Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has yet to be proven to alter male reproductive function, particularly in the majority of mild/asymptomatic patients. The purpose of this study was to explore whether mild/asymptomatic COVID-19 affects semen quality and sex-related hormone levels. To find suitable comparative studies, a systematic review and meta-analysis was done up to January 22, 2022, by using multiple databases (Web of Science, PubMed, and Embase). Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were used to identify and choose the studies. Meta-analysis was used to examine the semen parameters and sex-related hormones of mild/asymptomatic COVID-19 patients before and after infection. The effects of semen collection time, fever, and intensity of verification on semen following infection were also investigated. A total of 13 studies (n = 770) were included in the analysis, including three case-control studies, six pre-post studies, and four single-arm studies. A meta-analysis of five pre-post studies showed that after infection with COVID-19, sperm concentration (I² = 0; P = 0.003), total sperm count (I² = 46.3%; P = 0.043), progressive motility (I² = 50.0%; P < 0.001), total sperm motility (I² = 76.1%; P = 0.047), and normal sperm morphology (I² = 0; P = 0.001) decreased. Simultaneously, a systematic review of 13 studies found a significant relationship between semen collection time after infection, inflammation severity, and semen parameter values, with fever having only bearing on semen concentration. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in sex-related hormone levels before and after infection in mild/asymptomatic patients. Mild/asymptomatic COVID-19 infection had a significant effect on semen quality in the short term. It is recommended to avoid initiating a pregnancy during this period of time.
Pregnancy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Semen Analysis ; Semen ; Infertility, Male ; Sperm Motility ; COVID-19 ; Sperm Count ; Spermatozoa ; Testosterone ; Gonadal Steroid Hormones

ObjectiveTo explore the guidance value of “treatment of disease in accordance with three conditions” theory in the prevention and treatment of corona virus disease 2019（COVID-19） based on the differences of syndromes and traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） treatments in COVID-19 patients from Xingtai Hospital of Chinese Medicine of Hebei province and Ruili Hospital of Chinese Medicine and Dai Medicine of Yunnan province and discuss its significance in the prevention and treatment of the unexpected acute infectious diseases. MethodDemographics data and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients from the two hospitals were collected retrospectively and analyzed by SPSS 18.0. The information on formulas was obtained from the hospital information system （HIS） of the two hospitals and analyzed by the big data intelligent processing and knowledge service system of Guangdong Hospital of Chinese Medicine for frequency statistics and association rules analysis. Heat map-hierarchical clustering analysis was used to explore the correlation between clinical characteristics and formulas. ResultA total of 175 patients with COVID-19 were included in this study. The 70 patients in Xingtai，dominated by young and middle-aged males，had clinical symptoms of fever， abnormal sweating，and fatigue. The main pathogenesis is stagnant cold-dampness in the exterior and impaired yin by depressed heat， with manifest cold， dampness， and deficiency syndromes. The therapeutic methods highlight relieving exterior syndrome and resolving dampness， accompanied by draining depressed heat. The core Chinese medicines used are Poria，Armeniacae Semen Amarum，Gypsum Fibrosum，Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium，and Pogostemonis Herba. By contrast，the 105 patients in Ruili， dominated by young females， had atypical clinical symptoms， and most of them were asymptomatic patients or mild cases. The main pathogenesis is dampness obstructing the lung and the stomach， with obvious dampness and heat syndromes. The therapeutic methods are mainly invigorating the spleen， resolving dampness， and dispersing Qi with light drugs. The core Chinese medicines used are Poria，Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma，Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma，Coicis Semen，Platycodonis Radix，Lonicerae Japonicae Flos， and Pogostemonis Herba. ConclusionThe differences in clinical characteristics， TCM syndromes， and medication of COVID-19 patients from the two places may result from different regions，population characteristics， and the time point of the COVID-19 outbreak. The “treatment of disease in accordance with three conditions” theory can help to understand the internal correlation and guide the treatments.

