Male infertility has evolved from a common reproductive system disease to a major social issue. Youjing granule (YG) is a Chinese medicinal material used as a therapy method for tonifying the kidneys and removing dampness due to its pathogenic characteristics. YG has been shown to regulate sperm quality in clinical trials, but the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. The present study was aimed to explore the protective effects and mechanism of action of YG on male reproductive system damage caused by methyl methane sulfonate (MMS). We first established an infertility model of rats through oral administration of MMS and then treated with YG. To determine the effect of YG, spermatogenesis, microvascular density, and secretory function of Leydig cells and Sertoli cells in rats were assessed. Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) were co-cultured with mouse embryo fibroblast (MEF) cells as an in vitro cell model before exposure to serum containing YG. Furthermore, the proliferation and apoptosis of SSCs were measured. Results indicated that YG increased the expression of self-renewal and proliferation-related molecules such as glial cell line derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2), and improved the quality of sperm and the proliferation of SSCs. In conclusion, YG may protect spermatogenetic function of rats through regulating the proliferation and self-renewal of SSCs.
Animals ; Cell Proliferation ; Male ; Mice ; Rats ; Semen ; Spermatogenesis ; Spermatogonia ; Stem Cells

Objective : To investigate the effect and mechanism of Src homology 2 domain - containing protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor PHPS1 on atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability in ApoE knockout mice , and to provide a new idea for the study of atherosclerosis. Methods : Sixteen 8 ⁃week⁃old ApoE - / - mice were randomly divided into control group and PHPS1 group. The aortic root was fixed with formalin and sectioned. The collagen and macrophage contents in the plaque were evaluated by Movat and Sirius red staining. The activity of ERK and the expression of MMP⁃9 in the descending aorta were detected by Western blot. Results : The plaque area (0. 52 ± 0. 05) , (0. 31 ± 0. 03 ) , collagen content (0. 062 ± 0. 013 ) , (0. 136 ± 0. 022) and macrophage cell ratio (0. 799 ± 0. 031) , (0. 621 ± 0. 043) were different between PHPS1 group and control group ( P < 0. 01) . The results of western blot showed that PHPS1 inhibited the activity of ERK and decreased the protein expression of MMP⁃9 (P <0. 01) . Conclusion PHPS 1 , an inhibitor of SHP⁃2 , can inhibit ERK activity and decrease the expression of MMP⁃9 , thus reducing the degradation of collagen in fibrous cap and stabilizing vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque.

Paeoniae Radix Alba is the dried root of Paeonia lactiflora, which was first recorded in the Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica and listed as the top grade. It is a common blood-tonifying herb, and its chemical components are mainly monoterpenes and their glycosides, triterpenes, flavonoids and so on. Modern research has demonstrated that Paeoniae Radix Alba has the activities of anti-inflammation, pain easing, liver protection, and anti-oxidation, and thus it is widely used in clinical practice and has broad development prospects. In this paper, the research progress on the chemical composition, pharmacological effects, and quality control of Paeoniae Radix Alba were summarized. On this basis, the Q-markers of Paeoniae Radix Alba were predicted from the aspects of mass transfer and traceability, chemical composition specificity, and availability and measurability of chemical components, which will provide a scientific basis for the quality evaluation of Paeoniae Radix Alba.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Monoterpenes ; Paeonia ; Plant Extracts

Objective To compare the epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 in Guangzhou and Wenzhou, and evaluate the effectiveness of their prevention and control measures. Methods Data of COVID-19 cases reported in Guangzhou and Wenzhou as of 29 February, 2020 were collected. The incidence curves of COVID-19 in two cities were constructed. The real time reproduction number ( R t ) of COVID-19 in two cities was calculated respectively. Results A total of 346 and 465 confirmed COVID-19 cases were analysed in Guangzhou and Wenzhou, respectively. In two cities, most cases were aged 30-59 years (Guangzhou: 54.9%; Wenzhou: 70.3%). The incidence curve peaked on 27 January, 2020 in Guangzhou and on 26 January, 2020 in Wenzhou, then began to decline in both cities. The peaks of imported COVID-19 cases from Hubei occurred earlier than the peak of COVID-19 incidences in two cities, and the peak of imported cases from Hubei occurred earlier in Wenzhou than in Guangzhou. In early epidemic phase, imported cases were predominant in both cities, then the number of local cases increased and gradually took the dominance in Wenzhou. In Guangzhou, the imported cases was still predominant. Despite the different epidemic pattern, the R t and the number of COVID-19 cases declined after strict prevention and control measures were taken in Guangzhou and in Wenzhou. Conclusion The time and scale specific differences of imported COVID-19 resulted in different epidemic patterns in two cities, but the spread of the disease were effectively controlled after taking strict prevention and control measures.

