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Objective: The aim of the study is to investigate the wound healing and antibacterial activity of terebinth extract and the mixture of terebinth+3% oxytetracycline in experimental back skin wounds. Materials-Methods: The animal material of the study consisted of 18 mice. The animals were divided into 3 groups as control group (group I, n:6), terebinth group (group II, n:6), terebinth+oxytetracycline group (group III, n:6). Wounds with a 1 cm2 diameter were induced on the back of the mice and infected with Staphylococcus aureus ATCC® 25923 reference strain. Treatment protocols for the groups were applied daily, once a day. Total aerobic mesophilic bacteria and S. aureus count was performed in the swab samples taken on days 3, 7, and 14 of the healing process. Results: In the study, it was found that wound healing process was completed the earliest in Group III (mean duration of 15.67±0.609 days), which was followed by Group II (18±0.73) and Group I (24.67±0.919), respectively. The healing period was statistically significantly shorter in Group II and Group III than in Group I (p<0.001). In the evaluation of aerobic mesophilic bacteria and S. aureus load, much less live bacteria were found in Group III compared to the other groups. In addition, the number of bacteria measured in group II, in which terebinth extract was used, was found to be significantly lower than the number of bacteria measured in the control group. Conclusion: Consequently, it was concluded that the extract of terebinth plant grown in Siirt region reduced the bacterial load in the wound area and accelerated the healing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate central smell centers with cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in COVID-19. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective study evaluated cranial MRI images of 54 adults. The experimental group (Group 1), consisting of 27 patients with positive COVID-19 real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RTPCR) assays, was compared to the control group (Group 2), comprising 27 healthy controls without COVID-19. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were measured in the corpus amygdala, thalamus, and insular gyrus in both groups. RESULTS: Thalamus ADC values of the COVID-19 group were significantly lower compared to the control group bilaterally. However, no differences were found in the insular gyrus and corpus amygdala ADC values between the two groups. Positive correlations were observed between the insular gyrus and corpus amygdala ADC values and the thalamus ADC values. Insular gyrus ADC values (right) were higher in females. Left insular gyrus and corpus amygdala ADC values were higher in COVID-19 patients with smell loss. Right insular gyrus and left corpus amygdala ADC values were lower in COVID-19 patients with lymphopenia. CONCLUSIONS: Diffusion restriction in olfactory areas can be considered an obvious indicator that the COVID-19 virus affects and damages the immune system at the neuronal level. Given the urgency and lethality of the current pandemic, acute onset odor loss should be considered a high suspicion-adhesive index for patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Therefore, the sense of smell should be considered and evaluated simultaneously with other neurological symptoms. DWI should be widely used as an early imaging method for central nervous system (CNS) infections, especially in relation to COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare preoperative and postoperative findings of the sciatic nerve by using B-mode ultrasound, strain elastography (SE), and shear wave elastography (SWE) in patients with unilateral lumbar foraminal disc herniation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this prospective study group, patients with complaints of foraminal disc herniation due to one level (L4-5 or L5-S1) were included. Preoperative and postoperative (one month after surgery) B-mode ultrasound, SE, and SWE findings of the affected sciatic nerve in patients who underwent unilateral spinal decompression surgery were compared. Evaluations were performed on the axial plane from the gluteal region using a convex probe of 5-9L MHz. The reference method used to assess nerve root compression was 1.5-T Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). RESULTS: A total of 20 patients (9 males, 11 females) with a mean age of 46.2±13.1 years were included. The cross-sectional area (CSA), diameter, SWE values of the sciatic nerve were significantly higher in the affected side compared to those of the non-affected side (all for p<0.05). Blue and blue-green were the most common color codes in the affected side while green and green-yellow-red were the most common color codes in the non-affected side. The CSA, diameter, and SWE values of the sciatic nerve decreased after the surgery in the affected side (all for p<0.05), nonetheless. those did not differ in the non-affected side (all for