This study primarily aimed to investigate the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) and other common pathogens of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in spermatozoa of infertile men and their effects on semen parameters. These pathogens included Ureaplasma urealyticum, Ureaplasma parvum, Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium , herpes simplex virus 2, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus agalactiae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa , and Staphylococcus aureus . A total of 1951 men of infertile couples were recruited between 23 March 2023, and 17 May 2023, at the Department of Reproductive Medicine of The First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province (Kunming, China). Multiplex polymerase chain reaction and capillary electrophoresis were used for HPV genotyping. Polymerase chain reaction and electrophoresis were also used to detect the presence of other STIs. The overall prevalence of HPV infection was 12.4%. The top five prevalent HPV subtypes were types 56, 52, 43, 16, and 53 among those tested positive for HPV. Other common infections with high prevalence rates were Ureaplasma urealyticum (28.3%), Ureaplasma parvum (20.4%), and Enterococcus faecalis (9.5%). The prevalence rates of HPV coinfection with Ureaplasma urealyticum, Ureaplasma parvum, Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium , herpes simplex virus 2, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus agalactiae , and Staphylococcus aureus were 24.8%, 25.4%, 10.6%, 6.4%, 2.4%, 7.9%, 5.9%, 0.9%, and 1.3%, respectively. The semen volume and total sperm count were greatly decreased by HPV infection alone. Coinfection with HPV and Ureaplasma urealyticum significantly reduced sperm motility and viability. Our study shows that coinfection with STIs is highly prevalent in the semen of infertile men and that coinfection with pathogens can seriously affect semen parameters, emphasizing the necessity of semen screening for STIs.
Humans ; Male ; Infertility, Male/epidemiology* ; Coinfection/microbiology* ; Papillomavirus Infections/virology* ; Adult ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases/complications* ; China/epidemiology* ; Staphylococcus aureus/isolation & purification* ; Chlamydia trachomatis/isolation & purification* ; Prevalence ; Mycoplasma genitalium/isolation & purification* ; Ureaplasma urealyticum/isolation & purification* ; Neisseria gonorrhoeae/isolation & purification* ; Enterococcus faecalis/isolation & purification* ; Streptococcus agalactiae/isolation & purification* ; Herpesvirus 2, Human/genetics* ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa/isolation & purification* ; Semen/virology* ; Sperm Motility ; Spermatozoa/microbiology* ; Human Papillomavirus Viruses

OBJECTIVE: To explore the diagnostic value of shear wave elastography (SWE) for clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 359 cases with suspected prostate cancer (PCa) in Baoji Central Hospital from June 2017 to July 2023. All the patients underwent the following examinations in the order of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing, transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS), measurement of the stiffness of the entire prostate gland by SWE, and TRUS-guided prostate puncture biopsy. The stiffness of the entire prostate gland was defined as the average of Young's modulus at both sides of the base, middle, and apex of the prostate, including the maximum Young's modulus (Emax), mean Young's modulus (Emean), and minimum Young's modulus (Emin). We analyzed the correlation of the parameters of the stiffness of the entire prostate gland with the pathological results, focusing on their diagnostic performance for csPCa. RESULTS: Of the 359 cases, 189 were diagnosed by pathological puncture biopsy as BPH, 26 as non-csPCa, and 144 as csPCa. The PSA level, Emax, Emean and Emin were significantly higher in the csPCa than those in the BPH and non-csPCa groups (all P < 0.01), but showed no statistically significant difference between the BPH and non-csPCa groups (all P > 0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), optimal cut-off value, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and accuracy of Emax in the diagnosis of csPCa were 0.852, 143.92 kPa, 72.22%, 84.65%, 75.91%, 81.98% and 79.67%; those of Emean were 0.868, 82.42 kPa, 67.36%, 91.16%, 83.62%, 80.66% and 81.62%; and those of Emin were 0.682, 32.73 kPa, 47.22%, 89.30%, 73.91%, 71.54% and 72.14%, respectively. In the non-csPCa group, Emax, Emean and Emin were found below the optimal cut-off value in 73.08% (19/26), 92.31% (24/26) and 88.46% (23/26), respectively. CONCLUSION The stiffness of the entire prostate gland measured by SWE contributes to the diagnosis of csPCa, reduces unnecessary detection of non-csPCa, and provides some reference for its active surveillance.
Humans ; Male ; Prostatic Neoplasms/diagnosis* ; Elasticity Imaging Techniques ; Retrospective Studies ; Prostate/pathology* ; Prostate-Specific Antigen/blood* ; Aged ; Middle Aged

