Sperm concentration and semen volume increase after smoking cessation in infertile men.

Smoking has negative reproductive consequences. This study investigated the effect of smoking cessation on the main semen parameters. We included 90 participants who applied to our infertility clinic and smoked at least 20 cigarettes a day for at least 1 year. Of the 90 participants, 48 were in the study group and 42 were in the control group. Semen analysis was performed before and at least 3 months after quitting smoking in the study group. Semen analysis was repeated at baseline and at least 3 months later in the control group. Semen parameters such as volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, morphology, and motility were evaluated according to the World Health Organization criteria. Patient characteristics as well as the duration of the smoking period, the number of cigarettes smoked per day and the time elapsed since smoking cessation were recorded. The mean age of the participants was 34.69 ± 5.3 years, and the duration of infertility was 34.12 ± 12.1 months (n = 90). The number of cigarettes smoked per day was 30.14 ± 6.69, and the smoking time was 8.31 ± 3.53 years. The average time to quit smoking was 104.2 ± 11.51 days (n = 48). A significant increase in semen volume, sperm concentration and total sperm count was observed 3 months after smoking cessation (2.48 ± 0.79 ml vs. 2.90 ± 0.77 ml, p = 0.002; 18.45 × 106/ml ± 8.56 vs. 22.64 × 106/ml ± 11.69, p = 0.001; 45.04 ± 24.38 × 106 vs. 65.1 ± 34.9 × 106, p < 0.001, respectively). This study showed that smoking cessation had a positive effect on sperm concentration, semen volume, and total sperm count. Although smoking cessation contributed positively to sperm motility and morphology, the difference was not statistically significant.

Could the monocyte/HDL cholesterol ratio be an early marker of erectile dysfunction?

OBJECTIVE: Research evaluating the relationship between the Monocyte/HDL-C ratio (MHR) and ED is limited in number. We aimed for determining whether MHR could be an early marker of ED in our study. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eighty-nine patients diagnosed with ED during the period of April 2018-November 2018 and 100 patients that did not have any systemic diseases and erectile dysfunction were included in our study. The presence of ED was evaluated with International Erectile Function Index (IIEF-5). Peripheral blood samples were collected from the patients for complete blood count and biochemical analyses. The relationship between ED and MHR was evaluated for both groups. RESULTS: Body mass indices (BMI) of the ED group and the control group were significantly different in statistical terms. While a significant difference was observed for fasting blood glucose, total testosterone, luteinizing hormone values between the ED group and the control group, and follicle stimulant hormone values were found to be similar with each other. MHR values of two groups were found to be significantly different. DISCUSSION: MHR can be used as a marker for the determination of ED's severity and for its monitoring. We also believe that a large series of clinical and research studies are required for it to be applicable in clinical practice. Being the first prospective study in literature, we believe that our study would provide important contributions to the literature.

The predictive value of red cell distribution width on erectile dysfunction.

Red cell distribution width (RDW), one of the biomarkers used to measure vascular ageing, is known to correspond with cardiovascular diseases. As coronary artery disease and erectile dysfunction (ED) are both caused by the same shared pathophysiology, in this study, we compared the RDW values of men diagnosed with ED and those of healthy controls. Ninety-nine patients who were diagnosed with ED were included in the study. The control group consists of 100 men who presented to our outpatient clinic. Patients' fasting blood glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels were significantly higher in men diagnosed with ED. While the mean RDW value was 13.49 ± 1.52 in men with ED, it was 12.91 ± 1.13 in the control group. When RDW values were compared between the two groups, the RDW values of men with ED were found to be statistically significantly higher. Multivariate analyses showed that only the patients' body mass index, fasting blood sugar, triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (HDL-C), TG/HDL-C ratio and RDW levels' relationship with ED was statistically significant. Although some studies have shown that RDW may be related to some diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer, this appears to be the first study demonstrating a relationship between RDW and ED. RDW can be utilised as a predictor for the determination of the presence and monitoring of the severity of ED.

Turkish version of the Ureteral Stent Symptoms Questionnaire: linguistic and psychometric validation.

PURPOSE: Ureteric stents are frequently used in urology practice and can cause significant impairment in quality of life (QoL). The aim of this study was to validate the Ureteral Stent Symptoms Questionnaire (USSQ) to be used in the evaluation of stent-related symptoms and impairment in QoL in Turkish-speaking patients. METHODS: After linguistic validation of the original USSQ into Turkish language, the Turkish version of the USSQ (T-USSQ) was self-administered to all participants at week 1 and 4 after stent placement for test-retest reliability and internal consistency and at week 8 (4 weeks after stent removal) for sensitivity to change analysis. Control patients completed the form only once. Additionally male and female patients completed the validated Turkish versions of International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and Marmara Overactive Bladder (mOAB) Symptom Scores, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 68 patients with ureteral stents and 37 controls were available for the final analysis. The Cronbach's alpha value was higher than 0.7 at week 1 for all sub-domains except additional problems domain. The test-retest reliability of the T-USSQ was high for all sub-domains except the additional problems domain. Relatively high correlation coefficients were found for the visual analog scale for pain, IPSS (for males), mOAB score (for females) with the corresponding USSQ domains, suggesting good convergent validity. Also the T-USSQ could effectively differentiate between patients and controls. CONCLUSIONS: The T-USSQ is a reliable and robust instrument that can be self-administered to patients of Turkish population with ureteral stent in the clinical applications.

Safety and efficacy of retropubic or transobturator midurethral slings in a randomized cohort of Turkish women.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of retropubic (RP) or transobturator (TO) midurethral slings (MUS) in a prospective randomized cohort of Turkish women. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 54 women with urodynamic stress urinary incontinence (SUI) were randomized to undergo either RP or TO MUS between August 2006 and February 2013 in a tertiary referral center by a single surgeon. All patients had history, physical examination, urodynamic evaluation and quality of life assessments. The validated Turkish versions of the SEAPI, ICIQ-SF and OAB-V8 questionnaires were used. The Advantage® RP and the Obtryx® TO MUS Systems were used for all RP and TO procedures. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients were randomized to each group. The median follow-up was 48.5 ± 21.8 months. The median hospital stay was 24.0 ± 4.8 h and median operative time was 35.0 ± 19.9 min. The overall objective and subjective cure rates were 92.6 and 79.6%, respectively. The quality of life of all patients significantly increased after the operation compared to their preoperative status. Patients with a poorer subjective cure rate were those with mixed urinary incontinence, whose preoperative SEAPI and OAB-V8 scores were significantly higher. CONCLUSION: MUS surgery is highly effective and could safely be performed in a cohort of Turkish women with SUI in subspecialty centers by experienced surgeons. There is no significant difference between RP or TO applications in terms of safety and efficacy. Further studies with long-term follow-up data are required.