Investigations on semen analysis capabilities and quality control measures in laboratories with different management modes.

Purpose: To perform a survey on the semen analysis capabilities and quality control measures of medical institutions conducting male infertility-related testing in Jiangsu, China, by the WeChat, aiming to explore the possibility of mutual recognition of testing results among different laboratories.

Methods: This study designed a survey questionnaire consisting of 105 questions and investigated and compared semen analysis capabilities and quality control measures between regulated laboratories for assisted reproductive technology (RLART) and non-regulated laboratories for assisted reproductive technology (non-RLART) in Jiangsu, China.

Results: RLART had higher percentages of technicians received training on the WHO manual (97.

The evolution of Alzheimer's disease: From mitochondria to microglia.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) represents the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder worldwide. Recent studies highlights that mitochondrial dysfunction drives alterations in microglial function, serving as a pivotal mechanism in the pathogenesis and progression of AD. Increasingly, there is evidence that mitochondrial dysfunction encompasses energy metabolism deficits, heightened oxidative stress, impaired mitochondrial dynamics, disrupted autophagy, and calcium homeostasis imbalances.

GPR40 activation alleviates pulmonary fibrosis by repressing M2 macrophage polarization through the PKD1/CD36/TGF-β1 pathway.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive interstitial lung disease characterized by complex aetiologies involving the accumulation of inflammatory cells, such as macrophages, in the alveoli. This process is driven by uncontrolled extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and the development of fibrous connective tissues. Here, we observed that the mRNA expression of Ffar1, the gene encoding G protein-coupled receptor 40 (GPR40), is repressed, while Cd36 is increased in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), which is predominantly composed of alveolar macrophages, of IPF patients.

Association between the systemic inflammation response index and mortality in cancer survivors based on NHANES 2001-2018.

Inflammatory responses play a critical regulatory role in the development and progression of cancer. As a novel inflammatory marker, the association between the systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) and mortality among cancer survivors remains unclear. This study aims to elucidate the relationship between the SIRI and all-cause mortality among cancer survivors in the United States.

MAI-TargetFisher: A proteome-wide drug target prediction method synergetically enhanced by artificial intelligence and physical modeling.

Computational target identification plays a pivotal role in the drug development process. With the significant advancements of deep learning methods for protein structure prediction, the structural coverage of human proteome has increased substantially. This progress inspired the development of the first genome-wide small molecule targets scanning method.

Otilonium bromide ameliorates pulmonary fibrosis in mice through activating phosphatase PPM1A.

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a chronic, progressive and irreversible interstitial lung disease characterized by unremitting pulmonary myofibroblasts activation, extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and inflammatory recruitment. PF has no curable medication yet. In this study we investigated the molecular pathogenesis and potential therapeutic targets of PF and discovered drug lead compounds for PF therapy.

Effects of lianas on forest biogeochemistry during their lives and afterlives.

Climate change and other anthropogenic disturbances are increasing liana abundance and biomass in many tropical and subtropical forests. While the effects of living lianas on species diversity, ecosystem carbon, and nutrient dynamics are receiving increasing attention, the role of dead lianas in forest ecosystems has been little studied and is poorly understood. Trees and lianas coexist as the major woody components of forests worldwide, but they have very different ecological strategies, with lianas relying on trees for mechanical support.

Acupuncture for radicular pain: a review of analgesic mechanism.

Radicular pain, a common and complex form of neuropathic pain, presents significant challenges in treatment. Acupuncture, a therapy originating from ancient traditional Chinese medicine and widely utilized for various pain types, including radicular pain, has shown promising outcomes in the management of lumbar radicular pain, cervical radicular pain, and radicular pain due to spinal stenosis. Despite its efficacy, the exact mechanisms through which acupuncture achieves analgesia are not fully elucidated and are the subject of ongoing research.

Estimation of Protein and Amino Acid Requirements in Layer Chicks Depending on Dynamic Model.

Four trials were conducted to establish a protein and amino acid requirement model for layer chicks over 0-6 weeks by using the analytical factorization method. In trial 1, a total of 90 one-day-old Jing Tint 6 chicks with similar body weight were selected to determine the growth curve, carcass and feather protein deposition, and amino acid patterns of carcass and feather proteins. In trials 2 and 3, 24 seven-day-old and 24 thirty-five-day-old Jing Tint 6 chicks were selected to determine the protein maintenance requirements, amino acid pattern, and net protein utilization rate.

Drug compatibility with various closed intravenous infusion containers.

The aim was to systematically compare the drug compatibility with various closed intravenous (i.v.) infusion containers, to provide a reference for selecting a relatively superior infusion container and improve the medication safety for patients in clinical practice.

Erratum: [Corrigendum] MicroRNA‑23a inhibits endometrial cancer cell development by targeting SIX1.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3892/ol.2019.