Objective To assess the imported risk of COVID-19 in Guangdong province and its cities, and conduct early warning. Methods Data of reported COVID-19 cases and Baidu Migration Index of 21 cities in Guangdong province and other provinces of China as of February 25, 2020 were collected. The imported risk index of each city in Guangdong province were calculated, and then correlation analysis was performed between reported cases and the imported risk index to identify lag time. Finally, we classified the early warming levels of epidemic by imported risk index. Results A total of 1 347 confirmed cases were reported in Guangdong province, and 90.0% of the cases were clustered in the Pearl River Delta region. The average daily imported risk index of Guangdong was 44.03. Among the imported risk sources of each city, the highest risk of almost all cities came from Hubei province, except for Zhanjiang from Hainan province. In addition, the neighboring provinces of Guangdong province also had a greater impact. The correlation between the imported risk index with a lag of 4 days and the daily reported cases was the strongest (correlation coefficient: 0.73). The early warning base on cumulative 4-day risk of each city showed that Dongguan, Shenzhen, Zhongshan, Guangzhou, Foshan and Huizhou have high imported risks in the next 4 days, with imported risk indexes of 38.85, 21.59, 11.67, 11.25, 6.19 and 5.92, and the highest risk still comes from Hubei province. Conclusions Cities with a large number of migrants in Guangdong province have a higher risk of import. Hubei province and neighboring provinces in Guangdong province are the main source of the imported risk. Each city must strengthen the health management of migrants in high-risk provinces and reduce the imported risk of Guangdong province.

Castleman Disease ; China ; Humans ; Syndrome

Since March 2013,China had experienced five seasonal epidemics related to Avian influenza A (H7N9).An unprecedented outbreak of H7N9 epidemic started from September 2016,with 730 cases reported till June 30th 2017,in mainland China that caused profound influences on both social development and health of the people.As an emerging infectious disease,information on pathogenic characteristics,transmission patterns and other epidemiological features of H7N9 virus somehow remained unclear.Data from previous studies suggested that the live poultry market (LPM) seemed to have served as main places where H7N9 virus got originated,mutated,spread and thus infected the human beings.Hence,closure of LPMs was suggested a major measure to control and prevent H7N9 epidemics in China.However,the effectiveness of different ways of LPM closures on H7N9 epidemics had been controversial.This study systemically summarized the effects of different ways of LPM closures on H7N epidemics from previous studies,aiming to provide references for developing a better program on H7N9 control and prevention in the country.

Anaprazole is a proton pump inhibitor clinically used for curing peptic ulcer. A rapid, sensitive and convenient LC-MS/MS method was first established for the determination of anaprazole in human plasma. d₃, ¹³C-anaprazole was used as internal standard (IS). After extraction from human plasma by protein precipitation with acetonitrile, all components were separated on an Extend C₁₈ column (100 mm×4.6 mm, 3.5 μm). The assay was linear over the concentration range of 5.00-3 000 ng·mL^-1 (r² > 0.995). The method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of 40 mg anaprazole enteric-coated tablets in 14 Chinese healthy volunteers under fasting or high fat diet conditions. C_max was (1 020±435) ng·mL^-1 and AUC_0-t was (2 370±754) h·ng·mL^-1 under fasting condition. And C_max was (538±395) ng·mL^-1 and AUC_0-t was (1 610±650) h·ng·mL^-1 under high fat diet condition. The plasma results suggest that the exposure of anaprazole is reduced by the high fat diet.

BACKGROUNDThe assembled data from a population could provide information on health trends within the population. The aim of this research was to extract and know basic health information from an urban professional population in Beijing.

METHODSData analysis was carried out in a population who underwent a routine medical check-up and aged > 20 years, including 30 058 individuals. General information, data from physical examinations and blood samples were collected in the same method. The health status was separated into three groups by the criteria generated in this study, i.e., people with common chronic diseases, people in a sub-clinic situation, and healthy people. The proportion of both common diseases suffered and health risk distribution of different age groups were also analyzed.

RESULTSThe proportion of people with common chronic diseases, in the sub-clinic group and in the healthy group was 28.6%, 67.8% and 3.6% respectively. There were significant differences in the health situation in different age groups. Hypertension was on the top of list of self-reported diseases. The proportion of chronic diseases increased significantly in people after 35 years of age. Meanwhile, the proportion of sub-clinic conditions was decreasing at the same rate. The complex risk factors to health in this population were metabolic disturbances (61.3%), risk for tumor (2.7%), abnormal results of morphological examination (8.2%) and abnormal results of lab tests of serum (27.8%).

CONCLUSIONSHealth information could be extracted from a complex data set from the heath check-ups of the general population. The information should be applied to support prevention and control chronic diseases as well as for directing intervention for patients with risk factors for disease.

Adult ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; China ; Female ; Health Status ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sex Distribution ; Urban Population ; Young Adult

Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of a novel self-expanding stent Solitaire ab in the treatment of complex intracranial aneurysms. Methods Twelve patients (13 aneurysms), admitted to our hospital from October 2009 to November 2010, were treated with Solitaire ab stents. Ten patients were treated with stent-assisted coiling, the other 2 with stent placement alone.The clinical data and the treatment efficacy of these patients were analyzed. Results Fourteen stents were successfully deployed in 12 patients (13 aneurysms) with no recycling or re-positioning with a success rate of stent placement of 100%. Coil partly prolapsed into parent artery in 1 patient, and the others had no operation-related complications. Eight patients enjoyed completely filling, 1 near total filling and 3 partly filling. Nine patients got complete recovery, 2 partial recovery; and 1 died of malignant arrhythmia.Conclusion The use of Solitaire ab for the treatment of complex ntracranial aneurysms enjoys a good safety and short-term clinical outcome.