OBJECTIVETo explore the predictive value of sperm chromatin integrity test (SCIT) in assisted reproductive technology (ART) by analyzing the relationship of sperm chromatin integrity (SCI) with the outcomes of IVF-ET and ICSI.

METHODSSperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) was performed to test SCI in 187 ART cycles, and the results were expressed as DNA fragmentation index (DFI). According to the level of DFI, the 187 cycles were allocated to a high DFI group (DFI > or = 30% ) and a low DFI group (DFI < 30%), each of which was again divided into an IVF and an ICSI subgroup. Comparisons were made between the IVF and ICSI subgroups of the high and low DFI groups in the fertilization rate, cleavage rate, embryo quality, and clinical pregnancy rate.

RESULTSThe clinical pregnancy rate of ICSI was significantly higher than that of IVF in the high DFI group, while the clinical outcomes showed no significant differences between the high and low DFI groups in either the IVF or the ICSI subgroup.

CONCLUSIONSperm DNA damage affects the outcome of ART, and therefore SCIT can be used as a supplementary option to standard semen analysis in choosing the method for ART.

Adult ; Chromatin ; DNA Fragmentation ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Humans ; Male ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Semen Analysis ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic ; Spermatozoa ; cytology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical effects of the combined therapy of the Chinese medicine Compound Xuanju Capsule and vitamin E on sperm chromatin damage in idiopathic oligoasthenospermia.

METHODSWe assigned 50 infertile men with seminal abnormality to a control group (n = 26) and a trial group (n = 24) to receive vitamin E and the combined therapy of Compound Xuanju Capsule plus vitamin E, respectively, both treated for 3 months. Before and after the treatment, we detected semen routine parameters and sperm DNA fragmentation indexes (DFI) by computer aided semen analysis (CASA) and sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA), and compared them between the two groups.

RESULTSThere was no obvious difference between the percentage of progressively motile sperm in the trial group and that in the control group (21.55 +/- 8.68 vs 21.47 +/- 11.53, P > 0.05). The trial group showed a significantly decreased sperm DFI after medication as compared with pre-medication (29.57 +/- 12.19 vs 34.09 +/- 10.32, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe combined therapy of Compound Xuanju Capsule and vitamin E can effectively improve seminal quality and reduce sperm chromatin damage in infertile men with idiopathic oligoasthenospermia.

Adult ; Capsules ; Chromatin ; drug effects ; DNA Damage ; drug effects ; DNA Fragmentation ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; drug therapy ; genetics ; Male ; Spermatozoa ; drug effects ; Vitamin E ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the feasibility and clinical application value of selecting viable spermatozoa by noncontact diode laser.

METHODSWe obtained immotile spermatozoa from 2 infertile men with obstructive azoospermia or severe asthenospermia and selected viable spermatozoa using a single laser shot at the sperm tail. Those that responded to the laser shot by a curling reaction of the tail were regarded as presumably viable and used for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

RESULTSThe mean fertilization rate was 88.89% after ICSI with the laser-selected viable spermatozoa. Both of the embryo transfers resulted in a single pregnancy.

CONCLUSIONNoncontact diode laser is a useful alternative for the assessment of sperm viability, which may help to achieve successful pregnancy.

Embryo Transfer ; Female ; Fertilization ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; therapy ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic ; Sperm Motility ; Sperm Tail ; physiology

To study the effect of steaming and baking process on contents of alkaloids in Aconite Lateralis Radix (Fuzi), 13 alkaloids were analyzed by UPLC-MS/MS equipped with ESI ion source in MRM mode. In steaming process, the contents of diester-diterpenoid alkaloids decreased rapidly, the contents of monoester-diterpenoid alkaloids firstly increased, reached the peak at 40 min, and then deceased gradually. The contents of aconine alkaloids (mesaconine, aconine and hypaconine) increased all the time during processing, while the contents of fuziline, songorine, karacoline, salsolionl were stable or slightly decreased. In baking process, dynamic variations of alkaloids were different from that in the steaming process. Diester-diterpenoid alkaloids were degraded slightly slower than in steaming process. Monoester-diterpenoid alkaloids, aconine alkaloids and the total alkaloids had been destroyed at different degrees, their contents were significantly lower than the ones in steaming Fuzi at the same processing time. This experiment revealed the dynamic variations of alkaloids in the course of steaming and baking. Two processing methods which can both effectively remove the toxic ingredients and retain the active ingredients are simple and controllable, and are valuable for popularization and application.
Aconitine ; analogs & derivatives ; isolation & purification ; Aconitum ; chemistry ; Alkaloids ; isolation & purification ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drug Stability ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; Hot Temperature ; Plant Extracts ; isolation & purification ; Steam ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Time Factors

