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

Mutations in the cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 gene (CDKL5) cause a severe neurodevelopmental disorder, yet the impact of truncating mutations remains unclear. Here, we introduce the Cdkl5^492stop mouse model, mimicking C-terminal truncating mutations in patients. 492stop/Y mice exhibit altered dendritic spine morphology and spontaneous seizure-like behaviors, alongside other behavioral deficits. After creating cell lines with various Cdkl5 truncating mutations, we found that these mutations are regulated by the nonsense-mediated RNA decay pathway. Most truncating mutations result in CDKL5 protein loss, leading to multiple disease phenotypes, and offering new insights into the pathogenesis of CDKL5 disorder.
Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice ; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/deficiency* ; Mutation/genetics* ; Epileptic Syndromes/genetics* ; Humans ; Dendritic Spines/pathology* ; Spasms, Infantile/genetics* ; Male ; Seizures/genetics* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficacy of domestically produced magnetic sphincter augmentation (MSA) for gastroesophageal reflux disease.Method:This study is a prospective cohort study. Patients with typical heartburn and reflux symptoms (at least partial response to proton pump inhibitors), abnormal esophageal acid exposure and normal esophageal peristalsis were included, prospectively in the Department of Gastroesophageal Surgery, Rocket Force Characteristic Medical Center from June 2019 to September 2022. Patients with hiatal hernia >2 cm and severe esophagitis were excluded. The MSA was wrapped around the distal esophagus after esophageal hiatus repair by laparoscopy. A postoperative questionnaire survey was conducted to assess the relief of symptom, complications, the discontinuation rate of proton pump inhibitor, and surgical satisfaction. Gastroscopy, high-resolution esophageal pressure measurement, and pH value impedance monitoring were also reviewed. The pre- and postoperative rates were compared using the McNeinar χ2 test. Result:Currently, 23 patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease were enrolled and underwent MSA surgery. There were 20 males and 3 females, aged ( M (IQR)) 48 (14) years (range: 25 to 64 years). All cases were successfully implanted with MSA. Subjective indicators were followed for 17 (18) months (range: 14 to 53 months), while objective indicators were followed for 17 (1) months (range: 12 to 23 months). The postoperative gastrointestinal and extraesophageal symptom scores showed a significant decrease compared to preoperative levels as follows: the degree of subjective relief of overall digestive symptoms was 90 (20)% (range:0~100%), the degree of subjective relief of overall respiratory symptoms was 100(10)% (range: 10%~100%), the overall satisfaction rate was 83% (19/23), the proton pump inhibitor discontinuation rate was 70% (16/23). The proportion of esophagitis has decreased from 44% (10/23) to 9% (2/23) ( κ=0.169, P=0.039), The Hill grade of gastroesophageal valve morphology improved from 1 case of grade Ⅰ, 5 cases of grade Ⅱ, 10 cases of grade Ⅲ, and 7 cases of grade Ⅲ preoperative to 22, 1, 0, and 0 cases postoperative. The proportion of lower esophageal sphincter pressure below normal has decreased from 70% (16/23) to 35% (8/23) ( κ=0.170, P=0.012). There were 21 patients who restored normal esophageal acid exposure. Eleven patients had mild long-term dysphagia, but it didn′t affect their daily life. No postoperative device migration, erosion, or secondary surgical removal occurred. Conclusions:Laparoscopic implantation of the MSA device was safe and well tolerated. It can effectively control the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease, reduce medication, restore normal cardia morphology and function, and esophageal acid exposure. The main postoperative complication was dysphagia, but it was relatively mild.