Surgical methods for varicocele remain controversial. This study intends to evaluate the efficacy and safety of different surgical approaches for treating varicocele through a network meta-analysis (NMA). PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases were thoroughly searched. In total, 13 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 24 cohort studies were included, covering 9 different surgical methods. Pairwise meta-analysis and NMA were performed by means of random-effects models, and interventions were ranked based on the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA). According to the SUCRA, microsurgical subinguinal varicocelectomy (MSV; 91.6%), microsurgical retroperitoneal varicocelectomy (MRV; 78.2%), and microsurgical inguinal varicocelectomy (MIV; 76.7%) demonstrated the highest effectiveness in reducing postoperative recurrence rates. In this study, sclerotherapy embolization (SE; 87.2%), MSV (77.9%), and MIV (67.7%) showed the best results in lowering the risk of hydrocele occurrence. MIV (82.9%), MSV (75.9%), and coil embolization (CE; 58.7%) were notably effective in increasing sperm motility. Moreover, CE (76.7%), subinguinal approach varicocelectomy (SV; 69.2%), and SE (55.7%) were the most effective in increasing sperm count. SE (82.5%), transabdominal laparoscopic varicocelectomy (TLV; 76.5%), and MRV (52.7%) were superior in shortening the length of hospital stay. The incidence rates of adverse events for MRV (0), SE (3.3%), and MIV (4.1%) were notably low. Cluster analyses indicated that MSV was the most effective in the treatment of varicocele. Based on the existing evidence, MSV may represent the optimal choice for varicocele surgery. However, selecting clinical surgical strategies requires consideration of various factors, including patient needs, surgeon experience, and the learning curve.
Humans ; Male ; Embolization, Therapeutic/methods* ; Microsurgery/methods* ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Sclerotherapy/methods* ; Treatment Outcome ; Urologic Surgical Procedures, Male/methods* ; Varicocele/surgery*

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of brexpiprazole in treating acute schizophrenia.Methods Patients with schizophrenia were randomly divided into treatment group and control group.The treatment group was given brexpiprozole 2-4 mg·d-1 orally and the control group was given aripiprazole 10-20 mg·d-1orally,both were treated for 6 weeks.Clinical efficacy of the two groups,the response rate at endpoint,the changes from baseline to endpoint of Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS),Clinical Global Impression-Improvement(CGI-S),Personal and Social Performance scale(PSP),PANSS Positive syndrome subscale,PANSS negative syndrome subscale were compared.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events in two groups were compared.Results There were 184 patients in treatment group and 186 patients in control group.After treatment,the response rates of treatment group and control group were 79.50％(140 cases/184 cases)and 82.40％(150 cases/186 cases),the scores of CGI-I of treatment group and control group were(2.00±1.20)and(1.90±1.01),with no significant difference(all P＞0.05).From baseline to Week 6,the mean change of PANSS total score wese(-30.70±16.96)points in treatment group and(-32.20±17.00)points in control group,with no significant difference(P＞0.05).The changes of CGI-S scores in treatment group and control group were(-2.00±1.27)and(-1.90±1.22)points,PSP scores were(18.80±14.77)and(19.20±14.55)points,PANSS positive syndrome scores were(-10.30±5.93)and(-10.80±5.81)points,PANSS negative syndrome scores were(-6.80±5.98)and(-7.30±5.15)points,with no significant difference(P＞0.05).There was no significant difference in the incidence of treatment-related adverse events between the two group(69.00％vs.64.50％,P＞0.05).Conclusion The non-inferiority of Brexpiprazole to aripiprazole was established,with comparable efficacy and acceptability.

