Compounds isolated from Epimedium include the total flavonoids of Epimedium , icariin, and its metabolites (icaritin, icariside I, and icariside II), which have similar molecular structures. Modern pharmacological research and clinical practice have proved that Epimedium and its active components have a wide range of pharmacological effects, especially in improving sexual function, hormone regulation, anti-osteoporosis, immune function regulation, anti-oxidation, and anti-tumor activity. To date, we still need a comprehensive source of knowledge about the pharmacological effects of Epimedium and its bioactive compounds on the male reproductive system. However, their actions in other tissues have been reviewed in recent years. This review critically focuses on the Epimedium , its bioactive compounds, and the biochemical and molecular mechanisms that modulate vital pathways associated with the male reproductive system. Such intrinsic knowledge will significantly further studies on the Epimedium and its bioactive compounds that protect the male reproductive system and provide some guidances for clinical treatment of related male reproductive disorders.
Male ; Epimedium/chemistry* ; Humans ; Genitalia, Male/drug effects* ; Flavonoids/therapeutic use* ; Animals

To investigate the impact of preoperative serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels on the probability of testicular sperm retrieval, we conducted a study of nonobstructive azoospermic (NOA) men with different testicular volumes (TVs) who underwent microdissection testicular sperm extraction (micro-TESE). A total of 177 NOA patients undergoing micro-TESE for the first time from April 2019 to November 2022 in Shenzhen Zhongshan Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital (formerly Shenzhen Zhongshan Urology Hospital, Shenzhen, China) were retrospectively reviewed. The subjects were divided into four groups based on average TV quartiles. Serum hormone levels in each TV group were compared between positive and negative sperm retrieval subgroups. Overall sperm retrieval rate was 57.6%. FSH levels (median [interquartile range]) were higher in the positive sperm retrieval subgroup compared with the negative outcome subgroup when average TV was <5 ml (first quartile [Q1: TV <3 ml]: 43.32 [17.92] IU l -1 vs 32.95 [18.56] IU l -1 , P = 0.048; second quartile [Q2: 3 ml ≤ TV <5 ml]: 31.31 [15.37] IU l -1 vs 25.59 [18.40] IU l -1 , P = 0.042). Elevated serum FSH levels were associated with successful micro-TESE sperm retrieval in NOA men whose average TVs were <5 ml (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.06 per unit increase; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01-1.11; P = 0.011). In men with TVs ≥5 ml, larger TVs were associated with lower odds of sperm retrieval (adjusted OR: 0.84 per 1 ml increase; 95% CI: 0.71-0.98; P = 0.029). In conclusion, elevated serum FSH levels were associated with positive sperm retrieval in micro-TESE in NOA men with TVs <5 ml. In men with TV ≥5 ml, increases in average TVs were associated with lower odds of sperm retrieval.
Humans ; Male ; Azoospermia/surgery* ; Sperm Retrieval/statistics & numerical data* ; Adult ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone/blood* ; Retrospective Studies ; Testis/pathology* ; Microdissection ; Organ Size

