Accumulating epidemiological evidence shows that handgrip strength provides predictive potential in physical, mental, and reproductive health status. However, the associations between handgrip strength and semen characteristics have not been explored. We recruited 1382 eligible men at the Hubei Province Human Sperm Bank (Wuhan, China) who had their handgrip strength measured at recruitment and provided 6458 repeated semen specimens within a 6-month period. Semen characteristics, including semen volume, sperm motility parameters (immotility, nonprogressive motility, and progressive motility), and sperm concentration, were assessed. Mixed-effect models and restricted cubic spline functions were applied to investigate the relationship of handgrip strength with repeated measurements of semen characteristics. After adjusting for confounding factors, the mixed-effect models revealed that handgrip strength was positively associated with semen volume, sperm concentration, progressive motility, total motility, and total count (all P for trend < 0.05). Compared to men in the lowest quartile, those in the highest quartile of handgrip strength had higher semen volume, sperm concentration, progressive motility, total motility, and total count, with measurements of 14.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.9%-23.2%), 19.5% (95% CI: 7.3%‒33.1%), 9.5% (95% CI: 3.4%‒15.9%), 8.8% (95% CI: 3.2%‒14.6%), and 36.4% (95% CI: 18.9%‒56.5%), respectively. These positive dose-response relationships were further confirmed in restricted cubic splines, where handgrip strength was modeled as a continuous variable. Handgrip strength, as an indicator of muscular function and strength, was positively associated with semen characteristics in a dose-dependent manner.
Male ; Humans ; Semen ; Sperm Motility ; Hand Strength ; Sperm Count ; Semen Analysis ; Spermatozoa ; China/epidemiology*

Objective:To summarize the patient profiles and therapeutic efficacies of ABO-incompatible living-related kidney transplantations at 19 domestic transplant centers and provide rationales for clinical application of ABOi-KT.Methods:Clinical cases of ABO-incompatible/compatible kidney transplantation (ABOi-KT/ABOc-KT) from December 2006 to December 2009 were collected. Then, statistical analyses were conducted from the aspects of tissue matching, perioperative managements, complications and survival rates of renal allograft or recipients.Results:Clinical data of 342 ABOi-KT and 779 ABOc-KT indicated that (1) no inter-group differences existed in age, body mass index (BMI), donor-recipient relationship or waiting time of pre-operative dialysis; (2) ABO blood type: blood type O recipients had the longest waiting list and transplantations from blood type A to blood type O accounted for the largest proportion; (3) HLA matching: no statistical significance existed in mismatch rate or positive rate of PRA I/II between two types of surgery; (4) CD20 should be properly used on the basis of different phrases; (5) hemorrhage was a common complication during an early postoperative period and microthrombosis appeared later; (6) no difference existed in postoperative incidence of complications or survival rate of renal allograft and recipients at 1/3/5/10 years between ABOi-KT and ABOc-KT. The acute rejection rate and serum creatinine levels of ABOi-KT recipients were comparable to those of ABOc-KT recipients within 1 year.Conclusions:ABOi-KT is both safe and effective so that it may be applied at all transplant centers as needed.

Background:Clinical outcomes of undifferentiated arthritis (UA) are diverse,and only 40 ％ of patients with UA develop rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after 3 years.Discovering predictive markers at disease onset for further intervention is critical.Therefore,our objective was to analyze the clinical outcomes of UA and ascertain the predictors for RA development.Methods:We performed a prospective,multi-center study from January 2013 to October 2016 among Chinese patients diagnosed with UA in 22 tertiary-care hospitals.Clinical and serological parameters were obtained at recruitment.Follow-up was undertaken in all patients every 12 weeks for 2 years.Predictive factors of disease progression were identified using multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression.Results:A total of 234 patients were recruited in this study,and 17 (7.3％) patients failed to follow up during the study.Among the 217 patients who completed the study,83 (38.2％) patients went into remission.UA patients who developed RA had a higher rheumatoid factor (RF)-positivity (42.9％ vs.16.8％,x2=8.228,P=0.008),anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibodypositivity (66.7％ vs.10.7％,x2 =43.897,P ＜ 0.001),and double-positivity rate of RF and anti-CCP antibody (38.1％ vs.4.1％,x2 =32.131,P ＜ 0.001) than those who did not.Anti-CCP antibody but not RF was an independent predictor for RA development (hazard ratio 18.017,95％ confidence interval:5.803-55.938;P ＜ 0.001).Conclusion:As an independent predictor of RA,anti-CCP antibody should be tested at disease onset in all patients with UA.

BackgroundSerum cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) test is the most used noninvasive method to detect cryptococcal infection. However, false-negative CrAg test is not uncommon in clinical practice. Then, the aim of this study was to investigate the factors associated with false-negative CrAg test among non-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) adult patients with pulmonary cryptococcosis and its clinical features.

MethodsOne hundred and fourteen non-HIV adult patients with pulmonary cryptococcosis, proven by biopsy, were retrospectively reviewed. Finally, 85 patients were enrolled; 56 were CrAg positive (CrAg+ group) and 29 were negative (CrAg- group). It was a cross-sectional study. Then, baseline characteristics, underlying diseases, clinical symptoms, laboratory findings, and chest radiological findings were reviewed and analyzed. Chi-square test was used to analyze categorical variable. Odds ratio (OR) was used to measure correlation. Student's t- test was obtained to analyze continuous variable.

ResultsNo difference in baseline characteristics, underlying diseases, clinical symptoms, and laboratory findings were found between two groups (P > 0.05 in all). Nevertheless, diffuse extent lesion was 82.1% in CrAg+ group and 10.3% in CrAg- group (χ = 40.34, P < 0.001; OR = 39.87).

