Cardiovascular physiology and erectile dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is defined as the inability to initiate or maintain an erection that is not satisfactory or sufficient for sexual activity. Erectile dysfunction affects the patient in many ways, especially the physical and psychosocial condition, and has extremely negative effects on the quality of life of the patient and his partner. There is increasing evidence that erectile dysfunction occurs in the early stages of coronary artery and peripheral vascular disease.This makes us think that ED is not only a condition that affects the quality of life but also a potential warning sign for cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, it is important to know the relationship between cardiovascular system physiology and erectile dysfunction. In this review, the relationship between cardiovascular system physiology and erectile dysfunction was evaluated in light of the literature

Evaluation of the Readability of Informed Consent Forms Used for Emergency Procedures

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to evaluate the readability levels of informed consent forms used for patient consent before emergency procedures applied in emergency service in Necmettin Erbakan University Meram Medical Faculty Emergency Service Clinic through readability formula. METHOD: Fifteen informed patient consent forms used for emergency medical applications in Necmettin Erbakan University Meram Medical Faculty Emergency Medicine Department were evaluated. Information text available on the forms was transferred into Microsoft Word program. Average word number, syllable number and words with syllable number of four and above were calculated. Ateşman and Bezirci-Yılmaz formulas defined for determining the readability level of Turkish texts and Gunning fog, Flesch kincaid formulas measuring the general readability level were used for calculating the readability level of consent forms. RESULTS: Readability levels of all consent forms were detected at average difficulty level according to Ateşman formula, very difficult according to Flesch-Kincaid formula, difficult according to Gunning fog formula and at high school level according to Bezirci-Yılmaz. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the readability level of emergency intervention consent forms used in the clinic was detected as hard and required high school or higher education level. The conclusion is that attention should be paid to this subject which is both medically and legally binding for the doctors and verbal and visual support should be provided for informing the patients in addition to consent forms

Heterosis and combining ability through line x tester analysis for yield, oil and mid or high oleic acid characters in sunflower (Helianthus annuus l.)

This research was conducted in the southern Marmara region of Turkey during 2017-2018 growing season in order to determine general combining abilities (GCA) of parental lines, specific combining abilities (SCA) of hybrids, and estimate performance and the genetical structure of hybrid population obtained from three cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) and four restorer lines with mid or high oleic acid content. The field experiments were designed in a Randomized Complete Block with three replications. According to the results, male parents AGR2 and AGR4 considered as good general combiners for developing increased seed and oil yields in sunflower hybrids, although there were not good general combiners in female parents for the same traits. CMS3 x AGR4 test hybrid, which has high oleic acid content, has been determined to be a promising hybrid variety candidate with its high seed and oil yields, high oil content and oleic acid content. However, although the SCA effects of CMS1 x AGR2 and CMS3 x AGR2 test hybrids were not significant for seed and oil yields, it was concluded that they were promising hybrids with high yield, oil content and mid oleic acid content. It was determined that both additive and non-additive gene effects were effective for yield and some important yield components in the hybrid population studied. The values of heterosis and heterobeltiosis values ranged from 10.8 to 728.9 % and -20.1 to 608.8 % for seed yield, respectively. Similarly, positively high and significant heterosis and heterobeltiosis values were obtained in the oil yield

Is there a difference between the readabilities of informed consent forms used for procedures in the emergency services of state and university hospitals in Turkey?

Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the readability levels of informed consent forms (ICFs) used for procedures in the emergency services of state and university hospitals by comparing through readability formulas. Materials and Methods: ICFs used in emergency medicine clinics in different university and state hospitals in Turkey were collected, and forms that were the same were included in the evaluation only once. A total of 32 ICFs, with 15 from university hospitals and 17 from state hospitals, were evaluated. Average word number, syllable number, and words with syllable number of four and above were calculated. Different formulas were used to determine readability levels. Results: Although the readability of ICFs used in university hospitals was found to be better than those in state hospitals, the readability levels of the ICFs for both groups were detected to have medium difficulty according to the Atesman formula, very difficult according to the Flesch-Kincaid formula, difficult according to the Gunning-Fog formula, and at high school level according to the Bezirci-Yilmaz formula. Conclusion: In conclusion, the readability rates of emergency procedure ICFs in both state hospitals and university hospitals were detected to be rather low according to the present study. The education level of our country and the local environment should be considered while preparing these ICFs