p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Lumbar decompression surgery decreases the sciatic nerve diameter, CSA, and stiffness of the sciatic nerve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this case report, the clinical and radiographic results of the treatment of Salter Harris Type II fracture in the left humerus of a 10-month-old female and crossbred dog with parallel pin technique was evaluated. The dog with complaining of lameness was brought to Siirt University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Clinic of Surgery Department and local fracture findings were found in the distal 1/3 of the left humerus. On radiological examination, it was found that the distal physeal line of the left humerus was detached. Also, it was seen that the integrity of the bone cortex was disrupted through in a line that included the metaphysis at the medial angle. In the operation, following the reduction of the fracture fragments, 2 krischner pins with 2 mm in diameter parallel to each other were applied from the medial cortex of the humerus to the lateral side of the distal condule and fixation was achieved. After the operation, the limb was taken to a backed bandage. In the radiological examination of the case on post-op 3rd week, it was found that the formation of the collus began. On the post-op 21st day, the bandage was removed and physical therapy applications were started to apply. On the post-op 4th week, it was seen that the dog used the extremity functionally and it was discharged. As a result, it was concluded that parallel double pin applications can be used successfully in the treatment of Salter Harris Type II fractures that are formed in the distal of dog's humerus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study attempts to measure the deliberation quality of the Democratic Opening Debates in the Turkish Parliament through the Discourse Quality Index (DQI). The majority of studies have been conducted on the deliberation quality of relatively homogenised and developed Western societies and on less conflictual or contentious topics. In these countries, democratic culture has been institutionalised. On the contrary, Turkey is a developing country and has been going through an ethnic conflict involving violence for many decades. Thus, this case study aims to make an original contribution to empirical deliberation studies. Researchers have examined the 88-page stenographic records of the Democratic Opening Debates and put forward a DQI score. According to the findings, the controversial debates fulfill only 40% of high-level deliberative discourse ethics. This result demonstrates that the ideal deliberation process does not exist in Turkey even though a convenient atmosphere is created for deliberations by means of official procedures. Ethnic division in the society has a profoundly negative impact on the quality of deliberations.

Renal infiltration in children with acute leukemia has been reported previously; however, it has rarely been described in association with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). We present a case of 9-year-old boy who developed life-threatening aHUS in the 1st week of Burkitt leukemia/lymphoma diagnosis with renal infiltration. Complete resolution of aHUS was achieved after therapeutic plasma exchange. This is an uncommon complication of Burkitt leukemia/lymphoma in a pediatric case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate and compare the quality and comprehensibility of answers produced by five distinct artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots-GPT-4, Claude, Mistral, Google PaLM, and Grok-in response to the most frequently searched questions about kidney stones (KS). Materials and Methods: Google Trends facilitated the identification of pertinent terms related to KS. Each AI chatbot was provided with a unique sequence of 25 commonly searched phrases as input. The responses were assessed using DISCERN, the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Printable Materials (PEMAT-P), the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), and the Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease (FKRE) criteria. Results: The three most frequently searched terms were "stone in kidney," "kidney stone pain," and "kidney pain." Nepal, India, and Trinidad and Tobago were the countries that performed the most searches in KS. None of the AI chatbots attained the requisite level of comprehensibility. Grok demonstrated the highest FKRE (55.6 ± 7.1) and lowest FKGL (10.0 ± 1.1) ratings ( p = 0.001), whereas Claude outperformed the other chatbots in its DISCERN scores (47.6 ± 1.2) ( p = 0.001). PEMAT-P understandability was the lowest in GPT-4 (53.2 ± 2.0), and actionability was the highest in Claude (61.8 ± 3.5) ( p = 0.001). Conclusion: GPT-4 had the most complex language structure of the five chatbots, making it the most difficult to read and comprehend, whereas Grok was the simplest. Claude had the best KS text quality. Chatbot technology can improve healthcare material and make it easier to grasp.

