OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship of seasonal variation with pre- and post-thaw semen parameters as well as the cryosurgical of human spermatozoa.

METHODSA total of 6 414 semen samples were collected from 1 135 donors aged 22 - 32 years by Zhejiang Human Sperm Bank, and divided into spring, summer, autumn and winter groups according to the time of collection. All the samples underwent routine seminal analysis, and the sperm parameters were compared between different seasons. The sperm specimens were cryopreserved in aliquots and analyzed after thawing.

RESULTSThe semen volume was (2.92 +/- 1.17) ml in spring, significantly higher than in summer, autumn and winter ([2.71 +/- 1.07 ], [2.74 +/- 1.15] and [2.83 +/- 1.15] ml, P < 0.05). Sperm density was the highest in autumn ([105.60 +/- 39.76] x 10(6)/ml) as compared with the other three seasons ([101.18 +/- 40.16] x 10(6)/ml, [93.54 +/- 35.10] x 10(6)/ml, and [101.29 +/- 38.37] x 10(6)/ml, P < 0.05). The sperm progressive motility was the highest in spring ([58.49 +/- 10.04] %) and the cryosurgical of sperm the lowest in summer, with statistically significant differences from the other groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSeasonal variations affect human semen quality and cryosurgical of sperm. The semen volume, the percentage of progressive motile sperm, the cryosurgical of sperm, and the post-thaw density of progressive motile sperm are higher in spring than during the rest of the year.

Adult ; Cryopreservation ; Humans ; Male ; Seasons ; Semen Analysis ; Semen Preservation ; Sperm Banks ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Motility ; Tissue Donors ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVEAn electric monitor of bruxism had been invented in order to evaluate the curative effect of cuspid occlusal upheaving splint and stabilization splint.

METHODS20 patients with bruxism were randomly divided into two groups. A cuspid occlusal upheaving splint or a stabilization splint was fabricated respectively for patients. The vertical dimension for each splint was 0.5 mm lower than mandibular postural position. Sleeping time, bruxist time and times of bruxism were recorded with bruxism monitor that was invented for studying bruxing.

RESULTSThe bruxist time and the times of bruxism were decreased obviously in patients with cuspid occlusal upheaving splint, while no significant difference was shown before and after using the stabilization splint.

CONCLUSIONSThe bruxism monitor can automatically measure and record the data of bruxism with splint, which is valuable for clinic. The curative effect of cuspid occlusal upheaving splint is better than that of stabilization splint for treating bruxism.

Adult ; Bruxism ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Electromyography ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Masticatory Muscles ; physiopathology ; Occlusal Splints

OBJECTIVETo compare the criteria of sperm morphology evaluation in the fifth edition of WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen and those in the fourth edition, and to know the changes in the criteria of sperm morphology evaluation in the new edition.

METHODSNine technicians from Zhejiang Human Sperm Bank evaluated the morphology of 1 000 spermatozoa in 96 sperm morphological pictures according to the criteria in the fourth and fifth editions of WHO Laboratory Manual, respectively.

RESULTSThe percentage of morphologically normal sperm by the criteria of the fifth edition was (26.50 +/- 5.06)%, significantly higher than (11.39 +/- 3.17)% by the fourth edition (P < 0.05), while the rates of sperm head and tail defects based on the former were (64.26 +/- 7.66)% and (10.92 +/- 2.03)%, significantly lower than (76.11 +/- 8.18)% and (39.89 +/- 3.85)% according to the latter (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the rates of sperm midpiece defects and excessive residual cytoplasm by the fifth and fourth editions ([16.46 +/- 3.08]% vs [15.22 +/- 3.51 ]% and [4.24 +/- 1.66]% vs [3.87 +/- 1.68]%, P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe criteria of sperm morphology evaluation in the fifth edition of WHO Laboratory Manual are less strict than those in the fourth, and the percentage of morphologically normal sperm is higher according to the fifth edition.