Objective:To analyze the effect of recombinant human thrombopoietin(rhTPO)on platelet(PLT)reconstitution after autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation(APBSCT)in patients with multiple myeloma(MM).Methods:The clinical data of 147 MM patients who were diagnosed in the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University and received APBSCT as the first-line therapy were retrospectively analyzed.According to whether rhTPO was used during APBSCT,the patients were divided into rhTPO group(80 cases)and control group(67 cases).The time of PLT engraftment,blood product infusion requirements,the proportion of patients with PLT recovery to ≥ 50 × 109/L and ≥ 100 × 109/L at+14 days and+100 days after transplantation,and adverse reactions including the incidence of bleeding were compared between the two groups.Results:There were no significant differences between the two groups in sex,age,M protein type,PLT count at the initial diagnosis,median duration of induction therapy before APBSCT,and number of CD34+cells reinfused(all P＞0.05).The median time of PLT engraftment in the rhTPO group was 10(6-14)days,which was shorter than 11(8-23)days in the control group(P＜0.001).The median PLT transfusion requirement in the rhTPO group during APBSCT was 15(0-50)U,which was less than 20(0-80)U in the control group(P=0.001).At+14 days after transplantation,the proportions of patients with PLT 2 50 × 109/L in the rhTPO group and the control group were 66.3％and 52.2％,while the proportions of patients with PLT ≥ 100 × 109/L were 23.8％and 11.9％,respectively,with no significant differences(all P＞0.05).At+100 days after transplantation,the proportion of patients with PLT ≥ 50 × 109/L in rhTPO group and control group was 96.3％and 89.6％,respectively(P＞0.05),but the proportion of patients with PLT ≥ 100 × 109/L in rhTPO group was higher than that in control group(75.0％vs 55.2％,P=0.012).There was no difference in the overall incidence of bleeding events in different locations during period of low PLT level of patients between the two groups.In rhTPO group,the rhTPO administration was well tolerated,and the incidences of abnormal liver and kidney function and infection were similar to those in the control group.Conclusion:When MM patients undergo first-line APBSCT,subcutaneous injection of rhTPO can shorten the time of platelet engraftment,reduce the transfusion volume of blood products,and be well tolerated,moreover,more patients have achieve a high level of PLT recovery after transplantation,which is very important for ensuring the safety of APBSCT and maintenance therapy.

Objective:To investigate the prognostic value of serum adenosylhomocysteinase (AHCY) in patients with hepatitis E virus acute liver failure (HEV-ALF).Methods:From 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2022, 100 patients each with HEV-ALF and acute hepatitis E (AHE) from the First Affiliated Hospital of Medical School of Zhejiang University and Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were included in this case-control study. The HEV-ALF group was 58.56±11.16 years old, including 71 men. The AHE group was 56.04±14.30 years old, including 61 men. All serum samples were obtained before the patient had an acute onset and were obtained without treatment. Firstly, the serum AHCY levels in patients with HEV-ALF and AHE were analyzed by ELISA. Secondly, the serum AHCY levels in HEV-ALF patients with different organ failure and disease condition were compared. According to the number of organ failure, 100 HEV-ALF patients were divided into organ failure number=2 group ( n=58), number=3 group ( n=24) and number>3 groups ( n=18). According to the disease condition, 100 patients were divided into improvement group ( n=49), disease fluctuation group ( n=37), and deterioration group ( n=14). Thirdly, the survival times between the high serum AHCY level group ( n=50) and the low serum AHCY level group ( n=50) were compared. Finally, the independent risk factors to predict mortality using the multivariate Logistic regression analysis, and evaluated the predictive and decision-making abilities of serum AHCY levels were explored using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results:Serum AHCY levels in HEV-ALF patients were significantly higher than those in AHE patients [326.92 (295.37-385.84) pg/ml vs. 222.88 (188.04-246.78) pg/ml, Z=-12.217, P<0.001]. Serum AHCY levels in group 2 were significantly lower than those in group 3 [303.44 (284.40-330.15) pg/ml vs. 335.36 (306.30-385.84) pg/ml, Z=-3.353, P=0.001]. Serum AHCY level in group 3 were significantly lowerthan those in group>3 [335.36 (306.30-385.84) pg/ml vs. 549.89 (423.35-660.22) pg/ml, P<0.001]. The serum AHCY levels in the fluctuation group were lower than those in the deterioration group [322.17 (283.92-423.74) pg/ml vs. 458.26 (374.66, 593.89) pg/ml, Z=-4.016, P=0.009]. The survival time of high serum AHCY level group was significantly lower than that of