Introduction: There are conflicting results in the literature regarding the efficacy of Retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) in lower pole stones. This study aimed to evaluate RIRS outcomes in lower pole stones by forming matched case-control groups., Methods: The data of 491 patients who were diagnosed with kidney stones and underwent RIRS were retrospectively included in the study. A total of 209 patients with lower pole stones (Group 1) and 282 patients with pelvic stones (Group 2) were matched at a 1:1 ratio in terms of stone burden, stone density, preoperative double-J stenting status, and a previous history of shock wave lithotripsy, yielding 159 patients in each group. A computed tomography scan was performed to evaluate the stone-free status. The primary outcome was stone-free status one month after RIRS., Results: After case-control matching, the median age was 49 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 40-58) in Group 1 and 50 years (IQR: 35-60) in Group 2 (p=0.388). The median stone burden values of Group 1 and Group 2 were 415.3 mm3 (IQR: 176.1-858.2) and 503.3 mm3 (IQR: 282.5-864), respectively (p=0.100). After RIRS, stone-free status was achieved by 126 of the 159 (79.2 %) in Group 1 and 133 of the 159 (83.6%) patients in Group 2 (p=0.387). The groups were similar in terms of perioperative complications (4.4% in Group 1 and 3.8% in Group 2, p=0.777), postoperative complications (13.8% in Group 1 and 10.3% in Group 2, p=0.393), and median operation time (60 min in both, p=0.230). A longer median fluoroscopy time was noted in Group 1 compared to Group 2 (26 sec and 3 sec, respectively, p=0.013)., Conclusions: Stone-free rates and complications were comparable between the patients with lower pole and pelvic stones after RIRS. However, lower pole stones are associated with longer fluoroscopy time. RIRS can be performed effectively for the treatment of lower pole stones., (S. Karger AG, Basel.)

A JJ stent placed before retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) may ease the procedure. However, it is important to note that a prolonged duration of double J stent (DJS) placement before RIRS may increase the risk of postoperative urinary tract infection (UTI). Various publications have established this association, although the duration of the DJS before surgery is scarce. Our study investigates the relationship between the pre-stenting period and postoperative UTI and establishes a cut-off period to minimize this risk. We included a total of 500 cases with preoperative DJS prior to RIRS. The patients were divided into five groups according to their preoperative stenting duration (Group 1: 0-15 days; Group 2: 16-30 days; Group 3: 31-45 days; Group 4: 46-60 days; Group 5: >60 days). Demographic and clinical data of the patients, stone properties, operation data, perioperative and postoperative complications (including fever and UTI), hospitalization time, and stone-free rates (SFR) were compared. The groups contained 53, 124, 102, 63, and 158 patients. The demographics of the patients in each group were similar. There was no statistically significant difference between DJS duration, perioperative/postoperative complications, and SFR, except for the ureteral access sheath (UAS) insertion rate. (p = 0.001). The postoperative fever/UTI rate was the lowest in Group 1 (p = 0.046) compared to other durations. Stent duration does not impact SFR. Longer stents enhance UAS insertion success but increase postoperative infection risk. Our results suggest that RIRS should be performed within two weeks, ideally 20 days following stent insertion, to minimize postoperative infection risk., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Concrete and mortar wastes, which have a large volume and economic value among construction demolition wastes, are the most targeted demolition waste group to be recycled. An important area where construction demolition waste can be utilized is self-compacting mortar (SCM) systems. SCMs are innovative and economical systems designed to minimize the labor requirements that are difficult to meet in the production process. In this study, mortar waste aggregate (MWA) obtained by mechanical crushing and grinding was used in SCM elements by substituting different ratios (5-10-20-30-40 %) by mass to aggregate. In this way, it was aimed to evaluate both the sustainability of MWAs and the usability of MWAs in SCMs, which are considered as a new production technology. The fresh and hardened mortar tests performed in the study are presented comparatively. The physical (dry unit volume weight, porosity), durability (capillary water absorption) and mechanical properties (flexural tensile, compressive strength) of the hardened SCM elements are based on the determinations made at 3, 7 and 28 test days and according to different curing conditions (water curing, air curing and heat curing). In addition, X-ray Diffractometer (XRD) analysis was performed on specimens obtained from 0 %, 10 %, 20 % and 40 % MWA substituted specimens after heat curing (after 7 days water curing) and 28 days water curing. In the light of the data obtained, it is reported that SCM production with 10 % MWA substitution is feasible in terms of sustainability and engineering properties evaluated in this study., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Introduction: The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) in elderly patients by comparing them with propensity score-matched age-groups., Methods: Patients who underwent RIRS to treat upper urinary tract stone disease at seven centers were included in the study and were divided into four groups. The age intervals of the patients in group 1, group 2, group 3, and group 4 were 18-29 years old, 30-49 years old, 50-64 years old, and over 65 years