Extensive studies have identified potential adverse effects on semen quality of obesity, based on body mass index, but the association between body fat distribution, a more relevant indicator for obesity, and semen quality remains less clear. We conducted a longitudinal study of 4304 sperm donors from the Guangdong Provincial Human Sperm Bank (Guangzhou, China) during 2017-2021. A body composition analyzer was used to measure total and local body fat percentage for each participant. Generalized estimating equations were employed to assess the association between body fat percentage and sperm count, motility, and morphology. We estimated that each 10% increase in total body fat percentage (estimated change [95% confidence interval, 95% CI]) was significantly associated with a 0.18 × 10 6 (0.09 × 10 6 -0.27 × 10 6 ) ml and 12.21 × 10 6 (4.52 × 10 6 -19.91 × 10 6 ) reduction in semen volume and total sperm count, respectively. Categorical analyses and exposure-response curves showed that the association of body fat distribution with semen volume and total sperm count was stronger at higher body fat percentages. In addition, the association still held among normal weight and overweight participants. We observed similar associations for upper limb, trunk, and lower limb body fact distributions. In conclusion, we found that a higher body fat distribution was significantly associated with lower semen quality (especially semen volume) even in men with a normal weight. These findings provide useful clues in exploring body fat as a risk factor for semen quality decline and add to evidence for improving semen quality for those who are expected to conceive.
Humans ; Male ; Adult ; Semen Analysis ; China ; Body Fat Distribution ; Longitudinal Studies ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Motility ; Body Mass Index ; Tissue Donors ; Obesity/complications* ; Spermatozoa ; Young Adult ; Middle Aged ; East Asian People

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical features and gene mutation characteristics of combined oxidative phosphorylation deficiency type 7 (COXPD7) caused by mutations in the C12orf65 gene, and to enhance the awareness of this disease. METHODS: A child diagnosed with COXPD7 in the Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University in 2021 was included, along with 10 patients reported in the literature. All subjects were analyzed for their genotypes and clinical phenotypes. RESULTS: A total of 11 patients with COXPD7 were included, comprising 1 reported in this study and 10 from the literature. Among the 11 patients, 9 had homozygous mutations in the C12orf65 gene, while 2 had compound heterozygous mutations, which were identified as frameshift or nonsense mutations. The age of onset ranged from 1 day to 2 years, and clinical manifestations included optic nerve atrophy and delays in intellectual and motor development. Eight patients exhibited external ophthalmoplegia, and five patients displayed spastic paralysis. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging revealed optic nerve atrophy in all 11 patients, abnormal brainstem signals in 10 patients, and a lactate peak on brainstem magnetic resonance spectroscopy scans in 3 patients. CONCLUSIONS COXPD7 associated with the C12orf65 gene results from homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations, with primary clinical manifestations of optic nerve atrophy and delays in intellectual and motor development. Some patients may also present with spastic paralysis or external ophthalmoplegia. Cranial imaging reveals symmetrical abnormal signals in bilateral basal ganglia and brainstem, and a lactate peak is observed on brainstem magnetic resonance spectroscopy scans.
Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Mitochondrial Diseases/genetics* ; Mitochondrial Proteins/genetics* ; Mutation ; Oxidative Phosphorylation ; Infant, Newborn

OBJECTIVES: To study the clinical characteristics, efficacy, and prognosis of pediatric Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 72 children with newly diagnosed LCH. RESULTS: The median age of the 72 children was 5 years (range: 0-14 years), with skull involvement being the most common (56 cases, 77.8%). The BRAF-V600E mutation was not associated with clinical characteristics, efficacy, or prognosis (P>0.05). The 5-year overall survival rate was 91.6%±4.2%, and the 5-year event-free survival (EFS) rate was 67.5%±5.8%. The 6-week chemotherapy response rate and 5-year EFS rate were lower in the risk organ involvement group compared to the no risk organ involvement group (P<0.05). The five-year overall survival rates for the group with multi-system involvement and the group with platelet count ≥450×10⁹/L were respectively lower than those for the single-system involvement group and the group with platelet count <450×10⁹/L (P<0.05). Risk organ involvement is an independent risk factor for 5-year EFS (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Skull is the most commonly affected site in pediatric LCH. The BRAF-V600E mutation is not related to clinical characteristics, efficacy, or prognosis. Elevated platelet count, risk organ involvement, and multisystem involvement are associated with poor prognosis, with risk organ involvement being an independent risk factor for 5-year EFS.
Humans ; Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell/therapy* ; Child, Preschool ; Child ; Male ; Infant ; Female ; Adolescent ; Retrospective Studies ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf/genetics* ; Prognosis ; Infant, Newborn ; Mutation