OBJECTIVE: To explore and quantify the association of hot night exposure during the sperm development period (0-90 lag days) with semen quality. METHODS: A total of 6,640 male sperm donors from 6 human sperm banks in China during 2014-2020 were recruited in this multicenter study. Two indices (i.e., hot night excess [HNE] and hot night duration [HND]) were used to estimate the heat intensity and duration during nighttime. Linear mixed models were used to examine the association between hot nights and semen quality parameters. RESULTS: The exposure-response relationship revealed that HNE and HND during 0-90 days before semen collection had a significantly inverse association with sperm motility. Specifically, a 1 °C increase in HNE was associated with decreased sperm progressive motility of 0.0090 (95% confidence interval [ CI]: -0.0147, -0.0033) and decreased total motility of 0.0094 (95% CI: -0.0160, -0.0029). HND was significantly associated with reduced sperm progressive motility and total motility of 0.0021 (95% CI: -0.0040, -0.0003) and 0.0023 (95% CI: -0.0043, -0.0002), respectively. Consistent results were observed at different temperature thresholds on hot nights. CONCLUSION Our findings highlight the need to mitigate nocturnal heat exposure during spermatogenesis to maintain optimal semen quality.
Humans ; Male ; Semen Analysis ; Adult ; Sperm Motility ; Hot Temperature/adverse effects* ; China ; Middle Aged ; Spermatozoa/physiology* ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and prior stroke history have a high risk of cardiovascular events despite anticoagulation therapy. It is unclear whether catheter ablation (CA) has further benefits in these patients. METHODS: AF patients with a previous history of stroke or systemic embolism (SE) from the prospective Chinese Atrial Fibrillation Registry study between August 2011 and December 2020 were included in the analysis. Patients were matched in a 1:1 ratio to CA or medical treatment (MT) based on propensity score. The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause death or ischemic stroke (IS)/SE. RESULTS: During a total of 4.1 ± 2.3 years of follow-up, the primary outcome occurred in 111 patients in the CA group (3.3 per 100 person-years) and in 229 patients in the MT group (5.7 per 100 person-years). The CA group had a lower risk of the primary outcome compared to the MT group [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.47-0.74, P < 0.001]. There was a significant decreasing risk of all-cause mortality (HR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.31-0.61, P < 0.001), IS/SE (HR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.54-0.97, P = 0.033), cardiovascular mortality (HR = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.19-0.54, P < 0.001) and AF recurrence (HR = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.30-0.37, P < 0.001) in the CA group compared to that in the MT group. Sensitivity analysis generated consistent results when adjusting for time-dependent usage of anticoagulants. CONCLUSIONS In AF patients with a prior stroke history, CA was associated with a lower combined risk of all-cause death or IS/SE. Further clinical trials are warranted to confirm the benefits of CA in these patients.

Objective: To establish a dynamic syndromic surveillance system in the border areas of Yunnan Province based on information technology, evaluate its effectiveness and timeliness in the response to common communicable disease epidemics and improve the communicable disease prevention and control in border areas. Methods: Three border counties were selected for full coverage as study areas, and dynamic surveillance for 14 symptoms and 6 syndromes were conducted in medical institutions, the daily collection of information about students' school absence in primary schools and febrile illness in inbound people at border ports were conducted in these counties from January 2016 to February 2018 to establish an early warning system based on mobile phone and computer platform for a field experimental study. Results: With syndromes of rash, influenza-like illness and the numbers of primary school absence, the most common communicable disease events, such as hand foot and mouth disease, influenza and chickenpox, can be identified 1-5 days in advance by using EARS-3C and Kulldorff time-space scanning models with high sensitivity and specificity. The system is easy to use with strong security and feasibility. All the information and the warning alerts are released in the form of interactive charts and visual maps, which can facilitate the timely response. Conclusions: This system is highly effective and easy to operate in the detection of possible outbreaks of common communicable diseases in border areas in real time, so the timely and effective intervention can be conducted to reduce the risk of local and cross-border communicable disease outbreaks. It has practical application value.
Humans ; Influenza, Human ; Sentinel Surveillance ; Syndrome ; China ; Cell Phone

Objective To investigate the effects of different ratios of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids(ω-3 PUFA)on depression and cognitive impairment in patients with major depression.Methods A randomized,double-blinded controlled trial was used to randomly assign patients with depression to a cognitive improvement group,a depression improvement group,and a placebo group.The cognitive improvement group took 1388 mg of docosahexaenoic acid(DHA)and 692 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid(EPA)every day and the depression improvement group took 1248 mg of EPA and 832 mg of DHA every day.The placebo group took the same dose of soybean oil for 12 weeks,during which psychiatric medication was maintained.The 24-item Hamilton depression scale(HAMD-24)was used to evaluate depressive symptoms,and the standardized MATRICS consensus cognitive battery(MCCB)was used to evaluate cognitive function after 6 weeks and 12 weeks,respectively.Results The study recruited a total of 46 patients with depression including 22 in the cognitive improvement group,12 in the depression improvement group,and 12 in the placebo group.After 6 weeks of treatment,the HAMD-24 scores were significantly lower in the depression improvement group(19.00±10.70)and cognitive improvement group(16.58±9.39)than in the placebo group(31.10±10.03)(P<0.01).After 12 weeks of treatment,HAMD-24 scores were significantly lower in the depression improvement group(13.58±8.43)than in the placebo group(28.10±15.04)(P=0.02).No significant interaction effect was found on the cognitive assessment scores in any dimension after 6 weeks and 12 weeks of treatment(P>0.05).The incidence rate of adverse events in the depression improvement group was 16.7%(2/12),and no adverse events were reported in the other two groups.There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse events among the three groups(P=0.13).Conclusion Treatment with ω-3PUFA for 6 weeks can improve the depressive symptoms of patients with depression.The formula with a higher ratio of EPA exhibits higher effectiveness while the two groups of ω-3PUFA formulas with different ratios do not improve cognitive function.

