Demographic characteristics and risk factors in Turkish patients with anogenital warts

Anogenital warts [AGW] are one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases worldwide. The determination of groups vulnerable to contracting anogenital warts [AGW] leads to the development of policies for disease control and of prevention programs. The aim of our study was to investigate the demographical features and risk factors of Turkish patients with AGW. This study included 200 patients with AGW and 200 healthy individuals as a control group. The age, gender, education and marital status, age of first sexual intercourse, number of sexual partners, sexual orientation, and smoking status were recorded in both groups. In this study, 88% of the patients were male, and 12% were female. The mean age of the patients was 35.21 +/- 0.77 years, and the majority of patients were below 35 years old [63%]. Furthermore, 46.0% of the patients were educated at the university level, and 33.5% had graduated high school. No significant differences were found based on sexual orientation or condoms between the patient and control groups. In the patient group, the mean age of first sexual intercourse was significantly earlier, and the number of single individuals and sexual partners were significantly higher. Also, 61% of the patients were current smokers, which was significantly higher than the control group. The duration of smoking and the duration of AGW were found to be correlated. All patients were tested for anti-HIV antibodies, and only one patient was found to be infected. AGW were more common in patients younger than 35 years old, among men, and among those who had graduated from high school or university. Early age of first sexual intercourse, a high number of sexual partners, being single, and smoking were also risk factors for the development of anogenital warts

Visual evoked potentials in neurobrucellosis

To investigate whether visual evoked potentials [VEPs] are valuable for distinguishing between brucellosis with or without neurological involvement. A total of 23 patients who were admitted to the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, and Neurology, Ministry of Health Ankara Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey between December 2004 and August 2005 with a diagnosis of brucellosis were included in this study. After a detailed neurological and ophthalmological examination, VEPs were recorded. The P100 latencies and amplitudes were compared between the group of brucellosis [n=17] and neurobrucellosis [n=6] patients. Although there was no difference in the mean P100 latencies between the groups [n=17 for brucellosis, and n=6 for neurobrucellosis] [p=0.38], the mean P100 amplitude in patients with neurobrucellosis was significantly lower [p=0.012]. It could be emphasized that VEPs might reflect an underlying axonal pathology as a distinctive feature in neurobrucellosis