Complete penile skin necrosis.

Superficial penile skin infections may be presented in different clinical situations that vary from simple infection to organ loss and serious morbidity and mortality. Antibiotic treatment and, if necessary, urgent debridement is required. A 46-year-old male patient with the complaints of urethral discharge and pain admitted to our outpatient clinic. He declared that there were midpenil tenderness and erythema 14 days ago which occurred after sexual intercourse. Complete penile skin necrosis with purulent discharge was detected in physical examination. After wound debridement and 14-days of intravenous antibiotic treatment, wound site culture was negative and then full-thickness skin grafting was performed. Urgent antibiotic treatment should be given, especially for the skin infections of the genital area. Despite the rapid spread of antibiotic treatment, clinical presentation may worsen within hours. It should be noted that especially in diabetics and elderly patients with poor hygiene, the infection may spread to anogenital region and may lead to fulminant necrotizing fasciitis which can present with severe morbidity and mortality. Reconstructive surgery is planned after the control of infection and according to the amount of tissue loss.

The short-term protective effects of lycopene on renal ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats.

OBJECTIVE: Renal ischemia-reperfusion injury may occur due to nephron-sparing surgery in patients with a solitary kidney or restricted renal parenchymas. Prophylactic agents do not always achieve their intended effects and may exhibit side effects. The present study was designed to investigate the possible protective effects of lycopene against hypoxia-induced renal damage. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twelve Wistar rats were used in the study. Female Wistar rats were divided into two groups of six rats each; the first group served as the control, and the second group was treated for two days with oral lycopene (4 mg/kg per day) before surgery. All Wistar rats were subjected to right nephrectomy and abdominal aorta clamping for 45 minutes to induce ischemia, followed by 24 hours of reperfusion. Blood samples were collected from all rats twice before surgery and 24-hours after surgery for analyses of serum urea, creatinine, sodium, and potassium levels. Left nephrectomies were performed following reperfusion. Then histopathological scores were estimated, and malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) levels in renal tissue samples were measured, and compared between groups. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the control, and the lycopene group with respect to postischemic urea, creatinine, or potassium levels. A significant difference between the groups was observed with respect to postischemic sodium levels (p=0.028). Pathological scores were higher in the control group than in the lycopene group (p<0.05). Mean tissue MDA levels in the control group were higher than in the lycopene group (p=0.055). The mean tissue GSH-Px levels were similar in the control, and lycopene groups. The mean GSH levels in the control group were higher than in the lycopene group (p>0.05). The mean tissue SOD levels were similar in the control, and lycopene groups. The mean CAT levels in the control group were higher than in the lycopene group (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Lycopene may have a protective effect on the short-term biochemical and histopathological parameters following renal ischemia/perfusion injury.

Erectile function and late-onset hypogonadism symptoms related to lower urinary tract symptom severity in elderly men.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTSs), erectile dysfunction (ED) and symptomatic late-onset hypogonadism (SLOH) in ageing men in the Aegean region of Turkey. Five hundred consecutive patients >40 years old who had been in a steady sexual relationship for the past 6 months and were admitted to one of six urology clinics were included in the study. Serum prostate-specific antigen and testosterone levels and urinary flow rates were measured. All patients filled out the International Prostate Symptom Score and Quality of Life (IPSS-QoL), International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) and Aging Males' Symptoms (AMS) scale forms. Of the patients, 23.9% had mild LUTSs, 53.3% had moderate LUTSs and 22.8% had severe LUTSs. The total testosterone level did not differ between groups. Additionally, 69.6% had ED. The presence of impotence increased with increasing LUTS severity. Symptomatic late-onset hypogonadism (AMS >27) was observed in 71.2% of the patients. The prevalence of severe hypogonadism symptoms increased with the IPSS scores. A correlation analysis revealed that all three questionnaire scores were significantly correlated. In conclusion, LUTS severity is an age-independent risk factor for ED and SLOH. LUTS severity and SLOH symptoms appear to have a strong link that requires etiological and biological clarification in future studies.