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficacy of domestically produced magnetic sphincter augmentation (MSA) for gastroesophageal reflux disease.Method:This study is a prospective cohort study. Patients with typical heartburn and reflux symptoms (at least partial response to proton pump inhibitors), abnormal esophageal acid exposure and normal esophageal peristalsis were included, prospectively in the Department of Gastroesophageal Surgery, Rocket Force Characteristic Medical Center from June 2019 to September 2022. Patients with hiatal hernia >2 cm and severe esophagitis were excluded. The MSA was wrapped around the distal esophagus after esophageal hiatus repair by laparoscopy. A postoperative questionnaire survey was conducted to assess the relief of symptom, complications, the discontinuation rate of proton pump inhibitor, and surgical satisfaction. Gastroscopy, high-resolution esophageal pressure measurement, and pH value impedance monitoring were also reviewed. The pre- and postoperative rates were compared using the McNeinar χ2 test. Result:Currently, 23 patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease were enrolled and underwent MSA surgery. There were 20 males and 3 females, aged ( M (IQR)) 48 (14) years (range: 25 to 64 years). All cases were successfully implanted with MSA. Subjective indicators were followed for 17 (18) months (range: 14 to 53 months), while objective indicators were followed for 17 (1) months (range: 12 to 23 months). The postoperative gastrointestinal and extraesophageal symptom scores showed a significant decrease compared to preoperative levels as follows: the degree of subjective relief of overall digestive symptoms was 90 (20)% (range:0~100%), the degree of subjective relief of overall respiratory symptoms was 100(10)% (range: 10%~100%), the overall satisfaction rate was 83% (19/23), the proton pump inhibitor discontinuation rate was 70% (16/23). The proportion of esophagitis has decreased from 44% (10/23) to 9% (2/23) ( κ=0.169, P=0.039), The Hill grade of gastroesophageal valve morphology improved from 1 case of grade Ⅰ, 5 cases of grade Ⅱ, 10 cases of grade Ⅲ, and 7 cases of grade Ⅲ preoperative to 22, 1, 0, and 0 cases postoperative. The proportion of lower esophageal sphincter pressure below normal has decreased from 70% (16/23) to 35% (8/23) ( κ=0.170, P=0.012). There were 21 patients who restored normal esophageal acid exposure. Eleven patients had mild long-term dysphagia, but it didn′t affect their daily life. No postoperative device migration, erosion, or secondary surgical removal occurred. Conclusions:Laparoscopic implantation of the MSA device was safe and well tolerated. It can effectively control the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease, reduce medication, restore normal cardia morphology and function, and esophageal acid exposure. The main postoperative complication was dysphagia, but it was relatively mild.

Melatonin (Mel) has been shown to have cardioprotective effects, but its action on ion channels is unclear. In this experiment, we investigated the inhibitory effect of Mel on late sodium currents (I_Na.L) in mouse ventricular myocytes and the anti-arrhythmic effect at the organ level as well as its mechanism. The whole-cell patch clamp technique was applied to record the ionic currents and action potential (AP) in mouse ventricular myocytes while the electrocardiogram (ECG) and monophasic action potential (MAP) were recorded simultaneously in mouse hearts using a multichannel acquisition and analysis system. The results demonstrated that the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) values of Mel on transient sodium current (I_Na.T) and specific I_Na.L opener 2 nmol·L^-1 sea anemone toxins II (ATX II) increased I_Na.L were 686.615 and 7.37 μmol·L^-1, respectively. Mel did not affect L-type calcium current (I_Ca.L), transient outward current (I_to), and AP. In addition, 16 μmol·L^-1 Mel shortened ATX II-prolonged action potential duration (APD), suppressed ATX II-induced early afterdepolarizations (EADs), and significantly reduced the incidence of ventricular tachycardia (VT) and ventricular fibrillation (VF) in Langendorff-perfused mouse hearts. In conclusion, Mel exerted its antiarrhythmic effects principally by blocking I_Na.L, thus providing a significant theoretical basis for new clinical applications of Mel. Animal welfare and experimental process are in accordance with the regulations of the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Wuhan University of Science and Technology (2023130).

