Purpose: To investigate the effects of vardenafil HCl on testicular germ cell apoptosis and the expressions of iNOS and eNOS within the bilateral testes after unilateral torsion/detorsion (T/D) in a pig model. Methods: 12 male pigs weighing 50–55 kg were divided randomly into three groups (n = 4). Sham operation and T/D was performed in groups 1 and 2, respectively. Group 3 underwent T/D and received vardenafil (0.4 mg/kg) orally 45 min before detorsion. The testes were left in torsion for 2 h. In all groups, both testes were removed 8 h after the operation for histopathological analysis. Results: Except for group 1, the histopathologic parameters of the ipsilateral testes were higher than in the contralateral testes, and this difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Testicular ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) (group 2) resulted in marked increases in germ cell apoptosis, iNOS and eNOS in the ischemic testes compared to the sham-operated group. The pigs treated with vardenafil (group 3) also showed significantly increased apoptotic cells, iNOS and eNOS levels compared to the sham-operated group. Conclusions: The results suggest that vardenafil HCl worsened histopathological changes related to oxidative stress in testicular injury and had no protective effect on testicular I/R injury in pigs.

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The applied short-term laparoscopic course is an effective format particularly for laparoscopic skills in which suturing and knot tying are essential.

Laparoscopic urologic operating techniques are in widespread use throughout the world and because of various advantages, over the years they have virtually become a gold standard surgical intervention method. As laparoscopy is a painstaking technique to learn, the training consists of different stages. Within these stages of training, wet laboratory training where animals are used, is the most sensitive stage. The widespread use of experimental animals in medical research necessitated standardization and the establishment of certain regulations. This standardization and organization of laws and regulations started to be discussed in Europe approximately a century ago and have been established on a certain foundation. In this rewiev article, we discuss some important points and ethic rules about laparoscopic urologic training practiced on live animals.