Dogan Unal

Nigella sativa protects against ischaemia/reperfusion injury in rat kidneys

BACKGROUND Renal ischaemia followed by reperfusion leads to acute renal failure in both native kidneys and renal allografts, which is a complex pathophysiologic process involving hypoxia and free radical (FR) damage. The oil of Nigella sativa (NSO) has been subjected to considerable pharmacological investigations that have revealed its antioxidant activity in different conditions. But there is no previously reported study about its effect on ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury of kidneys. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible effects of NSO in I/R-induced renal injury in rats. METHODS Thirty healthy male Wistar albino rats were randomly assigned to one of the following groups: control, sham, I/R, NSO+I/R, I/R+NSO and NSO. I/R, NSO+I/R and I/R+NSO rats were subjected to bilateral renal ischaemia followed by reperfusion and then all the rats were killed and kidney function tests, serum and tissue oxidants and antioxidants were determined and histopathological examinations were performed. RESULTS Pre- and post-treatment with NSO produced reduction in serum levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine caused by I/R and significantly improved serum enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathion peroxidase (GSH-Px) and also tissue enzymatic activities of catalase (CAT), SOD and GSH-Px. NSO treatment resulted in lower total oxidant status (TOS) and higher total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels and also significant reduction in serum and tissue malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) and protein carbonyl content (PCC) that were increased by renal I/R injury. The kidneys of untreated ischaemic rats had a higher histopathological score, while treatment with NSO nearly preserved the normal morphology of the kidney. CONCLUSIONS In view of previous observations and our data, with the potent FR scavenger and antioxidant properties, NSO seems to be a highly promising agent for protecting tissues from oxidative damage and preventing organ damage due to renal I/R.

An insidious risk factor for cardiovascular disease: Benign prostatic hyperplasia

Patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTSs) have a considerably higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than the general population in old age. Many hypotheses have been created to explain traditional clinical risk factors of CVD, including age, male gender, cigarette smoking, inheritance, high blood pressure (BP), obesity, elevated fasting plasma glucose, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, decreased physical activity and metabolic syndrome; or nontraditional risk factors such as oxidative stress, inflammation, vascular calcification, malnutrition, homocysteine and genetic variation. Although these risk factors are important in CVD pathophysiology and clinical presentation, there is still no single theory sufficient to provide an adequate explanation for all the properties of CVD. We speculate that by causing nocturia-induced sleep disturbances, BP variability, increased sympathetic activity, non-dipping BP variations; BPH may be an insidious risk factor for CVD. Benign prostate hyperplasia may be related to increased BP, coronary ischemic hearth disease or other cardiovascular pathologic conditions. This attention on BPH may produce a new approach to the diagnosis and treatment of CVD. Although the underlying mechanisms are still exactly unclear, further prospective randomized controlled studies are needed to identify if patients with BPH/LUTS is higher risk for CVD.

Oral β-Glucan Protects Kidney against Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Rats

Background: Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is one of the leading causes of acute renal failure. β-(1→3)-Glucans are glucose polymers with a variety of stimulatory effects on the immune system. We designed this study to determine the possible protective effect of the orally administered soluble β-glucan against I/R injury. Methods: 30 rats were randomly divided into 5 experimental groups (control, sham operated, β-glucan, I/R and I/R+β-glucan groups, n = 6 each). β-Glucan was administered orally to 6 rats of the β-glucan and I/R+β-glucan groups. The rats were subjected to bilateral renal ischemia followed by reperfusion in the I/R and I/R+β-glucan groups. All of the rats were then sacrificed and kidney function tests, serum and tissue oxidants and antioxidants were evaluated. Results: The serum urea and cystatin C levels were significantly higher in the I/R group compared to the I/R+β-glucan group (p < 0.01). The serum and tissue antioxidant markers (SOD, GSH-Px) were significantly lower in the I/R group than the I/R+β-glucan group (p < 0.01). The serum oxidant markers (NO and PC) were significantly higher in the I/R group than the I/R+β-glucan group (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Based on the present data, we conclude that increased antioxidants and decreased oxidants modulated by β-glucan attenuated the renal I/R injury.