Leflunomide treatment for patients hospitalised with COVID-19: DEFEAT-COVID randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of leflunomide (L) added to the standard-of-care (SOC) treatment in COVID-19 patients hospitalised with moderate/critical clinical symptoms.

Design: Prospective, open-label, multicentre, stratified, randomised clinical trial.

Setting: Five hospitals in UK and India, from September 2020 to May 2021.

Ki67 testing in the clinical management of patients with non-metastatic colorectal cancer: Detecting the optimal cut-off value based on the Restricted Cubic Spline model.

The proliferation of the biomarker Ki67 has been extensively studied in colorectal cancer (CRC). Although numerous Ki67 cut-off values have previously been reported, the optimal cut-off value remains unclear with previous studies providing contrasting results. The present retrospective cohort study aimed to determine the optimal cut-off value for CRC.

A meta-analysis on the efficacy of vacuum sealing drainage combined with autologous platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of Grade 2 and Grade 3 diabetic foot ulcers.

This meta-analysis aims to systemically evaluate the efficacy of vacuum sealing drainage (VSD) combined with autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers (DFU). The China HowNet, China Biomedical Literature, VIP periodical resource integration service platform, Wanfang, Embase, Cochrane Central, and PubMed databases were retrieved using the computer. The retrieval period was up to July 2021.

Peripheral odontogenic keratocysts in buccal soft tissues: two cases report.

Peripheral odontogenic keratocysts are rarely observed, and cases of odontogenic keratocysts of buccal soft tissues are even rarer. This study was performed to present two rare cases of odontogenic keratocysts in buccal soft tissues and review related literature.

A multi-targeting drug design strategy for identifying potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors.

The COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, is threatening public health, and there is no effective treatment. In this study, we have implemented a multi-targeted anti-viral drug design strategy to discover highly potent SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors, which simultaneously act on the host ribosome, viral RNA as well as RNA-dependent RNA polymerases, and nucleocapsid protein of the virus, to impair viral translation, frameshifting, replication, and assembly. Driven by this strategy, three alkaloids, including lycorine, emetine, and cephaeline, were discovered to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 with EC values of low nanomolar levels potently.

Small Airway Dysfunction in Asthma Is Associated with Perceived Respiratory Symptoms, Non-Type 2 Airway Inflammation, and Poor Responses to Therapy.

Background: Emerging evidence has indicated that small airway dysfunction (SAD) contributes to the clinical expression of asthma.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to explore the relationships of SAD assessed by forced expiratory flow between 25 and 75% (FEF25-75%), with clinical and inflammatory profile and treatment responsiveness in asthma.

Method: In study I, dyspnea intensity (Borg scale), chest tightness, wheezing and cough (visual analog scales, VASs), and pre- and post-methacholine challenge testing (MCT) were analyzed in asthma patients with SAD and non-SAD.

Efficacy of Getong Tongluo Capsule () for Convalescent-Phase of Ischemic Stroke and Primary Hypertension: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial.

Objective: To evaluate whether the efficacy of Getong Tongluo Capsule (, GTC, consisted of total flavone of Radix Puerariae) on improving patients' quality of life and lowering blood pressure are superior to the extract of Ginkgo biloba (EGB) for patients with convalescent-phase ischemic stroke and primary hypertension.

Methods: This randomized, positive-drug- and placebo-controlled, double-blind trial was conducted from September 2015 to October 2017. Totally 477 eligible patients from 18 hospitals in China were randomly assigned in a 2:1:1 ratio to the following interventions, twice a day for 12 weeks: (1) GTC 250 mg plus EGB-matching placebo 40 mg (237 cases, GTC group), (2) EGB 40 mg plus GTC-matching placebo 250 mg (120 cases, EGB group) or (3) GTC-matching placebo 250 mg plus EGB-matching placebo 40 mg (120 cases, placebo group).

The immunosuppressant fingolimod ameliorates experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis by regulating T-cell balance and cytokine secretion.

Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease that affects skeletal muscle strength by impeding communication within the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Research has shown that sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P)/S1P receptor signaling may be involved in the process of neuromuscular diseases. Fingolimod is structurally similar to S1P, whose immunosuppressive effect has been recognized in many immune diseases.

[Effect of electroacupuncture at governor vessel on learning-memory ability and serum level of APP, Aβ in patients with Alzheimer's disease].

Objective: To compare the therapeutic effect of electroacupuncture (EA) combined with donepezil hydrochloride and donepezil hydrochloride alone on improving learning-memory ability in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and to explore its action mechanism.

Methods: Sixty patients of AD were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 30 cases in each group. The patients in the observation group were treated with EA at governor vessel (GV) combined with donepezil hydrochloride.