low serum AHCY level group [23.11 (20.25-25.96) days vs. 29.49 (28.79-30.20) days, Z=-2.596, P<0.001]. The multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the levels of serum AHCY and total bilirubin were independent risk factors to predict mortality in HEV-ALF patients [AHCY, OR (95% CI): 1.008 (1.002-1.015), P=0.008; total bilirubin, OR (95% CI): 1.011 (1.005-1.018), P=0.001]. Serum AHCY level predicting the area under the curve (AUC) of 30-day mortality in HEV-ALF patients was 0.912, with a sensitivity of 90.00% and a specificity of 93.75%. DCA results demonstrated that serum AHCY level had good decision-making power for predicting 30-day mortality in HEV-ALF patients. Conclusion:Serum AHCY has an important prognostic value for HEV-ALF patients. Higher serum AHCY levels indicate the worse prognosis of HEV-ALF patients.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have extensively investigated traditional predictors of cardiovascular disease (CVD) development, progression, and prognosis. However, the influence of novel indicators such as Klotho, on CVD prevalence and prognosis in the general population remains unclear. METHOD: This was an observational study that utilized cross-sectional and longitudinal methods to examine the general population in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2016. The participants were divided into four groups according to the Klotho quartiles. Primary outcome was CVD [coronary artery disease (CAD), congestive heart failure, and stroke], secondary outcomes were all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality. Survey-weighted binary logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association between Klotho and the prevalence of primary outcome, and the restricted cubic spline (RCS) curve was used to further analyze the nonlinear relationship. Subgroup analyses were conducted to investigate the association between Klotho values and CVD prevalence using survey-weighted binary logistic regression. The incidence of the secondary outcomes among four groups was assessed through Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Additionally, the relationship between Klotho values and secondary endpoints was explored using survey-weighted Cox proportional hazards regression across various patient subpopulations. RESULTS: A total of 12,146 participants (56.8 ± 10.7 years, 48.5% male) were included in our study. The total incidence of CVD was 9.9% (n = 1201), of which 4.7% (n = 574) were CAD, 3.7% (n = 454) were congestive heart failure, and 4.1% (n = 497) were stroke. Binary logistics regression analysis showed that higher Klotho quartiles were associated with the decreased prevalence of CVD [Quartile 4 vs. Quartile 1: odds ratio (OR) (95% CI): 0.77 (0.64-0.93), P = 0.006] and congestive heart failure [Quartile 4 vs. Quartile 1: 0.75 (0.56-0.99), P = 0.048], However, no significant associations were found between Klotho levels and the outcomes of CAD or stroke. RCS curve illustrated a high Klotho value was negatively correlated with the prevalence of CVD (nonlinear P = 0.838), congestive heart failure (nonlinear P = 0.110) and stroke (nonlinear P = 0.972). No significant interactions were observed in any subgroups regarding the associations between Klotho and prevalence of CVD. After a median follow-up period of 93 months (range: from 1 to 160 months), there were 1228 cases (10.1%) of all-cause mortality in the general population, including 296 cases (2.4%) of cardiovascular mortality. The Kaplan-Meier curves indicated that lower Klotho levels were associated with a significant increase in all-cause mortality across the general population, CVD population, and non-CVD population. As Klotho levels decreased, there was also a notable rise in cardiovascular mortality in both the general population and the CVD population. In the overall population, Cox regression analyses demonstrated that higher Klotho values were associated with a decreased risk of both all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. And no significant interaction was observed in the CVD subgroup regarding the association between Klotho and mortality. CONCLUSION High Klotho level was associated with low prevalence of CVD and low risk of mortality in general population.