The effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for poor semen quality in infertile males： a systematic review and meta-analysis

The aim of this review is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for poor semen quality in infertile men. We searched for relevant trials registered up to May 2013 in 14 databases. We selected randomized controlled trials （RCTs） that compared acupuncture, with or without additional treatment, against placebo, sham, no treatment, or the same additional treatment. Two reviewers independently performed the study selection, data extraction, risk of bias and reporting quality appraisal. Risk of bias and reporting quality were appraised by the Cochrane risk of bias tool, the consolidated standards of reporting trials and Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture. The outcomes were sperm motility, sperm concentration, pregnancy rate, and adverse events. Pregnancy was defined as a positive pregnancy test. Four RCTs met the eligibility criteria. Acupuncture increased the percentage of sperm with rapid progression （mean difference - 6.35, 95% confidence interval （CI）. 4.38-8.32, P〈 0.00001） and sperm concentration （mean difference - 6.42, 95% CI. 4.91-7.92, P〈 0.00001）, but these two outcomes were substantially heterogeneous among the studies （F = 72% and 58%, respectively）. No differences in pregnancy rate were found between acupuncture and control groups （odds ratio 1.60, 95% CI. 0.70-3.69, P= 0.27, F = 0%）. No participants experienced adverse events. The current evidence showing that acupuncture might improve poor semen quality is insufficient because of the small number of studies, inadequacy of procedures and/or insufficient information for semen analysis, high levels of heterogeneity, high risk of bias, and poor quality of reporting. Further large, well-designed RCTs are required.     

Transdermal iontophoresis patch with reverse electrodialysis

Reverse electrodialysis (RED) technology generates energy from the salinity gradient by contacting waters with different salinity. Herein, we develop the disposable skin patch using this eco-friendly energy. The current density, which can be controlled easily without special circuit, is enough to iontophoretic drug delivery. In vitro study, this iontophoretic system enhanced the transdermal delivery of peptide, which is difficult to penetrate the skin barrier by simple diffusion. We design the disposable iontophoretic skin patch using RED system and suggest this patch can be apply on new cosmetic patch or disposable drug patch.     

GalNAc-T14 promotes metastasis through Wnt dependent HOXB9 expression in lung adenocarcinoma

While metastasis, the main cause of lung cancer-related death, has been extensively studied, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. A previous clinicogenomic study revealed that expression of N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase (GalNAc-T14), is highly inversely correlated with recurrence-free survival in those with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the underlying molecular mechanism(s) has not been determined. Here, we showed that GalNAc-T14 expression was positively associated with the invasive phenotype. Microarray and biochemical analyses revealed that HOXB9, the expression of which was increased in a GalNAc-T14-dependent manner, played an important role in metastasis. GalNAc-T14 increased the sensitivity of the WNT response and increased the stability of the β-catenin protein, leading to induced expression of HOXB9 and acquisition of an invasive phenotype. Pharmacological inhibition of β-catenin in GalNAc-T14-expressing cancer cells suppressed HOXB9 expression and invasion. A meta-analysis of clinical genomics data revealed that expression of GalNAc-T14 or HOXB9 was strongly correlated with reduced recurrence-free survival and increased hazard risk, suggesting that targeting β-catenin within the GalNAc-T14/WNT/HOXB9 axis may be a novel therapeutic approach to inhibit metastasis in NSCLC.