1.Mechanisms of Spermatogenic Dysfunction and Sperm Quality Degradation Induced by Propylthiouracil via Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Rats and Interventional Effect of Shugan Bushen Yulin Decoction
Yuhao MENG ; Xiaocui JIANG ; Min XIAO ; Chaoyang WANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(9):79-89
ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanisms through which Shugan Bushen Yulin decoction ameliorates spermatogenic dysfunction and sperm quality degradation caused by propylthiouracil (PTU) via the endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway in rats. MethodsSixty male rats were randomly assigned into six groups: a control group, a model group, low- (6.75 g·kg-1), medium- (13.5 g·kg-1), and high-dose (27 g·kg-1) Shugan Bushen Yulin decoction groups, and an L-carnitine (0.27 g·kg-1) group, with ten rats in each group. Other groups except the control group were administrated with PTU (10 mg·kg-1) by gavage for 12 consecutive days. After the completion of modeling, rats were administrated with corresponding agents or normal saline (control group) via gavage for 28 consecutive days. Twenty-four hours after the last administration, rats were sacrificed, and the body and organ (testis, epididymis, and seminal vesicle) weights were measured to calculate the organ indices. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was employed to observe the pathological changes in the testes and epididymis, and the testicular spermatogenic function of rats was scored. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to measure the levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone (T), estradiol (E2), and malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the rat serum. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling was adopted to assess the rate of testicular cell apoptosis. Western blot was conducted to determine the expression levels of glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP), phosphorylated protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (p-PERK), protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK), phosphorylated eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α kinase (p-EIF2α), eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α kinase (EIF2α), and activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) in the testicular tissue of rats. ResultsCompared with the control group, the model group exhibited reductions in volumes and indexes of testes, epididymides, and seminal vesicles (P<0.01), pathological damage of testes and epididymides, and declines in spermatogenic function and sperm density and motility (P<0.01). In addition, the model group demonstrated elevated serum levels of TSH and MDA, lowered levels of T3, T4, FSH, LH, T, and E2, decreased activities of SOD and GSH-Px (P<0.05, P<0.01), an increased apoptosis rate of testicular cells (P<0.01), and up-regulated expression of GRP78, CHOP, p-PERK/PERK, p-EIF2α/EIF2α, and ATF4 in the testicular tissue (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, Shugan Bushen Yulin decoction at different doses improved the morphology and indexes of testes, epididymides, and seminal vesicles (P<0.05), restored the spermatogenic function (P<0.05, P<0.01), increased the sperm density and motility (P<0.05, P<0.01), and decreased the percentage of apoptotic testicular cells (P<0.05). Furthermore, the decoction lowered the serum level of MDA, elevated the serum levels of FSH, LH, T, and E2, and increased the activities of SOD and GSH-Px (P<0.05, P<0.01). Moreover, the expression levels of GRP78, CHOP, p-PERK/PERK, p-EIF2α/EIF2α, and ATF4 in the testicular tissue were down-regulated (P<0.05, P<0.01). ConclusionShugan Bushen Yulin decoction can ameliorate the spermatogenic dysfunction and sperm quality degradation induced by PTU in a rat model of hypothyroidism by repairing the testicular oxidative damage and regulating the PERK/EIF2α/ATF4 signaling pathway, thereby alleviating spermatogenic cell apoptosis.
2.Research hotspots and trends of medical humanities in China since the new era
Huiying ZHANG ; Jinfan WANG ; Yuhao MA ; Yuan HE
Chinese Medical Ethics 2025;38(3):336-345
ObjectiveTo analyze the development trajectory, research hotspots, and trends in medical humanities research in China since the new era. MethodsA search was conducted on the CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) advanced search page using the themes“medical humanities”or “humanistic medicine,”retrieving a total of 5,758 articles. After applying specific screening criteria, 5,095 articles were included in the analysis. Citespace6.1.R6 was used to visualize and analyze the authors, institutions, and keywords of the 5,095 articles. ResultsSince the new era, the volume of publications on medical humanities in China has shown an overall upward trend, with limited collaboration between core institutions and core authors. The research content of medical humanities has evolved from broad to specific, from abstract to concrete, and from theoretical to practical. ConclusionThe development of medical humanities research in China has generally gone through three stages: defining related concepts, integrating medical humanistic spirit into clinical practice, and applying empirical methods. Narrative medicine, ideological and political education in curricula, and medical humanities education are potential future research directions.
