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Objectives: The aim of this study was to show at what rate the technological equipment used in cataract surgery by Turkish ophthalmologists and their knowledge are reflected in practice and how up to date they are. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire conducted using SurveyMonkey was used to evaluate the answers to 17 questions from 823 members of the Turkish Ophthalmological Association. Results were evaluated in subgroups according to the participants' age, occupational status, institutions, and whether they conducted relevant academic activities, and the data were compared as inadequate, standard, and contemporary approaches according to the determined criteria. Results: Optical biometry devices were used at rates of 77.7% and 67.3% for intraocular lens (IOL) power calculations and keratometric measurements in preparation for cataract surgery, respectively. For IOL power calculation, third-generation formulas, especially the SRK-T, were used most commonly (46.2%), followed by second-generation formulas (21.9%), and fourth/fifth-generation formulas and multiple evaluations for different axial lengths (31.9%). The most common incision size was 2.8 mm (51.6%), while the percentage of 2.2 mm and shorter incisions considered to be neutral in terms of surgically induced astigmatism was 18.8%. When selecting incision location, approaches to reduce corneal astigmatism were reported by 28.9%, neutral approaches by 26.2%, and insensitive approaches by 44.9%. Additionally, 55.6% of participants never implanted toric IOLs and 50.7% did not use presbyopia-correcting IOLs. The proportion of surgeons who have experience with femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery was 10.3% and the rate of intracameral antibiotic injection at the end of the operation was 89.4%. Conclusion: It was seen that Turkish cataract surgeons were able to use high technology for surgical preparation and surgery at high rates, but this was not reflected in practice at same rate in terms of achieving contemporary standards of refractive cataract surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the refractive outcomes after arcuate keratotomy for astigmatism.Setting: Uludag University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology, Bursa, Turkey.Method: Sixteen eyes of 11 patients with astigmatism had arcuate keratotomy using the Terry astigmatome. The mean age of the patients was 36 years ± 10 (SD). All patients received preoperative and postoperative ophthalmic examinations consisting of best spectacle-corrected (BSCVA) and uncorrected (UCVA) visual acuities, corneal topography, and ultrasonic pachymetry. Surgery was performed using topical anesthesia of oxybuprocaine 0.1% eyedrops. The Terry astigmatome was selected by the mean paracentral (estimated incision area) corneal thickness. All patients received topical ofloxacin 0.3% and topical diclofenac 0.1% eyedrops postoperatively.Results: The mean corneal astigmatism was −4.0 ± 1.1 diopters (D) (range −2.2 to −6.0 D) preoperatively and –1.8 ± 0.8 D (range −0.6 to −3.0 D) postoperatively. The mean surgically induced corneal astigmatism was 2.5 ± 0.6 D. The mean UCVA (logMAR) was 0.74 ± 0.25 preoperatively and 0.18 ± 0.23 1 week postoperatively, and the mean BSCVA (logMAR) was 0.19 ± 0.24 and 0.19 ± 0.23, respectively. There were no intraoperative or postoperative complications.Conclusion: Arcuate keratotomy using the Terry astigmatome was a safe and reliable treatment for corneal astigmatism. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Distribution and prevalence of germline mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 differ among different populations. For the Turkish population, several studies have addressed high-risk breast cancer and ovarian cancer (BC–OC) patients. In most studies, both genes were analyzed in part, and a quite heterogeneous mutation spectrum was observed. For high-risk Turkish prostate cancer (PCa) patients, however, there are no data available about mutations of germline BRCA genes. To accurately determine the contribution of germline mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 in Turkish BC, OC, and PCa high-risk patients, 106 high-risk BC–OC patients, 50 high-risk PCa patients, and 50 control subjects were recruited. The study represents the only full screening, to date, of a large series of Turkish high-risk BC–OC patients and the only study in Turkish high-risk PCa patients. Mutation screenings were performed on coding exons of both genes with either denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis or denaturing high performance liquid chromatography, or