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of the Zhibian(BL54)-through-Shuidao(ST28)insertion acupuncture method for the treatment of neurogenic bladder(NB)after spinal cord injury(SCI).Methods A total of 120 patients with NB after SCI were randomly divided into observation group and control group,60 patients in each group,the control group was given conventional medicinal treatment and health education,and the observation group was given Zhibian-through-Shuidao insertion acupuncture for treatment on the basis of the control group.Both groups were treated for 30 days.After one month of treatment,the clinical efficacy of the two groups was evaluated,and changes in the bladder residual urine volume and maximal urination volume,maximum voided volume and daily voiding frequency,as well as the detrusor pressure at the end of urination of patients in the two groups were observed.The changes of Short-Form Health Survey-Qualiveen(SF-Qualiveen)scores before and after treatment were compared between the two groups of patients.And the safety and the occurrence of adverse reactions in the two groups was evaluated.Results(1)The total effective rate was 86.67%(52/60)in the observation group and 65.00%(39/60)in the control group.The efficacy of the observation group was superior to that of the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(2)After treatment,the bladder residual urine volume,maximal urination volume,maximum voided volume,and daily voiding frequency of the patients in the two groups were significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the improvement in the observation group was significantly superior to that in the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(3)After treatment,the detrusor pressure at the end of urination of the two groups of patients were significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the improvement in the observation group was significantly superior to that in the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(4)After treatment,the SF-Qualiveen scores of the two groups of patients were improved significantly(P＜0.05),and the improvement in the observation group was significantly superior to that in the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(5)Comparison of the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups of patients,the difference was not statistically significant(P＞0.05).Conclusion The treatment of NB after SCI with Zhibian-through-Shuidao insertion acupuncture method can significantly improve the clinical symptoms of the patients,effectively improve the bladder function of the patients,and increase the detrusor pressure of patients,so as to enhance the quality of life of the patients,and the therapeutic efficacy is remarkable.

Humans ; Multiple Myeloma/genetics* ; Neoplasm, Residual/diagnosis* ; Flow Cytometry ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing

Infant, Newborn ; Humans ; Imidazoles/therapeutic use* ; Oximes/therapeutic use*

Objective: To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of human adenovirus (HADV) 2, 3 and 7 in hospitalized children with respiratory infection. Methods: A total of 25 686 children with respiratory infection hospitalized at Children's Hospital of Hebei Province from January 2018 to December 2020 were retrospectively included.Deep sputum or nasopharyngeal aspirates of those children were collected. Then thirteen common respiratory pathogens were detected by multiplex PCR. 510 HADV positive specimens were randomly selected via random number and classified for type 2, 3 and 7 using a multiplex real-time quantitative PCR. SPSS 21.0 software was used to perform all of the statistical analyses. Enumeration data were expressed by frequency and percentage. χ² test was used for comparison between groups. Results: The HADV-positive rate was 7.99% (2 052/25 686). Children at age 3-<6 years had the highest HADV-positive rate (11.44%). The HADV-positive rate in 2019 was highest (10.64%). Among the 510 HADV-positive specimens, the proportion of type 3 was the highest (31.16%), followed by type 7 (21.37%) and type 2 (11.18%). The rate of type 2 in 2019 was significantly lower than that in 2018 and 2020 (χ²=8.954 and 16.354; P=0.003 and <0.01), while the rate of type 3 was significantly higher than that in 2018 and 2020 (χ²=5.248 and 4.811; P=0.022 and 0.028). The rate of type 2, type 3 and type 7 were lowest in winter, spring and autumn, respectively. The rate of type 2 increased significantly in autumn and the rate of type 3 and type 7 increased significantly in winter.The co-detection rate of HADV with other respiratory pathogens was 43.33%(221/510). Among, the co-detection rate of type 3 was highest (47.32%), and the co-detection rate of type 2, 3 and 7 was significantly higher than the alone detection rate (χ²=20.438, P<0.01; χ²=42.105, P<0.01; χ²=27.573, P<0.01).The proportion of severe pneumonia in children with type 7 positive (15.89%) was higher than that in children with non-type 7 positive (8.23%) (χ²=5.260, P=0.022). Conclusion: HADV is one of the important pathogens of children with respiratory infection in Children's Hospital of Hebei Province. The susceptible population of HADV is preschool children aged 3 to 6 years. HADV often co-detects with other respiratory pathogens. Type 3 and 7 is likely to be the dominant genotypes in this region, and type 7 may be one of the risk factors of severe pneumonia in children.
Child, Preschool ; Child ; Humans ; Infant ; Adenoviruses, Human/genetics* ; Child, Hospitalized ; Retrospective Studies ; Adenovirus Infections, Human/epidemiology* ; Respiratory Tract Infections/epidemiology* ; Pneumonia ; Hospitals