Surgical acute abdomen, infectious diseases, neoplastic diseases, and hepatogenic diseases are the common causes of ascites in children, and there are some differences in the leading cause of ascites between different age groups.
Abdomen, Acute/complications* ; Adolescent ; Ascites/etiology* ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Communicable Diseases ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Neoplasms/complications* ; Pancreatitis/complications* ; Retrospective Studies