AIM To study the chemical constituents from the aerial parts of Stephania tetrandra S.Moore and predict their potential targets and activities.METHODS The 70%ethanol extract from the aerial parts of S.tetrandra was isolated and purified by macroporous resin,silica gel,Sephadex LH-20 and semi-preparative HPLC,then the structures of obtained compounds were identified by physicochemical properties and spectral data.The potential targets and activities of the compounds were predicted by the PharmMapper platform.RESULTS Eleven compounds were isolated and identified as 6S,6a S-N-neolitsine Nα-oxide(1),neolitsine(2),dicentrine(3),nantenine(4),oxonantenine(5),oxophoebine(6),N-acetylnordicentrine(7),liriodenine(8),6R,6a S-N-nantenine Nβ-oxide(9),oxocrebanine(10),stigmast-4-ene-6β-ol-3-one(11).The potential targets of compounds include insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor and transthyretin.CONCLUSION Compound 1 is a new compound,and compounds 6,8-11 are isolated from this plant for the first time.Compounds 1-11 exhibit the potential activities of inhibiting a variety of tumor cells.

Objective To investigate the acoustic characteristics of speech prosody in patients after stroke and to select sensitive acoustic parameters of speech prosody.Methods A total of 30 patients after stroke(stroke group)and 30 healthy adults of similar age(control group)were collected.Both groups read short texts aloud,and each syllable and pause of all short sentences in the whole text were recorded under the spectrogram.Acoustic analysis was performed on the inter-rogative sentence"What do you want to buy for your grandson's birthday?"and the stressed sentence"I want to buy toys!"The rhythm(unnatural pause number,speech rate,articulation rate),intonation(whole sentence fundamental frequency,fundamental frequency standard deviation and fundamental frequency slope of interrogative sentences,boundary tone funda-mental frequency and fundamental frequency slope of interrogative sentences,fundamental frequency and fundamental fre-quency slope of four tones),and stress(average intensity of stressed syllables,peak intensity,and stressed syllables dura-tion)of speech prosody were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Results The unnatural pause number and the stressed syllables duration in the stroke group were significantly higher than those in the normal control group(P＜0.01).The speech rate,articulation rate,whole sentence fundamental frequency standard deviation,whole sentence funda-mental frequency slope,and fourth tone fundamental frequency slope in the stroke group were significantly lower than those in the normal control group(P＜0.01).The boundary tone fundamental frequency slope of interrogative sentences and the third tone fundamental frequency slope were significantly lower than those in the normal control group(P＜0.05).Conclu-sion Patients after stroke have poor rhythm control,manifested as excessive pauses and slow speech rate;insufficient into-nation expression,manifested as insufficient interrogative sentence tone,and poor control ability of the third and fourth tones;compensatory expression of stress,characterized by prolonging the expression time of stressed syllables.

