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Flavonoids are plant-based phenolic compounds, and quercetin is the most abundant dietary member of this family. One of the most important characteristics of quercetin is its antioxidant property. The aim of this study was to investigate antioxidant effects of quercetin on corpora cavernosa of mice. Corpora cavernosa were isolated in organ baths, precontracted with phenylephrine (0.5 microm) and relaxant responses were mediated by acetylcholine (0.1-1 microm), electrical field stimulation (EFS, 1-16 Hz, 0.5 ms, 30 V) or acidified sodium nitrite (a NaNO(2), 0.5 mm). Superoxide anion generators; pyrogallol (50 microm), hydroquinone (100 microm), LY 83583 (6-Anilinoquinolin-5,8-quinone, 10 microm) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) inhibitor; diethyldithiocarbamic acid (DETCA, 8 mm) were used in order to expose corpus cavernosa to oxidant stress. Acetylcholine (0.1-1 microm) induced relaxant responses were significantly inhibited in LY 83583 (10 microm) and DETCA + LY 83583 applicated trials. EFS-induced relaxant responses were significantly inhibited in DETCA (8 mm) and DETCA + LY 83583 administrated trials. On the other hand, acidified sodium nitrite-induced responses were inhibited by all of the superoxide anion generators tested. Quercetin (10 microm) failed to improve the inhibitions on endothelium and electrically stimulated responses. Acidified sodium nitrite (0.5 mm) mediated relaxant responses were significantly restored by quercetin except the groups in which LY 83583 were used. The data suggest that quercetin acts as a protective agent in mouse corpus cavernosum, increasing the bioavailability of exogenous nitric oxide by protecting it from superoxide anion (O(2)(-)).

Accurate staging is very important for determining the prognosis and appropriate treatment for malignant melanoma (MM). The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging in staging MM. Patients diagnosed with MM who then underwent PET/CT metastasis before treatment were assessed retrospectively. For each patient, the following variables were recorded: Breslow thickness, Clark's level, number of mitoses, the presence of ulceration detected in the pathology report, and the presence of lymph nodes and/or distant metastases detected by PET/CT. The pathology and PET/CT reports of 139 patients (79 female and 60 male) were retrospectively evaluated for staging after MM diagnosis. Patients with a Breslow thickness greater than 3.4 mm and Clark's level of 4 to 5 were found to be statistically significantly higher with regional lymph node metastasis after PET/CT scans. Patients with Breslow thickness greater than 2.85 mm and Clark's level of 4 to 5 were found to be statistically significantly higher with distant metastasis after PET/CT scan. The results of our study suggest that PET/CT imaging for metastasis scanning, starting with T2 patients, may be used in MM staging to reduce the need for sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy and lymph node dissection.

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