Objective To analyze obese children serum lipid level in order to understand the relationship between serum lipid and cardiovascular disease in obese children.Methods One hundred and fifty-three children(109 male and 44 female)aged 4-16 years old with obesity who attended the outpatient clinic of Beijing Children′s Hospital were collected.Percentage body fat (%BF),body fat (BF),fat-free mass (FFM) was estimated by using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and calculate.Waist and hip circumference,waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) was estimated by soft tape measure and calculate.Skinfold thickness of scapular bone below (S) and triceps muscle (T),S/T rate was estimated by skin fold meter and calculate.Serum total cholesterol (TC),triglyceride(TG),high density lipoprotein(HDL-C),low density lipoprotein(LDL-C),apolipoprotein(Apo) AI and Apo B levels were also measured.SPSS 11.0 software was used to analyzed the data.Results The cardiovascular disease related was the prevalence of high TC levels(3.3%)or high LDL-C level(6.0%) and high TG level(24.7%) was rather low.HDL-C level was reduced in 31.3% of obese children.In children over 10 years old,%BW and %BF showed a weak correlation with HDL-C(r=-0.202,-0.211).Conclusions In obese children,serum lipid as well as Apo level should be exa-mined in order to evaluate angiocardiopathy.

BACKGROUNDSevoflurane preconditioning (SP) has been shown to invoke potent myocardial protection in animal studies and clinical trials. However, the mechanisms underlying SP are complex and not yet well understood. We investigated the hypothesis that the cardioprotection afforded by SP is mediated via the Wnt/glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β)/β-catenin signaling pathway.

METHODSTwo models were established: a Langendorff perfused rat heart model and the H9C2 cell hypoxia/reoxygenation model. Both rats and H9C2 cells were randomly divided into 6 groups as follows: S group, ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) group, DMSO group, IWP group, SP group, and SP + IWP group. Hemodynamic parameters, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in coronary effluent and cell culture supernatant, and the infarct size were measured to evaluate myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injuries. To determine the activity of Wnt/GSK3β/β-catenin signaling pathway, the expressions of Wnt3a, phospho-GSK3β, and β-catenin were measured by Western blotting.

RESULTSSP improved cardiac function recovery, reduced infarct size (18 ± 2% in the SP group compared with 35 ± 4% in the I/R group; P < 0.05), decreased LDH activity in coronary effluent, and culture supernatant. IWP-2, an inhibitor of Wnt, abolished the cardioprotection by SP. In addition, Western blotting analysis demonstrated that the expressions of Wnt3a, phospho-GSK3β, and β-catenin significantly (P < 0.05) increased in the I/R group, compared with the S group; and compared to I/R group, SP significantly (P < 0.05) increased Wnt3a, phospho-GSK3β, and β-catenin expressions. Pretreatment with IWP-2 significantly (P < 0.05) abolished SP-induced Wnt/GSK3β/β-catenin signaling activation.

CONCLUSIONSThe results showed for thefirst time that cardioprotection afforded by SP may be mediated partly via the Wnt/GSK3β/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Animals ; Cell Hypoxia ; drug effects ; Cell Line ; Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta ; Hemodynamics ; drug effects ; Male ; Methyl Ethers ; therapeutic use ; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury ; drug therapy ; prevention & control ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Wnt Signaling Pathway ; drug effects ; genetics ; beta Catenin ; genetics ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo detect plasma concentrations of vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) and tissue factor (TF) in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and explore their clinical significance in ALL.

METHODSThirty-three children with newly diagnosed ALL, including 18 cases of low risk, 7 cases of moderate risk and 8 cases of high risk, were enrolled in this study. Twenty-five patients received a complete remission and 8 cases were in non-remission after conventional remission induction chemotherapy. Plasma concentrations of VEGF and TF in the patients were detected using ELISA before and after treatment. Sixteen healthy children served as normal control group.

