Gonad damage is one of the major complications of chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery in male cancer patients. For those who wish for childbearing after treatment, it is of great significance how to protect the reproductive function of the cancer patients. The main strategy for fertility protection is to optimize the treatment protocol, hormone therapy, antioxidant therapy, and the preservation of sperm and testicular tissue. This article presents an overview on the pathogenesis of gonadal damage induced by different treatments and protection of the reproductive function of the patient.
Fertility Preservation ; methods ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; prevention & control ; Male ; Neoplasms ; therapy ; Risk ; Spermatozoa

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of Baxian Xiaoyaotang （BXT） in treating ankylosis of wind-cold-dampness obstruction syndrome after acute Achilles tendon rupture surgery and its effects on transforming growth factor-β₁ （TGF-β₁）， insulin-like growth factor-1 （IGF-1）， and epidermal growth factor （EGF）. Method:According to the visiting sequence， 66 patients with fresh closed Achilles tendon rupture were included and randomly divided into a treatment group （n=33） and a control group （n=33）. Patients in both groups underwent surgical repair， followed by immobilization in long-leg brace， which was then replaced by the boot brace in the fourth week， with the plantar-flexion angle adjusted correspondingly. Six weeks later， the brace was removed for accelerated functional rehabilitation training. On this basis， patients in the treatment group were further instructed to fumigate and wash the affected Achilles tendon with BXT， twice a day， for 45 d. The Leppilahti Achilles tendon performance scores and American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society （AOFAS） ankle-hindfoot scores between the two groups were compared at the time of brace removal and the third， sixth， and twelfth months after surgery. The strength of triceps surae on the affected side was evaluated at the last follow-up visit. The serum TGF-β₁， IGF-1， and EGF levels were detected before and after treatment. The wind-cold-dampness obstruction syndrome scores， symptom scores， the changes in foot dorsiflexion angle， and the overall clinical efficacy were compared. Result:The changes in scores of patients receiving different treatment measures did not synchronize. After the removal of brace， the Leppilahti Achilles tendon performance score and AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score determined at three time points in the treatment group were higher than those in the control group （P<0.05）. At the last follow-up visit， the good-to-excellent rate of muscle strength in the treatment group was 93.94% （31/33）， higher than 72.73% （24/33） in the control group （χ²=0.031，P<0.05）， implying that the strength of triceps surae in the treatment group was better recovered. After treatment， the serum TGF-β₁， IGF-1， and EGF levels in both groups were increased in contrast to those before treatment （P<0.05）， and these levels in the treatment group were all higher than those in the control group （P<0.05）. The foot dorsiflexion angle and the wind-cold-dampness obstruction syndrome score in the treatment group were superior to those in the control group （P<0.05）. The overall response rate of the treatment group was 90.91% （30/33）， higher than 75.76% （25/33） of the control group （χ²=6.981， P<0.05）. No adverse reactions occurred during the treatment. Conclusion:The external fumigation and washing with BXT alleviates both the clinical symptoms and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome， improves the joint function score， triceps surae strength， and other indicators， elevates the serum TGF-β₁， IGF-1， and EGF levels， and enhances the strength and toughness of Achilles tendon of patients with ankylosis due to wind-cold-dampness obstruction after the acute Achilles tendon rupture surgery. Its clinical efficacy is better than that of functional rehabilitation training.

Objective: The solubilization of 4 compounds(Euphorbia factor L₁,L₂,L₃ and L₈),caused by mixed micelles self-assembled from fatty oil of Euphorbiae Semen and bile salt of intestinal juice,was researched in the simulated human intestinal environment. Method: The mixed micelles were prepared with different amounts of fatty oil of Euphorbiae Semen.The transmission electron microscope(TEM) was used to observe the morphology of the micelles.Particle size detector was used to determine the particle size and Zeta potential.HPLC was used to assay the solubility of these 4 compounds.The variation tendency of the total dissolution of these 4 compounds with the change of standing time was observed. Result: Particle size of the mixed micelles was uniform and its morphology was spherical.The absolute values of Zeta potential were less than 20 mV.When the amount of sodium deoxycholate was fixed 4.96 g·L^-1,the solubility of these 4 compounds with the concentration of fatty oil at 0.1-4 g·L^-1 were significantly greater than that at the dosage of 0 g·L^-1.The solubility of these 4 compounds in the micelles formed by fatty oil was 1.3 to 4 times as much as the micelles without fatty oil.The micelles was stable for 36 h. Conclusion: The micelles self-assembled from fatty oil of Euphorbiae Semen and bile salt of intestinal juice,have significant solubilization effect on Euphorbia factor L₁,L₂,L₃ and L₈.This research can lay the foundation for clarifying the detoxification mechanism of removing fatty oil and making frostlike powder from the perspective of pharmaceutics.