old, respectively. Propensity score matching analysis was used to homogenize the groups in terms of demographic and clinical properties. Operative results, preoperative complications, perioperative complications, postoperative complications, duration of hospitalization time, and stone-free status were compared between groups., Results: A total of 1,017 patients were included in the study. There were 69 (9.9%) patients in group 1, 324 (46.5%) in group 2, 217 (31.1%) in group 3, and 87 (12.5%) in group 4 after propensity score matching. The operation time and postoperative complication rates were significantly different among groups, whereas the hospitalization time, perioperative complication rates, and stone-free status were similar. The operation time was significantly higher in patients over 65 years old (p = 0.001). The postoperative complication rates were significantly higher in group 1 with Clavien I-II complication predominance (p = 0.003)., Conclusion: The efficacy and safety of RIRS did not change with aging, and RIRS was an effective option for the treatment of upper urinary system stones in elderly patients., (© 2024 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Background: Premature ejaculation (PE) is the most prevalent sexual dysfunction in men, and like many diseases and conditions, patients use Internet sources like ChatGPT, which is a popular artificial intelligence-based language model, for queries about this andrological disorder., Aim: The objective of this research was to evaluate the quality, readability, and understanding of texts produced by ChatGPT in response to frequently requested inquiries on PE., Methods: In this study we used Google Trends to identify the most frequently searched phrases related to PE. Subsequently, the discovered keywords were methodically entered into ChatGPT, and the resulting replies were assessed for quality using the Ensuring Quality Information for Patients (EQIP) program. The produced texts were assessed for readability using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES), and DISCERN metrics., Outcomes: This investigation has identified substantial concerns about the quality of texts produced by ChatGPT, highlighting severe problems with reading and understanding., Results: The mean EQIP score for the texts was determined to be 45.93 ± 4.34, while the FRES was 15.8 ± 8.73. Additionally, the FKGL score was computed to be 15.68 ± 1.67 and the DISCERN score was 38.1 ± 3.78. The comparatively low average EQIP and DISCERN scores suggest that improvements are required to increase the quality and dependability of the presented information. In addition, the FKGL scores indicate a significant degree of linguistic intricacy, requiring a level of knowledge comparable to about 14 to 15 years of formal schooling in order to understand. The texts about treatment, which are the most frequently searched items, are more difficult to understand compared to other texts about other categories., Clinical Implications: The results of this research suggest that compared to texts on other topics the PE texts produced by ChatGPT exhibit a higher degree of complexity, which exceeds the recommended reading threshold for effective health communication. Currently, ChatGPT is cannot be considered a substitute for comprehensive medical consultations., Strengths and Limitations: This study is to our knowledge the first reported research investigating the quality and comprehensibility of information generated by ChatGPT in relation to frequently requested queries about PE. The main limitation is that the investigation included only the first 25 popular keywords in English., Conclusion: ChatGPT is incapable of replacing the need for thorough medical consultations., Competing Interests: None of the authors received any type of financial support that could be considered a potential conflict of interest regarding the manuscript or its submission., (Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The International Society of Sexual Medicine 2024.)

Introduction: Peyronie's disease (PD) is a common urologic illness, motivating numerous scientific investigations and publications. Scientific publications have more authors each year. A bibliometric review of the PD literature might help urologists and sexual medicine professionals comprehend publication tendencies in this subject. The current study was aimed at presenting a bibliometric analysis of PD, which is one of the important and trending subjects of andrology., Methods: On January 5, 2023, Web of Science scanned documents with the terms Peyronie's disease" "Peyronie's disease treatment", "Peyronie's disease management", "Peyronie's disease surgery" and "Peyronie's disease injection" from 1975 through 2023. Titles, years, authors, citations, citation indices, journal names, authors' countries of origin, article categories, and funding sources were recorded., Results: "Clinical Efficacy, Safety and Tolerability of Collagenase Clostridium Histolyticum for the Treatment of Peyronie Disease in 2 Large Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo Controlled Phase 3 Studies" has the most citations and citation index. Most of the T100 articles were published in 2020, primarily in the Journal of Urology. These articles mainly focused on treatment, especially surgeries. All of these articles were in English, and the vast majority of them were by authors from the US who were most frequently collaborated with by other authors., Conclusion: This research analyzed the top 100 PD studies. This research focused on pathophysiology, innovative surgical procedures, and new approaches of PD. It also recommended bigger databases and more financing for research., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2024 Şahin, Doğan, Akgül, Yazıcı, Şeramet and Dayısoylu.)

