Testicular histology based on testicular biopsy is an important factor for determining appropriate testicular sperm extraction surgery and predicting sperm retrieval outcomes in patients with azoospermia. Therefore, we developed a deep learning (DL) model to establish the associations between testicular grayscale ultrasound images and testicular histology. We retrospectively included two-dimensional testicular grayscale ultrasound from patients with azoospermia (353 men with 4357 images between July 2017 and December 2021 in The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China) to develop a DL model. We obtained testicular histology during conventional testicular sperm extraction. Our DL model was trained based on ultrasound images or fusion data (ultrasound images fused with the corresponding testicular volume) to distinguish spermatozoa presence in pathology (SPP) and spermatozoa absence in pathology (SAP) and to classify maturation arrest (MA) and Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCOS) in patients with SAP. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs), accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were used to analyze model performance. DL based on images achieved an AUC of 0.922 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.908-0.935), a sensitivity of 80.9%, a specificity of 84.6%, and an accuracy of 83.5% in predicting SPP (including normal spermatogenesis and hypospermatogenesis) and SAP (including MA and SCOS). In the identification of SCOS and MA, DL on fusion data yielded better diagnostic performance with an AUC of 0.979 (95% CI: 0.969-0.989), a sensitivity of 89.7%, a specificity of 97.1%, and an accuracy of 92.1%. Our study provides a noninvasive method to predict testicular histology for patients with azoospermia, which would avoid unnecessary testicular biopsy.
Humans ; Male ; Azoospermia/diagnostic imaging* ; Deep Learning ; Testis/pathology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Adult ; Ultrasonography/methods* ; Sperm Retrieval ; Sertoli Cell-Only Syndrome/diagnostic imaging*

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Yangxue Qingnao Pills (YXQNP) combined with amlodipine in treating patients with grade 1 hypertension. METHODS: This is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study. Adult patients with grade 1 hypertension of blood deficiency and Gan (Liver)-yang hyperactivity syndrome were randomly divided into the treatment or the control groups at a 1:1 ratio. The treatment group received YXQNP and amlodipine besylate, while the control group received YXQNP's placebo and amlodipine besylate. The treatment duration lasted for 180 days. Outcomes assessed included changes in blood pressure, Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome scores, symptoms and target organ functions before and after treatment in both groups. Additionally, adverse events, such as nausea, vomiting, rash, itching, and diarrhea, were recorded in both groups. RESULTS: A total of 662 subjects were enrolled, of whom 608 (91.8%) completed the trial (306 in the treatment and 302 in the control groups). After 180 days of treatment, the standard deviations and coefficients of variation of systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels were lower in the treatment group compared with the control group. The improvement rates of dizziness, headache, insomnia, and waist soreness were significantly higher in the treatment group compared with the control group (P<0.05). After 30 days of treatment, the overall therapeutic effects on CM clinical syndromes were significantly increased in the treatment group as compared with the control group (P<0.05). After 180 days of treatment, brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity, ankle brachial index and albumin-to-creatinine ratio were improved in both groups, with no statistically significant differences (P>0.05). No serious treatment-related adverse events occurred during the study period. CONCLUSIONS Combination therapy of YXQNP with amlodipine significantly improved symptoms such as dizziness and headache, reduced blood pressure variability, and showed a trend toward lowering urinary microalbumin in hypertensive patients. These findings suggest that this regimen has good clinical efficacy and safety. (Registration No. ChiCTR1900022470).
Humans ; Amlodipine/adverse effects* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Hypertension/complications* ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Adult ; Blood Pressure/drug effects* ; Double-Blind Method ; Aged ; Antihypertensive Agents/adverse effects*

The steps for installation and withdrawal of WYD2000 field surgical lamp were introduced.The failures and causes of broken cross-arm connector of WYD2000 field surgical lamp were analyzed.The problems of WYD2000 field surgical lamp in vulnerability to breaking and difficulty in maintenance were solved by designing and manufacturing a special maintenance tool and optimizing the materials and fixing mode of cross-arm connection.References were provided for main-tenance and improvement of WYD2000 field surgical lamp.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(4):116-118]