3.The diagnostic value of endoscopic score based on acetic acid-enhanced narrow-band imaging for gastric intestinal metaplasia
Chen XU ; Zhengyang LI ; Haiyan WANG ; Yuhao WANG ; Xuanguang YE ; Miao JIANG
Chinese Journal of Clinical Medicine 2025;32(3):369-375
Objective To explore the diagnostic value of endoscopic grading of gastric intestinal metaplasia (EGGIM) score under acetic acid-enhanced narrow band imaging (AA-NBI) observation mode for gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM). Methods A total of 120 patients who underwent gastroscopy at Jinshan Hospital of Fudan University from February 2022 to February 2023 were selected. All patients underwent both white light and AA-NBI endoscopy, with photographic records of intestinal metaplasia in five areas: greater curvature of antrum, lesser curvature of antrum, greater curvature of corpus, lesser curvature of corpus and incisura. EGGIM score was performed: 0 for no intestinal metaplasia, 1 point for focal intestinal metaplasia (GIM area ratio≤30%), 2 points for extensive intestinal metaplasia (GIM area ratio>30%), with a total score of 10 points. Targeted biopsies were performed on suspicious GIM lesions found during endoscopy. If no suspicious GIM lesions were observed, random biopsies were performed according to the updated Sydney system. The pathological histological examination results were staged based on the operative link on gastric intestinal metaplasia assessment (OLGIM) system. The diagnostic value of EGGIM score for OLGIM stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ patients was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of AA-NBI in detecting GIM were 96.3%, 91.6%, 94.5%, 95.0%, and 93.6%, respectively. The area under the ROC curve for EGGIM diagnosing OLGIM stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ was 0.952 (95%CI 0.914-0.990). The optimal cut-off value for EGGIM was 5 points, with a sensitivity of 96.7% (95%CI 87.6%-99.4%) and specificity of 88.1% (95%CI 76.5%-94.7%). Conclusions EGGIM score (≥5 points) under AA-NBI mode has good diagnostic capability for patients with OLGIM stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ.
4.Cross lagged analysis of anxiety and depressive symptoms,uncertainty stress with academic buoyancy in college students
LIU Yuxuan, WANG Yuhao, WANG Yihan, WANG Yingxue, HU Xinyi, TIAN Susu, TIAN Jiayi, WANG Wei
Chinese Journal of School Health 2025;46(6):832-836
Objective:
To examine the reciprocal relationships of anxiety and depressive symptoms,uncertainty stress with academic buoyancy among college students, providing evidence for mental health promotion and academic resilience enhancement.
Methods:
A multi stage cluster random sampling method was used to selected 741 undergraduates from grade 1 to 2 of a university in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province. Participants completed two waves of surveys (T1: October 2022; T2: October 2023) using the Uncertainty Stress Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Academic Buoyancy Scale. Cross lagged models analyzed bidirectional relationships between three mental health variables and academic buoyancy, followed by latent variable modeling integrating all mental health dimensions.
Results:
Cross lagged model results revealed that T1 uncertainty stress negatively predicted T2 academic buoyancy ( β =-0.14), while T1 academic buoyancy negatively predicted T2 uncertainty stress ( β =-0.11); T1 depressive symptom negatively predicted T2 academic buoyancy ( β =-0.08), while T1 academic buoyancy negatively predicted T2 depressive symptom ( β =-0.09); furthermore, T1 academic buoyancy negatively predicted T2 anxiety symptom( β =-0.10) ( P <0.05). Results from the latent variable cross lagged model of psychological problems (constructed from the three mental health variables) indicated that T1 psychological problems negatively predicted T2 academic buoyancy ( β =-0.09), while T1 academic buoyancy negatively predicted T2 psychological problems ( β =-0.09) ( P <0.05).
Conclusions
Longitudinal bidirectional relationships exist between mental health status and academic buoyancy in college students. Better mental health facilitates higher academic buoyancy.