The aim of the study is to evaluate and compare the quality and readability of responses generated by five different artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots-ChatGPT, Bard, Bing, Ernie, and Copilot-to the top searched queries of erectile dysfunction (ED). Google Trends was used to identify ED-related relevant phrases. Each AI chatbot received a specific sequence of 25 frequently searched terms as input. Responses were evaluated using DISCERN, Ensuring Quality Information for Patients (EQIP), and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Reading Ease (FKRE) metrics. The top three most frequently searched phrases were "erectile dysfunction cause", "how to erectile dysfunction," and "erectile dysfunction treatment." Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Ghana exhibited the highest level of interest in ED. None of the AI chatbots achieved the necessary degree of readability. However, Bard exhibited significantly higher FKRE and FKGL ratings (p = 0.001), and Copilot achieved better EQIP and DISCERN ratings than the other chatbots (p = 0.001). Bard exhibited the simplest linguistic framework and posed the least challenge in terms of readability and comprehension, and Copilot's text quality on ED was superior to the other chatbots. As new chatbots are introduced, their understandability and text quality increase, providing better guidance to patients., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: The aim of this study was (1) to explore effect of ureteral access sheath (UAS) use on primary retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) outcomes, short-term kidney functions, radiation exposure, and ureteroscope lifetime (URS-LT) and (2) to reveal factors that predict UAS insertion failure. Materials and Methods: Patients ( n  = 1318) who underwent RIRS without UAS (Group 1), those who had operation with a <11-13 Fr (Group 2), and those with a ≥11-13 Fr UAS were matched (1:1:2) and compared. Stone-free rate (SFR), intra- and postoperative complications, acute kidney injury (AKI), fluoroscopy time, URS-LT, and UAS insertion failure were the outcomes. Results: SFR, which was highest in Group 3 (75%, 71% and 87.3%, respectively; P  = .001), was significantly associated with use of ≥11-13 Fr (odds ratio [OR]: 4.2, P  < .001), but was not with use of <11-13 Fr UAS (OR: 1.3, P  = .3). Group 3 had less need for auxiliary procedure (15%, 16%, and 7.4%, respectively; P  = .03). Five percent of patients had a risk of AKI, but only 0.3% developed AKI. Although UAS use was protective against creatinine increase (OR: 0.65, P  = .02), increased risk of AKI was only associated with female gender (OR: 5.5, P  < .001). Fluroscopy times were 5, 15, and 87 sn, respectively ( P  < .001). Short URS-LT was strongly associated with high frequency of lower calix stones ( r  = -0.94, P  = .005), but URS-LT was not correlated with sheathless case rate ( r  = 0.59, P  = .22). UAS insertion success in first attempt was more likely in younger (OR: 0.99, P  = .03), hydronephrotic (OR: 3.4, P  < .001), and female cases (OR: 1.5, P  = .008). But absolute UAS insertion failure was associated with female gender (OR: 2.7, P  = .017). Conclusions: Not any UAS use but a higher caliber UAS use may improve SFR and protect against AKI after RIRS. Although UAS insertion failure is seen mostly in men, it may be more challenging in women owing to less efficacy of preoperative Double-J stent.

