Background: SARS-CoV-2 which causes coronavirus disease 2019 binds to angiotensinconverting enyzme 2 (ACE2) and enters the host cell. ACE2 protein is expressed highly in the testis. Aim: The aim of this study was to compare male reproductive hormones such as total testosterone (TT), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicular stimulant hormone (FSH), and prolactin between patients with COVID-19, age-matched cases with noneCOVID-19 respiratory tract infection, and age-matched controls. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study and included 262 men aged between 20 and 65 years. The study comprised 3 groups including patients with COVID-19 (n ¼ 89), cases with noneCOVID-19 respiratory tract infection (n ¼ 30), and age-matched controls (n ¼ 143). All cases were evaluated using TT, LH, FSH, and prolactin. Correlations between TT and clinical parameters of patient groups were investigated using Pearson's correlation test. Outcomes: The primary outcome of the study was detection of the difference of TT, FSH, LH, and prolactin levels between the groups. Secondary outcome was to correlate TT and hospitalization time and oxygen saturation on hospital admission (SpO2) of patients. Results: The mean age of study groups was 49.9 ± 12.5 years, 52.7 ± 9.6 years, and 50 ± 7.8 years, respectively (P ¼ .06). Serum TT levels was median 185.52 ng/dL in patients with COVID-19, median 288.67 ng/dL in patients with noneCOVID-19 respiratory tract infection and median 332 ng/dL in control cases, (P < .0001). The proportion of patients with testosterone deficiency in group 1, group 2, and group 3 was 74.2%, 53.3%, and 37.8%, respectively (P < .0001). Serum LH levels (P ¼ 0.0003) and serum prolactin levels (P ¼ .0007) were higher in patients with COVID-19 and patients with noneCOVID-19 respiratory tract infection than control cases. Correlation analysis revealed significant negative correlation between serum TT levels and hospitalization time of patients with COVID-19 (r ¼ e0.45, P < .0001). In addition, a significant positive correlation was observed between SpO2 and serum TT levels in patients with COVID-19 ( r ¼ 0.32, P ¼ .0028). Clinical Implications: Physicians may consider to evaluate male patients with COVID-19 for concomitant androgen deficiency. Strengths & Limitations: Strengths include the evidence about the alteration of male reproductive hormones under COVID-19. Limitations include the analysis limited to one general hospital, only a single measurement of TT was available, free and bioavailable testosterone levels were not evaluated. Conclusion:This study demonstrates COVID-19 is associated with decreased level of TT and increased level of LH and prolactin. More serious COVID-19 causes more reduction in TT levels and prolongs hospitalization period.

Oxidative lipid, protein, and DNA damage as oxidative stress markers in vascular complications of diabetes mellitus AbstractPurpose: e purpose of this study was to determine the e ects of diabetic complications on oxidation of proteins, lipids, and DNA and to investigate the relationship between oxidative damage markers and clinical parameters.Methods: e study group consisted of 69 type 2 diabetic patients (20 patients without complication, 49 patients with complication) who attended internal medicine outpatient clinics of Istanbul Education and Research Hospital and 19 healthy control subjects. In serum samples of both diabetic patients and healthy subjects, 8-hydroxy-2'deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), as a marker of oxidative DNA damage, N ε -(hexanoyl)lysine (HEL) and 15-F2t-iso-prostaglandin (15-F2t-IsoP). as products of lipooxidative damage, advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), as markers of protein damage, and paraoxonase1 (PON1) as antioxidant were studied.Results: 15-F2t-IsoP (p<0.005) and AOPP (p<0.001) levels were signi cantly higher in diabetic group than control group while there were no signi cant di erences in levels of 8-OHdG and HEL between the two groups. AOPP (p<0.001) and 8-OHdG (p<0.001) were signi cantly higher in diabetic group with complications compared to diabetic group without complications.Conclusions: Increased formation of free radicals and oxidative stress, under conditions of hyperglycaemia, is one of the probable causes for evolution of complications in diabetes mellitus. Our study supports the hypothesis that oxidant/antioxidant balance is disturbed in diabetic patients.

These results suggest that according to the criteria of the IDF, the significant decrease observed in serum paraoxonase activity was independent of the metabolic syndrome in patients with mild-to-moderate plaque-type psoriasis, whereas the significant decrease in serum arylesterase activity was associated with the metabolic syndrome.

SummaryWe generated a computer model to analyse the effects of 'shadow' competition for sit-and-wait predators, particularly antlion larvae. The model used a simple foraging assessment rule to determine the quality of an antlion's location, and antlions relocated randomly in their habitat when a location proved to be of low quality. Shadow competition, or competition for food caused when one sit-and-wait predator intercepts moving prey before a second sit-and-wait predator is encountered, was incorporated into the model by restricting antlions to a bounded arena, and having prey for the antlions enter from the arena periphery. Antlions responded to shadow competition by relocating their pits to peripheral areas of their habitat. This peripheral accumulation of pits was most pronounced when antlion densities were high, and when prey availabilities were infermediate. An experimental test with the antlion Myrmeleon immaculatus supported the importance of shadow competition as a cause of observed pit distributions. Only the treatment which incorporated shadowing had pit distributions nearthe periphery, while the pit distributions in the control treatments did not differ from randomly generated distributions. We conclude that shadowing can influence sit-and-wait predator distributions when the prey distributions and movement patterns generate the conditions necessary for shadowing. But when prey availability is unpredictable, making assessment of patches difficult, or when prey do not originate in the periphery of the habitat, other factors, such as temperature or moisture, could be more important.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is known to be involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In order to elucidate the association between VEGF levels and RA disease activity, VEGF concentrations were measured in RA patients at different phases and severity levels. Thirty-eight healthy subjects and 40 patients with RA were prospectively included in the study. Subjects were further categorized into four subgroups (high, moderate, low, or remission) using the disease activity score-28 (DAS28) scoring system. VEGF levels were significantly higher in patients than controls (p < 0.001). VEGF levels differed significantly in controls, early and late-phase RA patients (p = 0.002). A significant difference was found between controls and patients with high RA disease activity scores (p < 0.0001). VEGF levels were not correlated with age (r = -0.016; p = 0.921) or sex (r = 0.209; p = 0.921). VEGF values were correlated with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (r = 0.445; p = 0.004), but was not correlated with serum rheumatoid factor levels (r = -0.130; p = 0.424) in the patient group. In conclusion, higher VEGF levels are associated with late phase and high disease activity in RA, independent of age and sex.