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Ischemia-reperfusion injury can cause renal damage, and phosphodiesterase inhibitors are reported to regulate antioxidant activity. We investigated the prevention of renal damage using tadalafil after renal ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats. A total of 21 adult male Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into three groups of seven, including Group 1-control, Group 2-I/R, and Group 3-tadalafil + I/R group (I/R-T group) received tadalafil intraperitoneally at 30 minutes before ischemia. Inducible nitric oxide synthase, endothelial nitric oxide synthase, malondialdehyde, and total antioxidant capacity levels were evaluated, and histopathological changes and apoptosis in the groups were examined. Tadalafil decreased malondialdehyde levels in the I/R group and increased the total antioxidant capacity level. Histopathological and immunohistochemical findings revealed that tadalafil decreased renal injury scores and the ratios of injured cells, as measured through apoptotic protease activating factor 1, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase levels. We suggest that tadalafil has protective effects against I/R-related renal tissue injury. © 2015, Kaohsiung Medical University. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC. All rights reserved.

Sclerostin, which is a glycoprotein produced by osteocytes, reduces the formation of bones by inhibiting the Wnt signal pathway. Thyroid hormones are related with Wnt signal pathway and it has been reported that increased thyroid hormones in hyperthyroidism fasten epiphysis maturation in childhood, and increase the risk of bone fractures by stimulating the bone loss in adults. The aim of this study was to examine the sclerostin serum levels, the relation between sclerostin and thyroid hormones as well as the biochemical markers of the bone metabolism in patients with hyperthyroidism (including multinodular goiter and Graves' disease), whose treatments have not started yet. No difference was found in the serum sclerostin levels between the hyperthyroidism group (n = 24) and the control group (n = 24) (p = 0.452). The serum osteocalcin levels and 24- hour urinary phosphorus excretion were found to be higher in the hyperthyroid group than in the control group (p < 0.001, p = 0.009). A positive correlation was determined between the sclerostin and bone alkaline phosphatase levels (p < 0.001); a negative correlation between the osteocalcin and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) (p < 0.05); a positive correlation between the osteocalcin and thyroid hormones (FT3,FT4) (p < 0.001); and a positive correlation between the deoxypyridinoline and hydroxyproline (p < 0.001). No correlation was determined between sclerostin and TSH,FT3,FT4 (p > 0.05). Therefore, we consider that a long-term study that covers the pre-post treatment stages of hyperthyroidism, including both the destruction and construction of the skeleton would be more enlightening. Moreover, the assessment of the synthesis of sclerostin in the bone tissue and in the serum level might show differences.

gulpinar, murat tolga/0000-0001-9420-3009 WOS: 000345449000001 PubMed: 25458043 We investigated an optimal cutoff level of free/total PSA ratios (f/t PSA) in predicting prostate cancer in different age groups, focusing on the avoidance of unnecessary prostate biopsies. A total of 4955 men were enrolled into the study. Serum tPSA, fPSA, and f/t PSA ratios were determined for the study population. All males who had suspicious digital rectal examination and tPSA > 4 ng/mL underwent transrectal ultrasonography-guided prostate biopsy. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for each group were generated by plotting the sensitivity versus 1-specificity for the f/t PSA ratio. The sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), and negative likelihood ratio (NLR) were obtained using various f/t PSA ratio cutoffs for different age groups. There were 657 patients with a PSA level of 4-10 ng/mL. According to sensitivity and specificity f/t% PSA cutoff points were determined to be 10%, 15%, 15%, and 10% in 50-59 years, 60-69 years, > 70 years, and all ages categories, respectively, in patients with initial PSA level of 4-10 ng/mL. f/t PSA ratio had an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.81 (95% confidence level: 0.80-0.82) for all age groups in detecting prostate cancer. f/t PSA ratio has an AUC value of 0.669 (0.632-0.705) in detecting prostate cancer among patients with a PSA level of 4-10 ng/mL. Ten percent of f/t PSA ratio had the highest specificity with PLR and 30% f/t PSA ratio had the highest sensitivity with lower NLR in the all-age categories. The current study shows that the use of f/t PSA ratio in patients with PSA levels of 4 -10 ng/mL should enhance the specificity of PSA screening and decrease the number of unnecessary biopsies. The age-related changes warrant further investigation in a large, multicentric, and multinational population to improve the clinical use of f/t PSA cutoffs. Copyright (C) 2014, Kaohsiung Medical University. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC. All rights reserved.