5.Predicting the surgical difficulty,complications and prognosis of kidney tumors based on anatomical features:advances in renal tumor scoring systems
Gen LI ; Yuhao YU ; Xuexing FAN ; Jincheng LI ; Jiasong LI ; Pugui LI ; Xiaopen CHEN ; He WANG ; Geng ZHANG ; Yong WANG
Journal of Modern Urology 2025;30(4):355-363
Renal tumor scoring systems can describe the anatomical characteristics of renal tumors. It is an important standard to evaluate the surgical complexity and to evaluate the surgical complexity and feasibility of partial nephrectomy. Scholars at home and abroad have established various scoring systems based on different anatomical parameters,such as R.E.N.A.L.,PADUA,C-Index,which are used to guide the clinical selection of surgical modalities,and predict perioperative complications and prognosis. In this paper,various scoring systems are grouped into three major categories according to their functions:prediction of surgical complexity,prediction of complications,and prediction of prognosis. The contents,characteristics and clinical application value of various renal tumor scoring systems are introduced in detail to guide urologists,enhance their surgical decision-making ability,and improve the clinical outcomes.
6.Clinical features of critically ill pregnant and parturient women infected with chronic hepatitis B virus: An analysis of 41 cases
Yuhao JU ; Wen LI ; Yu WANG ; Lingyan XIAO ; Yishan ZHENG ; Guorong HAN
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2024;40(2):258-263
ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical features and outcomes of critically ill pregnant and parturient women with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, and to provide clinical experience for the rescue of critically ill pregnant and parturient women and the prevention and treatment of the severe exacerbation of liver disease. MethodsA total of 41 pregnant and parturient women with chronic HBV infection who were admitted to Department of Critical Care Medicine, Nanjing Second Hospital, from March 2013 to March 2023 were enrolled in this study, and their clinical data were collected through the electronic medical record system of hospital to summarize the main causes of transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU), the causes of death, and treatment. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups. The chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. ResultsAmong the 41 patients, 13 (31.71%) did not receive regular antenatal examination and 8 (19.51%) with a high viral load (HBV DNA ≥2×105 IU/mL) did not receive antiviral therapy. Cesarean section was the main mode of delivery in 32 patients (78.05%); 23 patients (56.10%) had premature delivery, and 5 patients died (12.20%). The top three causes of transfer to the ICU were liver failure, postpartum hemorrhage, and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Liver failure mainly occurred in late pregnancy, with hepatic encephalopathy as the most common complication (28.57%) and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy as the most common comorbidity (21.43%); among the 14 patients with liver failure, 6 (42.86%) received regular antenatal examination, and 13 (92.86%) did not receive antiviral therapy before admission. The mean length of ICU stay was 3.31±1.65 days for the patients with postpartum hemorrhage, among whom the patients with severe liver disease had coagulation disorders before delivery, which were difficult to correct after 48 hours of treatment. ConclusionPregnant and parturient women with chronic HBV infection tend to have complex conditions and a relatively high mortality rate. For pregnant and parturient women with chronic HBV infection, assessment of liver status, regular antenatal examination, and timely antiviral therapy are of vital importance to reduce severe exacerbation and mortality rate.
7.Urolithin A mediates p38/MAPK pathway to inhibit osteoclast activity
Haoran HUANG ; Yinuo FAN ; Wenxiang WEI-YANG ; Mengyu JIANG ; Hanjun FANG ; Haibin WANG ; Zhenqiu CHEN ; Yuhao LIU ; Chi ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2024;28(8):1149-1154
BACKGROUND:Overactive osteoclasts disrupt bone homeostasis and play a bad role in the pathological mechanisms of related skeletal diseases,such as osteoporosis,fragility fractures,and osteoarthritis.Studies have confirmed that ellagic acid and ellagtannin have the potential to inhibit osteoclast differentiation.As their natural metabolites,urolithin A has antioxidant,anti-inflammatory,anti-proliferative and anti-cancer effects,but its effect on osteoclast differentiation and its underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. OBJECTIVE:To explore the effect of urolithin A on osteoclast differentiation induced by receptor activator for nuclear factor-κB ligand and its mechanism. METHODS:Mouse mononuclear macrophage leukemia cells(RAW264.7)that grew stably were cultured in vitro.Toxicity of urolithin A(0,0.1,0.5,1.5,2.5 μmol/L)to RAW264.7 cells were detected by cytotoxic MTS assay to screen out the safe concentration.Different concentrations of urolithin A were used again to intervene with receptor activator for nuclear factor-κB ligand-induced differentiation of RAW264.7 cells in vitro.Then,tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase staining and F-actin ring and nucleus staining were performed to observe its effect on the formation and function of osteoclasts.Finally,the expressions of urolithin A on upstream and downstream genes and proteins in the MAPK signaling pathway were observed by western blot and RT-qPCR assays. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Urolithin A inhibited osteoclast differentiation and F-actin ring formation in a concentration-dependent manner and 2.5 μmol/L had the strongest inhibitory effect.Urolithin A inhibited the mRNA expression of Nfatc1,Ctsk,Mmp9 and Atp6v0d2 and the protein synthesis of Nfatc1 and Ctsk,related to osteoclast formation and bone resorption.Urolithin A inhibited the activity of osteoclasts by downregulating the phosphorylation of p38 protein to inhibit the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway.
