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Treatment of blood with 100 mg sildenafil citrate has protective effects on oxidative stress by inhibiting free radical formation and by supporting antioxidant redox systems.

There have been several studies about the presence of leptin in serum and testicular tissue, and none of them compares the leptin expression in the testicular tissue of fertile and infertile men. We assessed the presence of leptin expression in the testicular tissue of fertile and infertile men. 20 azoospermic infertile men were included in the study. All patients underwent testicular sperm extraction (TESE) for ICSI. For the detection of leptin, the immunohistochemistry was carried out. Intensity of immunohistochemical staining was subjectively estimated and expressed as negative (-), weak positive (+), intermediate positive (++) and strong positive (+++). Testicular tissues of 5 fertile patients, aged 50-60 years, was stained with leptin for control group. Mann-Whitney U test was used as the statistical method. There was no statistically significant difference in leptin staining between infertile patients and control group (p < 0.05). Leptin staining in tubuli seminiferi and Leydig cells were generally equal or Leydig cells were stained (+) much. This difference was not statistically significant. We found that there is leptin staining in Leydig cells and tubuli seminiferi. There is no difference in normal and infertile men for leptin staining properties in testicular tissue. This condition suggests that the effect of leptin on reproductive functions originates from a systemic effect related to central neuroendocrine system, androgen levels or spermatogenic existence rather than its direct effect on testicular tissue.

Introduction: We studied the various stone, renal, and therapy factors that could affect steinstrasse formation after shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) to define their predictive value. Patients and Methods: Between May 1999 and September 2002, 563 patients were treated with a Stonelight V3 lithotriptor. A steinstrasse was recorded in 46 patients. All patient data, stone and renal characteristics, and data of SWL were reviewed. Statistical analyses of patients, stones, and therapy characteristics in correlation with the incidence of steinstrasse formation were performed to assign factors that had a significant impact on the formation of this complication. Results: The overall incidence of a steinstrasse was 8.17%. The steinstrasse was in the pelvic ureter in 84.3% of the cases, in the iliac ureter in 7.84% of them, and in pelvic and iliac ureter in 7.84% of the patients. The incidence of a steinstrasse significantly correlated with stone size and site. The incidence rates of a steinstrasse in renal stones <1 cm, 1–2 cm, and >2 cm were 4.46, 15.87, and 24.3% respectively. The incidence rates of this complication in ureteral stones <1 cm and 1–2 cm were 3.37 and 9.52%, respectively. The incidence rates of a steinstrasse in stones located in upper calices, middle calices, lower calices, and renal pelvis were 6.12, 10.52, 6.36, and 19.32%, respectively. Conclusions: Stone size and site are the significant factors predicting the formation of a steinstrasse. If a patient has a high probability of steinstrasse formation, close follow-up with early intervention or prophylactic pre-SWL ureteral stenting is indicated.