Varicocele anatomy during subinguinal microsurgical varicocelectomy in Chinese men

Knowledge of subinguinal microsurgical varicocelectomy is of fundamental importance to ensure that varicocele is resolved and testicular function is preserved. Our study aimed to describe the number of veins, arteries and lymphatics in the subinguinal spermatic cord and to clarify their differences between two sides, between patients with different complaints and between varicoceles with different clinical grades. A total of 102 consecutive patients underwent 162 primary subinguinal microsurgical varicocelectomies, during which the number of vessels with different diameters was recorded. A mean number of 12.9 internal spermatic veins, 0.9 external spermatic veins, 1.8 internal spermatic arteries and 2.9 lymphatics were identified per cord. 88.2% of the internal spermatic arteries were surrounded by a dense complex of adherent veins. The external spermatic vein or veins were found in 49.4% of the cases. The mean number of medium (1–3 mm in diameter) internal spermatic veins on the left was larger than that on the right (P < 0.001). The mean number of medium internal spermatic veins in grade III varicocele was larger than that in grade I or grade II (P < 0.015). There was no significant anatomical difference between the men presenting for infertility, chronic testicular pain and both the two complaints.     

Role of Toll‐like receptor 4 signaling in cutaneous chronic graft‐versus‐host disease

Cutaneous damage is one of the characterized manifestations in chronic graft‐versus‐host disease (cGVHD). When local effective immunity in the skin is altered to a dysimmune reaction, cutaneous injuries occur. Toll‐like receptor 4 signaling is regarded as a central mediator of inflammation and organ injury. In this study, we found that TLR4 mRNA in peripheral blood from patients with cutaneous cGVHD was markedly increased compared with that from non‐GVHD patients and healthy controls. In addition, NF‐κB expression, TLR4 downstream signaling, and TLR4‐mediated cytokines, including IL‐6 and ICAM‐1, were upregulated. Moreover, ICAM‐1 was widely distributed in skin biopsies from patients with cutaneous cGVHD. We also found that LPS induced TLR4‐mediated NF‐κB activation and IL‐6 and ICAM‐1 secretion in human fibroblasts in vitro. Thus, TLR4, NF‐κB, IL‐6, and ICAM‐1 contribute to the inflammatory response that occurs in cutaneous cGVHD, indicating the TLR4 pathway may be a novel target for cutaneous cGVHD therapy.     

急诊科护士遭受躯体暴力的预测线索探讨

目的探讨急诊科护士发生躯体暴力的预测线索。方法对四川省和重庆市5所医院的急诊科进行观察性研究,由专人观察和记录患方的行为线索,并根据行为变化是否转化为躯体暴力分为躯体暴力组和非躯体暴力组,统计分析两组行为变化的例数和躯体暴力的行为方式,采用Logistic回归分析确定护士发生躯体暴力的特定预测线索。结果共观察287例患者,非躯体暴力组219例,转化为躯体暴力组68例,躯体暴力发生率23.7%。Logistic回归分析显示当患方出现紧握双拳(OR=6.334)、挑衅(OR=5.672)、抵制护理措施(OR=5.164)、大声争吵(OR=4.651)、紧跟护理人员(OR=3.334)或鲁莽(OR=3.172)是发生躯体暴力的最强预测线索(P0.05,P0.01)。结论急诊科发生躯体暴力比较普遍,应快速、方便、有效地评估患方潜在的躯体暴力风险,采取相应的防范措施,以减少躯体暴力风险的发生,避免急诊科护士受到身体和心理伤害。     

Impact of gender on the clinicopathological features of patients with primary IgA nephropathy

Objective To explore the impact of gender on the clinicopathological features of patients with primary IgA nephropathy (IgAN). Methods All patients with IgAN who were biopsy-proven in The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University from January 2006 to December 2011 were divided into two groups by gender: male group and female group. The clinical manifestations and pathological features of two groups were retrospectively investigated and compared. Results A total of 1512 primary IgAN patients were enrolled in the study, and the ratio of male to female was 1∶1.16, with a median age of 32(26, 39) years old at biopsy. Compared to female patients, male patients with IgAN exhibited more severe clinical manifestations including worse renal function, greater urinary protein excretion, and more frequent occurrence of hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia and hyperuricemia. Besides, male patients had worse histological lesions, including more severe segmental sclerosis, tubular-atrophy/interstitial fibrosis and interstitial infiltration. For female patients, hematuria, including gross and microscopic hematuria, was more frequent. Conclusion Male patients with IgAN were with worse clinicopathological changes than those of female.     

The reference values for semen parameters of 1213 fertile men in Guangdong Province in China

Semen samples were collected from 1213 fertile men whose partners had a time-to-pregnancy (TTP) ≤12 months in Guangdong Province in Southern China, and semen parameters including semen volume, sperm concentration, total counts, motility, and morphology were evaluated according to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2010 guideline. All semen parameters analyzed were normal in ~62.2% of the total samples, whereas ~37.8% showed at least one of the semen parameters below normal threshold values. The fifth centiles (with 95% confidence intervals) were 1.3 (1.2–1.5) ml for semen volume, 20 × 10⁶ (18×10⁶–20×10⁶) ml⁻¹ for sperm concentration, 40 × 10⁶ (38×10⁶–44×10⁶) per ejaculate for total sperm counts, 48% (47%–53%) for vitality, 39% (36%–43%) for total motility, 25% (23%–27%) for sperm progressive motility, 5.0% (4%–5%) for normal morphology. The pH values ranged from 7.2 to 8.0 with the mean ± standard deviation at 7.32 ± 0.17. No effects of age and body mass index were found on semen parameters. Occupation, smoking and alcohol abuse, varicocele appeared to decrease semen quality. Sperm concentration, but not sperm morphology, is positively correlated with TTP, whereas vitality is negatively correlated with TTP. Our study provides the latest reference values for the semen parameters of Chinese fertile men in Guangdong Province, which are close to those described in the new WHO guidelines (5^th Edition).