Objectives: The study aimed to compare gout patients and healthy subjects in terms of erectile dysfunction, carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), and other variables and to investigate the relationship between CIMT and erectile dysfunction. Patients and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 134 male gout patients (median age: 56 years; range, 48 to 62 years) and 104 healthy males (median age: 47 years; range, 40.5 to 54.5 years) between September 2022 and June 2023. Age, comorbidities, height, weight, laboratory results, gout treatment data, insulin resistance evaluated by the homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance, presence and severity of erectile dysfunction evaluated by the six-item International Index of Erectile Function erectile function domain (IIEF-EF), and CIMT measured by ultrasound were assessed. Results: Hypertension, hyperlipidemia, greater insulin resistance, erectile dysfunction, and bilaterally increased CIMT were significantly more common in the gout group. The mean IIEF-EF score of gout patients was significantly lower than that of controls. Multivariable logistic regression revealed increased CIMT as the sole parameter independently associated with erectile dysfunction (p=0.010). When both groups were categorized into CIMT-based subsets, erectile dysfunction was present in 97.9% of patients with coexistence of gout and increased CIMT (≥0.9 mm), a significantly higher proportion compared to the other three subsets (p

This study aimed to investigate the effects of red clover isoflavones on menopausal symptoms and the lipid profile in menopausal females. This study included postmenopausal women with dyslipidemia. The red clover group (n = 39) received 40 mg isoflavone red clover capsule twice daily for 6 months, while placebo (n = 36) was 40 mg starch capsule twice daily. Data were collected at baseline, 3 months and 6 months. The Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) was applied to calculate subdimension and total scores. The two groups were similar in terms of age, MRS and lipid profile at baseline. In the red clover group, MRS scores decreased significantly at both 3 and 6 months. Similarly, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglyceride levels decreased at both 3 months and 6 months. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased significantly from baseline to 3 months and 6 months. Except for LDL-C and MRS urogenital score at 3 months, the improvements were significantly in favor of red clover isoflavone treatment. Red clover treatment for 3-6 months demonstrated significant improvements in lipid profiles and menopausal symptoms. While promising, further research is crucial to ascertain long-term safety and recommend the use of red clover isoflavones during menopause.

Objectives: Medicinal herbs have been used to treat hemorrhoidal disease for centuries. Given its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms, Capsella bursa-pastoris (Shepherd’s purse) may potentially lead to regression of the hemorrhoidal plexuses. In this context, the objective of this study is to investigate the effect of Capsella bursa-pastoris, an affordable and easy-to-use herbal medicine, on the severity and physical examination findings of hemorrhoidal disease in patients, who receive conventional treatment for hemorrhoids. Material-Method: This study was designed as a prospective, randomized study. The population of the study comprised symptomatic patients who presented with second and third-degree hemorrhoids to the Internal Medicine and General Surgery departments of Istanbul Medipol University Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey, between October 2021 and February 2022. The patients were randomized into two groups: the control group, that is, the group of patients, who were to receive conservative treatment only for three months, and the study group, that is, the group of patients who were to receive conservative treatment and use herbal tea preparations of Capsella bursa-pastoris for three months. Demographic (age and gender) and baseline and 3-month clinical characteristics were recorded. The study's primary outcome was the changes observed in the symptoms and physical examination findings of hemorrhoidal disease in the study group relative to those in the control group. Results: The study sample consisted of a total of 218 patients, who were randomized into the study and control groups, with 109 patients in each group. Significantly older patients were seen in Group CT (39.5 ± 14.6 and 35.5 ± 11.7 years, p=0.030). There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of other characteristics (p>0.05). At the 3rd-month follow-up examination, it was determined that there were significantly fewer patients with bleeding and difficulty during defecation in the study group compared to the control group (p=0.001 for both cases). Patients in the study group had significantly lower VAS scores for pain and the number of affected quadrants compared to those in the control group (p

Objective: This study aimed to compare the effects of empagliflozin and dapagliflozin on classical lipid parameters—including total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides (TG)—as well as on atherogenic risk indices, including the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), Castelli Risk Index I (CRI-I), Castelli Risk Index II (CRI-II), atherogenic coefficient (AC), and triglyceride-glucose index (TyG), in patients with heart failure and a history of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). To our knowledge, this is the first study to comprehensively evaluate these parameters in this high-risk population. Methods: This single-center, retrospective study included 484 patients with preserved ejection fraction heart failure and prior CABG who were treated with sodium–glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors. Patients were allocated to empagliflozin (n = 201) or dapagliflozin (n = 283) groups. All patients were receiving statin therapy. Lipid parameters and atherogenic indices were evaluated at baseline and after 12 weeks of treatment. Results: Both empagliflozin and dapagliflozin significantly reduced TC and LDL-C at 12 weeks (p < 0.001). No significant changes were observed in HDL-C or TG. Both agents produced significant improvements in CRI-I, CRI-II, AC, and TyG index (all p < 0.001), while AIP remained unchanged. Dapagliflozin achieved a greater reduction in TC (p = 0.044). Conclusions: This study represents the first direct comparison of empagliflozin and dapagliflozin on lipid profiles and atherogenic indices in patients with heart failure and prior CABG. Both agents significantly improved TC, LDL-C, and atherogenic indices. Dapagliflozin achieved a greater reduction in TC compared with empagliflozin, but overall both drugs demonstrated favorable and largely comparable effects. Beyond improvements in absolute values, both agents also contributed to favorable shifts in risk categories of lipid-derived indices. These findings suggest that clinical decision-making between empagliflozin and dapagliflozin may rely on factors other than lipid modulation. Larger multicenter prospective trials are warranted to confirm these results and clarify their long-term cardiovascular implications.

