Comparison of anti-VEGF results between non-ischemic branch retinal vein occlusion and ischemic branch retinal vein occlusion with early sector panretinal photocoagulation.

PURPOSE: To compare the need for anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in treating macular edema (ME) in patients with non-ischemic branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) and patients with ischemic BRVO with early peripheral photocoagulation. METHODS: Patients with BRVO with ME were included in the retrospective study. The patients were divided into two groups according to peripheral ischemic status: a non-ischemic BRVO group and an ischemic BRVO group. All patients received three initial monthly 0.50mg ranibizumab injections followed by a pro re nata (PRN) regimen. In the ischemic BRVO group, early peripheral laser photocoagulation was applied in the area of capillary nonperfusion as defined by fluorescein angiography. The mean change in central macular thickness (CMT), best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and number of injections were evaluated. RESULTS: Fifty-seven eyes of 57 patients were included in the study (32 nonischemic BRVO; 25 ischemic BRVO). Mean follow-up was 20.0 (SD,4.9) months. The mean number of injections from baseline to final visit was 5.3 (SD 3.4) and 4.6 (SD 2.6) for the nonischemic BRVO group and ischemic BRVO group, respectively. This difference was not statistically significant (P=0.48). There was no significant difference in CMT and BCVA between groups. CONCLUSION: No difference in the need for anti-VEGF therapy was observed between patients with non-ischemic BRVO and patients with ischemic BRVO with early laser photocoagulation.

A routine but overlooked parameter for impaired glucose control: red cell distribution width.

OBJECTIVE: Red cell distribution width (RDW), an index of erythrocyte size, is recently found to be associated with inflammation and a high risk for cardiovascular disease. Hyperglycemia, the hallmark of prediabetes (PDM) and diabetes mellitus (DM), causes endothelial dysfunction and a proinflammatory state. We investigated the relationship between RDW and hs-CRP in patients with prediabetes and overt DM. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 155 patients were categorized into 3 groups according to the 2007 guideline for American Diabetes Association: "Type 2 DM" group (n = 45), "PDM" group (n = 60) and "Control" group (n = 50). RDW and hs-CRP levels were measured. RESULTS: PDM group had higher hs-CRP and RDW levels than the control group (14.3 ± 0.84 vs. 12.7 ± 0.8, p < 0.001 for RDW; (0.91 ± 0.49 vs. 0.55 ± 0.37, p < 0.001 for hs-CRP). Similarly, when compared with the PDM, RDW and hs-CRP levels were higher in the DM group (14.8 ± 0.87 vs. 14.3 ± 0.84, p = 0.002 for RDW; 1.15 ± 0.59 vs. 0.91 ± 0.49, p = 0.03 for hs-CRP). CONCLUSIONS: Prediabetes and diabetes were associated with elevated RDW levels which may be attributed to a subclinical inflammatory background.

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.

Association between serum folic acid level and erectile dysfunction.

This study measured the serum folic acid (FA) level in patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) and evaluated the possible association between the serum FA level and erectile function. The study divided 120 patients with ED into 3 groups of 40 patients each: those with severe, moderate and mild ED. Forty healthy men served as controls. Fasting serum samples were obtained, and the total testosterone, cholesterol and FA levels were measured using chemiluminescent immunoassays. There were no significant differences in the mean age, mean body mass index or mean serum total testosterone and cholesterol levels among the three ED groups and controls (P > 0.05). The mean serum FA concentrations were 7.2 ± 3.7, 7.1 ± 3.2, 10.2 ± 4.6 and 10.7 ± 4.6 ng ml(-1) in the severe, moderate and mild ED and control groups respectively. The mean serum FA concentration was significantly higher in the control group than in the severe and moderate ED groups (both P < 0.001), but not the mild ED group (P = 0.95). Considering the significant differences in the serum FA levels between the control and ED groups, serum FA deficiency might reflect the severity of ED.

Different surgical techniques and L-carnitine supplementation in an experimental varicocele model.

We aimed to investigate the impact of various varicocelectomy techniques and/or L-carnitine as an adjunct treatment, following the emergence of oxidative stress, on the expression levels of SCF/c-kit signalling pathways in spermatogenesis. Forty-two rats were divided into seven groups: group 1 (G1) control; group 2 (G2) sham; group 3 (G3) varicocele; group 4 (G4) varicocele + varicocelectomy with testicular nonartery sparing; group 5 (G5) same as G4 but with artery sparing; group 6 (G6) same as G4 but with L-carnitine and group 7 (G7) same as G5 with L-carnitine. mRNA expression levels of SCF and c-kit were measured quantitatively using real-time polymerase chain reaction. CASP-3 activity at protein level was determined, and histological evaluation was performed. mRNA expression level of SCF increased in G6 as compared to control group (3.52-folds change; P = 0.035), whereas mRNA expression level of c-kit gene remained the same. We found that in the left testis of G6 group, mRNA expression level of SCF increased 2.2-folds in comparison with the right testis (P < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the CASP-3 protein expression levels between the control and other groups. When Cosentino Score analyses of immunostaining were conducted, we observed no significant differences among groups. Spermatogenic failure could be primarily due to a sertoli cell dysfunction. Although surgical treatment has been the best option for management of varicocele, auxiliary agents like L-carnitine may be considered as supportive treatment regimes in addition to conventional surgical treatments.