OBJECTIVE: To compare the therapeutic efficacy and safety of local anesthesia and spinal anesthesia for the patients with varicocele (VC) who underwent microsurgical varicocelectomy (MV). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data of VC patients who underwent MV treatment at the Andrology Department of the Affiliated Ruikang Hospital of Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine from May 2020 to March 2023. Cases with complete clinical data and follow-up evaluation were selected and divided into a control group (spinal anesthesia) and an observation group (local anesthesia) according to different anesthesia methods. The surgical time (including anesthesia time), visual analogue scale (VAS) score for pain, hospital stay, treatment cost, sperm concentration, forward motile sperm rate, and normal sperm morphology rate after three months of surgery, as well as postoperative complications and recurrence rate were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: A total of 107 eligible cases were included, with 56 cases in the control group and 51 cases in the observation group. There was no significant difference in the VAS score for pain during and after four hours of surgery, as well as postoperative complications, and recurrence rate between the two groups (P> 0.05). There was an significant increase in sperm concentration, forward motile sperm rate, and normal sperm morphology rate in both of two groups after three months of surgery (P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups three months after surgery (P>0.05). The surgical time and hospital stay were shorter than those of the control group (P<0.05). And the treatment cost in observation group was lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Both local anesthesia and lumbar anesthesia for MV treatment of VC have good efficacy and safety. However, patients treated with MV under local anesthesia for VC have obvious advantages in terms of operation time (including anesthesia time), hospital stay, and treatment cost, which is worthy of clinical promotion and application.
Humans ; Male ; Varicocele/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Microsurgery ; Anesthesia, Spinal ; Adult ; Treatment Outcome ; Anesthesia, Local

Early-life stress (ES) leads to cognitive dysfunction in female adolescents, but the underlying neural mechanisms remain elusive. Recent evidence suggests that the cell adhesion molecules NECTIN1 and NECTIN3 play a role in cognition and ES-related cognitive deficits in male rodents. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether and how nectins contribute to ES-induced cognitive dysfunction in female adolescents. Applying the well-established limited bedding and nesting material paradigm, we found that ES impairs recognition memory, suppresses prefrontal NECTIN1 and hippocampal NECTIN3 expression, and upregulates corticotropin-releasing hormone (Crh) and its receptor 1 (Crhr1) mRNA levels in the hippocampus of adolescent female mice. Genetic experiments revealed that the reduction of dorsal CA1 (dCA1) NECTIN3 mediates ES-induced object recognition memory deficits, as knocking down dCA1 NECTIN3 impaired animals' performance in the novel object recognition task, while overexpression of dCA1 NECTIN3 successfully reversed the ES-induced deficits. Notably, prefrontal NECTIN1 knockdown did not result in significant cognitive impairments. Furthermore, acute systemic administration of antalarmin, a CRHR1 antagonist, upregulated hippocampal NECTIN3 levels and rescued object and spatial memory deficits in stressed mice. Our findings underscore the critical role of dCA1 NECTIN3 in mediating ES-induced object recognition memory deficits in adolescent female mice, highlighting it as a potential therapeutic target for stress-related psychiatric disorders in women.
Animals ; Female ; Mice ; CA1 Region, Hippocampal/metabolism* ; Cell Adhesion Molecules/metabolism* ; CRF Receptor, Type 1/metabolism* ; Memory Disorders/etiology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Nectins/genetics* ; Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone/antagonists & inhibitors* ; Recognition, Psychology/physiology* ; Stress, Psychological/complications*

