[Male infertility and urologic cancers: Advances in studies].

Male infertility is one of the most common diseases in andrology. Studies show that male infertility is significantly correlated with the incidence and mortality of tumors, especially malignant tumors in the genitourinary system, such as testis cancer and prostate cancer. The relationship of male infertility with genitourinary system tumors involves various aspects, mainly including changes in chromosome mutations, epigenetic marks, hormonal imbalance, and congenital deformity.

[Related factors of erectile dysfunction: An analysis of 297 male patients].

Objective: To analyze the basic characteristics and related factors of ED.

Methods: Using the self-designed National Key Collaboration Platform for Impotence Disease Research, we enrolled 297 ED males at the urological clinic of the Second Hospital of Zhejiang University of Chinese Medicine from January 2015 to August 2018, and analyzed their basic characteristics, IIEF-5 scores, and erection hardness grades based on the Erectile Hardness Grading Scale.

Results: The patients were aged 21－81 years, 41.

[Inhibitory effect of salidroside on H2O2-induced down-regulation of Cx43 expression in corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells in rats].

Objective: To explore the regulatory effect of salidroside on H2O2-induced decrease in the expression of the connexin43 (Cx43) protein in corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells (CCSMC).

Methods: Rat CCSMCs were isolated, primarily cultured in vitro and identified by immunocytochemical assay. The optimum concentration of H2O2 for intervention was determined by detecting its effect on the viability of the CCSMCs and used in the treatment of the CCSMCs for different lengths of time, and meanwhile salidroside was applied at 16 μg/ml (low dose) or 64 μg/ml (high dose) for intervention.

[henotypic modulation of corporal cavernosum smooth muscle cells and erectile dysfunction: Advances in studies].

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is closely related with the phenotypic modulation of corporal cavernosum smooth muscle cells (CCSMC), a transitional tendency of CCSMCs switching from the contractile phenotype to the synthetic or proliferative phenotype. The molecular markers of contractile CCSMCs include α-SMA, SMMHC, Calponin, Smoothelin, and Desmin, while those of synthetic or proliferative CCSMCs involve Vimentin, Osteopontin, and Collagen I. Current studies show that phenotypic transformation of CCSMCs is related to the pathophysiological processes of different types of ED, such as bilateral cavernous nerve injury-induced ED, diabetes mellitus-associated ED, arterial ED, hypertension-associated ED, and so on.

[MAPK signaling pathway and erectile dysfunction].

The MAPK signaling pathway plays a key role in the differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis of cells, and its family members mainly include extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), stress-activated protein kinase (JNK), and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK). Recent studies have shown that the ERK, JNK and p38MAPK signaling pathways are closely associated with the development and progression of erectile dysfunction (ED). This review focuses on the correlation between the MAPK signaling pathway and ED.

[Effect of salidroside on the expression of connexin43 in the corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells of hypoxic rats].

Objective: To investigate the effect of salidroside on the expression of the connexin43 (Cx43) protein in the corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells (CCSMCs) of hypoxic SD rats.

Methods: CCSMCs were cultured in vitro and identified by immunofluorescence staining. The cells were divided into six groups: normal control (21% O2), hypoxia (1% O2), hypoxia+salidroside (HS) 8 μg/ml,HS 16 μg/ml, HS 32 μg/ml, and HS 64 μg/ml, and cultured for 48 hours.

Protective effect of naringin against ankylosing spondylitis via ossification, inflammation and oxidative stress in mice.

Naringin is an abundant flavanone in pomelo, grapefruit as well as lime and its variants, has been shown to exhibit certain antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and hypoglycemic effects. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the protective effects of naringin against ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and to elucidate the potential underlying mechanism. Firstly, a mouse model of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) was established.

[Salidroside inhibits hypoxia-induced phenotypic modulation of corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells in vitro].

Objective: To explore the effects of salidroside on the phenotypic modulation of corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells (CCSMC) in hypoxic SD rats.

Methods: CCSMCs were cultured in vitro and identified by immunohistochemistry. The cells were divided into six groups: normal control (21% O2), hypoxia (1% O2), hypoxia + salidroside 1 mg/L, hypoxia + salidroside 3 mg/L, hypoxia + salidroside 5 mg/L and hypoxia + PGE1 0.