Traditional Chinese Herb Combined with Surgery versus Surgery for Varicocele Infertility: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review to assess the effectiveness and safety of traditional Chinese herb combined with surgery for male varicocele infertility compared to surgery. Methods. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) data of traditional Chinese herbs combined with surgery for male varicocele fertility versus surgery were collected by searching the Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, and Chinese databases. The risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane Handbook. Study outcomes were presented as risk ratios (RRs) for dichotomous data. Results. Seventeen of 72 potentially relevant trials met the inclusion criteria. The methodological qualities of the RCTs were low. Compared with the surgery group, the traditional Chinese herb combined with surgery group had superiority in pregnancy rate at 3-month (RR=1.76, and P=0.008), 6-month (RR=1.58, and P=0.0005), and 2-year (RR=1.58, and P=0.0005) follow-ups. No RCT was found to describe the side effects. Conclusion. On considering the low methodological quality of RCTs, there was no enough evidence on traditional Chinese herb with surgery for male varicocele infertility, and more high-quality RCTs of large sample sizes are required

The Role of HSP90 Inhibitors in the Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases

Cardiovascular disease is the result of complicated pathophysiological processes in the tissues that make up the blood vessels and heart. Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) can interact with 10% of the proteome and is the most widely studied molecular chaperone in recent years. HSP90 is extensively involved in the regulation of protein folding and intracellular protein stability, making HSP90 a hopeful target for the treatment of multiple cardiovascular diseases. Numerous client proteins of HSP90 have been identified in known cardiac disease pathways, including MAPK signaling, PI3K/AKT (PKB)/mTOR, and TNF-α signaling. Therefore, these pathways can be controlled by regulating HSP90. Among them, the activity of HSP90 can be regulated via numerous inhibitors. In this review, first, we will discuss the function of HSP90 and its role in pathological pathways. In addition, HSP90 plays a significant role in most cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension, pulmonary venous hypertension, atherosclerosis, and heart failure; next we will focus on this part. Finally, we will summarize the currently known HSP90 inhibitors and their potential in the treatment of heart disease

Timing of internal fixation and effect on Schatzker IV-VI

【Abstract】Objective: To study the effect of inter-nal fixation performed at different times on therapeutic out-comes of Schatzker IV-VI tibial plateau fractures. Methods: The clinical data of 42 cases of Schatzker IV-VI tibial plateau fractures treated in our department were analyzed retrospectively. Among these 42 patients, 21 re-ceived surgical treatment within 12 h after injury (Group I), the other 21 were first treated by traction or plaster fixation followed by a delayed internal fixation after soft tissue swell-ing subsided (Group II). The surgical time, complications, length of hospital stay, cost of hospitalization, and time for fracture union, as well as functional recovery were analyzed and compared between the two groups. Results: After 10-28 months follow-up (mean 16.5 months), except 5 cases who lost to follow-up, no differ-ences were found between the two groups regarding surgi-cal time, preoperative and postoperative complications, heal-ing time or the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) score at the end of follow-up, but significant differences were found in the length of hospital stay, cost of hospitalization and HSS score at 3 months after operation (P<0.05). Conclusion: Under certain conditions, early internal fixation for Schatzker IV-VI tibial plateau fracture is feasible, which can shorten the length of hospital stay, decrease the cost of hospitalization and promote early functional rehabilitation. Key words: Tibial fractures; Treatment outcome; Fracture fixation, interna

Infectious complications in patients with crush syndrome following the Wenchuan earthquake

【Abstract】 Objective: To analyze the results of clini-cal and bacteriological examinations in patients with crush syndrome who suffered infectious complications after an earthquake in Sichuan, China. Methods: A total of 313 bacteriological samples among 147 patients with crush syndrome were collected. Infectious complications, results of microbiological examinations, po-tential risk factors of infection and mortality were analyzed statistically. Results: In the obtained database, 112 out of the 147 (75.7%) patients had infectious complications, in which, wound infection, pulmonary infection, and sepsis were most common. The time under the rubble and the time from injury to treatment were related to the occurrence of wound infec-tion (P=0.013, odds ratio 2.25; P=0.017, odds ratio 2.31). Sep-sis and wound infection were more common in patients who underwent fasciotomy or amputation than in those who did not (P=0.001). Conclusion: Quick rescue and injury treatment can decrease the infection risk in crush syndrome patients. It is better to obtain microorganic proofs before applying antibiotics, and bacteriological and drug sensitivity data should be taken into account, especially considering that most of these infections are hospital-acquired and drug resistance. Emphasizing the accuracy and efficiency of wound management in emergency situations, cautiously assessing the indications for fasciotomy to avoid open wounds from unnecessary osteofascial compartment de-compression incisions may decrease the incidence of in-fection and ameliorate the prognosis. Key words: Earthquakes; Crush syndrome; Infection; Microbial sensitivity test

