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

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

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

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

Objective: To assess the role of dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI of the extraocular muscles (EOMs) for determining the activity of thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) and treatment response to glucocorticoids (GCs). Materials and Methods: We prospectively enrolled 65 patients with TAO (41 active, 82 eyes; 24 inactive, 48 eyes). Twenty-two active patients completed the GC treatment and follow-up assessment, including 15 patients (30 eyes) and 7 patients (14 eyes), defined as responsive and unresponsive, respectively. Model-free (time to peak [TTP], area under the curve [AUC], and Slope max) and model-based (Ktrans , Kep, and Ve) parameters of EOMs in embedded simplified histogram analyses were calculated and compared between groups. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent predictors. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was used to evaluate the diagnostic performance. Results: Active patients exhibited significantly higher TTP at the 10th percentile (-10th), TTP-mean, and TTP at the 90th percentile (-90th); AUC-10th, AUC-mean, AUC-90th, and AUC-max; Ktrans -10th and Ktrans -mean; and Ve-10th, Ve-mean, Ve-90th, and Ve-max than inactive patients (P < 0.05). Responsive patients exhibited significantly lower TTP-min; higher Ktrans -mean and Ktrans -max; and higher Kep-10th, Kep-mean, and Kep-max than unresponsive patients (P < 0.05). TTP-mean and Ve-mean were independent variables for determining disease activity (P = 0.017 and 0.022, respectively). A combination of the two parameters could determine active TAO with moderate performance (AUROC = 0.687). TTP-min and Ktrans -mean were independent predictors of the response to GCs (P = 0.023 and 0.004, respectively), uniting which could determine the response to GCs with decent performance (AUROC = 0.821). Conclusion DCE-MRI-derived model-free and model-based parameters of EOMs can assist in the evaluation of TAO. In particular, TTP-mean and Ve-mean could be useful for determining the activity of TAO, whereas TTP-min and K trans -mean could be promising biomarkers for determining the response to GCs.

Objective: To assess the role of dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI of the extraocular muscles (EOMs) for determining the activity of thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) and treatment response to glucocorticoids (GCs). Materials and Methods: We prospectively enrolled 65 patients with TAO (41 active, 82 eyes; 24 inactive, 48 eyes). Twenty-two active patients completed the GC treatment and follow-up assessment, including 15 patients (30 eyes) and 7 patients (14 eyes), defined as responsive and unresponsive, respectively. Model-free (time to peak [TTP], area under the curve [AUC], and Slope max) and model-based (Ktrans , Kep, and Ve) parameters of EOMs in embedded simplified histogram analyses were calculated and compared between groups. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent predictors. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was used to evaluate the diagnostic performance. Results: Active patients exhibited significantly higher TTP at the 10th percentile (-10th), TTP-mean, and TTP at the 90th percentile (-90th); AUC-10th, AUC-mean, AUC-90th, and AUC-max; Ktrans -10th and Ktrans -mean; and Ve-10th, Ve-mean, Ve-90th, and Ve-max than inactive patients (P < 0.05). Responsive patients exhibited significantly lower TTP-min; higher Ktrans -mean and Ktrans -max; and higher Kep-10th, Kep-mean, and Kep-max than unresponsive patients (P < 0.05). TTP-mean and Ve-mean were independent variables for determining disease activity (P = 0.017 and 0.022, respectively). A combination of the two parameters could determine active TAO with moderate performance (AUROC = 0.687). TTP-min and Ktrans -mean were independent predictors of the response to GCs (P = 0.023 and 0.004, respectively), uniting which could determine the response to GCs with decent performance (AUROC = 0.821). Conclusion DCE-MRI-derived model-free and model-based parameters of EOMs can assist in the evaluation of TAO. In particular, TTP-mean and Ve-mean could be useful for determining the activity of TAO, whereas TTP-min and K trans -mean could be promising biomarkers for determining the response to GCs.

Objective: To assess the role of dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI of the extraocular muscles (EOMs) for determining the activity of thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) and treatment response to glucocorticoids (GCs). Materials and Methods: We prospectively enrolled 65 patients with TAO (41 active, 82 eyes; 24 inactive, 48 eyes). Twenty-two active patients completed the GC treatment and follow-up assessment, including 15 patients (30 eyes) and 7 patients (14 eyes), defined as responsive and unresponsive, respectively. Model-free (time to peak [TTP], area under the curve [AUC], and Slope max) and model-based (Ktrans , Kep, and Ve) parameters of EOMs in embedded simplified histogram analyses were calculated and compared between groups. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent predictors. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was used to evaluate the diagnostic performance. Results: Active patients exhibited significantly higher TTP at the 10th percentile (-10th), TTP-mean, and TTP at the 90th percentile (-90th); AUC-10th, AUC-mean, AUC-90th, and AUC-max; Ktrans -10th and Ktrans -mean; and Ve-10th, Ve-mean, Ve-90th, and Ve-max than inactive patients (P < 0.05). Responsive patients exhibited significantly lower TTP-min; higher Ktrans -mean and Ktrans -max; and higher Kep-10th, Kep-mean, and Kep-max than unresponsive patients (P < 0.05). TTP-mean and Ve-mean were independent variables for determining disease activity (P = 0.017 and 0.022, respectively). A combination of the two parameters could determine active TAO with moderate performance (AUROC = 0.687). TTP-min and Ktrans -mean were independent predictors of the response to GCs (P = 0.023 and 0.004, respectively), uniting which could determine the response to GCs with decent performance (AUROC = 0.821). Conclusion DCE-MRI-derived model-free and model-based parameters of EOMs can assist in the evaluation of TAO. In particular, TTP-mean and Ve-mean could be useful for determining the activity of TAO, whereas TTP-min and K trans -mean could be promising biomarkers for determining the response to GCs.

Objective: To assess the role of dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI of the extraocular muscles (EOMs) for determining the activity of thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) and treatment response to glucocorticoids (GCs). Materials and Methods: We prospectively enrolled 65 patients with TAO (41 active, 82 eyes; 24 inactive, 48 eyes). Twenty-two active patients completed the GC treatment and follow-up assessment, including 15 patients (30 eyes) and 7 patients (14 eyes), defined as responsive and unresponsive, respectively. Model-free (time to peak [TTP], area under the curve [AUC], and Slope max) and model-based (Ktrans , Kep, and Ve) parameters of EOMs in embedded simplified histogram analyses were calculated and compared between groups. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent predictors. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was used to evaluate the diagnostic performance. Results: Active patients exhibited significantly higher TTP at the 10th percentile (-10th), TTP-mean, and TTP at the 90th percentile (-90th); AUC-10th, AUC-mean, AUC-90th, and AUC-max; Ktrans -10th and Ktrans -mean; and Ve-10th, Ve-mean, Ve-90th, and Ve-max than inactive patients (P < 0.05). Responsive patients exhibited significantly lower TTP-min; higher Ktrans -mean and Ktrans -max; and higher Kep-10th, Kep-mean, and Kep-max than unresponsive patients (P < 0.05). TTP-mean and Ve-mean were independent variables for determining disease activity (P = 0.017 and 0.022, respectively). A combination of the two parameters could determine active TAO with moderate performance (AUROC = 0.687). TTP-min and Ktrans -mean were independent predictors of the response to GCs (P = 0.023 and 0.004, respectively), uniting which could determine the response to GCs with decent performance (AUROC = 0.821). Conclusion DCE-MRI-derived model-free and model-based parameters of EOMs can assist in the evaluation of TAO. In particular, TTP-mean and Ve-mean could be useful for determining the activity of TAO, whereas TTP-min and K trans -mean could be promising biomarkers for determining the response to GCs.