Purpose To demonstrate the effect of a 4% pulverized garlic supplemented diet on the nephrotoxicity induced by gentamicin in rats. Materials and Methods Twenty four healthy male Wistar rats, weighing between 220 - 260grams, were divided into three groups. The rats were randomly assigned to either the gentamicin injection without garlic supplementation group (Group I, n = 8), gentamicin injection with garlic supplementation group (Group II, n = 8), and control group (Group III, n = 8). Urine from the rats was collected and the volume (mL), microalbumin (mg/L), creatinine (mg/dL), Na (mmol/L), K (mmol/L), Cl (mmol/L), P (mg/dL), N-acetyl glucosamine (NAG) (U/L) and pH values were measured. Then urea (mg/dL), creatinine (mg/dL), total protein (g/dL) and cystatin (mg/L) values were measured for the blood samples obtained from tail veins. Results The median NAG value for the control group (52.050 U/L) was similar to value for Group II (56.400 U/L), which received gentamicin and the garlic diet. However, the median NAG value for Group I (77.030 U/L), which received gentamicin without garlic supplementation, was determined to be statistically significantly higher (p = 0.010) than the value for the control group. In addition, the mean cystatin value for Group II (1.360 U/L) was found to be statistically significantly lower than the value for the Group I (2.240 U/L) (p = 0.015). Conclusions In this study we showed the effect of 4% pulverized garlic supplemented diet for preventing nephrotoxicity induced by gentamicin in rats by using as parameters NAG in urine samples and cystatin C in serum samples.

Resumen Justificacion y objetivo el objetivo de este estudio fue comparar la eficacia de la levobupivacaina en la induccion de la raquianestesia continua (RAC) versus dosis unica (RADU) en pacientes programados para la reseccion transuretral de prostata. Metodos cincuenta pacientes, ≥ 60 anos de edad, ASA I-II o III, fueron incluidos en el estudio. La levobupivacaina al 0,5% (12,5 mg) se administro via intratecal en el grupo RADU. En el grupo RAC, la levobupivacaina al 0,25% (2 mL) fue inicialmente administrada a traves de un cateter espinal. Para que el nivel de bloqueo sensorial alcanzase el dermatoma T10, se administro 1 mL adicional de levobupivacaina al 0,25% a traves del cateter cada 10 min. Los parametros hemodinamicos y las caracteristicas del bloqueo fueron registrados. Las muestras de sangre de los pacientes fueron extraidas en los periodos pre y postoperatorios para determinar los niveles plasmaticos de cortisona y adrenalina. Resultados la tecnica RAC proporciono una mejor estabilidad hemodinamica en comparacion con la tecnica RADU, particularmente a los 90 min despues de la administracion intratecal. El aumento del nivel de bloqueo sensorial fue rapido y el tiempo para alcanzar la anestesia quirurgica fue menor en el grupo RADU. El desarrollo del bloqueo motor fue mas rapido en el grupo RADU. En el grupo RAC, un nivel parecido de anestesia se obtuvo con una dosis mas baja de levobupivacaina que fue relacionada con la recuperacion mas rapida. Aunque ambas tecnicas hayan sido eficaces en la prevencion de la respuesta al estres quirurgico, los niveles de cortisona en el postoperatorio fueron mejor suprimidos en el grupo RADU. Conclusion la tecnica RAC con levobupivacaina al 0,25% puede ser usada como un metodo de anestesia regional en pacientes ancianos programados para la cirugia de reseccion transuretral de prostata.