Humans ; Male ; Semen Analysis ; standards ; Sperm Head ; ultrastructure ; Sperm Midpiece ; ultrastructure ; Sperm Motility ; Spermatozoa ; ultrastructure ; World Health Organization

Although Toxoplasma gondii infection in primary school children has been investigated in many countries, limited surveys have been available in primary school children in China. In the present study, we report the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in primary school children in Shandong province, China. Sera from 6,000 primary school children were evaluated for T. gondii antibodies with ELISA. The overall seroprevalence of T. gondii infection was 16.0% (961/6,000), of which 14.5% (870/6,000) were positive for anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies, 3.4% (206/6,000) positive for IgM, and 1.9% (115/6,000) were positive for both IgG and IgM. The results of the present investigation indicated a high seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in primary school children in Shandong province, China. Therefore, effective measures should be taken to prevent and control T. gondii infection in primary school children in this province. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of T. gondii seroprevalence in primary school children in Shandong province, China.
Antibodies, Protozoan/blood ; Child ; China/epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Seroepidemiologic Studies ; Students ; Toxoplasma/genetics/immunology/*isolation & purification ; Toxoplasmosis/blood/*epidemiology/*parasitology

AIMTo investigate the spatial and temporal expression of germ cell nuclear factor (GCNF) in mouse and rat epididymis during postnatal period.

METHODSThe epididymal sections from different postnatal days were stained for GCNF by the indirect immunofluorescence technique and digital photographs were taken by a Carl Zeiss confocal microscope.

RESULTSGCNF was first detected on day 12 in mouse epididymis and day 14 in rat epididymis. The highest expression of GCNF was observed on day 35 in both mouse and rat epididymis. In adults, GCNF exhibited a region-specific expression pattern, i.e., it was expressed predominantly in the initial segment, caput and proximal corpus of rat epididymis and was abundant in the proximal corpus of mouse epididymis. GCNF could be found in the nuclei of the principal, apical, narrow, clear and halo cells.

CONCLUSIONGCNF may play an important role in epididymal differentiation and development and in sperm maturation.

Aging ; Animals ; DNA-Binding Proteins ; analysis ; Epididymis ; chemistry ; growth & development ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 6, Group A, Member 1 ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear ; analysis ; Tissue Distribution

OBJECTIVETo search for a method for the precise measurement of human semen volume so as to provide reliable evidence for clinical semen analysis.

METHODSThe volumes of 492 semen samples collected from 137 donors by Zhejiang Human Sperm Bank were measured respectively by three different methods including electronic balance weighing, volumetric cylinder measuring, and combination of the two methods above. With the combined measuring method, the semen weight was first obtained by electronic balance weighing, then the semen density determined by volumetric cylinder measuring, and lastly the semen volume figured out by a formula. Paired sample t-test was used to compared the combined method with electronic balance weighing and volumetric cylinder measuring.

RESULTSThe mean volume of the 492 semen samples obtained by the combined measuring method was (3.46 +/- 1.17) ml, significantly lower than (3.75 +/- 1.21) ml from electronic balance weighing (P < 0.05) and markedly higher than (3.22 +/- 1.16) ml from volumetric cylinder measuring (P < 0.05). The mean semen density of the 492 samples was (1.0928 +/- 0.0761) g/ml, and the mean weight of the residual semen in the container used in volumetric cylinder measuring was (0.269 +/- 0.122) g.

CONCLUSIONSemen volume measured by electronic balance weighing is higher while that obtained from volumetric cylinder measuring is lower than the actual value. An accurate semen volume can be achieved by the combined measuring method, which, therefore, deserves to be widely used both clinically and in researches.

Adult ; Body Weights and Measures ; Humans ; Male ; Semen ; Semen Analysis ; methods ; Young Adult

[Objective] To investigate the awareness of healthy lifestyle content among residents in Shanghai and to provide basis for future efforts . [ Methods] Stratified random sampling covered all 18 districts in Shanghai .A total of 8548 participants were recruited and questionnaire with them was completed by face to face interview. [Results] Among Shanghai residents aged 18-69 years, 67.8%of them had awareness of all five items of healthy lifestyle content .And 94.6%, 92.3%, 80.7%, 77.3%, and 81 .7%of them respectively had awareness of balanced diet , regular exercise , no smoking , no alcohol a-buse, and keeping mental balance .Analysis of Logistic regression showed that gender , age, area of resi-dence, and education level were factors influencing awareness rates mentioned above . [ Conclusion] The information about healthy lifestyle content was effectively spread by various departments concerned and the Shanghai government .And the above results suggest that specific information spread for different demo-graphic characteristics of different populations is beneficial for future improvement of healthy knowledge a -mong them.