8.Expression of synapse-related proteins in hippocampus of rats with epilepsy accompanied by depression
Hongmei QIU ; Wang GUO ; Xueping YANG ; Shengxue WANG ; Yuhao CHU ; Yun LI
Chinese Journal of Behavioral Medicine and Brain Science 2024;33(1):9-14
Objective:To investigate the expression of hippocampal synapse-related proteins including synaptophysin (SYN), postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95) and growth-associated protein 43 (GAP43) in rats with epilepsy accompanied by depression.Methods:The 3-month-old female clean grade SD rats were selected for the experiment.Lithium chloride pilocarpine was used to establish an epileptic rat model. Rats with successful epilepsy models were divided into epileptic depressive group (EWD group)and epileptic group with 10 in each group based on whether they were accompanied by depression. Furthermore, ten rats with matched body mass were taken as the depressive group and 10 were taken as control group. As for the depressive group rats, chronic unpredictable mild stress stimulation combined with orphanage was adopted to establish a model of depression.The depressive behaviors of rats were evaluated by body mass, sucrose preference test and open field test. Immunohistochemical staining and Western blot were used to detect the expression of SYN, PSD95 and GAP43 proteins in rat hippocampal tissue. SPSS 17.0 software was used for data statistical analysis, repeated measurement ANOVA was used for behavioral results, one-way ANOVA was used for inter group comparison of protein expression data, and LSD test was used for further pairwise comparison.Results:As for the body mass, there was significant interaction effect between the time and group among the 4 groups ( F=7.33, P<0.01). On the 8th day and the 29th day, the body weight of rats in the EWD group and the depressive group were lower than those in the epilepsy group (all P<0.05). The body weight of rats in the EWD group on the 29th day was lower than that on the first day ( P<0.05). As for the sucrose preference rates, there was significant interaction effect between the time and group among the 4 groups( F=2.67, P<0.05). The sucrose preference rate of EWD group on the15th and 29th day were lower than that on the first day (both P<0.05). The results of the open field test showed that the interaction effects of the number of vertical standing times( F=2.74) and the number of horizontal movement lattices ( F=1.76) both were not significant (both P>0.05), but both the time effect and group effect were significant (vertical standing times: Ftime=4.35, P<0.05, Fgroup=25.64, P<0.01; horizontal movement lattices: Ftime=12.75, P<0.01, Fgroup=21.37, P<0.01). The immunohistochemical results showed that there was a statistically significant difference in the number of positive cells expressing synaptic proteins SYN, PSD95 and GAP43 among the four groups of rats ( F=93.85, 58.66, 98.84, all P<0.05). The numbers of positive cells of SYN (11.73±4.30), PSD95 (24.47±7.58) and GAP43 (9.40±3.50) in the epilepsy group were lower than those in the control group ((51.00±15.39), (55.60±13.17) and (29.53±4.05)) (all P<0.05). The numbers of positive cells of SYN (5.80±3.53), PSD95 (12.87±4.03) and GAP43 (5.33±3.50) in the EWD group were lower than those in the depressive group ((11.33±3.22), (48.13±12.69) and (15.47±5.21) )(all P<0.05). Western blot results showed that there were statistically significant differences in the expression of synaptic proteins SYN, PSD95 and GAP43 among the four groups of rats ( F=13.19, 9.38, 16.80, all P<0.05). The expression levels of SYN, PSD95 and GAP43 in the epilepsy group were lower than those in the control group (all P<0.05). The expression levels of SYN, PSD95 and GAP43 in the EWD group were lower than those in the epilepsy group and the depressive group (all P<0.05). Conclusion:The low expression of SYN, PSD95 and GAP43 proteins in the hippocampus of rats with epilepsy accompanied by depression may be related to their pathogenesis.
