Effects of Testosterone Supplementation on Body Composition in HIV Patients:A Meta-analysis of Double-blinded Randomized Controlled Trials

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of testosterone supplementation(TS)on body composition in patients with HIV and the side effects of TS.A comprehensive literature search strategy was used to retrieve relevant randomized controlled trials(RCTs)examining the effects of TS on body composition.A total of 14 eligible studies were included,enrolling 388 and 349 randomized patients in TS and control groups,respectively.The quality of studies included was assessed,and data on total body weight(BW),lean body mass(LBM),fat mass(FM),serum total testosterone(TT),free testosterone(FT)levels,and adverse events were extracted and analyzed using Review Manager software 5.3.Meta-analysis results showed that TS was associated with a small but significant modification in total BW,serum TT,and FT levels in HIV-infected patients and in patients given various drug administrations.TS also significantly increased LBM in male patients,but no significant difference in LBM was observed between female counterparts treated with TS or not.Conversely,TS relative to placebo did not lead to a significant reduction in FM.No significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of adverse effects.Our findings suggested that TS may be recommended to improve body composition in patients with HIV-related weight loss.However,owing to the high heterogeneity across included trials,further evaluations using large-scale,multi-center,blinded RCTs are needed.

Prokineticin 2 overexpression induces spermatocyte apoptosis in varicocele in rats

Varicocele is one of the most important causes of male infertility,as this condition leads to a decline in sperm quality.It is generally believed that the presence of varicocele induces an increase in reactive oxygen species levels,leading to oxidative stress and sperm apoptosis;however,the specific pathogenic mechanisms affecting spermatogenesis remain elusive.Prokineticin 2(PK2),a secretory protein,is associated with multiple biological processes,including cell migration,proliferation,and apoptosis.In the testis,PK2 is expressed in spermatocytes under normal physiological conditions.To investigate the role of PK2 in varicocele,a rat varicocele model was established to locate and quantify the expression of PK2 and its receptor,prokineticin receptor 1(PKR1),by immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time PCR assays(qPCR).Moreover,H2O2 was applied to mimic the oxidative stress state of varicocele through coculturing with a spermatocyte-derived cell line(GC-2)in vitro,and the apoptosis rate was detected by flow cytometry.Here,we illustrated that the expression levels of PK2 and PKR1 were upregulated in the spermatocytes of the rat model.Administration of H202 stimulated the overexpression of PK2 in GC-2.Transfection of recombinant pCMV-HA-PK2 into GC-2 cells promoted apoptosis by upregulating cleaved-caspase-3,caspase-8,and B cell lymphoma 2-associated X;downregulating B cell lymphoma 2;and promoting the accumulation of intracellular calcium.Overall,we revealed that the varicocele-induced oxidative stress stimulated the overexpression of PK2,leading to apoptosis of spermatocytes.Our study provides new insight into the mechanisms underlying oxidative stress-associated male infertility and suggests a novel therapeutic target for male infertility.