Objective:To explore the feasibility of functional reconstruction of muscle power in treatment of traumatic muscle defects by transferring part of superficial vastus of lateral thigh.Methods:From March 2020 to March 2023, reconstruction of muscle power with transfer of superficial lateral thigh muscle was performed on 9 patients in the Department of Hand and Foot Microsurgery of Xi'an Fengcheng Hospital. Nine patients were assigned in a study group. A total of 48 patients who previously had the surgery of chimerically grafted superficial vastus of lateral thigh were recruited as the "previous surgery group" and another group of 71 staff volunteers from our hospital were recruited as the "healthy control group". Of the study group, 5 patients had Gustilo type ⅢB injury in forearm (two with defects of flexor muscle group and 3 with extensor muscle group, 2 with the defects in the left and 3 in the right), one had defect of both flexor and extensor muscle groups in dorsal hand, one had defect of right 1st metacarpal with defects of soft tissue and thenar muscle, one had a completely severed right upper arm with a withdrawn musculocutaneous nerve from the biceps brachii and one had Gustilo ⅢC injury in right calf with defects of tibialis anterior, extensor longus and extensor phalangeal muscle. In the emergency surgery, part of the superficial muscles of lateral thigh were taken to reconstruct the muscular power for the defected traumatic muscles. During the surgery, the excessed nerve with a length of 3.0 cm proximally was removed at 3.0 cm from the point where the nerve entered the muscle. In the transfer of superficial chimeric muscle of lateral thigh, a 3.0 cm of sample nerve tissue was taken for HE staining to find out the number of nerve fibers. Musculoskeletal ultrasonography, electromyography and muscle strength test were performed in the postoperative follow-up for observations and evaluations of the effects of surgery. Average length and thickness of muscle were taken from the 48 patients in the "previous surgery group". The measurement was compared with the length of muscle fibers and the number of nerve fibers in the gracilis muscle of the 9 patients in study group. The cross-sectional areas (SCA) at contraction state (C) and resting state (R) of the superficial vastus of lateral thigh were taken from the 71 volunteers in the healthy control group, and the C/R ratio was calculated (CR value). All the 9 patients were included in the postoperative follow up by outpatient visits and via telephone or internet reviews to observe the recovery of muscle strength of the reconstruction of muscle dynamics.Results:In the study group, the number of nerve fibers shown by immunohistochemical HE staining was 1 088±213, with the CR value of graft muscle measured by musculoskeletal ultrasonography at 1.44±0.17. The wound healed smoothly without complication. The average time of postoperative follow-up for the 9 patients was 22.6 (10-38) months. Recovery of muscle strength was found at M5 in 6 patients and M4 in 3 patients. The appearance of the joints was normal. In the previous surgery group, the average muscle thickness of the superficial vastus lateralis muscle was 1.74 cm±0.35 cm and the length of muscle fiber was 8.86 cm±1.59 cm. In the healthy control group, the CR value of the superficial muscle vastus of lateral thigh was found at 1.17±0.12.Conclusion:Reconstruction of muscular power with partial muscle transfer of the superficial vastus of lateral thigh is proposed in this study.

