[Danhong Tongjing Prescription improves sperm quality in patients with bilateral varicocele after varicocelectomy].

Objective: To investigate the effect of Danhong Tongjing Prescription (DTP) on sperm quality in patients with bilateral varicocele (VC) after microsurgical varicocelectomy.

Methods: We randomly assigned 68 patients with bilateral VC to receive microsurgical varicocelectomy (the control group, n = 34) or microsurgical varicocelectomy followed by oral administration of DTP for a course of 90 days (the DTP group, n = 34). Before and after treatment, we obtained the sperm concentration, total sperm count, total sperm motility, the percentage of progressively motile sperm (PMS), sperm acrosomal enzyme activity, inhibin B (Inh-B) level, and sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) from the patients and compared the parameters between the two groups.

Effectiveness and safety of acupuncture combined with traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of chronic prostatitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Chronic prostatitis (CP) is a common disease in the outpatient department of males and urology. Clinical studies have found that acupuncture combined with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has achieved good results in treating CP, but its efficacy and safety are not completely clear. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture combined with TCM in the treatment of CP.

The integrity of the white matter in first-episode schizophrenia patients with auditory verbal hallucinations: An atlas-based DTI analysis.

Auditory verbal hallucination (AVH) is one of the most remarkable symptoms of schizophrenia, with great impact on patients' lives and unclear pathogenesis. Neuroimaging studies have indicated that the development of AVHs is associated with white matter alteration, however, there are still inconsistencies in specific findings across previous investigations. The present study aimed to investigate the characteristics of the microstructural integrity of white matter (WM) in first-episode schizophrenia patients who experience auditory hallucinations.

Anti-angiogenesis and anti-metastasis effects of Polyphyllin VII on Hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo.

Background: Polyphyllin VII (PP7), a steroidal saponin from P. polyphylla has been found to exert strong anticancer activity. Little is known about the anti-angiogenesis and anti-metastasis properties of PP7.

Tiaoshen Tongluo Attenuates Fibrosis by Modulating the TGF-1/Smad Pathway in Endometrial Stromal Cells and a Rat Model of Intrauterine Adhesion.

Intrauterine adhesion (IUA) is a serious complication caused by excessive fibrosis resulting from endometrial repair after trauma. The traditional Chinese medicine Tiaoshen Tongluo recipe (TTR) contains ingredients associated with the alleviation of fibrosis. The transforming growth factor-1 (TGF-1)/Smad pathway is thought to mediate fibrosis in IUA.

Overall adjustment acupuncture for postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP): a study protocol for a randomized sham-controlled trial.

Background: Osteoporosis is becoming more prevalent in aging societies worldwide, and the economic burden attributable to osteoporotic fractures is substantial. The medications presently available to treat osteoporosis have side effects. Acupuncture is widely used for treating osteoporotic postmenopausal women because it is non-invasive and has fewer side effects, but the powerful clinical evidence for its efficacy remains insufficient.

Extracellular Vesicles Derived from Adipose Mesenchymal Stem Cells Alleviate PM2.5-Induced Lung Injury and Pulmonary Fibrosis.

BACKGROUND Exposure to PM2.5 (fine particulate matter ≤2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter) in air increases the risk of lung injury and pulmonary fibrosis (PF).

Cervicogenic headache treated by acupuncture based on jin theory: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Numerous randomized trials involving acupuncture treatment for cervicogenic headache (CEH) have been conducted in recent years, but the evidence for its effectiveness is not clear. Hence, we designed a randomized trial to evaluate the efficacy and advantages of acupuncture for treating CEH.

Design: This is a parallel-design, two-arm, patient-assessor blinded, randomized, sham-controlled clinical trial.