The Evaluation of Clitoral Blood Flow and Sexual Function in Elite Female Athletes

INTRODUCTION Clitoral blood flow measurements using clitoral color Doppler ultrasound have been performed with increasing frequency either in order to assessment of female sexual function/dysfunction. The trials to evaluate the sexual function in healthy subjects, especially in the subgroup of female elite athletes, are limited. AIM The aim of the study was to evaluate whether elite female athletes and sedentary healthy females differ in their clitoral blood flow and sexual function as an expression of their physical fitness status. METHODS Twenty-five female elite athletes (Group I) and healthy female subjects (Group II) were enrolled as volunteers in the study. All women were instructed to complete the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire. Each subject underwent high definition color Doppler ultrasonography to measure the clitoral blood flow parameters. Main Outcome Measures. The effect of physical activity on clitoral blood flow and sexual life in women. RESULTS Mean age, mean age of menarche, mean marriage age, and body mass index were similar for both groups. In Group I, the mean peak systolic velocity and end-diastolic velocity were higher than those of Group II, whereas the mean RI was similar for both groups. There were statistically significant differences for total FSFI score and all domain scores, except desire domain, between both groups. CONCLUSION In elite female athletes as compared with sedentary healthy females, better clitoral blood flow and better sexual function were demonstrated. Therefore it seems superior physical fitness correlates with better sexual function.

Helicobacter pylori seroprevalence in patients with chronic prostatitis: a pilot study.

Abstract Objective. This study investigated the possible relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). The rate of seropositivity for antibodies against H. pylori was determined in a cohort of subjects with CP/CPPS and prostatitis-free control subjects. Material and methods. Sixty-four consecutive patients with CP/CPPS and 55 randomly selected asymptomatic men were recruited to the study. Blood samples from enrolled patients and control subjects were analysed using an enzyme-linked Immulite analyser immunoglobulin G serological test for H. pylori diagnosis. Prostate volume, prostate-specific antigen level, maximum urinary flow rate, and International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) score of the subjects were also determined. The results were analysed with chi-squared and Students t test and statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS software. Results. There were no significant differences in age and social status between the CP/CPPS and control groups (p > 0.05). Total NIH-CPSI score was significantly higher in the CP/CPPS group. Seropositivity for antibody against H. pylori was higher in the CP/CPPS than the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusions. This pilot study supports the hypothesis that H. pylori may play a role in CP/CPPS. The infection may be related to the immune response and increased cytokines in seminal plasma and/or expressed prostatic secretion. However, no study has investigated the relationship between CP/CPPS and H. pylori stool antigen positivity. This study showed that H. pylori seropositivity is high in CP/CPPS patients, but this needs to be confirmed by other studies.

Protective Effects of Trimetazidine on Testicular Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Rats

Introduction: We tried to prove the effectiveness of trimetazidine (TMZ) on testicular torsion-detorsion injury. Materials and Methods: 15 male rats were equally divided into three groups: group 1 was the sham-operated control group; group 2 had 2 h of unilateral testicular ischemia followed by 3 days of reperfusion, and group 3 had 2 h of unilateral testicular ischemia followed by 3 days of oral TMZ treatment (5 mg/kg, bid) during reperfusion. In the removed testicles, tissue reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and pathological modified Johnson scores (MJS) were evaluated. Mann-Whitney U test was used for statistical evaluations. Results: In group 2, on the ipsilateral side, GSH were significantly lower and MDA were higher than in groups 1 and 3, though GSH and MDA were not statistically different between groups 1 and 3. On the other hand, GPx in the control testicles of group 3 was significantly lower compared to those in the counterparts of both groups 1 and 2. Among three groups, GR determined in both testicles were not statistically different. On the ipsilateral side, MJS in group 3 were lower than in the sham group, but significantly higher than in group 2. Conclusions: According to this study, TMZ has an antioxidant effect on testicular torsion-detorsion injury, though the protective effect of TMZ seems to decrease in control testicles. Consequently it has been considered that TMZ can be only used in torsion patients with a healthy contralateral testicle after further studies have been conducted.