Six new tirucallane-type triterpenoids (1-6), along with ten known triterpenoids, were isolated from methylene chloride extract of the resin of Boswellia carterii Birdw. By the application of the comprehensive spectroscopic data, the structures of the compounds were clarified. The experimental electronic circular dichroism spectra were compared with those calculated, which allowed to assign the absolute configurations. Compounds 5 and 6 possesed a 2, 3-seco tirucallane-type triterpenoid skeleton, which were first reported. Their inhibitory activity against NO formation in LPS-activated BV-2 cells were evaluated. Compound 9 showed appreciable inhibitory effect, with an IC

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of acupuncture on vascular endothelial function in patients of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and normal glucose tolerance (NGT). METHODS: A total of 140 patients with PCOS were divided into an IGT group (70 cases, 11 dropped off) and a NGT group (70 cases, 9 cases dropped off). The patients in the two groups were treated with full-cycle acupuncture at Zhongwan (CV 12), Guanyuan (CV 4), Qihai (CV 6), Tianshu (ST 25), etc. once every other day, 3 times a week, for 3 months. Before and after treatment, TCM symptom score, insulin resistance index [including fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-hour blood glucose (2hPG), fasting serum insulin (FINS), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR)] and vascular endothelial related factors [including asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMD), endothelin-1 (ET-1), malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO)] were compared between the two groups; in addition, the obese subgroup and non-obese subgroup of the two groups were further compared. RESULTS: Compared before treatment, the TCM symptom scores, ADMD, ET-1 and MDA after treatment were decreased ( CONCLUSION Acupuncture could improve vascular endothelial function in PCOS patients, IGT patients have better efficacy than NGT patients, and obese patients have better efficacy than non-obese patients.
Acupuncture Therapy ; Blood Glucose ; Female ; Glucose ; Glucose Intolerance/therapy* ; Humans ; Insulin ; Insulin Resistance ; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome/therapy*

Dendrobium huoshanense is a precious medicinal plant belonging to Dendrobium of Orchidaceae. It is a special medicinal material and extremely scarce in Huoshan county, Anhui province. At present, D. huoshanense has been greatly protected, which also makes it possible to industrialize relying on tissue culture and artificial cultivation technology. Three main planting methods were utilized for cultivating D. huoshanense including facility cultivation, under forest cultivation and simulative habitat cultivation. Firstly, the three cultivation modes and technical characteristics of D. huoshanense were compared and analyzed, and it was found that the ecological environment of D. huoshanense cultivated in the simulated environment was closer to that of wild D. huoshanense. Secondly, based on comparing the characters and quality of three cultivation modes, the results showed that the shape of D. huoshanense cultivated in simulated environment was more similar to that of "grasshopper thigh" recorded in Bencao Jing Jizhu, and its quality was better than that of facilities and under forest cultivation. The comprehensive benefit comparison of three modes showed that the simulated cultivation had high income, the lowest input-output ratio and significant economic benefit. The quality of cultivated D. huoshanense was further evaluated from four aspects of "excellent environment" "excellent shape" "high quality" "excellent effect", which summarized the comprehensive advantages of simulative habitat cultivation of D. huoshanense as follows: the original habitat and site environment of simulated wild D. huoshanense, the closer shape to the wild, the more content of main medicinal components, and higher economic benefit and better efficacy. The quality of D. huoshanense was improved by the use of simulative habitat cultivation, which has practical significance to guide its large-scale cultivation.
Dendrobium ; Ecosystem ; Forests ; Plants, Medicinal