"Solid-liquid excipients" co-production is one of the typical processing methods of excipients used from ancient times to the present day, and is widely applied in various processing schools and regional specialty varieties. This method significantly reduces the toxicity of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), moderates medicinal properties, and enhances clinical efficacy. However, modern scientific research has given it limited attention, and many co-production methods of "solid-liquid excipients" have not been applied in production and practice. This paper reviewed the historical development of "solid-liquid excipients" co-production, outlined modern processing standards and methods in different processing schools, and further elaborated on the purposes and effects of this co-production method. This study is expected to provide references and evidence for further in-depth research, inheritance, innovation, and practical application.
Chemistry, Pharmaceutical/history* ; Drug Compounding/methods* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Excipients/chemistry* ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; History, Ancient ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/history*

Aim To investigate the protective effect of orcinol glucoside on dexamethasone(DEX)-induced osteoblast injury and its mechanism. Methods Primary osteoblasts were extracted from calvaria of neonatal mice and cultured in medium with DEX(1 μmol•L

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of modified Renshen Wumeitang（MRWT） on the related regulatory factors of the γ-aminobutyric acid （GABA） signaling pathway in colon tissues of rats with diarrhea， and reveal the mechanism of MRWT in invigorating Qi， generating fluid， and checking diarrhea. MethodForty-eight SD immature rats were randomly divided into a blank group （n=12） and an experimental group （n=36）. The diarrhea model was induced in the experimental group by Sennae Folium combined with overstrain and improper diet for 14 days. Subsequently， the model rats were randomly divided into a model group （normal saline， 20 mL·kg^-1）， a western medicine group （Medilac-Vita， 0.7 g·kg^-1）， and a Chinese medicine group （MRWT， 35 g·kg^-1）， with 12 rats in each group. The rats in the blank group received normal saline at 20 mL·kg^-1， and those in the other groups were treated correspondingly， once a day for 7 days. The general condition， loose stool rate， and diarrhea index of the rats were observed daily. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the optical density expression of GABA protein in the colon of rats. The content of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase （PI3K）， protein kinase B2 （Akt2）， phosphorylated Akt （p-Akt）， and interleukin-1β （IL-1β） was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The mRNA and protein expression levels of PI3K， Akt2， and GABA type A receptor subunit β₂ （GABRB2） in the colon of rats were detected by Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot， respectively. ResultCompared with the blank group， the model group showed worsened general condition， The difference was not statistically significant of loose stool rate and diarrhea index， increased expression of GABA protein （P<0.05）， elevated expression of PI3K， Akt2， p-Akt， and IL-1β （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and up-regulated PI3K， Akt2， and GABRB2 mRNA and protein expression （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the western medicine group and the Chinese medicine group showed the improved general condition， decreased loose stool rate and diarrhea index （P<0.01）， and decreased content of PI3K， Akt2， p-Akt， and IL-1β （P<0.05）. The Chinese medicine group displayed decreased mRNA expression of PI3K， Akt2， and GABRB2 （P<0.05， P<0.01） and down-regulated protein expression of GABA， PI3K， and GABRB2 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The western medicine group exhibited down-regulated mRNA expression of PI3K，Akt2，and protein of PI3K （P<0.05）. ConclusionMRWT can regulate the GABA signaling pathway， reduce Cl^- flow in intestinal epithelial cells to the intestinal lumen， and improve the imbalance of colonic fluid metabolism in the colon of diarrhea rats， thereby exerting its effects of invigorating qi， generating fluid， and checking diarrhea.