Justificativa e objetivo: comparar a eficácia de levobupivacaína na indução de raquianestesia contínua (RAC) versus dose única (Radu) em pacientes programados para ressecção transuretral de próstata (RTUP). Métodos: foram incluídos no estudo 50 pacientes, ≥ 60 anos, ASA I-II ou III. Levobupivacaína a 0,5% (12,5 mg) foi administrada por via intratecal no grupo Radu. No grupo RAC, levobupivacaína a 0,25% (2 mL) foi inicialmente administrada através de cateter espinhal. Para o nível de bloqueio sensorial atingir o dermátomo T10, 1 mL adicional de levobupivacaína a 0,25% foi administrado através do cateter a cada 10 minutos. Os parâmetros hemodinâmicos e as características do bloqueio foram registrados. Amostras de sangue dos pacientes foram coletadas nos períodos pré- e pós-operatórios para determinar os níveis plasmáticos de cortisona e adrenalina. Resultados: a RAC proporcionou melhor estabilidade hemodinâmica em comparação com a Radu, particularmente aos 90 minutos após a administração intratecal. O aumento do nível de bloqueio sensorial foi rápido e o tempo para atingir a anestesia cirúrgica foi menor no grupo Radu. O desenvolvimento do bloqueio motor foi mais rápido no grupo Radu. No grupo RAC, um nível semelhante de anestesia foi obtido com o uso de uma dose mais baixa de levobupivacaína, que foi relacionada à recuperação mais rápida. Embora ambas as técnicas tenham sido eficazes na prevenção da resposta ao estresse cirúrgico, os níveis de cortisona no pós-operatório foram mais suprimidos no grupo Radu. Conclusão: a técnica RAC com levobupivacaína a 0,25% pode ser usada como um método de anestesia regional em pacientes idosos programados para RTUP. Background: The aim of the study is to compare the efficacy of levobupivacaine induced continuous spinal anesthesia (CSA) versus single dose spinal anesthesia (SDSA) in patients who are planned to undergo transurethral prostate resection. Methods: Sixty years or older, ASA I-II or III, 50 patients were included in the study. 12.5 mg 0.5% levobupivacaine were administered intrathecally in SDSA group. In CSA group, initially 2 mL of 0.25% levobupivacaine were administered through spinal catheter. In order to achieve sensory block level at T10 dermatome, additional 1 mL of 0.25% levobupivacaine were administered through the catheter in every 10 min. Hemodynamic parameters and block characteristics were recorded. Preoperative and postoperative blood samples of the patients were drawn to determine plasma cortisone and plasma epinephrine levels. Results: CSA technique provided better hemodynamic stability compared to SDSA technique particularly 90 min after intrathecal administration. The rise in sensory block level was rapid and the time to reach surgical anesthesia was shorter in SDSA group. Motor block developed faster in SDSA group. In CSA group, similar anesthesia level was achieved by using lower levobupivacaine dose and which was related to faster recovery. Although, both techniques were effective in preventing surgical stress respond, postoperative cortisone levels were suppressed more in SDSA group. Conclusion: CSA technique with 0.25% levobupivacaine can be used as a regional anesthesia method for elderly patients planned to have TUR-P operation. Justificación y objetivo: el objetivo de este estudio fue comparar la eficacia de la levobupivacaína en la inducción de la raquianestesia continua (RAC) versus dosis única (RADU) en pacientes programados para la resección transuretral de próstata. Métodos: cincuenta pacientes, ≥ 60 años de edad, ASA I-II o III, fueron incluidos en el estudio. La levobupivacaína al 0,5% (12,5 mg) se administró vía intratecal en el grupo RADU. En el grupo RAC, la levobupivacaína al 0,25% (2 mL) fue inicialmente administrada a través de un catéter espinal. Para que el nivel de bloqueo sensorial alcanzase el dermatoma T10, se administró 1 mL adicional de levobupivacaína al 0,25% a través del catéter cada 10 min. Los parámetros hemodinámicos y las características del bloqueo fueron registrados. Las muestras de sangre de los pacientes fueron extraídas en los períodos pre y postoperatorios para determinar los niveles plasmáticos de cortisona y adrenalina. Resultados: la técnica RAC proporcionó una mejor estabilidad hemodinámica en comparación con la técnica RADU, particularmente a los 90 min después de la administración intratecal. El aumento del nivel de bloqueo sensorial fue rápido y el tiempo para alcanzar la anestesia quirúrgica fue menor en el grupo RADU. El desarrollo del bloqueo motor fue más rápido en el grupo RADU. En el grupo RAC, un nivel parecido de anestesia se obtuvo con una dosis más baja de levobupivacaína que fue relacionada con la recuperación más rápida. Aunque ambas técnicas hayan sido eficaces en la prevención de la respuesta al estrés quirúrgico, los niveles de cortisona en el postoperatorio fueron mejor suprimidos en el grupo RADU.