RESULTSPlasma concentrations of VEGF and TF in ALL patients before treatment were significantly higher than those in normal controls (P < 0.01). Plasma concentrations of VEGF and TF in the non-remission group before treatment were significantly higher than those in the remission group (P < 0.05) and the control group (P < 0.01). After treatment the plasma concentrations of VEGF and TF in the non-remission group were not significantly reduced and higher than those in the remission and the control groups (P < 0.01). There were significant differences in plasma concentrations of VEGF and TF among the low-risk, moderate-risk and high-risk groups before and after treatment (P < 0.05). Plasma concentrations of VEGF and TF in the high risk group were not significantly reduced after treatment and higher than those in the control group (P < 0.01). A linear correlation was noted between plasma VEGF and TF concentrations in ALL patients before treatment (r=0.50, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSVEGF and TF play an important role in the development of ALL and may be useful to the evaluation of the severity and the outcome in ALL.

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; blood ; etiology ; Thromboplastin ; analysis ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; blood

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of different fertilization methods on the outcomes of elective blastocyst culture.

METHODSWe retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of elective blastocyst culture for 1 153 cycles of IVF and 205 cycles of ICSI performed between january 2009 and December 2012.

RESULTSA total number of 14 748 embryos in the IVF group and 2 655 embryos in the ICSI group underwent sequential blastocyst culture, with 7 871 blastocysts formed in the former and 1 210 in the latter. No cycles were canceled for no blastocyst formation in either of the two groups. The rates of quality embryos, blastocyst formation and embryo utilization were significantly higher in the IVF than in the ICSI group (64.77 vs 58.72%, 53.37 vs 45.57%, and 60.06 vs 52.17%, all P < 0.05), but the rates of implantation, clinical pregnancy and abortion showed no significant differences between the two groups (48.94 vs 51.43%, 49.03 vs 52.02%, and 11.69% vs 15.56, all P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONWith the same inclusion criteria of selective blastocyst culture, IVF has a lower risk of cycle cancellation due to no blastocyst formation and therefore may effect higher rates of blastocyst formation and embryo utilization than ICSI. Our study suggested that appropriate inclusion criteria of selective blastocyst culture should be laid down according to different fertilization methods.

Adult ; Blastocyst ; Embryo Transfer ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro ; methods ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Retrospective Studies ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic

OBJECTIVETo study the protective effect of Sanhuangyinchi Fang drug serum (SF) against hydrogen peroxide-mediated DNA oxidative damage in LO2 cells.

METHODSThe LO2 cells were randomly divided into the control group, H(2)O(2) group, SF groups (5%, 10%, and 15%) and vitE group. The morphological features of the treated LO2 cells were observed under inverted microscope. The viability of the treated cells was assessed with CCK-8 method, and the activity of SOD, CAT and GSH-PX were detected biochemically. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, the content of 8-OHdG, and DNA damage of the cells were evaluated by flow cytometry, ELISA, and Comet assay, respectively.

RESULTSCompared with H(2)O(2) group, the cells in SF groups (10% and 15%) and vitE group showed higher cell survival rate (P<0.05) and higher SOD, CAT, GSH-PX (P<0.05) and ROS scavenging activities (P<0.01) with markedly decreases the content of 8-OHdG (P<0.01) and reduced tailing ratio, tail length, tail moment and Olive tail moment (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSF drug serum, especially at the concentration of 15%, can protect LO2 cells from H(2)O(2)-mediated DNA oxidative damage.

Cell Line ; Comet Assay ; DNA Damage ; Deoxyguanosine ; analogs & derivatives ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; toxicity ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Oxidative Stress ; Protective Agents ; pharmacology ; Reactive Oxygen Species

Objective To discuss the MRI features of sophorae subprostrate intoxication.Methods Four cases with sophorae subprostrate intoxication underwent conventional MRI and diffusion-weighted imaging(DWI)with a 1.5 T MR system.Results In four cases,all cerebellar dentate nuclei showed symmetric patchy hyper-intensity on T_2 weighted images and iso-intensity on diffusion-weighted images as well as hyper-intensity on ADC maps.The bilateral dorsum of the brain stem and thalamus were involved in one ease.Symmetric long T_1 and T_2 signals and high DWI signals with low ADC values in bilateral basal ganglia area were demonstrated in one case with severe symptoms.After treatment,repeated MR images in two cases showed the abnormal signals of dentate nucleus disappeared,and the lesions of basal ganglia area in one case tended to be cystie with longer T_1 and T_2 signals and low DWI signals.Conclusion It is specific for intoxication of sophorae subprostrate to affect the dentate nuclei and lentiform nuclei.MRI and DWI is helpful for the early diagnosis,differential diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of this disease.