Objective: To analyze and compare the distribution of the high-risk population of upper gastrointestinal (UGI) cancer and the factors influencing the compliance rate of endoscopic screening in urban China and rural China. Methods: From 2015 to 2017, an epidemiological survey was conducted on residents aged 40-69 in two rural areas (Luoshan county of Henan province, Sheyang county of Jiangsu province) and two urban areas (Changsha city of Hunan province, Harbin city of Heilongjiang province). As a result, high-risk individuals were recommended for endoscopic screening. Chi-square χ(2) test was used to compare the high-risk rate of UGI cancer between urban and rural residents. In addition, the multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the factors influencing the compliance rate of endoscopic screening. Results: A total of 48, 310 residents aged 40-69 were enrolled in this study, including 22 870 (47.34%) residents from rural areas and 25 440 (52.66%) residents from urban areas. A total of 23 532 individuals were assessed with a high risk of UGI cancer, with an overall risk rate of 48.71%. A higher proportion of participants with high risk was observed in rural China (56.17%, 12 845/22 870) than in urban China (42.01%, 10 687/25 440). A total of 10 971 high-risk individuals with UGI cancer participated in endoscopic screening, with an overall compliance rate of 46.62% (10 971/23 532), 45.15% (5 799/12 845) in rural China, and 48.40% (5 172/10 687) in urban China. In rural population, the compliance rate of endoscopic screening was higher in those of females, aged 50-69 years, primary school education or above, high income, a family history of UGI cancer, history of gastric and duodenal ulcer, history of reflux esophagitis, and history of superficial gastritis, but lower in smokers (P<0.05). Among the urban population, the compliance rate of endoscopic screening was higher in those aged 40-49 years, uneducated, low income, family history of UGI cancer, history of reflux esophagitis, history of superficial gastritis, but lower in smokers (P<0.05). Conclusions: The proportion of participants with high risk of UGI cancer in rural areas is higher than that of urban areas. The compliance rates of endoscopic screening in urban and rural areas are low, and influencing factors of endoscopic screening exhibit some differences in rural China and urban China.
China/epidemiology* ; Early Detection of Cancer ; Esophagitis, Peptic ; Female ; Gastritis ; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms/epidemiology* ; Humans ; Rural Population ; Urban Population

Objective: The relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and glycemic indices, including plasma glucose (FPG), 2-hour postload glucose (2h-PG), and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), remains inconclusive. We aimed to explore the associations between glycemic indices and SUA levels in the general Chinese population. Methods: The current study was a cross-sectional analysis using the first follow-up survey data from The China Cardiometabolic Disease and Cancer Cohort Study. A total of 105,922 community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 40 years underwent the oral glucose tolerance test and uric acid assessment. The nonlinear relationships between glycemic indices and SUA levels were explored using generalized additive models. Results: A total of 30,941 men and 62,361 women were eligible for the current analysis. Generalized additive models verified the inverted U-shaped association between glycemic indices and SUA levels, but with different inflection points in men and women. The thresholds for FPG, 2h-PG, and HbA1c for men and women were 6.5/8.0 mmol/L, 11.0/14.0 mmol/L, and 6.1/6.5, respectively (SUA levels increased with increasing glycemic indices before the inflection points and then eventually decreased with further increases in the glycemic indices). Conclusion An inverted U-shaped association was observed between major glycemic indices and uric acid levels in both sexes, while the inflection points were reached earlier in men than in women.
Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Blood Glucose/analysis* ; China/epidemiology* ; Cohort Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus/blood* ; Female ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Glycated Hemoglobin A/analysis* ; Glycemic Index ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Uric Acid/blood*

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on aged insomnia, and explore its possible mechanism. METHODS: A total of 60 patients with aged insomnia were randomly divided into an EA group (30 cases) and a sham EA group (30 cases, 1 case dropped off). The patients in the EA group were treated with acupuncture at Baihui (GV 20), Yintang (GV 29), Shenmen (HT 7), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Xinshu (BL 15) and Shenshu (BL 23), and EA was used at Baihui (GV 20) and Yintang (GV 29), with intermittent wave, 2 Hz in frequency. In the sham EA group, the acupoints and the EA connection acupoints were the same as those in the EA group, 2-3 mm in depth, but no current was connected. The intervention was given 30 min each time, once every other day, 3 times a week for 4 weeks in the both groups. Before and after treatment, the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) scale were used to assess sleep quality and cognitive function, and serum melatonin (MT) and dopamine (DA) levels were detected. RESULTS: After treatment, the total score and sub-item scores of PSQI in the EA group were lower than those before treatment ( CONCLUSION Electroacupuncture can improve sleep quality and cognitive function in aged insomnia patients, and its mechanism may be related to regulating serum MT and DA levels.
Acupuncture Points ; Aged ; Dopamine ; Electroacupuncture ; Humans ; Melatonin ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/therapy*