Purpose: Renal mobility can present challenges for surgeons during stone fragmentation. The respiratory setup of the mechanical ventilator during RIRS might affect renal mobility. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of high ventilation (HV) and standard ventilation (SV) modes on renal mobility during RIRS., Materials and Methods: Patients who underwent RIRS at a single center between November 2020 and November 2021 were retrospectively included in the study. Renal mobility was measured under fluoroscopic view in HVandSV modes during retrograde pyelography. The surgeon, who was absolutely blind about mechanical ventilation modes, was asked to assess the renal movement grade. After the ventilation mode was changed, the surgeon reassessed renal mobility. The data and the surgeon's assessment were recorded and compared to each other., Results: A total of 86 patients with a mean age of 48.6 ± 15.7 years were included in the study. There was a significant difference between the SV and HV modes in terms of renal mobility in fluoroscopic view (17.1±6.1 mm and 13.6 ± 5.2mm, respectively; p=0.007). According to the surgeon's assessments, the grade of renal mobility was found to be significantly higher in the SV group 2.8 ±1.1 compared to the HV group 2.2 ± 0.8 (p=0.001). Renal movement increased significantly under fluoroscopic vision as the renal grading of the surgeon increased(p=0.013). This data demonstrated that the surgeon's assessment of renal mobility was significantly correlated with fluoroscopic kidney movement., Conclusion: Kidney movement was decreased significantly in HV mode during RIRS according to both fluoroscopic findings and surgeon assessment. Most surgeries of mobile kidneys were performed in HV mode, due to the surgeon's preference.

Introduction: COVID-19 is a disease that may cause anxiety, depression, and stress. Bladder pain syndrome (BPS) is a disease in which stress and psychological factors might negatively affect its course. In this study, we aimed to examine the possible clinical aggregation of the pandemic period on BPS patients., Materials and Methods: A total of 35 BPS patients diagnosed between 2010 and 2018 were included. All patients were using medical treatment, and the follow-up period was at least 6 months. According to our clinical follow-up protocol, the BPS patients were given the King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Overactive Bladder Form V8 (OAB-V8), and Visual Analog Score (VAS) in every visit. In the sixth month of the pandemic, the clinical course of the patients was questioned by telephone or video interview, and their treatment continuities were questioned. Information was received about the delays in their follow-up and the difficulties in accessing healthcare opportunities. The same questionnaires were filled out and compared with pre-pandemic scores., Results: The mean age of the patients included in the study was 50.2 ± 13.32 (min:20, max:74), 11 were males and 24 were females. The mean follow-up periods were 71.8 ± 35.6 months. All questionnaire scores showed an increase compared to the pre-pandemic period. A statistically significant increase was detected during the pandemic in all sub-units of the KHQ. The VAS and OAB-V8 scores of 16 patients who requested hospital admission were significantly higher than before the pandemic. However, there was no statistically significant difference in the increase in VAS and OAB-V8 scores of the 19 patients who refused to come to the hospital., Conclusion: BPS patients have been negatively affected by the emotional effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the fear, stress, anxiety, and depression, the symptoms of BPS patients exacerbated, and the patients could not receive the necessary support due to a lack of regular follow-ups., (© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Purpose: The present study aims to identify basaloid and luminal molecular groups and the p53-like sub-group, which is a sub-group of the luminal group, using a specific immunohistochemical panel and investigate human epithelial growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)/Neu and Fascin expression in these groups to analyze their relationship with clinicopathological features and prognosis in a cohort of cases with muscle-invasive urothelial bladder carcinoma (MIBC)., Material and Methods: An immunohistochemical panel that included GATA-3, CK20, CD44, and CK5/6 was used to identify molecular sub-groups based on expression in 44 cases of MIBC. HER2/Neu and Fascin expression in basal, luminal, and p53-like groups and the relationship with clinicopathological features and prognosis were investigated., Results: The distribution of the molecular sub-groups determined by immunohistochemistry was as follows: 23 luminal cases (52.3%), 16 basal cases (36.4%), and 5 (11.4%) p53-like cases. There was a statistically significant difference in tumor size across the groups, with the greatest size in the p53-like group (p = 0.001). A statistically significant difference was observed in HER2/Neu expression between the molecular sub-groups (p = 0.017). Comparison of survival and HER2/Neu scores revealed shorter survival in patients with an HER2/Neu score of 3 + compared to those with scores of 0, 1+, and 2+ (p = 0.109). Fascin immunoreactivity was more common in the p53-like and basal groups compared to the luminal group (p = 0.036)., Conclusion: Despite the limited number of cases in the MIBC group, our results support that HER2/Neu expression in the luminal sub-group and Fascin expression in basal and p53-like groups may be used as a negative prognostic marker. Multi-center studies that include large case series are warranted in this field., Competing Interests: None