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect and safety of Chinese medicine (CM) Fuzheng Huazhuo Decoction (FHD) in treating patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who persistently tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at Shanghai New International Expo Center shelter hospital in China between April 1 and May 30, 2022. Patients diagnosed as COVID-19 with persistently positive SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results for ⩾8 days after diagnosis were enrolled. Patients in the control group received conventional Western medicine (WM) treatment, while those in the FHD group received conventional WM plus FHD for at least 3 days. The primary outcome was viral clearance time. Secondary outcomes included negative conversion rate within 14 days, length of hospital stay, cycle threshold (Ct) values of the open reading frame 1ab (ORF1ab) and nucleocapsid protein (N) genes, and incidence of new-onset symptoms during hospitalization. Adverse events (AEs) that occurred during the study period were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 1,765 eligible patients were enrolled in this study (546 in the FHD group and 1,219 in the control group). Compared with the control group, patients receiving FHD treatment showed shorter viral clearance time for nucleic acids [hazard ratio (HR): 1.500, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.353-1.664, P<0.001] and hospital stays (HR: 1.371, 95% CI: 1.238-1.519, P<0.001), and a higher negative conversion rate within 14 days (96.2% vs. 82.6%, P<0.001). The incidence of new-onset symptoms was 59.5% in the FHD group, similar to 57.8% in the control group (P>0.05). The Ct values of ORF1ab and N genes increased more rapidly over time in the FHD group than those in the control group post-randomization (ORF1ab gene: β =0.436±0.053, P<0.001; N gene: β =0.415 ±0.053, P<0.001). The incidence of AEs in the FHD group was lower than that in the control group (24.2% vs. 35.4%, P<0.001). No serious AEs were observed. CONCLUSION FHD was effective and safe for patients with persistently positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests. (Registration No. ChiCTR2200063956).
Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Retrospective Studies ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; COVID-19 Drug Treatment ; SARS-CoV-2/drug effects* ; COVID-19/virology* ; Adult ; Aged ; Treatment Outcome

Ovarian tumor (OT) is the most lethal form of gynecologic malignancy, with minimal improvements in patient outcomes over the past several decades. Metastasis is the leading cause of ovarian cancer-related deaths, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Psychological stress is known to activate the glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1), a factor associated with poor prognosis in OT patients. However, the precise mechanisms linking NR3C1 signaling and metastasis have yet to be fully elucidated. In this study, we demonstrate that chronic restraint stress accelerates epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis in OT through an NR3C1-dependent mechanism involving nuclear protein 1 (NUPR1). Mechanistically, NR3C1 directly regulates the transcription of NUPR1, which in turn increases the expression of snail family transcriptional repressor 2 (SNAI2), a key driver of EMT. Clinically, elevated NR3C1 positively correlates with NUPR1 expression in OT patients, and both are positively associated with poorer prognosis. Overall, our study identified the NR3C1/NUPR1 axis as a critical regulatory pathway in psychological stress-induced OT metastasis, suggesting a potential therapeutic target for intervention in OT metastasis.