Objective:To explore the clinical outcome of internal fixation in the treatment of AO C-type distal radius fracture accompanied with dorsoulnar fragment involving 1/8 to 1/3 of the articular surface of the lunate facet.Methods:A total of 55 patients of AO C-type distal radius fracture accompanied with dorsoulnar fragment involving 1/8 to 1/3 of the articular surface of the lunate facet from July 2017 to July 2022 in Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University were retrospectively analyzed. In the volar plate group (volar locking plate treatment alone), there were 22 cases, 11 males and 11 females, aged 56.7±10.1 years, 10 C1 type, 7 C2 type and 5 C3 type. There were 15 patients in the volar plate+dorsal plate group (treated with volar locking plate combined with dorsal plate), including 6 males and 9 females, aged 55.7±8.1 years old, 4 C1 type, 5 C2 type and 6 C3 type. In the volar plate+dorsal screw group (treated with volar locking plate combined with dorsal screw), there were 18 cases, 8 males and 10 females, aged 53.5±11.6 years, 7 cases of C1 type, 5 cases of C2 type, and 6 cases of C3 type. The operation time, postoperative radiographic indicators, wrist range of motion (ROM), disability of arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) score, visual analogue scale (VAS) and postoperative complications were evaluated and compared between the three groups.Results:All operations were successfully completed. Patients were followed up for 14.9 ± 2.2 months (range, 12-18 months), and the fracture healing time was 12.4±2.3 weeks (range, 9-16 weeks). The operative time of patients in the volar plate group, volar plate+dorsal plate group and volar plate+dorsal screw group was 54.3±7.6 min, 70.7±5.9 min and 65.8± 7.1 min, respectively. Patients in the volar plate group had less operative time ( F=27.04, P<0.001). The residual displacement of the dorsoulnar fragment in sagittal, coronal, and axial CT scans in the three groups were (1.3±0.8 mm, 0.6±0.4 mm, 0.7±0.4 mm), (1.1±0.8 mm, 0.6±0.4 mm, 0.6±0.6 mm), (1.4±0.8 mm, 0.7±0.4 mm, 0.7±0.5 mm). The displacement of the dorsoulnar fragment of the two groups of combined volar and dorsal internal fixation was smaller than that of the volar plate group ( P<0.05). The ROM of wrist flexion of the three groups at 3 months after operation were 44.2°±4.6°, 47.7°±5.9°, 48.8°±5.1°, the ROM of wrist extension were 39.8°±6.2°, 44.3°± 4.6°, 44.7°±5.1°, the wrist DASH scores were 23.0±4.2, 20.1±4.1 and 19.4±3.0, and the VAS were 2.3±1.2, 1.6±1.3 and 1.3±1.0, respectively. The ROM of wrist flexion and extension and DASH score in volar plate+dorsal plate group were better than those in volar plate group ( P<0.05). The ROM of wrist flexion and extension, DASH score and VAS in the volar plate+dorsal screw group were better than those in the volar plate group ( P<0.05). There were no significant differences in terms of the wrist ROM, DASH score and VAS at 12 months after operation among the three groups ( P>0.05). There were 2 patients in the volar plate group with reduction loss, 3 patients with wrist chronic pain; 1 patient in the volar plate combined with dorsal plate group with dorsal tendon irritation, and no complications in the volar plate combined with dorsal screw group. Conclusion:For AO C-type distal radius fractures accompanied with a dorsoulnar fragment involving 1/8 to 1/3 of the articular surface of the lunate facet, the use of combined volar and dorsal internal fixation can improve the reduction accuracy and stability of the dorsoulnar fragment, and contribute to the early rehabilitation of postoperative wrist joint function. The effect of combined dorsal screw is comparable to that of dorsal plate internal fixation, but the complications of screw internal fixation are less.

Objective:To explore the long-term efficacy of laparoscopic fundoplication for proton pump inhibitor dependent gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).Method:Clinical data of proton pump inhibitor dependent GERD patients who underwent fundoplication at the Rocket Force Characteristic Medical Center from Jan to Jun 2012 were analyzed, including GERD symptom score, subjective symptom relief rate, PPI discontinuation rate and surgical satisfaction, as well as recurrence and complications.Result:A total of 160 GERD patients were included in this study, with 64% of patients having respiratory symptoms. Nissen and Toupet fundoplication were performed in 43 and 117 cases, respectively, with a follow-up time of (127±3) months. The postoperative GERD symptom scores of the patients were significantly lower than before treatment (all P<0.001); The subjective relief of overall symptoms in the digestive tract and airway problem was 90% (80%, 100%) and 100%, respectively. The PPI discontinuation rate was 86%, and the overall satisfaction rate of the treatment was 92%, and the satisfaction rate of patients with respiratory symptoms was 89%. 7% of patients experienced varying degrees of symptomatic recurrence, 4% of patients re-underwent endoscopic treatment and/or laparoscopic fundoplication due to symptom recurrence. The incidence of long-term postoperative dysphagia, bloating, belching, increased exhaust, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and constipation were 11.3%, 16.9%, 0, 1.3%, 0, 2.5%, and 5.6%, respectively. Conclusions:Laparoscopic fundoplication has good long-term efficacy in the treatment of GERD. A small number of patients may experience postoperative recurrence, as well as complications such as dysphagia and gas-bloat syndrome. Most recurrent patients can achieve good therapeutic effect by redoing endoscopic treatment or redoing surgery.

