Effect of premature ejaculation on depression and sexual functions in female partners: A report from Eastern Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Premature ejaculation (PE) is a sexual dysfunction causing female sexual dissatisfaction that eventually leads to poor quality of life in both partners. AIMS: To show the presence of depression, anxiety, sexual function disorders and their prevalence in spouses of males with PE living in Eastern Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety male patients suffering from PE who referred to the andrology clinic between January 2016 and March 2017 and diagnosed with PE (Acquired Premature ejaculation) according to the DSM-IV criteria and their partners were included in the study. Male patients answered the PE Profile, Arabic Index of PE, PE Diagnostic Tool, and Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale (ASEX) Questionnaires. Spouses of male patients with PE answered the Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Beck Anxiety Inventory Questionnaires. SPSS software version 21.0 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Our study revealed a positive correlation between the PE profile and partners' depression levels (P = 0.03). Also, the average ASEX Scale score of the both genders suggest that patients and partners believe they did not have a severe sexual function disorder. CONCLUSIONS: PE can cause psychological problems in both males and females. However, reflection of this pathology can vary from one society to another.

Cabergoline treatment in prolactinoma: Amelioration in obstructive and central sleep apneas.

A 44-year-old male patient was admitted to the otolaryngology department with a history of progressive snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, and reduced libido for the last 6 months. Polysomnography demonstrated the presence of moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of 24.6 events/h, consisting of 77 obstructive and 59 central apneas. The marked number of central apneas in the sleep study and urologic complaints prompted the performance of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which indicated a pituitary macroadenoma (prolactinoma). Three months after treatment with cabergoline, a control MRI showed a significant reduction in the size of the macroadenoma. The AHI was also significantly decreased (to 11.6 events/h), as were the numbers of obstructive and central apneas. The patient's complaints regarding libido were also regressed. During this treatment period, CPAP therapy has not been tolerated by the patient. Cabergoline treatment reduced the severity of both obstructive and central sleep apneas in this patient.

Effect of modern surgical treatment on the inflammatory/anti-inflammatory balance in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the inflammatory/anti-inflammatory cytokine balance - T helper 1/T helper 2 ratios - in obstructive sleep apnoea patients, before and after treatment. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients received continuous positive airway pressure treatment and 29 patients who could not tolerate continuous positive airway pressure were scheduled for surgery. Serum levels of interleukins 2, 4 and 10, tumour necrosis factor-alpha, and interferon gamma were analysed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays before and three months after treatment. RESULTS: The success rate of surgical treatment was 65.5 per cent. Mean compliance for the continuous positive airway pressure group was 40.9 per cent. The apnoea/hypopnoea index significantly decreased in both groups after treatment (p < 0.001). The interferon gamma/interleukin-4 ratio decreased following surgical treatment (p = 0.014), and the interleukin-2/interleukin-4 ratio decreased after treatment in 57 patients in the overall cohort (p = 0.032). CONCLUSION: After treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea, some ratios reflecting T helper 1/T helper 2 cytokine balance favoured the T helper 2 direction, suggesting a shift to an anti-inflammatory state. Successful surgery and better continuous positive airway pressure compliance can help ameliorate inflammation in obstructive sleep apnoea patients, which may reduce associated morbidities.

Effects of varying mandibular protrusion and degrees of vertical opening on upper airway dimensions in apneic dentate subjects.

INTRODUCTION: Despite numerous studies investigating the dimensional and therapeutic effects of mandibular advancement splints (MASs), data regarding the effects of differently designed individual and non-adjustable MASs on the upper airway in fully dentate apneic subjects in the sagittal plane including comparison of these effects with a placebo device are sparse. The present study aimed to determine the dimensional changes in the sagittal plane created by differently designed MASs in the upper airway in fully dentate apneic subjects and to compare these changes with the effects of a placebo device. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Magnetic resonance (MR) images of 9 dentate apneic subjects with 5 differently designed MASs and without a MAS were obtained. We measured the area of the entire pharynx (velopharynx, oropharynx, hypopharynx) on these MR images and compared the dimensional changes. RESULTS: The dimensional changes triggered by two specific MASs (75% of the maximum mandibular protrusion with 5 mm vertical opening, and 75% of the maximum mandibular protrusion with 10 mm of vertical opening) in the entire pharynx in the sagittal plane were statistically significant compared to the other MASs (p < 0.05). The MAS effecting 75% of the maximum mandibular protrusion and 10 mm of vertical opening created a significant dimensional increase only in the velopharyngeal area among the three pharyngeal sites (p ≤ 0.003). CONCLUSION: While the degree of mandibular protrusion created by the MAS affects the dimensions of the upper airway, the degree of the vertical opening exerts no significant dimensional effect in the sagittal plane in fully dentate apneic patients. The mandibular protrusion effect is comparatively larger in the velopharyngeal region.