OBJECTIVE: The present study evaluated the effects of deep acupuncture at Weizhong acupoint (BL40) on bladder function and brain activity in a rat model of overactive bladder (OAB), and investigated the possible mechanisms around the acupuncture area that initiate the effects of acupuncture. METHODS: Adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups, comprising a control group, model group, group treated with deep acupuncture at BL40, group treated with shallow acupuncture at BL40, group treated with acupuncture at non-acupoint next to BL40, and group treated with acupuncture at Xuanzhong (GB39). Urodynamic evaluation was used to observe the urination, and functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to observe the brain activation. The mechanism of acupuncture at BL40 in regulating bladder function was explored by toluidine blue staining and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the mechanism was verified by stabilizing mast cells (MCs) or blocking tibial nerve. RESULTS: Deep acupuncture at BL40 significantly increased the intercontraction interval in OAB rats and enhanced the mean amplitude of low frequency fluctuation of primary motor cortex (M1), periaquaductal gray matter (PAG), and pontine micturition center (PMC). It also increased the zero-lag functional connectivity between M1 and PAG and between PAG and PMC. Shallow acupuncture at BL40 and acupuncture at non-acupoint or GB39 had no effect on these indexes. Further studies suggested that deep acupuncture at BL40 increased the number and degranulation rate of MCs as well as the contents of 5-hydroxytryptamine, substance P, and histamine in the tissues around BL40. Blocking the tibial nerve by lidocaine injection or inhibiting MC degranulation by sodium cromoglycate injection obstructed the effects of acupuncture on restoring urinary function and modulating brain activation in OAB rats. CONCLUSION Deep acupuncture at BL40 may be more effective for inhibiting OAB by promoting degranulation of MCs around the acupoint and stimulating tibial nerve, thereby regulating the activation of the brain area that controls the lower urinary tract. Please cite this article as: Liu X, Zhang CY, Du XY, Li SS, Wang YQ, Zheng Y, Deng HZ, Fang XQ, Li JY, Wang ZQ, Xu SF, Mi YQ. Acupuncture at Weizhong (BL40) attenuates acetic acid-induced overactive bladder in rats by regulating brain neural activity through the modulation of mast cells and tibial nerves. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(1): 46-55.
Animals ; Urinary Bladder, Overactive/physiopathology* ; Mast Cells/physiology* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Female ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Acupuncture Points ; Rats ; Brain/physiopathology* ; Tibial Nerve/physiopathology* ; Acetic Acid ; Urinary Bladder/physiopathology*

Objective To analyze the factors related to early allograft dysfunction(EAD)after liver transplantation and to construct a predictive model.Methods A total of 375 patients who underwent liver transplantation in our hospital from December 2008 to December 2021 were collected,including 90 patients with EAD and 266 patients without EAD.Thirty items of baseline data for the 2 groups were compared and analyzed.Aftergrouping in a ratio of 7∶3,univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used in the training set to evaluate the factors related to EAD and construct a nomogram.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve,decision curve analysis(DCA),sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value,Kappa value and other indicators were used to evaluate the model performance.Results The incidence of EAD after liver transplantation was 24%.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that preoperative tumor recurrence history(OR=3.15,95%CI:1.28～7.77,P=0.013)and operation time(OR=1.22,95%CI:1.04～1.42,P=0.015)were related to the occurrence of EAD after surgery.After predicting the outcome according to the cut-off point of 0.519 identified by the Youden index,the model performance in the both training set and validation set was acceptable.DCA suggested the model has good clinical applicability.Conclusion The risk factors for EAD after liver transplantation are preoperative tumor recurrence history and operation time,and the established model has predictive effect on prognosis.

Objective To explore the analgesic effect of different doses of dezocine combined with ropivacaine for thoracic paravertebral block(TPVB)on patients undergoing thoracoscopic radical resection of lung cancer and the influence on hemodynamics and immune function of patients.Methods Patients with lung cancer who underwent thoracoscopic radical resection were divided into low-dose group and high-dose group according to random number table method.Both groups of patients were given total intravenous anesthesia to complete the surgery.At 15 min before general anesthesia induction,the low-dose group was given TPBV with 0.1 mg·kg-1 dezocine+0.375％ropivacaine for a total of 20 mL,and the high-dose group was given TPBV with 0.15 mg·kg-1 dezocine+0.375％ropivacaine for a total of 20 mL.Comparisons were performed on both groups in terms of analgesic effect,hemodynamic parameters,immune function and occurrence of adverse drug reactions.Results There were 48 cases in low-dose group and 46 cases in high-dose group.In low-dose group,the heart rate values before TPVB,before skin incision,at 5 min after sectioning and at the end of surgery were(78.52±6.54),(70.79±7.07),(74.48±6.68)and(76.69±7.29)beat·min-1,the mean arterial pressure values were(93.16±5.72),(86.38±7.51),(92.15±6.36)and(91.14±6.13)mmHg.In high-dose group,the heart rate values at the above time points were(79.36±7.11),(71.68±6.49),(74.76±7.06)and(76.57±6.52)beat·min-1;the mean arterial pressure values were(93.89±7.18),(85.27±7.41),(90.34±6.52)and(92.43±6.34)mmHg,there were no statistical differences between the two groups(all P＞0.05).The resting state scores at 2,6 and 12 h after surgery were(1.38±0.19),(1.54±0.21)and(1.72±0.16)points,the pain scores at motion state were(1.88±0.15),(2.36±0.37)and(3.26±0.38)points in low-dose group;in high-dose group,the resting state scores were(1.32±0.17),(1.58±0.22)and(1.81±0.18)points,the pain scores at motion state were(1.81±0.13),(2.11±0.31)and(3.03±0.36)points,respectively,there were no statistical differences between the two groups(all P＞0.05).The number of analgesic pump compressions at 24 h after surgery and the number of cases with analgesic remedy were(5.12±1.26)times and 15 cases in low-dose group and were(4.74±1.03)times and 10 cases in high-dose group,with no statistical differences between the groups(all P＞0.05).The percentages of CD3+cells in low-dose group at the end of surgery and at 12 h and 24 h after surgery were(68.51±6.76)％,(54.22±5.43)％and(51.47±6.58)％,the percentages of CD4+cells were(40.29±5.02)％,(34.94±4.79)％and(30.48±5.11)％,CD4+/CD8+ratios were 1.54±0.34,1.36±0.28 and 1.16±0.23;the percentages of CD3+cells in high-dose group were(67.92±7.11)％,(56.58±6.36)％and(54.47±6.89)％,percentages of CD4+cells were(41.33±5.75)％,(35.86±5.21)％and(32.27±4.78)％,the CD4+/CD8+were 1.53±0.35,1.40±0.30 and 1.22±0.26,all with no significant difference(all P＞0.05).The incidence of postoperative adverse drug reactions in high-dose group and low-dose group were 32.61％and 14.58％,with significant difference(P＜0.05).Conclusion When TPVB regimen of dezocine combined with ropivacaine is used in thoracoscopic radical resection of lung cancer,the analgesic effect of low-dose dezocine is comparable to that of high-dose dezocine,with lower risk of adverse drug reactions.