WOS: 000305320400004, Objective: To evaluate the bone mineral density (BMD) and the biochemical markers of bone turnover in non-cirrhotic chronic hepatitis B patients. Material and Methods: We compared 18-65 years old non-cirrhotic chronic hepatitis B patients and healthy controls for BMD and biochemical markers of bone turnover. BMD was measured at the lumbar spine and the left hip using DXA. Results: There were 31 hepatitis B patients (19 males, 12 females) and 72 healthy controls (56 males, 16 females) in the study. Their mean age was 37.4 +/- 10.0 years in the study group and 38.5 +/- 7.1 years in the controls. There were no differences between the two groups for the mean BMD levels and T scores. However, left hip BMD and T scores were significantly lower in male patients with chronic hepatitis B infection when compared to males in the control group. Serum calcium, phosphate, osteocalcine, intact parathyroid hormone, deoxypyridinoline and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol levels did not differ between the groups. Conclusion: In our study, left hip BMD and T scores were found to be significantly lower in the male patients with chronic hepatitis B infection when compared to males in the control group, however a significant difference was not detected when all cases were compared with the control group. Therefore, we suppose that further studies on a larger population are needed in this issue.

In current study, visual appearance of pure calcium phosphate (CaP) urinary stones by its morphology from plain radiograph (KUB), were investigated. We reviewed patients with urinary stone disease who underwent stone surgery. Among cases with crystallographically analyzed stones; 60 patients with pure CaP renal or ureteral stones (greater than 1 cm) were selected. Two endourologists and a uroradiologist familiar with the radiographic patterns of different types of pure stones were invited separately, to evaluate pretreatment KUB. Four different radiographic patterns were identified mainly with the assistance of previous studies. Smooth edged, homogenous stones with denser opacity were included in Group 1. Stones with irregular edges and stippled border were included in Group 2. Relatively uniform stones with radial striations and moderate density were decided to form Group 3. Calculi with the least radiodensity and loosely aggregated with a lacy structure were included in Group 4. Overall, 68.9% of CaP calculi were included in Groups 1 and 2 by all participants. Best concordance between endourologists and the uroradiologist was demonstrated in the evaluation of smaller calculi (< 150 mm2). On KUB, CaP urinary calculi were mostly seen as dense relatively homogenous stones and sometimes with stippled borders. With an increase in pretreatment stone size, interobserver and interdisciplinary variabilities increased. ©2009 Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.