Objective To investigate the effect of Polyetheretherketone(PEEK)rod semi-rigid pedicle screw fixation sys-tem in lumbar spine non-fusion surgery.Methods A total of 74 patients with tow-level lumbar degenerative diseases who un-derwent surgery from March 2017 to December 2019 were divided into PEEK rod group and titanium rod group.In the PEEK rod group,there were 34 patients,including 13 males and 21 females,aged from 51 to 79 years old with an average of(62.4±6.8)years old;There were 1 patient of L1-L3 segments,7 patients of L2-L4 segments,20 patients of L3-L5 segments and 6 pa-tients of L4-S1 segments.In the titanium rod group,there were 40 patients,including 17 males and 23 females,aged from 52 to 81 years old with an average of(65.2±7.3)years old;There were 3 patient of L1-L3 segments,11 patients of L2-L4 segments,19 patients of L3-L5 segments and 7 patients of L4-S1 segments.The general conditions of operation,such as operation time,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative drainage was recorded.The visual analogue scale(VAS)for low back pain and Os-westry disability index(ODI)were compared in preoperatively and postoperatively(3 months,12 months and last follow-up)between two groups.The change of range of motion(ROM)was observed by flexion and extension x-ray of lumbar Results All patients successfully completed the operation.The follow-up time ranged from 22 to 34 months with an average of(26.8±5.6)months.The operative time(142.2±44.7)min and intraoperative blood loss(166.5±67.4)ml in PEEK group were lower than those in titanium group[(160.7±57.3)min、(212.8±85.4)ml](P＜0.05).There was no significant differences in postoperative drainage between the two groups(P＞0.05).At the final follow-up visit,in PEEK group and titanium group VAS of low back pain[(0.8±0.4)points vs(1.0±0.5)points],VAS for leg pain[(0.7±0.4)points vs(0.8±0.5)points]and ODI[(9.8±1.6)％vs(12.1±1.5)％]were compared with preoperative[(5.8±1.1)points vs(6.0±1.1)points],[(7.2±1.7)points vs(7.0±1.6)points],[(68.5±8.9)％vs(66.3±8.2)％]were significantly different(P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in VAS scores between the two groups at each postoperative time point(P＞0.05).At 3 months after surgery,there was no difference in ODI between the two groups(P＞0.05).There were significant differences in ODI between PEEK group and titanium rod group at 12 months[(15.5±2.1)％vs(18.4±2.4)％]and at the last follow-up[(9.8±1.6)％vs(12.1±1.5)％](P＜0.05).The total range of motion(ROM)of lumbar decreased in both groups after surgery.At 12 months after surgery and the last follow-up,the PEEK group compared with the titanium rod group,the total range of motion of lumbar was statistically significant(P＜0.05).The range of motion(ROM)of the fixed segments decreased in both groups after surgery.The ROM of the fixed segments in PEEK group decreased from(9.5±4.6)° to(4.1±1.9)° at the last follow-up(P＜0.05),which in the titanium rod group was de-creased from(9.8±4.3)°to(0.9±0.5)° at the last follow-up(P＜0.05).The range of motion(ROM)of upper adjacent segment increased in both groups,there was statistical significance in the ROM of upper adjacent segment between the two groups at 12 months after surgery and the last follow-up,(P＜0.05).There was no screw loosening and broken rods in both groups during the follow-up period.Conclusion The PEEK rod semi-rigid pedicle screw internal fixation system used in lumbar non-fusion surgery can retain part of the mobility of the fixed segment,showing comparable short-term clinical efficacy to titanium rod fu-sion.PEEK rod semi-rigid pedicle screw internal fixation system is a feasible choice for the treatment of lumbar spine degener-ative diseases,and its long-term efficacy needs further follow-up observation.

Coronary perforation is when a contrast agent or blood flows outside a blood vessel through a tear in a coronary artery.In this case,we reported a case of percutaneous coronary intervention for coronary calcified lesions,which led to iatrogenic coronary perforation and cardiac tamponade after the use of Shockwave balloon to treat intracoronary calcified nodules,and the management of PCI-related CAP was systematically reviewed through the literature.