Increased nitric oxide production in patients with Behçet's disease: is it a new activity marker?

Background: The origin of Behçet's disease (BD) is unclear. One of the prominent features of BD is vasculitis and thrombosis as a result of endothelial dysfunction. Because nitric oxide (NO) is synthesized by endothelium, we considered it as an interesting target of investigation in BD.

Auditory event-related potentials in patients with premature ejaculation.

Objectives: To investigate in a descriptive manner the P300 component of the event-related potential (ERP), which is related to aspects of cognitive processing, in patients with premature ejaculation (PE) to determine whether there is a cognitive alteration in this condition. Recent studies with short latency evoked potentials such as cortical somatosensory evoked potentials have indicated that afferent sensory inputs from the genital area to the nervous system are increased in PE. However, the cortical neural process of ejaculation has remained poorly understood.

Increased plasma adrenomedullin levels in patients with Behçet's disease.

Background: Behçet's disease (BD) is a chronic systemic inflammatory disorder affecting multiple organs with a generalized vasculitis of arteries and veins. Endothelial dysfunction is one of the prominent features of BD. Adrenomedullin (AM) is a peptide produced not only in normal adrenal medulla but also in the vascular smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells, and its role in the course of BD has not been previously described.

The role of adrenomedullin in varicocele and impotence.

Objective: To assess the levels of adrenomedullin (a vasodilatory peptide) in penile blood before and after injection with papaverine in impotent men, and in the internal spermatic vein in infertile patients with varicocele, comparing the results with levels in the brachial vein in the same patients.

Patients And Methods: Intracavernosal levels of adrenomedullin were determined in 14 impotent men (with no vascular pathology, as assessed by colour Doppler ultrasonography) before and after papaverine-induced penile erection. The effect of needle puncture alone was assessed in eight control patients.

Melatonin administration prevents the nephrotoxicity induced by gentamicin.

Objective: To investigate the effect of melatonin on the antioxidant enzyme activity and renal tubular necrosis induced by gentamicin.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-four adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three equal groups. In group 1, the rats were injected with vehicle (controls), in group 2 they were injected with gentamicin for 5 days and in group 3 injected with gentamicin plus melatonin for 5 days.

Increased nitric oxide production in the spermatic vein of patients with varicocele.

Objective: To define the level of nitric oxide (NO) in the spermatic vein of patients with varicocele and its relation with male infertility.

Materials And Methods: Following physical and color Doppler ultrasonographic examination, whole blood samples were drawn from a peripheral vein and a dilated varicocele vein from fourteen patients with clinically palpable varicocele (G2-3) before ligation. NO levels in the serum were determined as total nitrite by Greiss reaction and results were compared with Mann-Whitney U test.

Scrotal arteriovenous malformation and its preoperative embolization.

Arteriovenous malformations of the scrotum are extremely rare. A case of scrotal arteriovenous malformation and its preoperative embolization in a child is presented.

Primary stenting for complex atherosclerotic plaques in aortic and iliac stenoses.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of primary stenting for complex atherosclerotic plaques in aortic and iliac stenoses that are not amenable to balloon angioplasty alone.

Methods: Nineteen patients with complex atherosclerotic plaques were treated with a Palmaz stent (n = 19), Wallstent (n = 1), Strecker stent (n = 1), or Memotherm stent (n = 1). A total of 22 stenoses presenting with complex plaque morphology including ulcerated plaques, ulcerated plaques with focal aneurysms, plaques with heavy calcification, severely eccentric plaques, plaques with overhanging edge, and plaques with spontaneous dissection were stented.

Comparison of screening of vesicoureteral reflux with renal ultrasound and voiding cystourethrography.

Purpose: To suggest a different method for diagnosing vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) in lieu of voiding cystourethrography (VCU), in order to prevent radiation exposure.

Materials And Methods: Fifty-two ureterorenal units of 26 patients were evaluated ultrasonographically for visualizing the renal collecting systems, both before and after filling up the bladder with saline infusion. Every patient also underwent evaluation with VCU.

Treatment of premature ejaculation with sertralin.

To evaluate the efficacy of oral sertralin in the treatment of premature ejaculation, out of 22 patients with premature ejaculation 16 received oral sertralin, 50 mg a day for at least 2 weeks. Four patients were lost to follow-up. Two patients interrupted treatment due to side effects of sertralin.