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Background: To quantitatively evaluate the effect of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) pretreatment on outcomes of IVF or ICSI in women with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) based on the existing randomized controlled trials (RCTs)., Methods: Nine databases were comprehensively searched from database inception to November 01, 2023, to identify eligible RCTs. Reproductive outcomes of interest consisted of three primary outcomes and six secondary outcomes. The sensitivity analysis was adopted to verify the robustness of pooled results., Results: There were six RCTs in total, which collectively involved 1529 participants with DOR receiving infertility treatment with IVF/ICSI. The review of available evidence suggested that CoQ10 pretreatment was significantly correlated with elevated clinical pregnancy rate (OR = 1.84, 95%CI [1.33, 2.53], p  = 0.0002), number of optimal embryos (OR = 0.59, 95%CI [0.21, 0.96], p  = 0.002), number of oocytes retrieved (MD = 1.30, 95%CI [1.21, 1.40], p  < 0.00001), and E 2 levels on the day of hCG (SMD = 0.37, 95%CI [0.07, 0.66], p  = 0.01), along with a reduction in cycle cancellation rate (OR = 0.60, 95%CI [0.44, 0.83], p  = 0.002), miscarriage rate (OR = 0.38, 95%CI [0.15, 0.98], p  = 0.05), total days of Gn applied (MD = -0.89, 95%CI [-1.37, -0.41], p  = 0.0003), and total dose of Gn used (MD = -330.44, 95%CI [-373.93, -286.96], p  < 0.00001). The sensitivity analysis indicated that our pooled results were robust., Conclusions: These findings suggested that CoQ10 pretreatment is an effective intervention in improving IVF/ICSI outcomes for women with DOR. Still, this meta-analysis included relatively limited sample sizes with poor descriptions of their methodologies. Rigorously conducted trials are needed in the future.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic implications of acupuncture on improving ovarian function in women diagnosed with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) through the implementation of randomized clinical trials (RCTs)., Methods: A comprehensive search of eight databases was conducted to identify RCTs up until 5 October 2023. The outcomes included the levels of sex hormones, antral follicle count (AFC), Kupperman score, and total effective rate. The risk of bias (RoB) tool was utilized to evaluate the quality of the included studies. In order to guarantee the robustness and reliability of the findings, subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed to investigate potential sources of heterogeneity., Results: A total of 13 RCTs comprising 775 patients were included in the study. Acupuncture demonstrated significant efficacy in reducing follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) [SMD = 0.83, 95% CI (0.27, 1.39), I 2  = 92%, p = 0.004], enhancing estradiol levels (E 2 ) [SMD = 0.50, 95% CI (0.07, 0.93), p = 0.02, I 2  = 87%], and increasing anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) [SMD = 0.24, 95% CI (0.05, 0.44), p = 0.01, I 2  = 8%], as well as improving the overall effective rate [RR = 1.22, 95% CI (1.10, 1.35), p < 0.01, I 2  = 14%]. Subgroup analysis revealed that compared with non-acupuncture therapy, the acupuncture with Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) group exhibited a substantial reduction in FSH levels [SMD = 1.02, 95% CI (0.52, 1.51), I 2  = 60%, p < 0.01]. Furthermore, the acupuncture with CHM group also exhibited a substantial reduction [SMD = 4.59, 95% CI (1.53, 7.65), I 2  = 98%, p < 0.01]. However, only the acupuncture with CHM and HRT group demonstrated a significant increase in E 2 levels [SMD = 0.55, 95% CI (0.23, 0.87), I 2  = 12%, p < 0.01]., Conclusion: Acupuncture has demonstrated superiority over non-acupuncture in diminishing serum FSH levels and increasing serum E 2 , AMH, and the overall efficacy rate in women diagnosed with POI. These research findings suggest the necessity for broader-scale research with meticulous designs to fully demonstrate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of women with POI., Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk, identifier CRD42023467751., Competing Interests: The authors declare the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Cao, Li, Lin, Li, Liu, Li, Cong and Xu.)

Context: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common chronic airway condition. Community health service centers can have significant value for improving the prognosis of older adults with chronic diseases., Objective: The study intended to analyze the influence of community health management on the pulmonary function (PF) and self-management ability of patients with stable COPD, aiming to provide a reliable reference for future clinical applications., Design: The research team performed a prospective controlled case study., Setting: The study took place at a community health service center in Xining, China., Participants: Participants were 116 stable COPD patients who received treatment at the center., Intervention: The research team divided participants into two groups: (1) the intervention group who took part in community health management and (2) the control group who received usual care., Outcome Measures: At baseline and postintervention, the research team: (1) measured participants' pulmonary function (PF)-forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1s (FEV1)-and calculated the FEV1/FVC ratio; (2) assessed participants' symptoms using the modified British Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale and COPD Assessment Test (CAT); (3) tested participants' mobility using the six-minute walking test (6MWT) and the Barthel index (BI); (4) evaluated participants' quality of life using the Generic Quality of Life Inventory-74 (GQOL-74); (5) counted the rates of drug abuse, smoking control, and smoking cessation for both groups; and (6) created a COPD knowledge questionnaire survey on COPD awareness and used it to test participants' awareness., Results: The research group had significantly higher FVC, FEV1, and FEV1/FVC levels and 6MWT, BI, and GQOL-74 scores (all P < .001) and significantly lower mMRC and CAT scores than those of the control group (both P < .001). No significant difference existed between the groups in the drug-abuse rate (P = .511), but the intervention group's percentage of participants who had controlled or quit smoking was significantly higher than that of the control group (P = .033). The intervention group's COPD awareness score was also significantly higher than that of the control group (P < .001)., Conclusions: Community health management can improve the rehabilitation and self-management of PF for stable COPD patients and can improve the quality of care, enhance patients' health level and quality of life, reduce medical investment, and lower the burden on patients and society.

In atherosclerosis, chronic inflammatory processes in local diseased areas may lead to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this study, we devised a highly sensitive H 2 O 2 -scavenging nano-bionic system loaded with probucol (RPP-PU), to treat atherosclerosis more effectively. The RPP material had high sensitivity to H 2 O 2 , and the response sensitivity could be reduced from 40 to 10 μmol/L which was close to the lowest concentration of H 2 O 2 levels of the pathological environment. RPP-PU delayed the release and prolonged the duration of PU in vivo . In Apolipoprotein E deficient (ApoE ‒/‒ ) mice, RPP-PU effectively eliminated pathological ROS, reduced the level of lipids and related metabolic enzymes, and significantly decreased the area of vascular plaques and fibers. Our study demonstrated that the H 2 O 2 -scavenging nano-bionic system could scavenge the abundant ROS in the atherosclerosis lesion, thereby reducing the oxidative stress for treating atherosclerosis and thus achieve the therapeutic goals with atherosclerosis more desirably., (© 2022 Chinese Pharmaceutical Association and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.)