ABSTRACT
Background: There is a large gap between the number of patients on organ waiting lists and the number of available organs for donation. This study investigated the socioeconomic factors in Iran that influenced decisions for organ donation among the families of brain-dead donors. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was performed among the families of 333 organ donors in Iran. Two trained researchers interviewed family members about the donor's age, sex, cause of brain death, education level, marital status, number of children, history of addiction, the financial status of the donor's family, and reasons for which they considered refusing organ donation. Results: The mean age of the donors was 37.23±16.59 years. During 2017-2019, significant differences were found according to income (P<0.001), marital status (P<0.001), sex (P=0.04), and occupation (P=0.04). More than half of the organ donors were of low socioeconomic status, and nearly half were the sole income earners of large families. Trauma was the most common cause of death (44.6%). The most common reasons for which the families considered refusing organ donation were unfamiliarity with the concept of brain death, denial, and the expectation of a miracle. Conclusions: The donor's socioeconomic status and availability of social services, such as insurance coverage, psychological services, and mourning therapy courses, play an important role in organ donation. Adequate support for the deceased's family after organ donation is imperative.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if addition of L-carnitine therapy to standard varicocelectomy adds any extra benefit in terms of improvement in semen parameters or deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred patients enrolled in this study and were randomly divided into 2 groups (50 patients in each group). In group 1, standard inguinal varicocelectomy and, in group 2, standard inguinal varicocelectomy plus oral antioxidant therapy (oral L-carnitine, 250 mg 3 times a day) were performed for 6 months. For all patients, routine semen analysis and DNA damage test of spermatozoa (by 2 methods of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling and protamine damage assay) were performed at baseline and at 3 and 6 months postoperatively. RESULTS: In both groups, the improvement in semen analysis parameters and DNA damage was observed, but there was not any statistically significant difference between the 2 groups in these parameters, although the slope of improvement in DNA damage was slightly better in group 2 (that was not statistically significant). CONCLUSION: We observed that addition of 750 mg of L-carnitine orally daily to standard inguinal varicocelectomy does not add any extra benefit in terms of improvement in semen analysis parameters or DNA damage.