Adverse experiences in early life have long-lasting negative impacts on behavior and the brain in adulthood, one of which is sleep disturbance. As the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)-corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1) system and nucleus accumbens (NAc) play important roles in both stress responses and sleep-wake regulation, in this study we investigated whether the NAc CRH-CRHR1 system mediates early-life stress-induced abnormalities in sleep-wake behavior in adult mice. Using the limited nesting and bedding material paradigm from postnatal days 2 to 9, we found that early-life stress disrupted sleep-wake behaviors during adulthood, including increased wakefulness and decreased non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep time during the dark period and increased rapid eye movement (REM) sleep time during the light period. The stress-induced sleep disturbances were accompanied by dendritic atrophy in the NAc and both were largely reversed by daily systemic administration of the CRHR1 antagonist antalarmin during stress exposure. Importantly, Crh overexpression in the NAc reproduced the effects of early-life stress on sleep-wake behavior and NAc morphology, whereas NAc Crhr1 knockdown reversed these effects (including increased wakefulness and reduced NREM sleep in the dark period and NAc dendritic atrophy). Together, our findings demonstrate the negative influence of early-life stress on sleep architecture and the structural plasticity of the NAc, and highlight the critical role of the NAc CRH-CRHR1 system in modulating these negative outcomes evoked by early-life stress.
Animals ; Mice ; Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone/metabolism* ; Nucleus Accumbens/metabolism* ; Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone/metabolism* ; Sleep ; Sleep Wake Disorders ; Stress, Psychological/complications*

Objective:To explore the therapeutic effect of anti-interleukin (IL)-12/IL-23 p40 antibody on experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) and its mechanism.Methods:Sixty-six SPF female C57BL/6N mice aged 6-8 weeks were selected.EAU model was established in 24 mice through immunization with the interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP) 651-670.The 24 mice were sacrificed before immunization, and on the 3rd, 12th, and 18th day after immunization, with 6 at each time point.Flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of IL-17A + interferon-γ (IFN-γ) + CD4 + T cells in the spleen, lymph nodes and eyeballs.Another 6 mice were selected to establish EAU model, and fundus images of the mice were taken with a small animal imaging instrument and optical coherence tomography (OCT) 18 days after immunization.The 6 mice were sacrificed after OCT examination and the eyeballs were collected.Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe the retinal inflammation and morphological changes in tissue structure.Flow cytometry was employed to detect the proportion of IL-17A + IFN-γ + CD4 + T cells in lymph nodes.The 6 mice were divided into IL-17A + IFN-γ + highly expressed group and IL-17A + IFN-γ + lowly expressed group according to flow cytometry results, and the retinal injury was compared between the two groups.EAU model was established in another 36 mice, which were divided into anti-IL-12/IL-23 p40 group and IgG group by random number table method, with 18 mice in each group.Anti-IL-12/IL-23 p40 or IgG was injected by tail vein at a 3-day inteval according to grouping.On the 12th and 18th day after immunization, 6 mice were selected from each group to collect lymph nodes and eyeballs, and the proportion of T cell subsets was detected by flow cytometry.Eyeballs of 6 mice in each group were extracted on the 24th day after immunization and retinal damage was observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining.The induced differentiation of CD4 + T cells in vitro was assayed by flow cytometry.The expressions of IL-17 and IFN-γ were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) after induced differentiation of IL-17A + IFN-γ + CD4 + T cells.The relative expression levels of Th1 transcription factor T-bet and Th17 transcription factor retinoid acid-related orphan nuclear receptor γt (ROR-γt) after induced differentiation of IL-17A + IFN-γ + CD4 + T cells were detected by real-time quantitative PCR.The use and care of animals followed the ARVO statement and this study protocol was approved by an Ethics Committee of Experimental Animals of Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital (No.TJYY2019111019). Results:There were significant differences in the proportion of IL-17A + IFN-γ + CD4 + T cells in lymph nodes, spleen and eyeballs between wild-type mice and EAU mice at the 3rd, 12th and 18th day after immunization ( H=9.642, 16.531, 10.385; all at P<0.05). Compared with before immunization, the proportion of IL-17A + IFN-γ + CD4 + T cells was significantly increased in lymph nodes of EAU mice on the 12th day following immunization and was significantly increased in spleen and lymph nodes on day 18 after immunization (all at P<0.05). Severe retinal exudation, retinal detachment, severe inflammatory cell infiltration and extensive retinal folds were detected in IL-17A + IFN-γ + highly expressed mice.Mild retinal edema, focal inflammatory cell infiltration and mild retinal folds were found in IL-17A + IFN-γ + lowly expressed mice.The proportion of CD3 and IL-17A + IFN-γ + CD4 + T cells in the eyeballs of anti-IL-12/IL-23 p40 group was lower than that in IgG group at the 18th day after immunization, and the differences were statistically significant ( t=15.304, 8.080; both at P<0.05). On day 12 after immunization, the percentage of IL-17A + IFN-γ + CD4 + T cells in anti-IL-12/IL-23 p40 group was (0.33±0.18)%, which was significantly lower than (4.83±0.45)% in IgG group ( t=15.974, P<0.001). Compared with IgG group, the percentage of Th1, Th17, IL-17A + IFN-γ + CD4 + T cells and the expression levels of IL-17, IFN-γ, T-bet, ROR-γt in anti-IL-12/IL-23 p40 group were significantly decreased, with statistical significances (all at P<0.05). Conclusions:Anti-IL-12/IL-23 p40 has a therapeutic effect on EAU by inhibiting IL-17A + IFN-γ + CD4 + T cells.