Objective: To observe the gadolinium imaging findings of inner ear in patients with sudden deafness and to analyze its clinical features. Methods: From November 2017 to July 2020, 21 patients with sudden deafness in the People's Hospital of Dongsheng District, Ordos City were selected as the research objects, including 14 males and 7 females, aged 36-76 years, with a median age of 50 years. The course of disease was 1-19 days, with an average of 5.5 days. The patients received audiology tests, laboratory examination, and intravenous gadolinium angiography, each of whom was scanned twice by 3D-FLAIR sequence: once before intravenous gadolinium injection, and once again 4.5-6.0 h after intravenous gadolinium injection. The following corresponding clinical treatment was given. The imaging manifestations and clinical features were observed. Results: Among 21 cases of sudden deafness in acute stage, the signal intensity of 11 cases was significantly higher than that of the contralateral ear, and 2 cases had vestibular labyrinthine hydrops. In laboratory examination, only 2 cases of total deafness had increased WBC count and faster erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and the rest had no abnormality. The hearing types of 21 patients with sudden deafness were: total deafness in 8 cases, flat decline in 10 cases, low frequency decline in 1 case, high frequency decline in 2 cases. The total effective rate was 57% (12/21). The hearing types of 11 patients with abnormal gadolinium angiography were total deafness in 5 cases, flat decline in 5 cases and high frequency decline in 1 case. The total effective rate was 64% (7/11). Conclusion: Gadolinium angiography is abnormal in some patients with sudden deafness, and the permeability of blood labyrinth barrier may be increased, which is worthy of further study.
Angiography ; Deafness ; Female ; Gadolinium ; Hearing Loss, Sudden/diagnostic imaging* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Vestibule, Labyrinth

The elements of ethical review related to clinical research of acupuncture and moxibustion is discussed to provide ideas for various institutions to carry out relevant ethical review. It is believed that the ethical review of clinical research of acupuncture and moxibustion needs to focus on the specificity of acupuncture and moxibustion. Starting from the basic theory of traditional Chinese medicine, the theory of meridians and acupoints and the theory of syndrome differentiation along meridians, the key contents of ethical review such as intervention methods, grouping design and placebo control should be considered, so as to standardize the clinical research of acupuncture and moxibustion and protect the health and rights and interests of participants.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Biomedical Research ; Ethical Review ; Humans ; Meridians ; Moxibustion

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical effect of the combined treatment of acupuncture, moxibustion, Chinese herbal medicine and western medication and simple western medication on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) of kidney deficiency and blood stagnation pattern and explore the effect on endometrial receptivity and the expression of serum homeobox gene A10 (HOXA10). METHODS: A total of 60 patients with PCOS of kidney deficiency and blood stagnation pattern were randomized into a combined treatment group and a western medication group, 30 cases in each one. In the western medication group, on the fifth day of menstruation, clomiphene citrate tablets were taken orally, 50 mg each time, once daily, consecutively for 5 days. On the day when the follicle diameter was ≥ 18 mm, chorionic gonadotrophin for muscular injection, a dose of 10 000 U was given. Before sleep, the aspirin enteric-coated tablets were taken orally, 50 mg (except during menstruation). In the combined treatment group, on the base of the treatment as the western medication group, acupuncture and moxibustion were adopted and the Chinese herbal for tonifying the kidney and activating blood circulation was taken orally. The acupoints were Guanyuan (CV 4), Qihai (CV 6), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Zigong (EX-CA 1), etc. Acupuncture was remained for 30 min each time, once every two days and discontinued during menstruation. Chinese herbal was given from the 3rd day of menstruation till the onset of the next menstruation, one dose each day. After consecutive treatment for 3 menstrual cycles in the two groups, the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method was adopted to determine the expression of serum HOXA10 before and after treatment in the patients of the two groups. The endometrial thickness at ovulatory phase, uterine arterial flow 7 days after ovulation [including uterine arterial pulsatility index (PI), resistance index (RI), peak systolic velocity (PSV)/end diastolic velocity (EDV), meaning S/D], pregnancy rate and the score of Chinese medicine symptoms before and after treatment were compared in the patients between the two groups. RESULTS: ① After treatment, the expression of serum HOXA10 was higher than that before treatment in the patients of the two groups ( CONCLUSION The combined treatment with acupuncture, moxibustion and medication effectively improves endometrial receptivity and uterine arterial flow in the patients with PCOS of kidney deficiency and blood stagnation pattern and increases pregnancy rate. The therapeutic effect is better than the simple western medication and its mechanism is probably related to the regulation of serum HOXA10 expression.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Female ; Genes, Homeobox ; Homeobox A10 Proteins ; Humans ; Kidney ; Moxibustion ; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome/genetics* ; Pregnancy