Objective To investigate the bacteriostatic activity of five hemostatic dressings for war injury to provide references for the development of novel hemostatic dressings.Methods The bacteriostatic ratios of Combat Gauze made of kaolin and four kinds of dressings made of chitosan including Celox Rapid Gauze,Celox Gauze,ChitoGauze and a self-developed dressing against S.aureus and E.coli were explored according to GB/T 20944.2-2007.The bacteriostatic time and activity were inferred by investigating the growth of S.aureus under simulated conditions.Results Combat Gauze had the hemostatic ratios lower than 20％against both S.aureus and E.coli within 24 h.The hemostatic ratios of Celox Rapid Gauze,Celox Gauze,ChitoGauze and the self-developed dressing against S.aureus were all higher than 90％after 30 min action,while the ratios of the four dressings against E.coli were slightly different and changed with the prolongation of the time of action:after 30 min action only Celox Rapid Gauze had the hemostatic ratio higher than 90％;after 3 h action,ChitoGauze had a low ratio of 35％while the other dressings were all higher than 95％;after 24 h action the four dressings all had the ratios higher than 99％.Celox Rapid Gauze,Celox Gauze,ChitoGauze and the self-developed dressing all significantly inhibited the growth of S.aureus within 15 h and the time for S.aureus to reach the threshold of clinical infection under simulated conditions was 18,15,24 and 15 h,respectively.Conclusion Combat Gauze is not effective in inhibiting S.aureus and E.coli,while Celox Rapid Gauze,Celox Gauze,ChitoGauze and the self-developed dressing behave well with Celox Rapid Gauze gaining high compre-hensive bacteriostatic activity and ChitoGauze having the longest bacteriostatic time against S.aureus.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the therapeutic efficacy of volume-guaranteed high frequency oscillation ventilation (HFOV-VG) versus conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV) in the treatment of preterm infants with respiratory failure. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted on 112 preterm infants with respiratory failure (a gestational age of 28-34 weeks) who were admitted to the Department of Neonatology, Jiangyin Hospital Affiliated to Medical School of Southeast University, from October 2018 to December 2022. The infants were randomly divided into an HFOV-VG group (44 infants) and a CMV group (68 infants) using the coin tossing method based on the mode of mechanical ventilation. The therapeutic efficacy was compared between the two groups. RESULTS: After 24 hours of treatment, both the HFOV-VG and CMV groups showed significant improvements in arterial blood pH, partial pressure of oxygen, partial pressure of carbon dioxide, and partial pressure of oxygen/fractional concentration of inspired oxygen ratio (P<0.05), and the HFOV-VG group had better improvements than the CMV group (P<0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups in the incidence rate of complications, 28-day mortality rate, and length of hospital stay (P>0.05), but the HFOV-VG group had a significantly shorter duration of invasive mechanical ventilation than the CMV group (P<0.05). The follow-up at the corrected age of 6 months showed that there were no significant differences between the two groups in the scores of developmental quotient, gross motor function, fine motor function, adaptive ability, language, and social behavior in the Pediatric Neuropsychological Development Scale (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS Compared with CMV mode, HFOV-VG mode improves partial pressure of oxygen and promotes carbon dioxide elimination, thereby enhancing oxygenation and shortening the duration of mechanical ventilation in preterm infants with respiratory failure, while it has no significant impact on short-term neurobehavioral development in these infants.
Infant ; Child ; Infant, Newborn ; Humans ; Infant, Premature ; Prospective Studies ; Gestational Age ; Carbon Dioxide ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn/therapy* ; High-Frequency Ventilation/methods* ; Respiration, Artificial ; Respiratory Insufficiency/therapy* ; Oxygen ; Cytomegalovirus Infections

The dental operative microscope has been widely employed in the field of dentistry, particularly in endodontics and operative dentistry, resulting in significant advancements in the effectiveness of root canal therapy, endodontic surgery, and dental restoration. However, the improper use of this microscope continues to be common in clinical settings, primarily due to operators' insufficient understanding and proficiency in both the features and established operating procedures of this equipment. In October 2019, Professor Jingping Liang, Vice Chairman of the Society of Cariology and Endodontology, Chinese Stomatological Association, organized a consensus meeting with Chinese experts in endodontics and operative dentistry. The objective of this meeting was to establish a standard operation procedure for the dental operative microscope. Subsequently, a consensus was reached and officially issued. Over the span of about four years, the content of this consensus has been further developed and improved through practical experience.
Humans ; Dentistry, Operative ; Consensus ; Endodontics ; Root Canal Therapy ; Dental Care