Background: Multi-drug resistant organisms, especially Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus (VRE) and Carbapenam Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPC), are serious health threat. Early detection of resistant bacteria colonization among patients in intensive care units (ICUs) not only enables effective treatment but more importantly prevents disease and limits transmission. Therefore, we aimed to to assess the frequency of VRE and KPC colonization via rectal swab sampling., Methods: The study was carried out in ICUs of a tertiary hospital. Two rectal swab samples were collected within the first 24 hours of admission and another one was taken every subsequent 15 days to test for for VRE and KPC carriage., Results: A total 316 rectal swab samples taken from 230 patients. Forty-seven patients were screened at least 2 times. 183 patients were not further screened due to discharge, exitus or transfer to other wards. Thirty-six patients (16%) were determined to be VRE (+). The most frequently isolated strain was E. faecium (80.5%) and its most common genotype was VanA (87.5%). Seven patients (3%) were identified as KPC (+). OXA-48 type crbapenamase was confirmed in all KPC isolates., Conclusion: This study shows that VRE and KPC colonization continues to be a serious threat in ICUs., (© 2021 Karaşin G et al.)

The study's aim was to document the rates of declared and hidden erectile dysfunction (ED) at urology outpatient clinic while attempting to develop a method to encourage patients to talk about ED. A total of 506 patients, all of whom underwent the same procedure by the same clinician with a standard algorithm, were prospectively evaluated. The patients who declared ED as their primary or secondary symptom were grouped as 'very early treatment seekers' (VETS) and 'early treatment seekers' (ETS) respectively. The patients who hid their ED until directly questioned and the patients whose ED was diagnosed with an IIEF-5 questionnaire were grouped as 'late treatment seekers' (LTS) and 'very late treatment seekers' (VLTS) respectively. The total number of ED was 291 (57.5%), comprised of 54 (18.6%) patients in the VETS, 48 (16.5%) in the ETS, 143 (49.1%) in the LTS and 46 (15.8%) in the VLTS groups. The rate of severe ED was significantly higher in the VETS group, whereas the rate of mild ED was significantly higher in the VLTS group (p < .001). Most of the patients would not seek help for their ED until the clinician directly or indirectly questioned them. Simple manipulations uncovered the hidden ED patients., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

We aimed to evaluate the effect of the abnormal ejaculation (AEj) on patients using silodosin in terms of drug cessation. We also analysed the possible factors that may affect the decisions of patients with AEj to proceed or change their medication. The patients (n = 118) treated with silodosin 8 mg daily were prospectively analysed. In order to evaluate the erectile function, ejaculatory function, depression and sexual satisfaction; IIEF, MSHQ-EjD, Beck's depression and Golombok-Rust questionnaires were given to patients respectively. Patients were re-evaluated at the 3rd month of their treatment. The rate of AEj was 52.5%. Nearly 42% of the patients with AEj desired to stop their medication whereas it was 7.1% at patients without AEj (p < .001). The pre-treatment International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and the decrease in IPSS score were significantly lower in patients who demand to stop their treatment (p < .05). AEj was significantly higher in patients who wanted to stop their medication (p < .001). Even if they had an AEj, patients who were happy with the clinical efficacy of silodosin did not want to change their drug. In addition to this, pre-treatment ejaculatory status was an important indicator for patients to decide drug cessation due to AEj side effect of silodosin., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Objectives: It has been shown that the dysregulation of tyrosine kinase Axl receptor and its ligand growth arrest-specific gene (Gas6) are associated with poor prognosis in various types of tumors but there is not enough study about their importance in bladder cancer (BC). We evaluated the relation of Gas6 gene expression and tyrosine- kinase Axl and Sky (Tyro 3) receptors with tumor stage and grade in patients with BC., Material and Methods: The study group consists of 55 patients whose transurethral resection of bladder (TUR-B) has been performed due to BC and the control group consists of 12 patients with normal bladder mucosa. In tissues mRNAs of Gas6, Axl, and Sky receptors were examined by quantitative (Real-Time) PCR (qPCR). Protein expression was measured by immunohistochemistry. Plasma Gas6 protein levels were compared with control group by ELISA method., Results: Patients with BC were grouped as Ta low (n=17), Ta high (n=5), T1 low (n=9), T1 high (n=8) and T2 (n=16) according to their TUR-B pathologies. The qPCR analysis showed that the expression of Gas6 gene and Axl receptor is higher in the tumor-positive group and the immune-histochemical showed that the bladder samples of the tumor-positive group stained significantly positive. When the patients are grouped according to the TUR-B pathologies, a statistical significant difference was observed among groups in the qPCR analysis ratios of Gas6 gene and Axl receptor by (p < 0.05) but no significance was found for Sky receptor (p > 0.05). When Gas6 protein levels in plasma samples were compared by ELISA method, a statistical significance was determined among groups (p = 0.001)., Conclusions: Our findings indicate that mRNAs of Gas6 and Axl receptor are closely related to tumor stage and grade in patients with BC. Further studies are needed for understanding the role of Gas6 and its receptors on the neoplastic transformation in terms of novel biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets.

