Objective: The purpose of our study was to compare Vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) and conventional dressings in the wound therapy of Fournier’s gangrene (FG). Materials and methods: The study evaluated 54 patients, retrospectively. Following initial removal of necrotic and devitalized tissue, in Group I patients the wounds were covered with conventional antiseptic dressings and patients continued to be treated with conventional dressings. In Group II patients VAC therapy was initiated. The collected data were compared between groups. Results: The difference between two groups were statistically significant in terms of number of daily dressing (group I: 2, group II: 0,5), VAS (group I: 8, group II: 5), number of daily analgesics (group I: 4, group II: 2), number of daily narcotic analgesics (group I: 1, group II: 0), duration of mobilization per day (group I: 40, group II: 73 minutes) (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Our study does not determine that a VAC therapy is better than conventional dressings in terms of clinical outcome. However, vacuum dressing appears an effective and successful method, which offers fewer dressing changes, less pain, and greater mobility comparing to conventional dressings in the management of FG patients.

Objective: To analyse the correlation of overactive bladder (OAB) and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) by using Gensini score in postmenopausal women. Study Design: Observational correlation study design. Place and Duration of Study: Haseki Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey, from January 2016 to January 2018. Methodology: Female patients in postmenopausal status, who had undergone coronary angiography due to CAD in tertiary academic care centre cardiology unit, were enrolled in the study. The Gensini score of each patient was calculated by two different cardiologists and the average score was taken. All participants filled the OAB-V8 questionnaire (Validated Turkish form). The participants were separated into two groups according to the severity OAB symptoms. Patients with OAB-V8 score >= 8, were included into OAB Group and patients with OAB-V8 score <8, were enrolled into group 2 Non-OAB Group. Two groups were compared according to patients' demographic characteristics, Gensini scores, OAB-V8 scores, blood test outcomes, urinary system ultrasound, and uroflowmetry findings. Results: One hundred and two patients with OAB >= 8 score and 71 patients with OAB <8 score were compared. The median BMI was 28.7 (27.3-32.7) kg/m(2) in OAB group and 27.5 (27.0-31.1) kg/m(2) in non-OAB group (p=0.150). Additionally, OAB-V8 score and Gensini score were significantly higher in OAB group, compared to non-OAB group (25.0 (15.0-28.3) vs 4.0 (3.0-5.0), p<0.001 and 32.5 (27.8-42.7) vs. 10.0 (10.0-12.0), p<0.001, respectively). In blood chemistry, LDL level was the only marker found significantly different between groups and was significantly higher in patients with OAB (120.0 (90.0-148.5) mg/dl vs 97.0 (70.0-125.0) mg/dl, p= 20 was an independent risk factor for presence of OAB. Additionally, LDL level >= 100 m/dl was the only other predictive factor for presence of OAB (2.8 times). Conclusion: The frequency of OAB significantly correlated to severe CAD in postmenopausal women. Moreover, as an additional finding, postmenopausal women with higher LDL levels faced OAB syndrome more frequently.

Background and Objectives: Stromal vascular fraction (SVF) is increasingly used for erectile dysfunction (ED), but published human data are very limited and no study has related the cellular composition of the administered product to clinical outcomes. We evaluated the outcomes of SVF added to phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE-5I) in patients unresponsive to PDE-5I alone, and identified factors associated with treatment response. Materials and Methods: Records of 93 consecutive patients with vasculogenic ED who underwent autologous SVF injection in addition to PDE-5I at a single andrology clinic were reviewed retrospectively. Total nucleated cell concentration and viability were measured in every product. International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5), Erection Hardness Score (EHS) and penile colour Doppler ultrasonography were assessed at baseline and at 6 and 12 months. The primary outcome was an EHS of 3 or 4 at 6 months. Multivariate logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis were used to identify factors associated with response. Results: A total of 66 of 93 patients (71.0%, 95% CI 61.1–79.2) reached an EHS of 3 or 4 at 6 months; no patient had reached this threshold at baseline. Mean IIEF-5 rose from 10.1 at baseline to 16.2 at 6 months and 15.1 at 12 months (p = 0.001); peak systolic velocity and end-diastolic velocity both improved at 6 months (p = 0.001 for both). Non-responders were older (63.8 vs. 52.7 years), had longer ED duration (6.7 vs. 3.0 years), higher HbA1c (6.8 vs. 6.3) and more diabetes (66.7% vs. 42.4%). Product cell concentration (2.5 vs. 1.8) and viability (88.0% vs. 82.5%) were higher in responders (p = 0.001 for both). On multivariate analysis, older age (OR 1.88 per year, 95% CI 1.19–2.96), higher HbA1c (OR 13.23 per unit, 95% CI 1.65–105.87) and lower product cell viability (OR 0.38 per percentage point, 95% CI 0.20–0.73) were independently associated with non-response. On exploratory ROC analysis, cell viability discriminated responders from non-responders with an area under the curve of 0.925 (95% CI 0.872–0.977) at a threshold of 85.3%. Conclusions: In this uncontrolled retrospective series, SVF added to PDE-5I was associated with improved erectile function in approximately seven of ten patients. The cell viability of the administered product was independently associated with outcome, a finding that cannot be attributed to placebo response and that identifies product quality as a modifiable variable. These hypothesis-generating results require confirmation in controlled prospective studies.