Perovskite-Like Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Lead Iodide with a Large Organic Cation Incorporated within the Layers

A great effort has been made to investigate 2D perovskites to improve the stability and controllability in the fabrication of photoelectronic devices. As far as we know, only small organic cations such as methylammonium can incorporate into the multilayered perovskite structure except the cations sandwiched between the inorganic layers. We report here a new layered lead iodide, (H₂Aepz)₃Pb₄I₁₄ (<b>1</b>), where larger organic cations, bis-protonated 2-(2-aminoethyl)­pyrazole (Aepz), not only were sandwiched between the inorganic layers but also were incorporated within the perovskite-like PbI layered structure. Another 2D compound, (H₂Aepz)­PbI₄ (<b>2</b>), was also prepared that was a one-layer perovskite. A simple Schottky device was prepared to investigate the photoelectroresponsive properties of the compounds in comparison with that of a typical organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite. In general, the energy gap is decreased with an increase in the perovskite layers, but the band gap of two-layered <b>1</b> is larger than that of one-layered <b>2</b>. The photocurrent densities of the compounds are in the order of <b>1</b> < <b>2</b> < (CH₃NH₃)­PbI₃, which is discussed based on the crystal structures and band energy gaps

Perovskite-Like Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Lead Iodide with a Large Organic Cation Incorporated within the Layers

A great effort has been made to investigate 2D perovskites to improve the stability and controllability in the fabrication of photoelectronic devices. As far as we know, only small organic cations such as methylammonium can incorporate into the multilayered perovskite structure except the cations sandwiched between the inorganic layers. We report here a new layered lead iodide, (H₂Aepz)₃Pb₄I₁₄ (<b>1</b>), where larger organic cations, bis-protonated 2-(2-aminoethyl)­pyrazole (Aepz), not only were sandwiched between the inorganic layers but also were incorporated within the perovskite-like PbI layered structure. Another 2D compound, (H₂Aepz)­PbI₄ (<b>2</b>), was also prepared that was a one-layer perovskite. A simple Schottky device was prepared to investigate the photoelectroresponsive properties of the compounds in comparison with that of a typical organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite. In general, the energy gap is decreased with an increase in the perovskite layers, but the band gap of two-layered <b>1</b> is larger than that of one-layered <b>2</b>. The photocurrent densities of the compounds are in the order of <b>1</b> < <b>2</b> < (CH₃NH₃)­PbI₃, which is discussed based on the crystal structures and band energy gaps

Synthesis, characterization, and crystal structure of three cobalt(II) complexes with Schiff bases derived from rimantadine

<div><p>By condensation of rimantadine and substituted salicylaldehyde, three new Schiff bases, <b>HL</b>^<b>1</b>, <b>HL</b>^<b>2</b> and <b>HL</b>^<b>3</b>, were synthesized. Then, a mixture of one of the new ligands and cobalt(II) chloride hexahydrate in ethanol led to <b>1</b>, <b>2</b>, and <b>3</b>, respectively. These complexes were characterized by melting point, elemental analysis, infrared spectra, molar conductance, thermal analysis, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that <b>1</b> crystallizes in the orthorhombic system, <i>Pbcn</i> space group; each asymmetric unit consists of one cobalt(II) ion, two deprotonated ligands, and one lattice water. The central cobalt is four coordinate via two nitrogens and two oxygens from the corresponding Schiff base ligand, forming a distorted tetrahedral geometry. Complexes <b>2</b> and <b>3</b> crystallize in the monoclinic system, <i>P2</i></p><p>₁</p><i>/c</i> space group; each asymmetric unit consists of one cobalt(II), two corresponding deprotonated ligands, one lattice water, and one methanol. The central cobalt is also four-coordinate via two nitrogens and two oxygens from the corresponding Schiff base ligand, forming a distorted tetrahedral geometry.<p></p></div