Significance of serum endothelial cell specific molecule-1 (Endocan) level in patients with erectile dysfunction: a pilot study.

This study aimed to measure the serum endocan level of patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) and to investigate the possible association between the Endothelial-specific molecule-1 (Endocan) level and ED. Twenty healthy and sixty-four male patients included in the study were divided into four groups: severe ED (19 patients), moderate ED (24 patients), mild ED (21 patients) and control group (20 healthy men). The erectile function of all the patients was evaluated using the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) questionnaire. The body mass index (BMI) of each participant was determined, together with levels of fasting blood glucose, total testosterone, low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride and endocan in serum samples. No significant difference was found between the three ED groups and the control group in terms of the mean age, BMI and the levels of cholesterol and fasting blood glucose (P>0.05). The mean serum endocan level was found to 1.076±0.5, 0.674±0.40 and 0.671±0.3 ng ml-1 in the severe, moderate and mild ED groups, respectively. This indicated that the highest value was obtained from the severe ED group, and the difference between the severe ED group and the other groups was statistically significant. In the control group, the serum endocan level was 0.73±0.46 ng ml-1, which was significantly higher compared to the moderate and mild ED groups (P<0.05). The significant difference between the control and ED groups in terms of the serum endocan level can assist in the evaluation of endothelial pathologies in the etiology ED.

The prevalence of premature ejaculation in young Turkish men.

This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of premature ejaculation (PE) in young Turkish men and to evaluate PE in a population having good physical and mental health. A total of 1230 healthy university graduates aged between 24 and 30 attending the police academy having no physical or mental problems were included in the study. To identify the presence of PE, the participants were asked to complete the premature ejaculation diagnostic tool (PEDT). The mean ages in the PE and non-PE group were 27.3 and 26.7 respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups concerning age, body mass index (BMI), smoking status and alcohol consumption (P > 0.05). The PE prevalence was found to be 9.2%. The mean PEDT score was calculated as 6.3. Of the participants, 92 scored 11 and higher (9.2%), 66 scored 9 and 10 (6.6%), and the remaining 842 obtained a score equal to or lower than 8 (84.2%). The lower prevalence of PE in young Turkish men compared to the results of studies in the literature can be attributed to the physical and mental well-being of the participants. This study showed that the prevalence of PE in young men with good physical and mental health is lower than that found in the literature.