The impact of lung ultrasound on coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia suspected patients admitted to emergency departments

Objective The aim of this study was to identify the sensitivity and specificity of lung ultrasound (LUS) and show its place in diagnosing patients with known coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia, according to chest computed tomography and the COVID-19 reporting and data system (CO-RADS). Methods Nineteen patients who admitted to a single university hospital emergency department between March 5, 2020, and April 27, 2020, describing dyspnea were included in the study and underwent LUS by a single emergency specialist. The patient population was divided into 2 groups, COVID-19 positive and negative, and the sensitivity and specificity of LUS according to chest computed tomography were calculated for COVID-19 pneumonia diagnosis. In the subgroup analysis, the patient group was divided into real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction positive (n = 7) and negative (n = 12), and sensitivity and specificity were calculated according to the CO-RADS. Results According to the CO-RADS, significant differences were detected between the LUS positive and negative groups in terms of COVID-19 pneumonia presence. Only 1 patient was evaluated as CO-RADS 2 in the LUS positive group, and 2 patients were evaluated as CO-RADS 4 in the LUS negative group (P = 0.04). The sensitivity of LUS according to the CO-RADS for COVID-19 pneumonia diagnosis was measured to be 77.78% (95% confidence interval [CI], 39.9%-97.1%), specificity was 90% (95% CI, 55.5%-99.75%), positive predictive value was 87.5% (95% CI, 51.35%-97.8%), and accuracy was 84.21% (95% CI, 60.4%-96.62%; P = 0.004). Conclusions In conclusion, LUS is easily used in the diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia because it has bedside application and is fast, easy to apply, reproducible, radiation free, safe for pregnant women, and cheap

Trophic Characteristics of the Sapanca Lake (Turkey)

Systematic measurements of optical properties, concentrations of major and minor chemicals and primary production throughout 1989-1992 enabled us to identify the oligotrophic state of Sapanca lake, Marmara region, Turkey. Lake waters which have low concentrations of major anions and cations (total = 49 μM) overturn every February-March, ventilating the bottom waters and enriching the surface waters with nutrients. Surface waters cool down to 6.5 °C by late winter and then warm steadily to 26 °C by late summer, while temperatures in deep waters range between 6.5 and 10.0 °C throughout the year. When the seasonal thermocline develops, the dissolved oxygen profiles exhibit a subsurface maximum in the thermocline, while in the hypolimnion water, the content varies seasonally from 11.5-12.0 ppm (350-375 μM) in March to 0.5-1.7 ppm (16-56 μM) in late autumn. Surface nitrate concentrations vary markedly with season, from < 0.15 μM in summer to 5.7 μM in early March, whilst the bottom water concentrations range from 13.5-14.0 μM in late autumn to 5.7 μM after the winter overturn. Phosphate concentrations are always less than 0.1 μM throughout the entire water column. Subsurface chlorophyll-a maximum descends in late summer to 20-25 m depths, where the light intensity is less than 1% of the surface value. Below 10-15 m depths, corresponding to the upper thermocline, primary productivity is very low. The range was from 35 to 93 mg C/ m2 day-1 during 1989-1991, consistent with the values in other oligotrophic lakes

Post-traumatic stress disorder after terrorist attack in healthcare professionals