with both techniques. Three deleterious mutations in BRCA1 and three deleterious mutations in BRCA2 were detected in different BC–OC patients, and one truncating mutation was detected in a high-risk PCa patient. In addition, 28 different unclassified and mostly novel variants were detected in both genes, as well as several silent polymorphisms. These findings reflect the genetic heterogeneity of the Turkish population and are relevant to genetic counseling and clinical management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the presence of surfactant protein-A (SP-A); molecular weight 34 kDa and surfactant protein-D (SP-D); and molecular weight 43 kDa in human spermatozoa. Design: Prospective, research study. Setting: Two universities in Turkey. Patient(s): Semen specimens (n = 10) were obtained from normozoospermic donors. Intervention(s): Human sperm were exposed to an anti–human SP-A polyclonal antibody, and monoclonal antibody, to human SP-D protein. Main Outcome Measure(s): Presence of SP-A and SP-D proteins in human beings. Result(s): Indirect immunofluorescence assays of human sperm indicated the presence of SP-A in the mid piece, the tail, and sometimes at the equatorial region of spermatozoa. A brilliant green light detected SP-D in the tails and acrosome of some sperm. The anti–SP-A antibody detected a single band corresponding to the molecular weight values of 34 kDa in spermatozoa, whereas no band was observed in the negative control. The anti–SP-D antibody showed the expected band at 43 kDa in spermatozoa. Conclusion(s): This is the first report and a novel finding of the presence of surfactant glycoproteins on human spermatozoa. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose: To evaluate the success, safety, and complication rates of gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy (GATT) combined with cataract surgery., Methods: A retrospective study was conducted for 32 patients who underwent GATT combined with phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation. Patients with primary open-angle glaucoma were enrolled. The primary outcome measures were visual acuity, intraocular pressure (IOP), the number of antiglaucoma medications used, and complications., Results: The average preoperative visual acuity of the patients was logMAR 1.57 ± 1.2, and the average postoperative visual acuity was logMAR 0.39 ± 0.38. A significant increase in visual acuity was observed post-surgery (P < 0.05). The average preoperative IOP was 34.2 ± 10.6 mmHg. In the 3 rd postoperative month, the average IOP was 10.5 ± 2.2 mmHg, and in the 6 th postoperative month, the average IOP was 11.2 ± 2.4 mmHg. In all postoperative follow-ups, IOP was significantly lower than that during the preoperative period (P < 0.05). A decrease of 2.7 ± 0.6 on average was detected in the number of glaucoma medications used in the postoperative period compared to the preoperative period, and the average decrease in the number of active ingredients post-surgery was 3.5 ± 0.8. The most frequent complication was hyphaema (31.2%). In only one patient (3.1%), the surgery was considered to have failed due to the development of deep hypotony., Conclusion: Performing GATT in the same session as cataract surgery does not reduce the efficacy of GATT, yet this procedure reduces the incidence of the most frequent complication of GATT, i.e. hyphaema. Therefore, in convenient cases, combined surgery can safely be performed., Competing Interests: None

Intervals V and VI of Yq11.23 regions contain responsible genes for spermatogenesis, and are named as "azoospermia factor locus" (AZF). Deletions in these genes are thought to be pathogenetically involved in some cases of male infertility associated with azoospermia or oligozoospermia. The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence of microdeletions on the Y chromosome in infertile Turkish males with azoospermia or oligozoospermia. We applied multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using several sequence-tagged site (STS) primer sets, in order to determine Y chromosome microdeletions. In this study, 61 infertile males were enrolled for the molecular AZF screening program. In this cohort, one infertile male had 46,XX karyotype and the remaining had 46,XY karyotypes. Forty-eight patients had a diagnosis of azoospermia and 13 had oligozoospermia. Microdeletions in AZFa, AZFb and AZFc (DAZ gene) regions were detected in two of the 60 (3.3%) idiopathic infertile males with normal karyotypes and a SRY translocation was determined on 46,XX male. Our findings suggest that genetic screening should be advised to infertile men before starting assisted reproductive treatments.