Objective To design a nurse-driven intelligent individualized medication management system to enhance the whole-course patient management efficiency.Methods The system consisted of an in-hospital PC terminal,a mobile patient terminal and a mobile medical terminal.The in-hospital PC terminal was developed with B/S architecture and.NET;the patient and medical terminals both were realized with Java.The patient terminal was made up of a personal information module,a data reporting module and a message center module,and the in-hospital PC and medical terminals were composed of several modules for patient management,data management,statistical analysis and system management.Results The system developed provided whole-course intelligent management for out-of-hospital patients comprehensively,continuously and actively,lowering acute morbidity and nurses'workload for follow-up.Conclusion The system developed enhances patients'awareness of self-health management and improves nurses'efficiency for individualized medication management.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(11):44-48]

Objective To explore the changes and significane of USP20 and HIF-α expression in breast cancer.Methods Following transfection of shRNA-USP20 lentivirus into breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells,the gene and protein expression levels of USP20 were detected using fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western Blot.Subsequently,the overexpression of USP20 was observed to determine its effect on HIF-α expression.Similarly,siRNA-USP20 was used to knock down USP20 in breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells,followed by detection of gene and protein expression levels using fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western Blot.The subsequent changes in HIF-α expression were then examined.Rusults The positive expression rates of USP20 and HIF-α in breast cancer tissues were 69.6%and 46.83%,respectively,while they were negatively expressed in the adjacent normal tissues,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.01).The positive expressions of USP20 and HIF-α were predomi-nantly observed in the cytoplasm of breast cancer tissue,with a smaller amount present in the nucleus.There was a significant positive correlation between USP20 and HIF-α in breast cancer.Following transfection of shRNA-USP20 lentivirus into MDA-MB-231 cells,both the protein and gene expression levels of USP20 significantly increased(P＜0.01).Over-expression of USP20 did not affect HIF-α mRNA levels but led to a significant increase in HIF-α protein expression(P＜0.01).Conversely,siRNA-USP20 interference resulted in a significant decrease in both the protein and gene expression levels of USP20(P＜0.01),without affecting HIF-α mRNA levels;however,it caused a notable reduction in HIF-α protein expression(P＜0.01).Conclusion The expression of USP20 exhib-ited a significant positive correlation with HIF-α in breast cancer.Overexpression of USP20 led to a substantial increase in HIF-α protein expression,while knock-down of the USP20 gene resulted in a significant decrease in HIF-α protein levels.Therefore,it can be inferred that USP20 may exert its influence on the development of breast cancer through modulation of HIF-α expression,thereby providing crucial experimental evidence for clinical treat-ment,prognosis,and further investigations.