Purpose: It has been shown that the Copper and Zinc contribute to the structure of the antioxidant enzymes. In addition NRF-2 and KEAP-1 complex have powerful effect on the intracellular organization of the antioxidants. We evaluated the relation of Copper, Zinc, NRF-2 and KEAP-1 complex regarding to the oxidative stress with tumor stage - grade in patients with bladder cancer., Materials and Methods: A total of 52 patients (32 bladder cancer and 20 control group) were included to the study. The demographic properties of groups were identical. Serum NRF-2, KEAP-1, Cu and Zn levels were compared by ELISA method between the groups and tissue NRF-2, KEAP-1, Cu and Zn levels were evaluated also by ELISA method at cancer patients.

Absolute distance measurement is a field of research with a large variety of applications. Laser triangulation is a well-tested and developed technique using geometric relations to calculate the absolute distance to an object. The advantages of laser triangulation include its simple and cost-effective setup with yet a high achievable accuracy and resolution in short distances. A main problem of the technology is that even small changes of the optomechanical setup, e.g., due to thermal expansion, lead to significant measurement errors. Therefore, in this work, we introduce an optical setup containing only a beam splitter and a mirror, which splits the laser into a measurement beam and a reference beam. The reference beam can then be used to compensate for different error sources, such as laser beam dithering or shifts of the measurement setup due to the thermal expansion of the components. The effectiveness of this setup is proven by extensive simulations and measurements. The compensation setup improves the deviation in static measurements by up to 75%, whereas the measurement uncertainty at a distance of 1 m can be reduced to 85 μm. Consequently, this compensation setup can improve the accuracy of classical laser triangulation devices and make them more robust against changes in environmental conditions.

Aim: Bladder pain syndrome (BPS) is a complex disease which causes cognitive, behavioral, sexual, and emotional problems. Vascular factors related to bladder blood supply may be one of the etiologic cause of BPS. This study aims to investigate the bladder blood flow and internal iliac artery resistive indices of patients with BPS., Methods: A total of 30 female patients with the diagnosis of BPS and 30 female as control group were enrolled in the study. Bilateral internal iliac arterial blood flow distal to uterine arteries were examined as the primary source of vesical arterial blood supply. Peak systolic velocities, end diastolic velocities, resistive indices, and flow volumes of internal iliac arteries were measured by color Doppler ultrasonography in a single-blind fashion., Results: The blood flows volume of the right and left internal iliac arteries during empty and full bladder were significantly lower at BPS group compared with control (P < 0.05). Although the difference was not significant, the mean resistive index of right and left internal iliac arteries were lower at the control group ( P > 0.05). Aging decreased the bladder blood volume and both BPS and control group internal iliac artery blood volume decreased by aging. The decrease was more significant at the control group, but the internal iliac artery blood volume was still lower at patients with BPS compared with the control group., Conclusion: Arterial blood flow of bladder was lower at patients with BPS compared with the control group. The decrease in the vascular supply of bladder might be one of the related factors for the BPS etiology., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)