ObjectiveTo explore the pharmacodynamic ingredients of Zhenqi Fuzheng granules （ZFG） for immunomodulatory through spectrum-effect relationship analysis， which provides experimental basis for improving the quality standard of ZFG. MethodEighteen batches of ZFG from six manufacturers were collected for analysis. The fingerprints were established by high performance liquid chromatography （HPLC）. Acetonitrile （A）-0.1% formic acid aqueous solution （B） were adopted as the mobile phase with gradient elution （0-15 min， 5%A； 15-23 min， 5%-8%A； 23-30 min， 8%-11%A； 30-45 min， 11%-18%A； 45-60 min， 18%-21%A； 60-67 min， 21%-23%A； 67-90 min， 23%-37%A）， the detection wavelength was 220 nm. Chemometric analysis such as similarity analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis （HCA） were subsequently used to analyze the similarities and chemical differences among these samples. A cyclophosphamide-induced immunodeficiency mouse model was used to evaluate the immune-enhancing effects of the products from different manufacturers. The spectrum-effect relationship between HPLC fingerprints and the immunomodulatory effects was examined using Spearman bivariate correlation analysis. HPLC coupled with mass spectrometry （HPLC-MSⁿ） was used to identify the spectrum-effect related peaks with electrospray ionization， positive and negative ion modes， and scanning range of m/z 100-1 500. ResultThe HPLC fingerprint of ZFG was established， and twenty peaks with good resolution were selected as common peaks. The results of quality analysis and pharmacodynamic test showed there were significant differences in both ingredients content and immune-enhancing effects of ZFG from different manufacturers. Through spectrum-effect relationship study， twelve peaks were screened as bioactive ingredients peaks. Thereafter， eight peaks among them were subsequently identified by HPLC-MSⁿ. They were salidroside （peak 2）， echinacoside （peak 5）， calycosin-7-glucoside （peak 6）， isomer of specnuezhenide （peak 7）， isonuezhenide （peak 9）， calycosin （peak 11）， nuezhenide G₁₃ or oleonuezhenide （peak 14）， and formononetin （peak 18）， respectively. ConclusionThere are differences in quality and efficacy of ZFG produced by different manufacturers. Through spectrum-effect relationship analysis， the medicinal ingredients of ZFG for immune-enhancing effects are screened， which can provide reference for the improvement of its quality standard.

The physical properties of powder and granules are the critical quality attributes for the process control of Suhuang Zhike Capsules, a big brand traditional Chinese medicine. This paper took the production of 25 batches of real-world Suhuang Zhike Capsules dry extract powder and granules intermediates as the research object. Firstly, a method for testing the physical properties of Suhuang Zhike Capsules powder and granules with 19 physical indicators was established. The results showed that the granules of dry extract powder after granulation had a smaller particle size, wider particle size distribution range and poor fluidity, which easily caused the problem of over-limit capsule loading. Secondly, correlation analysis, principal component analysis and cluster analysis were used for mathematical statistics. The correlation analysis showed that the density of dry extract powder could affect the chroma and fluidity. At the same time, the particle size in the granules had a stronger effect on the chroma and fluidity than the density. The study also found that the particle size and hygroscopicity of dry extract powder were potentially key physical properties that affected the physical properties of granules. Furthermore, the results of principal component analysis and cluster analysis showed that the consistency of the physical properties between the dry extract powder and intermediate granules was relatively poor. To this end, similarity analysis was carried out, and the quality control method of powder and granules based on physical fingerprint was established. The results showed that the physical fingerprint similarity of 25 batches of dry extract powder was 0.639-0.976, and the physical fingerprint similarity of the gra-nules was 0.716-0.983. With the similarity of 0.85 as the threshold, the batches with abnormal physical properties could be identified. In this study, the process quality control method of Suhuang Zhike Capsules based on the physical properties of powder and granules was established finally, which realized the identification of abnormal batches, and provided a reference for the process quality control of Suhuang Zhike Capsules.
Capsules ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Powders ; Quality Control

Nagilactone E (NLE), a natural product with anticancer activities, is isolated from Podocarpus nagi. In this study, we reported that NLE increased programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expressions at both protein and mRNA levels in human lung cancer cells, and enhanced its localization on the cell membrane. Mechanistically, NLE increased the phosphorylation and expression of c-Jun, and promoted the localization of c-Jun in the nucleus, while silencing of c-Jun by small interfering RNA (siRNA) reduced NLE-induced PD-L1. Further study showed that NLE activated the c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK), the upstream of c-Jun, and its inhibitor SP600125 reversed the NLE-increased PD-L1. Moreover, NLE-induced PD-L1 increased the binding intensity of PD-1 on the cell surface. In summary, NLE upregulates the expression of PD-L1 in lung cancer cells through the activation of JNK-c-Jun axis, which has the potential to combine with the PD-1/PD-L1 antibody therapies in lung cancer.