ConclusionsAmong patients with limited pulmonary involvement, a negative serum CrAg does not preclude the diagnosis of pulmonary cryptococcosis. However, among patients with extensive pulmonary involvement, serum CrAg is a useful diagnostic tool for pulmonary cryptococcosis. Furthermore, we also noticed that the untypical and mild presentations with extensive pulmonary lesion might be the features of pulmonary cryptococcosis, which needs further investigation.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Cryptococcosis ; immunology ; pathology ; Humans ; Lung Diseases ; immunology ; pathology ; Male ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUNDParoxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia (PKD) is a rare movement disorder characterized by recurrent dystonic or choreoathetoid attacks triggered by sudden voluntary movements. Under the condition of psychological burden, some patients' attacks may get worsened with longer duration and higher frequency. This study aimed to assess nonmotor symptoms and quality of life of patients with PKD in a large population.

METHODSWe performed a cross-sectional survey in 165 primary PKD patients from August 2008 to October 2016 in Rui Jin Hospital, using Symptom Check List-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), World Health Organization Quality of Life-100 (WHOQoL-100), Self-Rating Depression Scale, and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale. We evaluated the differences of SCL-90-R and WHOQOL-100 scores in patients and Chinese normative data (taken from literature) by using the unpaired Student's t-test. We applied multivariate linear regression to analyze the relationships between motor manifestations, mental health, and quality of life among PKD patients.

RESULTSCompared with Chinese normative data taken from literature, patients with PKD exhibited significantly higher (worse) scores across all SCL-90-R subscales (somatization, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, hostility, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, and psychoticism; P= 0.000 for all) and significantly lower (worse) scores of five domains in WHOQoL-100 (physical domain, psychological domain, independence domain, social relationship domain, and general quality of life; P= 0.000 for all). Nonremission of dyskinesia episodes (P = 0.011) and higher depression score (P = 0.000) were significantly associated with lower levels of quality of life. The rates of depression and anxiety in patients with PKD were 41.2% (68/165) and 26.7% (44/165), respectively.

CONCLUSIONSDepression, anxiety, and low levels of quality of life were prevalent in patients with PKD. Co-occurrence of depression and anxiety was common among these patients. Regular mental health interventions could set depression and anxiety as intervention targets. Considering that the motor episodes could be elicited by voluntary movements and sometimes also by emotional stress, and that symptoms may get worsened with longer duration and higher frequency when patients are stressed out, intervention or treatment of depression and anxiety might improve the motor symptoms and overall quality of life in PKD patients.

Although the development of the 2009 SpA classification criteria by Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) represents an important step towards a better definition of the early disease stage particularly in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), the specificity of the criteria has been criticized these days. As the commonest zoonotic infection worldwide, human brucellosis can mimic a large number of diseases, including SpA. This study was performed to determine the frequency of rheumatologic manifestations in patients with brucellosis and the chance of misdiagnosing them as having axSpA in central China. The results showed that clinical manifestations of axSpA could be observed in brucellosis. Over half of patients had back pain, and one fifth of the patients with back pain were less than 45 years old at onset and had the symptom for more than 3 months. Two young males were falsely classified as suffering from axSpA according to the ASAS criteria, and one with MRI proved sacroiliitis was once given Etanercept for treatment. Therefore, differential diagnosis including human brucellosis should always be kept in mind when applying the ASAS criteria, even in traditionally non-endemic areas.
Adult ; Aged ; Antirheumatic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Back Pain ; physiopathology ; Brucellosis ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; China ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Diagnostic Errors ; prevention & control ; statistics & numerical data ; Etanercept ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Inappropriate Prescribing ; statistics & numerical data ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Rheumatologists ; ethics ; Sacroiliitis ; physiopathology ; Spondylarthritis ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; physiopathology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the efficiency of Spanishneedles Herb eye drops in treating perimenopausal xerophthalmia in rabbits.

METHODTotally 36 rabbits (36 right eyes) were ovariectomized, and 2 months later divided into three groups: the experimental group (group A, n = 12) given Spanishneedles Herb eye drops, the control group (group B, n = 12) given PBS and the model group (group C, n = 12) given no drug. The Schirmer I test (SIT), fluorescent (FL), total tear protein, diastase activity, lactoferrin and lysozyme contents and confocal scanning microscopy were performed at before the treatment and at 1 w, 2 w, 1 mo, 2 mo after the treatment.

RESULTBefore the treatment, There was no significant difference in SIT, FL, total tear protein, lysozyme, lactoferrin and amylase activity between two groups. Two months later after the treatment, both the group B and the group A showed differences degrees of changes in SIT, FL, total tear protein, lysozyme, lactoferrin and amylase activity compared with that before the treatment, with statistical differences (P < 0.05); At each time point, both groups revealed statistical differences in SIT, FL, total tear protein, lysozyme, lactoferrin and amylase activity (1 < 0.05). Two months later alter the treatment, densities of basal epithelial cells and inflammatory cells in the group A were (4 122 ±416) cells/mm2 and (339 ± 131) cells/mm2, while that in the group B were (3 343 ± 424) cells/mm2 and (49 ± 17) cells/mm2, with statistical differences between them (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSpanishneedles Herb eye drops could effectively treat perimenopausal xerophthalmia in rabbit caused by sex hormones decline.

Animals ; Asteraceae ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Humans ; Ophthalmic Solutions ; administration & dosage ; Perimenopause ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Rabbits ; Tears ; secretion ; Xerophthalmia ; drug therapy ; metabolism

Contraindications ; Humans ; Thyroidectomy ; methods

Academic Dissertations as Topic ; Humans ; Otolaryngology ; trends ; Otorhinolaryngologic Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Thyroidectomy ; methods