INTRODUCTION: On the date of 15 July 2016 a terrorist organization launched a terrorist attack using helicopters and heavy combat weapons in the city centers of Istanbul and Ankara simultaneously. Numerous civilian were hurt and many of them lost their lives during the attacks. Terrorism is a form of combat designed to cause the highest psychological influence on the masses. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most common psychological disorders after such disasters. The aim of this study is to determine the associated risk factors and PTSD rates in healthcare professionals who were on call during the 15 July 2016 terrorist attacks. METHOD: Since the hospital is in a neighbouring the street to where terror attacks occurred, all healthcare professionals ≥ 18 years of age who were on duty that night in the Dr. Ridvan Ege Training and Research Hospital and were auditory or visual witnesses of the event were included in the study as the first group while healthcare professionals who work in the same hospital but were not on duty that night were included as the control group. RESULTS: The mean post-traumatic diagnostic scale stress score of the control group was 11.87. The mean post-traumatic diagnostic scale stress score of the Group 1 was 21.91. There was a significant difference between the groups in terms of posttraumatic diagnostic scale stress score (p &lt; 0.05). While the healthcare professionals on duty on July 15, 2016 (Group 1) had moderate-severe (21.91 ± 5.11) stress disorder, the healthcare professionals who were not at the hospital on July 15, 2016 (Control Group) had moderate stress disorder (11.87 ± 6.86). CONCLUSION: Our country is at risk from the fact that such attacks may be experienced again because of its unique conditions. The results of our work support the data on the high level of exposure to PTSD when exposed to a terrorist attack. For this reason, the identification of the characteristics of pre-traumatic health individuals at risk is useful in planning the presentation of preventive and curative health services. At the same time, there is a need for longer-term work and wider samples to reveal the psychological consequences of such attacks

Can hematological and biochemical parameters fasten the diagnosis of COVID-19 in emergency departments?

INTRODUCTION: The primary aim of the study was to compare the laboratory and radiological parameters of COVID-19 positive and negative patients confirmed by Real-Time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), and Chest Computed Tomography (CCT) of patients admitting with the suspicion of COVID-19. The secondary purpose of the study was to find objective parameters to speed up the clinician for further examination, treatment or referral decision in COVID-19 suspicion.   MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 61 COVID-19 suspected patients were evaluated in the study. Swab samples were taken for RT-PCR analysis. CCT was taken for 42 patients who described dyspnea. According to CCT and RT-PCR results, the patient population was divided into 2 groups as COVID-19 positive group (n = 32); and COVID-19 negative group (n = 29). Between two groups; demographic, clinical, laboratory and radiological parameters were compared.   RESULTS: Male gender (p = 0.03), PLR value (p = 0.021) and CO-RADS scores were higher in the COVID-19 positive group. Oxygen saturation (SaO2) (p = 0.027) and PCT, WBC, Neutrophil count, Lymphocyte count values were significantly low in COVID-19 positive group (p = 0.03, p = 0.001, p = 0.017, p = 0.021, respectively). PLR showed a positive correlation with fever, CRP, neutrophil count and NLR, which are indicators of inflammation.   CONCLUSIONS: SaO2, WBC, lymphocyte count, neutrophil count and low PCT levels, and PLR elevation showed a significant difference in COVID-19 patients in our retrospective cohort study examining the Turkish population. We believe that these results will allow clinicians to make quick decisions in patient management more simply

Trophic Characteristics of the Sapanca Lake (Turkey)

Systematic measurements of optical properties, concentrations of major and minor chemicals and primary production throughout 1989-1992 enabled us to identify the oligotrophic state of Sapanca lake, Marmara region, Turkey. Lake waters which have low concentrations of major anions and cations (total = 49 μM) overturn every February-March, ventilating the bottom waters and enriching the surface waters with nutrients. Surface waters cool down to 6.5 °C by late winter and then warm steadily to 26 °C by late summer, while temperatures in deep waters range between 6.5 and 10.0 °C throughout the year. When the seasonal thermocline develops, the dissolved oxygen profiles exhibit a subsurface maximum in the thermocline, while in the hypolimnion water, the content varies seasonally from 11.5-12.0 ppm (350-375 μM) in March to 0.5-1.7 ppm (16-56 μM) in late autumn. Surface nitrate concentrations vary markedly with season, from < 0.15 μM in summer to 5.7 μM in early March, whilst the bottom water concentrations range from 13.5-14.0 μM in late autumn to 5.7 μM after the winter overturn. Phosphate concentrations are always less than 0.1 μM throughout the entire water column. Subsurface chlorophyll-a maximum descends in late summer to 20-25 m depths, where the light intensity is less than 1% of the surface value. Below 10-15 m depths, corresponding to the upper thermocline, primary productivity is very low. The range was from 35 to 93 mg C/ m2 day-1 during 1989-1991, consistent with the values in other oligotrophic lakes