Objective To study the distribution of sleep duration in mid－pregnancy women and examine its association with prehypertension ( PHT) ． Methods In the baseline survey of a prospective cohort study，943 women in mid－pregnancy were recruited in Guangzhou，China in 2017－2018． A standardized questionnaire was used to assess demographic characteristics，sleep duration and other lifestyles． We obtained maternal blood pressure values，weights，heights，and medical histories from medical records． Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to examine the association between sleep duration and PHT． Ｒesults The average daily sleep duration of women in mid －pregnancy was ( 10. 41 ± 1. 67 ) hours，and it was negatively related to age and educational level． Overall，98. 33% of pregnant women had a daily sleep duration ≥ 7 h and the distribution was related to passive smoking． The average night time sleep duration was ( 9. 48±1. 21 ) hours，and it was negatively related to age and educational level． The daytime sleep duration was ( 0. 93 ± 0. 69 ) hours，and it was positively associated with physical activity． The average bedtime was( 22 ∶ 42 ± 1．24) ，and it was positively associated with passive smoking． The prevalence of PHT was 9. 61%． We did not observe any significant association between sleep duration and PHT． Conclusions The mid－pregnancy women in Guangzhou had relatively long sleep duration， and it differed by maternal age，educational level，physical activity，and passive smoking． There was no significant association between sleep duration and PHT．

Objective: To observe the expression of retinal proteins in experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) mice and to explore the possible molecular mechanism of autoimmune uveitis. Methods: Twelve female C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into model group and normal control group, 6 mice in each group.In the model group, the EAU model was established by subcutaneous injection of human interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP) 651-670.The fundal change of EAV mice was assessed by direct ophthalmoscope, OCT and histopathological staining.At 18 days after immunization, the retinas of the two groups were taken for retinal protein extraction, protein restriction enzyme digestion, mass spectrometry detection, data analysis, and bioinformatics analysis.This study was approved by the experimental animal Ethics Committee of Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital (TJYY2018070113). The feeding and use of experimental animals follow the ARVO statement. Results: The EAU mouse model was successfully established.At 10 days after immunitation, the retina of EAV mouse was damaged.At 18 days after immunization, retinal edema and infiltration of inflammatory cells into vitreous were observed.Proteomic results showed that a total of 4 458 proteins were identified in this study, of which 522 were differentially-expressed proteins (fold change>1.5, P<0.05). Among these differentially-expressed proteins, 147 proteins including Stat1 and Stat3 were up-regulated and 375 proteins including Gucy2f and Rho were down-regulated.These differentially-expressed proteins were closely related to platelet activation, integrin signaling, T cell activation, the phototransduction cascade, Toll-like receptor and so on. Conclusions EAU is related to the abnormal expression of Stat1, Stat3 and other proteins, as well as the abnormal regulation of platelet activation and integrin signal pathway.