WOS: 000337101400004, PubMed: 24794450, Background: The aim of the study is to compare the efficacy of levobupivacaine induced continuous spinal anesthesia (CSA) versus single dose spinal anesthesia (SDSA) in patients who are planned to undergo transurethral prostate resection. Methods: Sixty years or older, ASA I-II or III, 50 patients were included in the study. 12.5 mg 0.5% levobupivacaine were administered intrathecally in SDSA group. In CSA group, initially 2 mL of 0.25% levobupivacaine were administered through spinal catheter. In order to achieve sensory block level at 110 dermatome, additional 1 mL of 0.25% levobupivacaine were administered through the catheter in every 10 min. Hemodynamic parameters and block characteristics were recorded. Preoperative and postoperative blood samples of the patients were drawn to determine plasma cortisone and plasma epinephrine levels. Results: CSA technique provided better hemodynamic stability compared to SDSA technique particularly 90 min after intrathecal administration. The rise in sensory block level was rapid and the time to reach surgical anesthesia was shorter in SDSA group. Motor block developed faster in SDSA group. In CSA group, similar anesthesia level was achieved by using lower levobupivacaine dose and which was related to faster recovery. Although, both techniques were effective in preventing surgical stress respond, postoperative cortisone levels were suppressed more in SDSA group. Conclusion: CSA technique with 0.25% levobupivacaine can be used as a regional anesthesia method for elderly patients planned to have TUR-P operation. (C) 2013 Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Aim: Several studies suggest that coal miners are under risk of severe health problems such as cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological, renal, hematological and musculoskeletal disorders. However, there are limited data on biochemical changes in underground workers. In our study we aimed to evaluate the association between serum homocysteine (Hcy), vitamin B12, cystatin C and folate levels in the blood of underground coal miners. Materials and Methods: Eighty one coal miners who work as underground or surface workers were recruited into our study. The study population was divided into two groups: the surface worker group (control group, n=33) and the underground worker group (n=48). The folate, vitamin B12, Hcy, cystatin C levels and body mass indexes (BMI) of both groups were measured and compared. Serum folate, Hcy and vitamin B12 levels were measured with a competitive chemiluminescence immunassay. Serum levels of cystatin C were determined by the latex particle-enhanced turbidimetric method using a cystatin C kit. Urea values were measured with a kinetic method on an automated analyzer. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the underground workers and surface workers in the urea, cystatin C and vitamin B12 levels. High serum Hcy levels and low folate levels were found in underground workers compared with those in surface workers. The correlation between Hcy and folate levels was also statistically significant. Similarly, there was also a significant correlation between Hcy and vitamin B12, and between Hcy and cystatin C levels. Conclusions: Elevated Hcy levels may be associated with underground working but further research is necessary to understand the relation between elevated Hcy and increased prevalence of health problems in coal miners.

In vitro literature studies have suggested that atherosclerotic oxidized low density lipoprotein (OxLDL) inhibits trophoblast invasion. The objective of this study was to determine the levels of OxLDL and to examine the relationship between antioxidative estradiol, estriol, and prooxidative progestin in normal and preeclamptic placental tissues and measure the serum activity of antioxidative paraoxonase (PON1). The study included 30 preeclamptic and 32 normal pregnant women. OxLDL was determined with ELISA, estradiol, unconjugated estriol, and progesterone that were determined with chemiluminescence method in placental tissues. Serum PON1 activity was determined with spectrophotometric method. Levels of OxLDL (P = 0.027), estriol (P < 0.001), estradiol (P = 0.008), and progesterone (P = 0.00 9) were lower in the placental tissues of preeclamptic group compared to the normal pregnant women. Serum PON1 activity was higher in preeclamptic group (P = 0.040) and preeclamptic group without intrauterine growth restriction (P = 0.008) compared to normal pregnant women. Tissue estriol of preeclamptic group without/with IUGR (P < 0.001, P = 0.002) was lower than the normal group. Results of our study suggest that the events leading to fetoplacental insufficiency lead to a reduction in the levels of estriol limit deposition of OxLDL in placental tissues. The serum PON1 activity is probably important in the inhibition of OxLDL in preeclampsia. © 2013 Şerefden Açikgöz et al.

WOS: 000321023200004, PubMed: 23731042, Background: We aimed to investigate the effects of nitrous oxide on plasma total homocysteine and vitamin B12 levels in patients with or without methyltetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHRF) gene mutation. Methods: After obtaining the ethics committee approval and written informed consents of patients, 93 patients between 18-70 years of age scheduled for surgery anticipated to last 1-4 hours were enrolled in the study. Patients with contraindications for nitrous oxide use were excluded. Preoperatively, blood samples were obtained from all patients for the determination of MTHFR gene mutation. Anesthesia induction was achieved with 3 mg.kg(-1) of propofol and 1 mu g.kg(-1) of fentanyl. Anesthesia maintenance was performed with sevoflurane and with a carrier gas composed of 40 % O-2 and 60 % N2O. Venous blood samples were obtained after venous canulation, and 24 hours after extubation for the analysis of plasma total homocysteine, vitamin B12 levels. Results: Eighty-one patients were included in the study. Postoperative vitamin B12 levels were found to be significantly lower when compared with their preoperative levels (p0.05). Postoperative plasma total homocysteine levels were found to be significantly different between patients with operation times under and over 3 hours (p=0.028). Conclusions: We conclude that MTHRF gene polymorphism had no significant effects on postoperative plasma total homocysteine levels. However, we found that homocysteine levels might rise in patients who received general anesthesia with nitrous oxide for longer than 3 hours (Tab. 7, Ref. 26). Full Text in PDF www.elis.sk., Karaelmas University Scientific Research Projects UnitBulent Ecevit University, This work was supported by Karaelmas University Scientific Research Projects Unit.