Objective: By observing the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on the apoptosis of conjunctival cells of rabbits with dry eye syndrome (DES) and the expressions of apoptosis-related proteins Caspase-3, Fas and Bcl-2, to discuss the mechanism of EA in the treatment of DES from the perspective of cell apoptosis. Methods: Male New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into a normal group (NG), a model group (MG), an EA group (EAG) and a sham EA group (SEAG). DES rabbit model was developed by eye drop of 0.1％ benzalkonium chloride. The rabbit tear secretion and tear film break-up time (BUT) were measured; terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase- mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay was used to detect the apoptosis of conjunctival cells; the expressions of Caspase-3, Fas and Bcl-2 proteins in conjunctival cells were detected by immunohistochemistry. Results: Compared with the NG, the rabbit tear secretion decreased and the BUT was shortened in the MG (both P<0.01); compared with the MG and the SEAG, the rabbit tear secretion increased and the BUT was prolonged in the EAG (all P<0.05). Compared with the NG, the apoptosis of rabbit conjunctival cells increased (P<0.01), the expressions of Caspase-3 and Fas proteins increased (both P<0.05), and the expression of Bcl-2 protein decreased (P<0.01) in the MG; compared with the MG and the SEAG, the apoptosis of rabbit conjunctival cells decreased (both P<0.01), the expressions of Caspase-3 and Fas proteins decreased (all P<0.05), and the expression of Bcl-2 protein increased (both P<0.01) in the EAG. Conclusion: EA can inhibit the apoptosis of rabbit conjunctival cells, down-regulate the expressions of apoptosis-related proteins Caspase-3 and Fas, and up-regulate the expression of Bcl-2 protein, which may be one of the mechanisms of EA in treatment of DES.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the sagittal morphological features of the spine and pelvis between L₅S₁ dysplastic spondylolisthesis and isthmus spondylolisthesis in adolescent. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 24 cases of adolescent L₅S₁ spondylolisthesis with complete imaging data from May 2002 to December 2016. Those included 8 males and 16 females, aged from 10 to 18 years old with an average of (13.4±2.0) years. Among them, 9 cases were diagnosed as dysplastic spondylolisthesis (dysplasia group) and 15 cases isthmic spondylolisthesis (ischemic group). Radiographic parameters including slippage distance, slippage degree, slippage angle, sagittal vertical axis(SVA), thoracic kyphosis(TK), lumbar lordosis(LL), L₅ incidence(L₅I), pelvic incidence(PI), pelvic tilt(PT), sacral slope(SS), sagittal pelvic thickness(SPT), lumbosacral angle (LSA), sacral table angle (STA) were measured on the spinal lateral X-ray of the standing position. Independent-samples t-test was used in the comparison of each variable between two groups. <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in slippage distance, slippage rate, slippage angle between two groups. In dysplasia group, SVA, L₅I, PT, SPT were (37.0±48.4) mm, (57.0±14.8)°, (42.3±15.4)°, (56.1±21.2) mm, respectively, and (-11.0±22.2) mm, (31.7±19.3) °, ( 15.5±10.2)°, (31.4±19.1) mm in ischemic group; and the differences between the two groups were significant(<0.05). In ischemic group, SS, LSA, STA were (44.1±12.6)°, (103.9±21.7)°, (92.7±9.9)°, respectively, and (25.9±20.2) °, (75.4±16.4) °, (75.4±9.7) ° in dysplasia group; and the differences between the two groups were significant(<0.05). There was no significant difference in TK, LL between two groups(>0.05). CONCLUSIONS Significant different from isthmic spondylolisthesis, adolescents with dysplastic spondylolisthesis present a different spino-pelvic sagittal alignment, characterized with trunk forward leaning and pelvic retroversion. In case of sagittal imbalance, early surgical intervention is required to restore a balanced spino-pelvic alignment.
Adolescent ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; Male ; Pelvis ; Postural Balance ; Radiography ; Retrospective Studies ; Spine ; Spondylolisthesis ; surgery