Bennedsenwong4108

Objective To study the relationship between semen quality and the methylation level of maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3) in sperm. METHODS We collected the general demographic data, semen samples and results of clinical semen analysis from 403 married men undergoing pre-conception examinations in March and April 2015 and March and April 2016. buy Bafilomycin A1 Using pyrosequencing, we quantitatively detected the methylation level at 8 CpG sites in the differentially methylated region of MEG3, and subjected the data obtained to variance analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, two-sample t-test and multivariate linear regression analysis. RESULTS Both the individual and mean methylation levels at CpG sites 1－8 of MEG3 were correlated highly negatively with sperm concentration (P 0.05). The men with an abnormal sperm concentration exhibited significantly higher individual and mean methylation levels at the 8 CpG sites than those with a normal one (P less then 0.05). After adjusting for age as a confounding factor, multivariate linear regression analysis showed a decrease of 1.684 × 106/mL in sperm concentration for every 1% increase in the average methylation of MEG3 (P less then 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The imprinting gene MEG3 is involved in spermatogenesis and its methylation level may influence sperm concentration.Objective To investigate the expression of the sperm-specific cation channel (CatSper1) in the epididymal sperm of varicocele (VC) rats and the effect of L-carnitine (LC) on the CatSper1 level. METHODS Seventy male rats were equally randomized into groups A (normal control), B (VC model control), C (VC treated with normal saline), D (VC treated with low-dose LC), E (VC treated with medium-dose LC), F (VC treated with high-dose LC), and G (VC treated by prolonged medication of high-dose LC). The VC model was established by partial ligation of the left renal vein. At 12 weeks after modeling, the model rats in group C were treated intragastrically with normal saline at 1 ml/kg/d, those in groups D, E and F with LC at 0.05, 0.1 and 0.2 g/kg/d respectively, all for 5 consecutive weeks, and those in group G with LC at 0.2 g/kg/d for 7 successive weeks. Then, all the animals were sacrificed and their epididymides harvested for obtainment of the semen parameters by computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA) and determination of the mRNA and protein expressions of CatSper1 in the sperm by RT-PCR and Western blot. RESULTS Compared with the rats in group A, those in group B showed significantly decreased percentage of grade a+b sperm (P 0.05), nor in the mRNA and protein expressions of CatSper1 between groups F and G. CONCLUSIONS The expression of CatSper1 is decreased in the epididymal sperm of varicocele rats, and L-carnitine can increase the sperm viability, percentage of grade a+b sperm and CatSper1 expression of the rats.Objective To investigate the dynamic change in the gene expression profile of the rat BPH tissue with progressive atrophy after complete denervation. METHODS Twelve 29-week-old male rats with spontaneous hypertension and spontaneously developed BPH were used for this study, of which 3 were included in the control (C) group and the other 9 underwent complete denervation of the prostate. At 3, 7 and 11 days after operation (the D3, D7 and D11 groups), all the rats were sacrificed and their ventral prostatic lobes harvested for histopathological examination and RNA extraction, and the RNA samples were subjected to whole genome microarray of the expression profile, followed by real-time RT-PCR validation and bioinformatics analysis. RESULTS Progressive atrophy of the BPH tissue was observed in the rats after complete denervation. Whole genome microarray of the expression profile was successfully performed for all the samples, and its reliability validated by real-time RT-PCR of 6 differentially expressed genes seundreds of molecular functions, biological progresses, cellular components and signaling pathways. Abnormal activation of the complement system may play an important role in the progressive atrophy of the BPH tissue.Objective To improve the method of sorting undifferentiated and differentiated spermatogonial cells by magnetic bead sorting with specific antibodies. METHODS Using the magnetic bead sorting technique combined with Thy1 and c-Kit specific antibodies, we sorted Thy1+ and c-Kit+ cells in the testis of 7-postnatal-day male mice as undifferentiated and differentiated spermatogonia, respectively. We determined the purities of the two types of spermatogonial cells by immunofluorescence and flow cytometry, identified them via the differential expressions of Gfrα1, Plzf, c-Kit and Sohlh2 by real-time quantitative PCR, and cultured the Thy1+ cells primarily. RESULTS The purities of the Thy1+ and c-kit+ cells were as high as (85.65 ± 8.35)% and (89.40 ± 2.77)%, respectively (P less then 0.01). The relative expressions of the Gfrα1 and Plzf genes were 9.47 ± 1.29 and 4.40 ± 0.59 times higher in the Thy1+ than in the c-Kit+ cells, and those of the kit and sohlh2 genes 7.38 ± 1.07 and 3.88 ± 0.28 times lower in the former than in the latter (P less then 0.01). After primary culture, the cells were seen in a normal state, proliferating smoothly with the characteristics of the proliferation of spermatogonial stem cells. CONCLUSIONS The magnetic bead sorting technique with Thy1 and c-Kit specific antibodies can be used to effectively identify undifferentiated and differentiated spermatogonia and culture undifferentiated Thy1+ cells in vitro.BPH is a common and frequently-occurring disease of the urinary system. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is the most common mutation in the genome and has an impact on the pathogenesis, progression and prognosis of BPH in different populations. We reviewed the published literature on BPH-related SNPs, expounded the roles of different SNPs in the development and progression of BPH, and summarized the current status and existing problems in the related studies and the prospects of its clinical application.With the development of prostate surgery and increasing number of patients with pelvic fracture urethral injury, ED caused by cavernous nerve injury (CNI) has attracted more and more medical attention. CNI induces the apoptosis of penile smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells, decreases the density of NOS-positive nerves, and results in the fibrosis of the cavernous smooth muscle. The strategies of nerve regeneration after CNI has been one of the hotspots in the studies of ED. This review focuses on the current treatment strategies to promote the cavernous nerve regeneration and status quo of basic and clinical researches on the treatment of CNI-induced ED. The treatment strategies discussed in this review involve neurotrophic factors, RhoA/ROCK inhibitors, immunophilic ligands, erythropoietin, stem cell therapy, gene therapy, platelet-rich plasma, and low-intensity extracorporeal shock wave therapy, which are all new and suitable for clinical transformation.Testis has been reported to be a naturally oxygen-deprived organ. Lactate produced by glycolysis of Sertoli cells is an important source of energy in spermatogenic cells, which quickly provides adenosine triphosphate to meet the needs of rapidly proliferating spermatogenic cells for energy and substances. Wide attention has been drawn to the studies of energy metabolism and its regulatory mechanisms in normal spermatogenesis. It is essential to illuminate the regulation of glucose transport by glucose transporters in Sertoli cells, the catalysis of pyruvate to lactic acid by lactate dehydrogenase and the transport process of the single carboxylate transporter to lactic acid under the influence of different factors or diseases, which play important roles in ensuring the normal spermatogenesis and male reproductive function. This review summarizes the changes of energy metabolism in spermatogenesis and the mechanisms of endocrine factors, signaling pathways, miRNAs and protein acetylation regulating cell glycolysis, aiming to provide some important reference for the elucidation of the molecular metabolism of spermatogenesis and clinical treatment of relevant diseases.Objective To systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy of the extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) in the treatment of chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) and provide some evidence for the management of the disease. METHODS We searched the PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMbase, CNKI, VIP, WanFang Data and CBM databases on the internet, as well as the Journal of Clinical Urology and Chinese Journal of Urology manually for randomized controlled trials (RCT) on the treatment of CP/CPPS by ESWT published from their establishment till February 1, 2019. Two reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted the data and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies, followed by a meta-analysis with the RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS Totally 12 RCTs involving 838 CP/CPPS patients were included in this study. Compared with the controls, the patients treated by ESWT showed a significantly higher rate of overall effectiveness (OR = 8.75, 95% CI 5.16 to 14.86, P 2 000-pulse group; MD = －5.76, 95% CI －7.09 to －4.42, P less then 0.000 01 in the 2 000-pulse group). CONCLUSIONS ESWT can raise the rate of overall clinical effectiveness and improve the symptoms of chronic prostatitis in the treatment of CP/CPPS. This conclusion, however, is to be further supported by more RCTs with higher quality, larger sample size and better design.Objective To explore the distribution characteristics of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome types of male infertility in Chengdu area, China, in order to provide some objective evidence for the clinical treatment and studies of male infertility. METHODS We collected the clinical data on 500 cases of male infertility treated in the outpatient and inpatient departments of the Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University of Chinese Medicine and Chengdu Hospital for Reproduction, Women and Children from January to December 2017. Based on the results of examinations using the four diagnostic methods of TCM, namely, observation, auscultation and olfaction, interrogation, and palpation, we differentiated the TCM syndromes of the patients and analyzed the distribution characteristics of the syndrome types. RESULTS Analysis of the baseline characteristics and the results of Chi-square test showed statistically significant differences in the distribution of the frequency of sexual intercourse, body mass indexey-yang deficiency, kidney-yang deficiency with liver-qi stagnation, and kidney-yang deficiency with spleen-asthenia and excessive dampness. The distribution and influencing factors of the syndrome types need to be further explored and clarified by more large-sample and high-quality studies.Objective To investigate the effects of Compound Amino Acid Capsules (CAAC) for obstructive azoospermia (OA) patients undergoing percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA) and ICSI. METHODS We retrospectively studied 134 cycles of PESA-ICSI in OA males, who were divided into a CAAC group (n = 64) and a control group (n = 70), the former, aged (32.1 ± 5.7) years, treated with CAAC for 3 months before PESA-ICSI while the latter, aged (32.3 ± 4.5) years, left untreated. We compared the rates fertilization, cleavage, high-quality embryos and blastocyst formation between the two groups of patients. RESULTS Compared with the control, the CAAC group achieved significantly higher rates of high-quality embryos (［67.4 ± 13.8］% vs ［74.3 ± 12.6］%, P less then 0.05) and blastocyst formation (［60.3±14.2］% vs ［66.8±14.6］%, P less then 0.05), but no statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups in the ages of the males and females, number of oocytes retrieved, or the rates of fertilization and cleavage.