WOS: 000296765600010, Sepsis is the inflammatory response against infection. The existence of DIC during sepsis indicates a poor prognosis and coagulation abnormalities and thrombocytopenia may exist. The aim of this study was to investigate platelet and erythrocyte indices in sepsis patients with DIC and without DIC. In both groups coagulation tests, platelet count and indices, erythrocyte count and indices were retrospectively analysed. In the sepsis plus DIC patients the prothrombin time and D-dimer values were found significantly higher and fibrinogen, platelet and plateletcrit were found significantly lower than in the sepsis without DIC group. The ana lysis of mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width, erythrocyte count and indices revealed no significant differences between the two groups. These results showed us that the depression of bone marrow in septic patients with DIC and without DIC did not differ. The activation of the coagulation system might probably be the cause of thrombocyte depletion in DIC.

WOS: 000298781000014, PubMed: 22187678, Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), a member of kallikrein family, is a specific serine protease of prostatic tissue. In some case reports, changes in PSA levels after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have been reported. In this study we evaluated variations in PSA levels post-AMI. Twenty-six male patients who had PSA levels within reference limits were included in the study. The diagnosis of AMI was confirmed by clinical findings, ECG (electrocardiogram) and cardiac marker studies. Serum total PSA (tPSA) and free PSA (fPSA) levels were measured at days 0 (day of admission), 1, 2 and 3 after AMI. PSA/albumin ratio was also calculated in order to evaluate the effect of dilution. A statistical analysis of the results of all patients revealed significant decrease in tPSA levels and tPSA/Albumin ratio at day 2 when compared to days 0 and 3, which showed a similar pattern. Changes of fPSA and fPSA/Albumin ratio according to days were not found significant. In only four patients we found increased levels of tPSA and increased fPSA levels in three of them. These patients displayed severe problems such as renal failure, cardiac failure, ventricular aneurysm and cerebral ischemia due to cardiac arrest. The lower tPSA levels on day 2 suggest that tPSA can be eliminated rapidly from the circulation on days 1 and 2, probably through the formation of complexes of tPSA with acute phase proteins.

Macroprolactinemia is often a cause of misdiagnosis, unnecessary expensive investigation, and unsuitable treatment. The aim of the present study was to investigate the clinical findings and the concentrations of macroprolactin in patients with hyperprolactinemia in our region. Eighty-four female hyperprolactinemic patients were screened for macroprolactinemia. Prolactin was measured by chemiluminesans method on an Immulite 2000 analyzer (Siemens Health Diagnostics, Deerfield, IL, USA). Recoveries less than or equal to 40% after polyethylene glycol precipitation were indicative of macroprolactinemia. Clinical features and biochemical values were compared in true hyperprolactinemic and macroprolactinemic patients. Macroprolactinemia was detected in 31 patients (36.9%), with 84 hyperprolactinemic female patients. There was no difference in frequency of galactorrhea and oligomenorrhea/ amenorrhea between the two groups. When we evaluated the clinical features of patients according to prolactin levels, no significant difference was found between the groups. In conclusion, our initial data show that no clinical features could reliably differentiate macroprolactinemic from true hyperprolactinemic patients, but at least one of these symptoms was present in most macroprolactinemic patients. © 2011 Published by Elsevier Inc.