Rehabilitation physician training is an important part of the development of rehabilitation medicine.Rehabilitation physician education in Taiwan has a complete and standardized training system,and rehabilitation physician training in mainland China is mainly achieved through standardized residency training.This article compares the differences in training processes for rehabilitation physicians in education in medical colleges and universities,residency training,and specialist training between Taiwan and mainland China.The results show that rehabilitation physician training in Taiwan is rigorous and orderly,with reasonable contents,clear objectives,strong specialty,and standardized assessment,while in mainland China,rehabilitation physicians in mainland China have insufficient training time,and there is a lack of detailed training plan and unified assessment standards.Rehabilitation physician training in mainland China needs to learn from advanced experience,further reform the training process,improve the operability of the overall education program,and perfect the training system of rehabilitation physicians.

Objective To compare the differences in the hypertension prevalence among children aged 7-12 in Guangzhou based on different references of hypertension. Methods A total of 7698 children aged 7-12 years old in Guangzhou were recruited by stratified cluster random sampling method. Demographic information such as gender and age was collected by questionnaire. Children’s height, weight, and blood pressure were objectively measured. There were five references for diagnosing children’s hypertension: Mi 2010, Mi 2017, Ma 2017, America 2004, and America 2017 reference. Results Based on the references above, the prevalence of hypertension for children aged 7-12 in Guangzhou reached a very high level. The prevalence of hypertension, high systolic blood pressure (SBP) and high diastolic blood pressure (DBP) based on Mi 2017 reference were all higher than those based on Mi 2010 reference, but both of them were distinctly higher than Ma 2017 reference. Compared with Mi 2010 reference, the agreement of diagnosis of high SBP and high DBP were both higher for Mi 2017 than those for Ma 2017. The agreement of high SBP was higher between Mi 2017 and America 2017 than that between Ma 2017 and America 2017 (Kappa: 0.846 vs. 0.727). Conclusion The prevalence of hypertension in children aged 7-12 in Guangzhou reachs a very high level. The prevalence of hypertension based on Mi 2017 reference is the highest and follows with America 2017 reference, and the agreement between them is excellent. Compared with Mi 2010 or America 2017 reference, the agreement for Ma 2017 is lower than that for Mi 2017 reference, respectively.

Objective To investigate the association between maternal food group intakes during pregnancy and the risk of infantile eczema in a Chinese population. Methods A prospective birth cohort study was conducted and 523 women were recruited at 20-28 weeks of pregnancy in Guangzhou from 2017 to 2018. A validated 81-item quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to assess maternal dietary intakes during the past month. Food items were divided into ten food groups according to the Chinese Dietary Guidelines. Offspring were followed up at 6 months by the symptom questionnaire of eczema. Multivariate Logistic regression model was conducted to evaluate the association between maternal food group intakes during pregnancy and the risk of infantile eczema. Results The cumulative incidence of eczema at 6 months was 51.8%. Maternal consumption of poultry was higher in the eczema group (27.62±25.20 g/d) than the control group (22.03±22.63 g/d, P=0.022). Comparing to the lowest quantile (Q1), higher maternal intake of poultry (Q4) and fish (Q3) were significantly associated with an increased risk of infantile eczema (OR=2.71, 95% CI=1.24-4.81; OR=2.38, 95% CI=1.23-4.59, respectively) after multivariate adjustment. Conclusion Higher intakes of poultry or fish during pregnancy were associated with an increased risk of infantile eczema in Chinese population.

Objective To evaluate the risk factors of myasthenic crisis(MC) after thymectomy for myasthenia gravis (MG) Methods A retrospective study was conducted in 84 patients with MG from July 1995 to December 2009. The following factors were evaluated: sex, age, history of preoperative myasthenic crisis, Osssrmen classification, use steroid hormones and anticholinesterase drugs before operation, operation methods, operation time, thymoma, pathology, transfusion, course of disease, postopertive lung infection,etc. Multivariate logistic regrossion analysis was used to find the predictors of postoperative myasthenic crisis. Results Twenty-four patients(28.6%) developed myasthenic crisis after thymectomy. Statistics showed that history of preoperative myasthenic crisis, Ossermen classification, operation methods, operation time were related to postoperative myasthenic crisis. Conclusion Preoperative myastheric crisis, Ossermen classification≥I b, traditional operation methods, long opertion time are the independent risk factors for myasthenic crisis after thymectomy.