Can Conventional Examinations Contribute to the Diagnostic Power of Unenhanced Helical Computed Tomography in Urolithiasis

Introduction: To investigate whether ordinary tests used in urolithiasis can increase the diagnostic value of unenhanced helical computed tomography (HCT). Materials and Methods: Of all patients admitted with acute flank pain, 137 without radiocontrast allergy, pregnancy and renal insufficiency were included in the study. After urinalysis (Ur) and ultrasonography (USG), HCT without a contrast agent was taken by 5-mm collimation, thereafter excretory urography (EU) was obtained. Confirmation of a stone was done by various tests and/or treatment methods. Statistically, the predictive values of HCT, USG, EU and Ur and their combinations were evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AROC). Results: The patients’ mean age was 38 (range 4–72) years. Sensitivity values of HCT, USG, EU and Ur were 97, 69, 71 and 81%, respectively. Their specificity values were 96, 87, 91 and 65%, respectively. The widest AROC was found for HCT (97%). The best test combination was [HCT or USG] according to the AROC value (93%), but none of the AROC values of the test combinations was higher than that of HCT. However, 95% confidence intervals of the AROC values of these tests and their combinations overlapped. Conclusions: Because the HCT combinations with other tests improved the diagnostic value of HCT, they should be preferred in some individuals suspected of having urolithiasis. However, the most feasible single test meeting the all usage purposes was HCT in terms of the AROC value, and the combination was [HCT or USG] in which either HCT or USG was positive.

A Limited Study on the Perception and Change in Attitude about Circumcision among Health Care Professionals and Their Male Family Members

Objectives: Millions of male children are circumcised throughout the world. We investigated the opinions and thoughts about the past and future aspects of circumcision by interviewing 100 male family members of the health care staff. Methods: 100 male volunteers answered a questionnaire comprising questions about their personal observations, feelings, festivities and opinions about their own circumcisions as well as their views about the circumcision phenomenon as a parent, and the legality of circumcision. Results: 81% of the volunteers in our study had been circumcised by traditional circumcisers. The rest had been circumcised by doctors (10%), barbers (7%) and sheikhs (2%). In 90% the circumcision took place at home, 7% in hospitals and in 3% in village squares. While 66% of the subjects do not remember anything, the remaining 33% reported some bad sensations like fear, pain and shame about their circumcisions, and 1 (1%) subject reported happiness. As a parent, they answered the questions on their preferences on the place and performer of the circumcision. 44% preferred to have circumcision performed in the hospital by a physician, 26% at home by a physician, and 30% at home by a circumciser. Conclusion: There are significant changes in the attitudes of people in Turkey on circumcision as a traditional culture, though its perception has remained unchanged.

The effects of thyroid hormones on uroflowmetry parameters in asymptomatic women

The morphology, ciliature, and silverline system of a new ciliate, Frontonia anatolica n. sp., isolated from the bottom sediment of the eastern shore of Lake Van, a large alkaline lake in Eastern Anatolia Turkey, were investigated using live and silver impregnation methods. Frontonia anatolica n. sp. is characterised by an elliptical body shape; by an in-vivo body size of 101-134 x 47-67 mm; by dorsoventral flattening of about 2:3 to 1:2; by 2 contractile vacuoles located in the anterior and posterior body parts, each with 6-7 collecting canals and 1 excretory pore; by about 93 somatic kineties; by 3 vestibular and 3-5 postoral kineties; and by peniculi 1 and 2 each having 4 ciliary rows, and peniculus 3 having 2 ciliary rows.

A Magnificent Circumcision Carnival in the Early 18th Century Ottoman Period

Circumcision has always been regarded as both an important social event and a milestone of a young man’s life in Turkish culture, especially in the Ottoman period. Herein we study an exceptional circumcision festivity which lasted 15 days in the early autumn of the year 1720, for the 4 princes of Sultan III Ahmed, some sons of two high-ranking Ottoman officials and thousands of male children of poor citizens of Istanbul as representing the beneficent of the Sultan. All the organizations of the Empire participated in this huge event, including many shows and a feast, and the preparations were initiated months before. Traditionally, this kind of important social event of Ottoman culture had been described in a literary manner, and Surname-i Vehbi was the special name for the book of this circumcision festivity with 137 colored paintings and a total of 175 pages. The original of this work, which is in the library of Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul, was written by Vehbi and illustrated by Levni. The importance of this antique book is that it is the last important example of the illustrated festivity books of Ottoman literature.