9.Percutaneous Kirschner wire leverage plus plaster fixation versus elastic intramedullary nailing for radial neck fractures in children
Fuyong ZHANG ; Wendong LIU ; Xiaodong WANG ; Yunfang ZHEN ; Tantan ZHAO ; Ya LIU ; Yuhao YANG ; Mincheng ZOU ; Yunpeng MAO
Chinese Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma 2024;26(2):143-148
Objective:To compare the clinical outcomes between percutaneous Kirschner wire leverage plus plaster fixation and elastic intramedullary nailing in the treatment of radial neck fractures in children.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the 60 children with radial neck fracture who had been treated by percutaneous Kirschner wire leverage plus plaster fixation at Department of Pediatric Orthopedics, Children's Hospital of Soochow University from January 2016 to July 2023 (set as an internal fixation-free group). They were 30 males and 30 females (34 left and 26 right sides) with an age of (7.7±3.0) years. At the same time, another cohort of 60 patients were chosen as an intramedullary nailing group who had been treated by percutaneous Kirschner wire leverage plus elastic intramedullary nailing and matched in age and gender with those in the internal fixation-free group. The preoperative fracture angulation, operative time, hospitalization time, fracture angulation on the first postoperative day, fracture angulation at 1 month postoperatively, rate of angulation loss after reduction, Mayo elbow performance score (MEPS) at the last follow-up and complications were compared between the 2 groups.Results:There was no significant difference between the 2 groups in their preoperative general data, showing comparability ( P<0.05). The 120 pediatric patients were followed up for (7.5±3.2) months. The operative time [(27.4±15.0) min] and hospitalization time [(3.4±1.9) d] in the internal fixation-free group were significantly shorter than those in the intramedullary nailing group [(45.4±13.5) min and (4.4±1.3) d] ( P<0.05). The preoperative fracture angulation (50.8°±1.9°), fracture angulation on the first postoperative day (11.3°±1.2°), fracture angulation at 1 month postoperatively (12.1°±1.3°), rate of angulation loss after reduction (2.9%±0.5%), and MEPS at the last follow-up [(90.4±2.0) points] in the internal fixation-free group showed no significant differences from those in the intramedullary nailing group [49.5°±1.7°, 11.1°±1.2°, 13.3°±1.5°, 3.9%±1.4%, and (90.2±2.3) points] ( P>0.05). None of the patients in the internal fixation-free group developed pin-tail irritation sign or premature epiphyseal closure after surgery, whereas 3 patients in the intramedullary nailing group developed pin-tail irritation sign and 2 ones premature epiphyseal closure after surgery, showing a significant difference in the complication rate between the 2 groups [0 (0/60) versus 8.3% (5/60)] ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Percutaneous Kirschner wire leverage plus plaster fixation and close elastic intramedullary nailing can both achieve satisfactory outcomes in the treatment of radial neck fractures in children. However, percutaneous Kirschner wire leverage plus plaster fixation needs shorter operative time and hospitalization time, leads to fewer complications, and requires no reoperation to remove internal fixation.
10.Network analysis of campus bullying and anxiety symptoms among rural middle school students
ZHU Yiran, WANG Yuhao, WANG Yingxue, WANG Yihan, CAI Jialin, YAN Na, LUO Yunjiao, WANG Wei
Chinese Journal of School Health 2024;45(11):1594-1598
Objective:
To explore the network structure characteristics and core items of rural middle school students suffering from campus bullying and anxiety symptoms, so as to provide a reference basis for the precise prevention and intervention of the comorbidity of campus bullying and anxiety symptoms.
Methods:
From September 2021 to March 2022, a multi stage random cluster sampling method was used to select 1 920 rural middle school students from Xuzhou. The Chinese version of the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire was used to investigate the situation of campus bullying, and the Chinese version of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) was used to assess anxiety symptoms. The network analysis method was used to construct the network between suffering from campus bullying and anxiety symptoms of rural middle school students to evaluate the centrality, bridge strength, stability and accuracy of each item.
Results:
The total score of suffering from campus bullying symptoms of rural middle school students was (10.42±3.26) points, and the total score of anxiety symptoms was (11.47±4.93) points. The symptom with the highest strength and expected influence was "unable to stop or control one s worry emotions", and the node strength and expected influence value was 1.041 7. The nodes "feel nervous, anxious or irritable" and "unable to stop or control one s worry emotions" were most closely related. The symptoms with the highest bridge strength were "others give me ugly nicknames to scold me or make fun of and satirize me" and "unable to stop or control one s worry emotions".
Conclusions
Rural middle school students suffering from campus bullying is related to anxiety symptoms. Accurate intervention according to the intervention targets may minimize the negative impact of suffering from campus bullying and anxiety symptoms on rural middle school students.


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