To systemically evaluate the effect of Qishen Yiqi Dripping Pills combined with Western medicine on adverse cardiovascular events and quality of life after percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI). A total of 7 Chinese and English databases including CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, Cochrane Library and Web of Science were searched by computer to collect the randomized controlled trials(RCTs) on Qishen Yiqi Dripping Pills combined with Western medicine in the treatment of patients with coronary heart disease after PCI with the retrieval time from the database establishment to April 1, 2020. Two researchers independently conducted li-terature screening, data extraction and bias risk assessment. Then, Meta-analysis was performed by using RevMan 5.3 software. A total of 31 RCTs were included, involving 3 537 patients. The results of Meta-analysis showed that in terms of major adverse cardiovascular events(MACE) after PCI, the combination of Qishen Yiqi Dripping Pills could significantly reduce the recurrence of angina pectoris, incidence of arrhythmia, heart failure and re-revascularization, and the effect was better than that of Western medicine treatment alone. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the improvement of non-fatal myocardial infarction, cardiac death, stent restenosis, stroke and other adverse cardiovascular events. In terms of improving left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF), 6 min walking test(6 MWT), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein(hs-CRP) and Seattle angina pectoris scale(SAQ), the combination of Qishen Yiqi Dripping Pills and Western medicine treatment had obvious advantages over Western medicine treatment alone in increasing LVEF, 6 MWT and SAQ, and reducing the level of hs-CRP, with statistically significant differences. There were few adverse reactions in both groups, and there was no significant difference between the two groups. The main manifestations were gastrointestinal reactions, rash, gingiva and other small bleeding, and no serious adverse reactions occurred. The above reactions could disappear after drug withdrawal or symptomatic treatment. The application of Qishen Yiqi Dripping Pills combined with Western medicine in the treatment of patients after PCI could reduce the occurrence of MACE, improve the clinical efficacy, quality of life and prognosis in a safe and reliable manner. However, due to the quantity and quality limitations of included studies, more standardized, rigo-rous and high-quality clinical studies are still needed to further verify the above conclusions.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Humans ; Medicine ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention/adverse effects* ; Quality of Life ; Stroke Volume ; Ventricular Function, Left

Tumors are new organisms formed by uncontrollable cell proliferation of local tissues driven by various oncogenic factors. The cause of tumors is unknown with life-threating outcome. Tumors can be classified into benign tumors， borderline tumors， and malignant tumors according to their pathological properties. Among them， malignant tumor is commonly known as cancer， with no specific medicines or reliable cure means， so this is a hot spot and difficult point in current medical research. In ancient literatures， there are many records about the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine in treating tumor， and modern pharmacological researches have shown that more and more active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） have gradually highlighted their inhibitory effect on various types of tumor. Caulis sinomenii has been used for treatment of rheumatic diseases in TCM for a long history. Sinomenine is a major bioactive alkaloid presented in C. sinomenii， which has demonstrated a wide range of pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammation， immunosuppression， analgesia and sedation， and due to its slightly soluble in water， it is commonly used in clinic in the form of hydrochloride， with its commercial name of Zhengqing Fengtongning. Recent studies show that sinomenine alone or combined with chemoradiotherapy can inhibit growth of several tumors significantly or in a synergistic way， so it is termed as an inhibitor of tumors. Anti-tumor effect of sinomenine involve inhibition of tumor cell proliferation， induction of tumor cell apoptosis， blockade of tumor cell cycle， suppression of tumor invasion and metastasis， induction of autophagy of tumor cells， and reversal of multidrug resistance of tumor cells. Upon combination with nanomaterials， it can enhance efficiency and reduce toxicity. Here we summarized and reviewed recent advances on basic anti-tumor research of sinomenine， and then made a classification and description according to its in vivo and in vitro pharmacological action and mechanism of action， so as to elucidate the great potential of sinomenine as a promising anti-tumor drug， and provide reference for further research on its anti-tumor mechanism.

Osteoarthritis(OA) is a common clinical disease. The incidence of OA increases significantly with age, and the quality of life of patients is seriously affected. In the pathogenesis of OA, cartilage degeneration is the main cause. There are many long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) specifically expressed in osteoarthritis, which is closely related to the occurrence and development of osteoarthritis. Based on the latest research from 2014 to 2019, this paper summarizes the differential expression of lncRNA in osteoarthritis, the mechanism of lncRNA regulating chondrocyte function, and the mechanism of lncRNA regulating cartilage matrix metabolism. The fact that the expression of lncRNA is altered at different stages of OA development indicates that lncRNA can be developed forlife. The biomarkers and therapeutic targets can provide reference for the prevention, treatment and research of osteoarthritis.
Chondrocytes ; Humans ; Osteoarthritis/genetics* ; Quality of Life ; RNA, Long Noncoding/genetics* ; Research