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TGF-β1 overexpressing human MSCs generated using gene editing demonstrate strong beneficial possibility of treating collagen-induced joint disease.
Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is an important regulator of penile erectile function in adult males, and abnormal Shh signals may be involved in the mechanisms of ED. Current studies on the relationship of the Shh signaling pathway with ED are mainly concentrated on neurogenic ED caused by bilateral cavernous nerve injury, diabetes-induced endocrinological ED, and senile ED. This review focuses on the changes of the Shh signaling pathway in different types of ED and clarifies the mechanisms of the Shh signaling pathway regulating ED, hoping to give some inspiration to further related studies.Objective To investigate the effect and action mechanism of Yu Si Granules (YSG) in the treatment methyl methanesulphonate (MMS)-induced oligoasthenozoospermia (OAZ) in mice. METHODS Thirty adult male mice were randomly divided into three groups of equal number, normal control, OAZ model control and YSG intervention. The OAZ model was established by oral administration of MMS and the model mice in the YSG intervention group were treated intragastrically with YSG suspension at 0.144 g/100 g of the body weight per day for 48 successive days. Then, all the mice were sacrificed and their epididymides harvested for detection of the sperm count and motility, observation of the morphology of the seminiferous tubules by HE staining, determination of the expressions of the germ cell-, sperm cell-, spermatocyte-, Sertoli cell- and blood-testis barrier-related genes by RT-PCR, and measurement of the levels of oxidative stress in the blood. TGF-beta inhibitor RESULTS Compared with the normal control, the OAZ model mice showed significantly decreased sperm count (［49.2 ± 0.7］ vs ［23.6 ± 0.4］ ×107/ml/g, P 0.05) in the OAZ model and YSG intervention groups as compared with those in the normal control group. The superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the serum was markedly reduced in the OAZ model mice as compared with that in the normal controls (P less then 0.05) and increased again after YSP intervention (P less then 0.05), but the opposite was the case with the expression of the superoxide anion. CONCLUSIONS YSG can significantly reduce MMS-induced OAZ in mice, which may be associated with oxidative stress.Objective To determine whether the serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) level can be used as a serum marker for the differential diagnosis of obstructive azoospermia (OA) and non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA). METHODS Using chemiluminescence immunoassay, we detected the levels of serum AMH, inhibin B (IhB) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and measured by scrotal ultrasound the testis volume of 43 normal fertile men and 14 OA and 45 NOA male patients, followed by a comparative analysis of the data obtained among the three groups subjects. RESULTS Compared with the NOA patients, the men in the normal control and OA groups showed significantly higher levels of AMH (［5.65 ± 3.13］ vs ［8.13 ± 3.95］ and ［8.51 ± 4.77］ ng/ml, P 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis exhibited that the level of IhB was correlated positively with that of AMH (r = 0.326, P = 0.01) but negatively with that of FSH (r =－0.662, P less then 0.01), the FSH level negatively with the AMH level (r = －0.468, P less then 0.01), the testis volume positively with the levels of AMH (r = 0.339, P less then 0.01) and IhB (r = 0.733, P less then 0.01) but negatively with that of FSH (r = 0.597, P less then 0.01), the sperm concentration positively with that of IhB (r = 0.522, P less then 0.01) but negatively with that of FSH (r = －0.421, P less then 0.01), and the testis volume positively with the sperm concentration (r = 0.605, P less then 0.01). CONCLUSIONS AMH can be used as one of the serum markers for testicular spermatogenesis and employed alone or in combination with IhB and FSH for the differential diagnosis of OA and NOA.Objective To investigate the exact prevalence of PCa among males in Nanjing and search for a mode of PCa screening suitable for the specific conditions. METHODS From January to December 2018, we collected serum samples and clinical information from 6 903 men aged ≥50 years taking physical examination in 16 community health service centers in Nanjing. We proposed multi-parametric MRI (mpMRI) for those with serum PSA ≥4 μg/L, transperineal systematic biopsy and MRI/ultrasound fusion targeted prostate biopsy for those who scored ≥3 points on the Prostate Imaging-Reporting and Data System Version 2 (PI-RADS v2), transperineal systematic biopsy only for those with a PI-RADS v2 score of less then 3 and serum PSA ≥10 μg/L, and follow-up examinations every 6 months for those with a PI-RADS v2 score of less then 3 and serum PSA less then 4 μg/L. RESULTS Among the 6 903 male subjects, 835 (12.1%) were found with serum PSA≥4 μg/L; 229 (77.4%) of the 296 men that received mpMRI scored ≥3 points on PI-RADS v2; and 79 (53.4%) of the 148 males that underwent prostate biopsy were diagnosed with PCa, with a total detection rate of 1.14% in all the subjects. Of the 77 patients with complete pathological data, 73 (94.8%) were found with clinically significant PCa, 30 (39.0%) with localized, 41 (53.2%) with locally advanced and 6 (7.8%) with metastatic malignancy, 6 (7.8%) in stage Ⅰ, 21 (27.3%) in stage Ⅱ, 34 (44.2%) in stage Ⅲ and 16 (20.8%) in stage Ⅳ. There were 47 (66.2%) high-risk, 18 (25.4%) moderate-risk and 6 (8.5%) low-risk cases among those with localized or locally advanced PCa. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of PCa in Nanjing deserves considerable attention, and PCa screening is highly necessary in the high-risk population, for which the combination of serum PSA assay, mpMRI and targeted prostate biopsy may be an ideal method.Objective To study the effect of Compound Amino Acid Capsules (CAAC) combined with clomiphene in the treatment of severe oligospermia. METHODS A total of 104 patients with severe oligospermia admitted to our Center of Reproductive Medicine from January to September 2018 were randomly assigned to a trial (n = 60) and a control group (n = 44), the former treated by oral administration of CAAC combined with clomiphene and the latter with clomiphene only, both for 12 weeks. Comparisons were made between the two groups of patients in the sperm concentration, and the percentages of progressively motile sperm (PMS) and total motile sperm (TMS) before and after 4, 8 and 12 weeks of medication as well as the pregnancy rate during the treatment. RESULTS Compared with the baseline, the trial group showed significant elevation at 4, 8 and 12 weeks in sperm concentration (［3.13 ± 1.29］ vs ［12.06 ± 2.24］, ［22.10 ± 2.65］ and ［28.13 ± 3.59］ ×10⁶/ml, P less then 0.01), PMS (［14.03 ± 2.49］% vs ［21.05 ± 3.14］%, ［29.08 ± 4.70］% and ［35.
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