How do vegetable oils (hazelnut and canola) affect the reproductive system in male rats?

OBJECTIVE: Vegetable oils have an important place in our daily diet. This study starts from this point to investigate the effects of canola oil and hazelnut oil in the male reproductive system in rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 30 male rats were used in this 16-week study. The animals were divided into three groups: the animals in group I served as the control group, while the animals in group II and group III were fed with hazelnut and canola oil, respectively. The testes of all rats were excised for histopathologic evaluation and immunohistochemical (IHC) evaluation with a standard method. Blood samples were obtained for determination of serum hormone levels. RESULTS: No significant differences were noted with respect to behavior or weight among the three groups. Rats in the canola oil group (group III) had higher luteinizing hormone (LH) and higher testosterone levels than rats in the control group. Rats who received hazelnut oil (group II) exhibited similar findings, with these levels being higher than they were in the control group. No statistical differences were shown for histopathology or IHC testosterone antibody levels across all treatment groups. Conclussion: Canola oil was shown to have a greater effect on serum LH and testosterone compared to the control group and the group fed with hazelnut oil. Further investigation is required into how these oils affect serum hormone and sperm activity.

Is there a relationship between chronic periodontitis and erectile dysfunction?

INTRODUCTION: Chronic periodontitis (CP) is characterized with inflammation of the gingival tissues, which causes endothelial dysfunction in different organs. AIM: In this study, we investigated the association of CP with the erectile dysfunction (ED). METHODS: The study group included 80 male patients with ED and 82 male patients without ED (control), aged between 30 and 40 years. The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaire was used to assess male sexual function, particularly the presence or absence of ED. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The patients in the study and control groups were statistically compared according to their plaque index (PI), bleeding on probing (BoP), probing depth (PD), and clinical attachment level (CAL). RESULTS: In the non-ED and the ED groups, the mean age was 35.7 ± 4.8 and 34.9 ± 4.9 years, respectively. Patients' characteristics including body mass index, household income, and education status were similar in both groups (P > 0.05). Nineteen patients (23%) had severe CP in the non-ED group; 42 patients (53%) had severe CP in the ED group. Logistic regression analysis showed a significantly high association between ED and the severity of CP (odds ratio: 3.29, 95% confidence interval: 1.36-9.55, P < 0.01). The mean values of PI, BoP, and the percentages of sites with PD >4 mm and sites with CAL >4 mm were significantly higher in the ED group than in the control group (P < 0.05). The mean values of PD and CAL were not significantly different in the two groups (P > 0.05). The decayed, missing, filled teeth scores were also significantly higher in the ED group than in the non-ED group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results have suggested that CP had a high association with ED in young adults at 30-40 years. We think that it will be of benefit to consider periodontal disease as a causative clinical condition of ED in such patients.

The effect of periodontal treatment in improving erectile dysfunction: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate changes in the International Index of Erectile Dysfunction (IIEF) score following periodontal treatment in patients who had severe or moderate erectile dysfunction (ED) and chronic periodontitis (CP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. The study population consisted of 120 patients with severe or moderate ED and CP. The treatment group (n = 60) comprised patients who received periodontal treatment, whereas the control group (n = 60) comprised patients who did not receive periodontal treatment. The clinical assessments were recorded at baseline, and at 1 month (R1) and 3 months (R2) after intervention for both groups. The periodontal examination involved assessment of the plaque index, bleeding on probing, probing depth and clinical attachment level. The IIEF questionnaire was used to assess the severity of ED. RESULTS: In the treatment group, the improvement in all clinical periodontal parameters was greater than that in the control group, at both R1 and R2 (p < 0.05). The increase in the IIEF scores of the treatment group at R2 was higher than that of the control group (p < 0.05), whereas the IIEF scores were similar for both groups at R1 (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The findings of the study suggest that periodontal treatment can provide additional benefits in the improvement of ED. However, further studies are needed to understand the mechanisms of interaction between these diseases.

Minimally invasive approaches and their efficacy in pediatric urolithiasis.

OBJECTIVE: We compared the frequency of usage and success of minimally invasive approaches in the management of pediatric urolithiasis in our clinic. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data from pediatric patients (≤16 years of age) who had undergone percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL), ureterorenoscopy (URS), and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) between January 2001 and December 2011 were retrospectively investigated. RESULTS: In this study, 415 pediatric patients, who were treated for 291 renal, and 124 ureteral stones, were evaluated. The patients were treated with PNL (n=148; 82 boys, 66 girls), URS (n=99; 58 boys, and 41 girls) or ESWL (n=168; 91 boys, and 77 girls). The mean patient ages were 7.3 (1-16), 9.1 (1-16), and 8.8 (1-16) years in the PNL, URS, and ESWL groups, respectively. The stone-free rates after treatment with PNL, URS, and ESWL were 77, 83.8 and 88.7%, respectively. CONCLUSION: It is important that selected therapies are properly planned, and the use of minimally invasive approaches is important in pediatric patients due to potentially high recurrence rates. Currently, ESWL, PNL and URS are performed with high success rates for the treatment of stones, and open surgery is rarely used due to the success obtained with minimally invasive approaches.