In this paper, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) hypoxic injury models were established by sodium dithionite (Na2S2O4). With the protective effects of total salvianolic acids components (TSAC) against oxidative damage of HUVEC as a starting point, cellviability was measured by MTT colorimetric method； intracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA), lactatedehydrogenase (LDH) level, nitric oxide (NO) level, interleukin6 (IL-6), and human tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) expression were measured by kits, to investigate the effect of seven kinds of phenolic acids of TSAC on Na2S2O4-induced HUVEC hypoxic injury. Based on the "component structure" theory, the contribution of the main components in TSAC for the protective effect on hypoxic injury of HUVEC was studied. The results showed that salvianolic acid B, posrnarinic acid A, salvianolic acid A, lactic acid, and lithospermic acid in TSAC play a larger role in protective effect of hypoxic injury of HUVEC. These five components were administered in combinations respectively, and it was concluded that the four components including salvianolic acid B, posrnarinic acid A, salvianolic acid A, lactic acid could be used as the representative components of TSAC.

A rich diversity of wild medicinal plant resources is distributed in China, but the breeding of new plant varieties of Chinese medicinal plants started late and the breeding level is relatively weak. Chinese medicinal plant resources are the foundation for new varieties breeding, and the plant variety rights(PVP) are of great significance for the protection and development of germplasm resources. However, most Chinese medicinal plants do not have a distinctness, uniformity, and stability(DUS) testing guideline. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has put 191 plant species(genera) on protection lists, of which only 30 are medicinal species(genera). At the same time, only 29 of 293 species(genera) plants in the Protection List of New Plant Varieties of the People's Republic of China(Forest and Grass) belong to Chinese medicinal plants. The number of PVP applications and authorization of Chinese medicinal plants is rare, and the composition of variety is unreasonable. Up to now, 29 species(genera) of DUS test guidelines for Chinese medicinal plants have been developed. Some basic problems in the breeding of new varieties of Chinese medicinal plants have appeared, such as the small number of new varieties and insufficient utilization of Chinese medicinal plant resources. This paper reviewed the current situation of breeding of new varieties of Chinese medicinal plants and the research progress of DUS test guidelines in China and discussed the application of biotechnology in the field of Chinese medicinal plant breeding and the existing problems in DUS testing. This paper guides the further application of DUS to protect and utilize the germplasm resources of Chinese medicinal plants.
Agriculture ; Biotechnology ; Plant Breeding ; Plants, Medicinal/genetics*

This study aimed to characterize and identify the non-volatile components in Pogostemonis Herba by using ultra-perfor-mance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) combined with UNIFI and an in-house library. The chemical components in 50% methanol extract of Pogostemonis Herba were detected by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS in both positive and negative MS~E continuum modes. Then, the MS data were processed in UNIFI combined with an in-house library to automatically characterize the metabolites. Based on the multiple adduct ions, exact mass, diagnostic fragment ions, and peak intensity of compounds and the fragmentation pathways and retention behaviors of reference substances, the structures identified by UNIFI were further verified and those of the unidentified compounds were tentatively elucidated. A total of 120 compound structures were identified or tentatively identified, including flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, phenolic acids, terpenes, fatty acids, alkaloids, and phenylethanoid glycosides. Sixteen of them were accurately identified by comparison with reference substances, and 53 compounds were reported the first time for Pogostemonis Herba. This study systematically characterized and identified the non-volatile compounds in Pogostemonis Herba for the first time. The findings provide a scientific basis for revealing the pharmacodynamic material basis, establishing a quality control system, and developing products of Pogostemonis Herba.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the distribution of body mass index (BMI) and risk factors for obesity in children with Diamond-Blackfan Anemia (DBA). METHODS: The children with DBA who attended National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, from January 2003 to December 2020 were enrolled as subjects. The related clinical data and treatment regimens were recorded. The height and weight data measured within 1 week before or after follow-up time points were collected to calculate BMI. The risk factors for obesity were determined by multivariate regression analysis in children with DBA. RESULTS: A total of 129 children with DBA were enrolled, among whom there were 80 boys (62.0%) and 49 girls (38.0%), with a median age of 49 months (range 3-189 months). The prevalence rate of obesity was 14.7% (19/129). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the absence of ribosomal protein gene mutation was closely associated with obesity in children with DBA (adjusted OR=3.63, 95%CI: 1.16-11.38, adjusted P=0.027). In children with glucocorticoid-dependent DBA, obesity was not associated with age of initiation of glucocorticoid therapy, duration of glucocorticoid therapy, and maintenance dose of glucocorticoids (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS There is a high prevalence rate of obesity in children with DBA, and the absence of ribosomal protein gene mutation is closely associated with obesity in children with DBA.
Child ; Male ; Female ; Humans ; Anemia, Diamond-Blackfan/genetics* ; Pediatric Obesity/complications* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Ribosomal Proteins/genetics* ; Mutation