Objective: To evaluate the efficiency and safety of low intensity conditional regimen for children with Fanconi anemia (FA) receiving allogenic hematopoietic stem cells transplantation (allo-HSCT). Methods: Four patients diagnosed as Fanconi anemia were enrolled in this study. One patient received HLA-identical sibling donor hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, two patients underwent unrelated donor matched (UD) HSCT, and one patient received unrelated cord blood transplantation. The conditional regimen consisted of Busulfan with low dose of cyclophosphamide. Results: All 4 cases succeeded in allo-HSCT. The median time for neutrophils engraftment was 11(9-15) day, median time to platelets (PLT) engraftment was 12 (8-28) day. One case occurred with grade I of aGVHD, 1 case with hemorrhagic cystitis. No patient happened with hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD). Conclusion: Low intensity of conditional regimen is efficient and safe which should be recommended for FA patients with HSCT.
Busulfan ; Fanconi Anemia ; Graft vs Host Disease ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Transplantation Conditioning

OBJECTIVETo study the expression and pathological implication of transforming growth factor-1 (TGF-1) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) in intraacinar pulmonary arterioles of children with congenital heart disease and pulmonary hypertension (HP).

METHODSForty-one children with left-to-right shunt congenital heart disease were studied including 25 cases of HP (group A), 16 cases without HP (group B) and 10 children without congenital heart disease as the contols (group C). Expression of TGF-beta1 mRNA and ET-1 mRNA in intraacinar pulmonary arteriolar (IAPA) was studied using in-situ hybridization and image pattern analysis of their absorption values (A value). Changes of the intraacinar arterioles and lung tissue were studied by elastic fiber staining and electronic microscopy respectively.

RESULTS(1) There was a significant difference in the amount of intraacinar pulmonary arterioles (partial-muscular and muscular) counted in either group A or B in comparing with that of group C (F values 149.96 and 142.01 respectively, P < 0.01); (2) Electronic microscopy demonstrated endothelial proliferation of the small arteries, thickening of arteriolar wall, increased density of collagen fibers at adventitia and increased thickness of the capillary basal membrane; (3) The A value of TGF-beta1 mRNA expressed in the pulmonary arterioles of groups A and B by in-situ hybridization were 0.1988 +/- 0.0498 and 0.1098 +/- 0.0428 respectively, however, the expression was weak in group C (A value: 0.0578 +/- 0.0096). There were all significant between each two groups (F = 45.95, P < 0.01). The expression of ET-1 mRNA was markedly increased as well in the endothelial cells of pulmonary arterioles in both groups A and B, with A values of 0.1692 +/- 0.0205 and 0.1004 +/- 0.0140 respectively, whereas the expression was weak in group C (A value of 0.0746 +/- 0.0119). There were all significant between each two groups (F = 139.996, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSThe number of intraacinar pulmonary partial-muscular and muscular arterioles in patients with left-to-right shunt congenital heart defect is drastically increased, along with marked restructuring of the pulmonary vasculatures. In addition, there seems a correlation present between the overexpression of TGF-beta1 mRNA and ET-1 mRNA in intraacinar pulmonary arterioles and the occurrence of pulmonary hypertension in patients with congenital heart disease.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Endothelin-1 ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Female ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; complications ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; complications ; metabolism ; pathology ; Infant ; Lung ; pathology ; ultrastructure ; Male ; Pulmonary Artery ; metabolism ; pathology ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; biosynthesis ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo study the depression symptoms in chronic prostatitis (CP) patients, and explore the correlation between depression symptoms and CP.

METHODSThe Zung self-rating depression scale (SDS) , NIH-CPSI, IIEF-5, and a self-designed questionnaire were employed in 1500 cases of CP patients.

RESULTSA total of 1426 effective questionnaires were collected. The mean score of SDS was (44.24 +/- 10.20), significantly higher than that of the domestic norm (P = 0.000). With the score limitation set at > or = 53, 309 (21.7%) of the CP patients had symptoms of depression, of whom 176 (12.3%) were rated by SDS as in the mild, 114 (8.0%) in the moderate and 19 (1.3%) in the severe state of depression. The dominating symptoms as listed in SDS were exactly the stimulating and provoking factors of CP. The scores of SDS were significantly correlated with disease course, CPSI score, IIEF score and times and cost of treatment (P < 0.01), while no correlation was observed with age and WBC counts in EPS.

CONCLUSIONCP patients mostly have depression problems, which are closely correlated with CP and contribute to the recurrence, refractoriness and discontinued outcome of the disease.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Chronic Disease ; Depressive Disorder ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prostatitis ; epidemiology ; psychology ; Surveys and Questionnaires