Objective: Previous study conducted by the Turkish Society of Andrology in 1999 reported the prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED) as 69.2% in men of ≥40 years of age, using a single-item non-validated question. This rate seemed to be higher compared to the studies reported worldwide. So, there was a need to carry out another epidemiological study by using validated questionnaires. Our aim was to investigate ED prevalence, severity, and its correlates in men aged ≥40 years using validated tools. Material and methods:This cross-sectional, observational, population-based field survey was carried out in randomly selected males of ≥40 years from 19 provinces of Turkey. All participant completed a survey included with socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics, medical and sexual history, associated physical and medical comorbidities. Erectile function was assessed by the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaire based on a total score of 30. The prevalence of ED, its severity and correlates in men aged ≥40 years were determined for main outcome measures. Data sets were statistically compared and p<0.05 was considered as significant. Results:Median age of 2.760 males was 54.2 years. The mean prevalence of ED was calculated as 33% among all males of ≥40 years of age. When subjects were stratified by age; mean ED prevalence rates were 17% for 40-49 years, 35.5% for 50-59 years, 68.8% for 60-69 years, and 82.9% for ≥70 years. Among all ED men, 76.9% reported mild, 16.3% moderate, and 5.7% severe ED. At logistic regression analyses; age, diabetes, hypertension, atherosclerosis, dyslipidemia, lower urinary tract symptoms, educational status and monthly income were found to be independent risk factors for having ED. Conclusion:This population-based survey in Turkish men of ≥40 years of age reported the prevalence of ED as 33%. Besides, this study reported age as the main predictor for presence and severity of ED.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common condition which reduces quality of life of both patients and their partners, and is a significant health care expense every year. Although phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors are the current first-line treatment for men with ED, they are limited by their on-demand dosing, intolerance, and variable efficacy in complex patient populations such as men with multiple medical comorbidities or ED after pelvic surgery. Regenerative medicine has been introduced and investigated in andrology as an encouraging strategy to restore diseased erectile tissue structure and function. Novel regenerative therapies for ED are controversial but are perceived to offer a durable and safe tissue restorative approach to act as a long-term solution to this cumbersome disease process. Here, we review platelet-rich plasma, amniotic fluid membranes, low-intensity extracorporeal shockwave therapy, and stem cell therapy as regenerative strategies to treat ED. Most of these approaches have preclinical and occasionally clinical data to support their ongoing investigation; however, none of these treatments are currently supported for use in ED patients outside of clinical trials.

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Introduction: The prognostic significance of PTEN protein loss in bladder cancer is not well established. The objective of this study was to investigate the PTEN expression profile in superficial noninvasive papillary transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) versus invasive TCC and compared the results with pathological and clinical parameters. Materials and Methods: Bladder tumor samples were obtained from 29 patients who underwent surgery for superficial (n = 11) and invasive (n = 18) bladder cancers at the Akdeniz University Hospital. The patient profile including sex, age, histological grade and the stage, presence of carcinoma in situ, cystoscopy findings (tumor size, location, multiplicity) were obtained by examining the patients’ medical records. No patient received anticancer agents prior to the operation. Western blotting was performed using bladder carcinoma samples in order to determine the level of PTEN protein expression for each patient. Results: Only 4 (13.7%) patients with bladder carcinoma manifested a decrease in the level of PTEN expression. Regarding the correlation between tumor stage and the PTEN expression, with the exception of patient 23 all patients who displayed a reduction in PTEN expression had muscle-invasive TCC. Conclusion: Future studies with a clinical follow-up will be needed to determine if those superficial tumors with decreased PTEN expression are going to progress to a later stage. Based on our results PTEN by itself does not seem to be a good candidate as an independent marker to predict the behavior of bladder cancers.

The aim of this study was to analyze the semen variables and hormone profiles in kidney transplanted male adolescents. Eight post-pubertal male patients who underwent successful renal tx during the peripubertal period and who had ESRD during childhood were enrolled in the study. Patients who underwent tx before 14 yr old (group I) and patients who underwent tx after 14 yr old (group II) were evaluated separately. Semen was collected and analyzed. Serum levels of LH, FSH, and testosterone were measured and found to be normal in all patients except one. The mean age at the diagnosis of CKD was six yr and 13 yr in groups I and II, respectively. The mean age at the time of tx was 12 yr in the first and 17.8 yr in the second group. The patients in group I had received prednisone, cyclosporine A and azathioprine with a longer duration of time compared with patients in group II. Sperm counts (15.5 +/- 15.7 vs. 82.3 +/- 64.2 millions/mL) and sperm motilities (37.8 +/- 30.9 vs. 57.8 +/- 22.1%) were lower in group I than group II. Only one patient in group II had normal sperm parameters and azospermia was observed in one patient from group I. We conclude that the earlier onset and the longer duration of uremia, the more impairment of reproductive function. Also, it seems that duration of exposure to corticosteroids or cyclosporine combined with azathioprine contribute to sperm dysfunction in peripubertal transplanted boys.