Aims: To reveal the effect of probiotics added to standard Helicobacter pylori eradication treatment on the eradication success and side effect profile. Methods: This is a prospective cross-sectional study that included male and female patients between the ages of 18-65 who presented to internal medicine and general surgery outpatient clinics with dyspeptic complaints and had a positive stool Helicobacter pylori antigen test. The patients were divided into two groups with the first receiving standard treatment consisting of amoxicillin 1000 mg 2x1, clarithromycin 500 mg 2x1, and lansoprazole 30 mg 2x1. In addition to standard treatment, the second group also received a probiotic supplement containing 1.5 billion colony-forming units (CFU) per tablet twice a day. Both groups were treated for 14 days and were called 1 month later for a stool Helicobacter pylori antigen check. In addition, a questionnaire was administered to the patients aiming to determine the presence and severity of common side effects due to antibiotic use. These side effects were determined as epigastric burning, flatulence, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, bitter taste and retrosternal burning. 0 means none, 1 means mild, 2 means moderate, and 3 means severe. Patients were asked to score the symptoms they felt while using antibiotics according to this scale. The aim was to investigate whether there was a difference between the two groups in terms of eradication success and side effect profile. Results: The study included 150 patients (87 males and 63 females) with a mean age of 43.37±12.13 (range 23-65). Group 1 consisted of seventy-five patients who received only antibiotic treatment and group 2 consisted of 75 patients who received antibiotic and probiotic treatment. Eradication percentage was 77.33% in the antibiotic group and 85.33% in the antibiotic+probiotic group. On the other hand, the difference between groups was found to be non-significant (p=0.295). The odds ratio for association between treatment and eradication was 1.705 (95% CI: 0.738-3.940, p=0.212). The percentages of epigastric burning, flatulence, diarrhea, and nausea/vomiting were significantly higher in the antibiotic group than in the antibiotic+probiotic group (p

Amaç: Postmenopozal dönemindeki kadınlarda nötrofil/lenfosit oranı, trombosit/lenfosit oranı ve ortalama trombosit hacminin kardiyovasküler riski öngören birer belirteç olup olmadıklarının tespit edilmesi hedeflenmiştir. Gereç ve Yöntem: Kardiyovasküler hastalığı olmayan, postmenapozal dönemindeki hastalar çalışmamıza dahil edilmiştir. Boy ve kilo ölçümleri yapılarak vücut kitle indeksleri hesaplanmış, hemogram ve lipid profili analizleri yapılmış ve karotis intima kalınlıkları ölçülmüştür. Bu değerlere göre kardiyovasküler riski yüksek olan grup ve düşük olan grup arasında nötrofil/lenfosit oranı, trombosit/lenfosit oranı ve ortalama trombosit hacmi değerleri açısından anlamlı farklılık olup olmadığı analiz edilmiştir. Bulgular: Çalışmamıza 158 kadın hasta dahil edilmiştir. Vücut kitle indexi ≥30 olan grubun total kolesterol, trigliserid, düşük yoğunluklu lipoprotein ve lenfosit düzeyi ve ayrıca bilateral karotis intima kalınlıkları anlamlı olarak daha yüksek bulunmuştur. İki grup arasında nötrofil sayısı, trombosit sayısı, ortalama trombosit hacmi, nötrofil/lenfosit oranı ve yüksek dansiteli lipoprotein düzeyleri açısından anlamlı farklılık tespit edilemezken, trombosit/lenfosit oranı VKİ ≥30 olan grupta daha düşük bulunmuştur. Sonuç: Çalışmamızda kardiyovasküler hastalığı olmayan postmenopozal dönemdeki hastalar kardiyovasküler hastalık gelişimi açısından yüksek ve düşük riskli olarak ikiye ayrılarak kıyaslanmıştır. Çalışmanın sonucu bu inflamatuar belirteçlerin henüz hastalık tablosu ortaya çıkmamış hastalarda risk öngörmede anlamlı belirteçler olmadığını göstermiştir.