Homocysteine, a sulfur-containing amino acid, is an intermediate during the conversion of methionine to cysteine. Homocysteine can cause vascular injury and atherosclerotic plaque instability. In addition, homocysteine may be directly correlated with hyperlipidemia and lipoprotein(a) and inversely with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. However, the results regarding the association of homocysteine level with subtypes of stroke and traditional risk factors for stroke have been inconsistent, perhaps due to ethnic differences. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of serum homocysteine levels in Turkish patients diagnosed with atherosclerotic stroke and those with cardioembolic stroke. We measured homocysteine levels, traditional risk factors for stroke (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and smoking) and lipoprotein(a) levels in 103 patients with large-vessel atherosclerotic stroke, 37 patients with cardioembolic stroke, and 37 controls with normal cranial magnetic resonance imaging. Only hypertension was found to be a risk factor in all patient groups (p = 0.001). Hyperhomocysteinemia (homocysteine level ? 15.90 µmol/L) was more common in patients with large-vessel atherosclerotic stroke and cardioembolic stroke (p = 0.0435 and p = 0.007, respectively); nevertheless, it was found to be a risk factor only in patients with cardioembolic stroke (p = 0.023; odds ratio (OR): 5.745). Furthermore, in the patients with large-vessel atherosclerotic stroke, hyperhomocysteinemia was positively correlated with the lipoprotein(a) level (r = 0.227, p = 0.035). In conclusion, hyperhomocysteinemia is common in patients with large-vessel atherosclerotic stroke and cardioembolic stroke. More importantly, hyperhomocysteinemia is an independent risk factor only for cardioembolic stroke in the Turkish population. © 2009 Tohoku University Medical Press.

We investigated the effect of intraperitoneal vardenafil (1 mg/kg) administration during an ischemic period in a rat model of testicular torsion/detorsion (T/D). Twenty-one adult Wistar rats were equally randomized into a control group, a T/D group and a vardenafil group. The control group was designed to collect basal values for biochemical and histopathological parameters. The T/D group underwent testicular torsion for 1 hour. The vardenafil group received vardenafil (1mg/kg) intraperitoneally at 30 minutes after torsion. All rats were sacrificed 4 hours after reperfusion to evaluate the tissue levels of malondialdehyde and total antioxidant status. Germ cell apoptosis was evaluated using the apoptosis protease activating factor 1 antibody in all groups. The expressions of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and inducible NOS were also assessed in both testes of all rats. The malondialdehyde levels in the T/D group were significantly higher than in the control and vardenafil groups. There were also significant decreases in total antioxidant status in the T/D group compared with the control and vardenafil groups. Vardenafil treatment significantly reduced apoptosis protease activating factor 1, endothelial NOS and inducible NOS levels in the vardenafil group compared with the T/D group. Administration of 1 mg/kg vardenafil during testicular torsion decreased ischemia/reperfusion cellular damage. Our results indicate that the reduction in oxidative stress by vardenafil may play a major role in its cytoprotective effects. © 2009 Elsevier.

Background and purpose: Stroke is a heterogeneous multifactorial disease. Hence, a large number of candidate genes are involved in stroke pathophysiology, such as blood pressure regulation and atherosclerosis. Although angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion (ACE I/D) polymorphism is considered to have a role in hypertension, coronary artery disease, and myocardial infarction, its relationship with cerebrovascular disease and hypertension in stroke in different ethnic populations is still inconsistent. Methods: ACE I/D polymorphism, detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), was studied in 97 patients with large-vessel and 60 patients with small-vessel atherosclerotic stroke (44 asymptomatic, 16 symptomatic lacunes) and 85 healthy subjects with normal brain imaging. The demographic data, lipid profile and risk factors of patients and controls were obtained retrospectively. Results: ACE genotypes were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in both patients and controls. Prevalences of DD, ID and II genotype were 41%, 40%, and 19%, respectively, in the stroke group. Differences in ACE I/D polymorphism distribution were statistically insignificant between the groups. This lack of association between stroke and ACE I/D polymorphism did not change in the presence of traditional risk factors (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking, and dyslipidemia). Although hypertension was significantly more common in the patient groups, ACE I/D polymorphism showed no effect on hypertension risk. This lack of association also did not change according to groups or in the presence of diabetes mellitus, male gender or smoking. Conclusion: ACE I/D polymorphism did not predict the risk of stroke or hypertension in our population living in the western Black Sea region of Turkey. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved., 106S235-SBAG-HD-158, Most of the controls were taken from another study sponsored by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (STRCT) (no. 106S235-SBAG-HD-158). Hence, we wish to thank STRCT.