An unusual cause of necrosis and nasal septum perforation after septoplasty: Enterobacter cloacae.

A 20-year-old man with nasal obstruction underwent septoplasty due to nasal septal deviation. Nasal packs were inserted at the end of surgery and removed 48 hours after surgery. Twenty-four hours after removal of nasal packs, there was necrosis in both sides of septal mucosa and in bilateral inferior turbinates. Nasal swab culture was performed from both nasal cavities. Enterobacter cloacae was isolated from samples. Two weeks after surgery, nasal septum perforation was unavoidable. To our knowledge, this is the first case in literature describing septal mucosal necrosis caused by this pathogen after septoplasty. Mucosal necrosis and perforation as septoplasty complications should be kept in mind, the result of causes both common and, as in the present case, unusual.

Use of the Berlin Questionnaire to screen at-risk patients for obstructive sleep apnea.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the value of the Berlin Questionnaire (BQ) for screening at-risk patients for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 217 subjects who were referred to a Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery for evaluation of suspected OSA. The subjects were classified as being at high or low risk of OSA according to their BQ score. The apnea hypopnea index (AHI), body mass index (BMI), Epworth sleepiness score, and BQ results were compared in the two risk groups, and the correlation of BQ with AHI was analyzed. The predictive accuracy of risk grouping was assessed for AHI > 5 and AHI > 15. RESULTS: The BQ identified 82.03% of the subjects as being at high risk of sleep apnea and 17.9% as being at low risk. Using a cut-off point of AHI > 5, the sensitivity was 83.4% and the specificity was 22.2%; the positive predictive value was 76.4% and the negative predictive value was 30.8%. Using a cut-off point of AHI > 15, the sensitivity was 89.3% and the specificity was 22.6%; the positive predictive value was 42.1% and the negative predictive value was 76.9%. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that BQ is a poor predictor of OSA in patients who are at high risk of OSA. The BQ does not appear to be an appropriate screening tool for determining the risk of sleep apnea in this population.

Postoperative visual impairment after spinal fusion surgery.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this prospective study was to detect risk factors for visual impairment or changes in vision following spinal fusion surgery. METHODS: A total of 68 patients aged 18-65 years, scheduled for posterior spinal fusion surgery, were included. Ophthalmic examinations were performed by an ophthalmologist on the day before surgery and repeated after the second postoperative day, within the first postoperative week. Patient characteristics were compared according to two clinical outcomes following surgery: worsening of vision during the pre- and postoperative interval (group 1) and no change in pre- and postoperative examinations (group 2). RESULTS: The mean age of patients with postoperative visual changes was significantly higher than that for patients without postoperative visual changes. Total number of female patients and use of intraoperative ephedrine to treat hypotensive episodes were significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2 patients. CONCLUSION: Older age, female gender and intraoperative hypotensive episodes are potential risk factors for postoperative visual impairment in patients who have undergone spinal fusion surgery.

Use of an individual mandibular advancement device for an?obstructive sleep apnoea patient with facial paralysis: a short-term follow-up case report.

This case report aimed to describe the fabrication procedure and treatment efficacy of an individual, one-piece, non-adjustable mandibular advancement device (MAD) for a moderate obstructive sleep apnoea patient with facial paralysis (FP). Mandibular advancement device was fabricated with autopolymerising acrylic resin. The intermaxillary relations were recorded such as to fix the mandible at a protruded position with increased vertical dimension. Initial evaluation of the MAD was made with axial magnetic resonance imaging and polysomnography on the first day of usage. Following evaluations were made on the third and sixth month. After a follow-up period of 6 months, Apnoea/Hypopnea Index (AHI) significantly decreased from 26·7 to 3·0. However, the average oxygen saturation did not improve as expected initially. The MAD therapy decreased the AHI scores of a patient with FP. At the end of a follow-up period of 6 months, the patient did not report any serious complaint except temporary tooth pains.