No abstract available.
Urodynamics*

Here we report a case of primary carcinoma of the female urethra. A 52-year-old woman presented with a palpable urethral mass associated with intermittent pain that she first experienced a few months prior. Clinical examination showed a urethral mass that appeared to be a caruncle; therefore, simple carunclectomy was performed. However, on histological examination, the mass was revealed to be a squamous cell carcinoma; therefore, anterior urethrectomy was performed. During a 4-year follow-up period, the patient has been well with no dysuria, dyspareunia, or incontinence.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Dyspareunia ; Dysuria ; Female* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Urethra* ; Urethral Neoplasms

PURPOSE: To improve the long-term efficiency of the pharmacologic management of overactive bladder (OAB) in elderly women. METHODS: The study comprised 229 women (mean age, 66.3 years; range, 65-77 years) with urodynamically and clinically confirmed OAB. All patients received the most effective treatment regimen based on the data obtained in the initial part of the study (trospium 60 mg/day + solifenacin 40 mg/day, for 6 weeks), and positive results similar to those in the first phase were obtained. They were then divided into four groups, based on the maintenance therapy: group A (59 women), trospium (60 mg/day) + solifenacin (40 mg/day) for 1 month; group B (51 women), electrical stimulation of the detrusor muscle for 1 month; group C (63 women), laser puncture for 1 month; group D (56 women), placebo. Maintenance therapy was administered 2.5 months after completion of primary treatment. The patients' condition was monitored through the OAB questionnaire for 1 year and by urodynamic examination at months 6 and 7 from the start of the study. RESULTS: In group A, the clinical and urodynamic results achieved after the initial + main treatment phase (two high-dosage antimuscarinics of different generations, trospium and solifenacin, for a total of 2.5 months) were maintained for at least 7 months. Electrical stimulation of the urinary bladder as a method of maintenance therapy proved to be less effective. In groups C and D, deterioration in results was observed at 6-8 months, which led us to conclude that laser puncture was an inefficient method of maintenance therapy in elderly women with OAB. CONCLUSIONS: Maintenance treatment of OAB in elderly women with a combination of high-dosage antimuscarinics is an effective method for reducing the risk of recurrence of the disease.
Aged* ; Electric Stimulation ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Humans ; Methods ; Muscarinic Antagonists* ; Muscles ; Punctures ; Recurrence ; Solifenacin Succinate ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Bladder, Overactive* ; Urodynamics

PURPOSE: The prevalence of urinary incontinence and the usage of incontinence pads by elderly residents in Korean medical welfare facilities were investigated. METHODS: From a total of 1,832 facilities, 33 medical welfare facilities in the capital area were randomly selected; all nursing homes were excluded. All data were collected by questionnaires to investigate the residents' age and sex, the presence or absence of urinary incontinence, incontinence pad usage per month, and management methods for urinary incontinence. Surveys were also conducted from January 2010 to August 2010. RESULTS: A total number of residents in medical welfare facilities were 2,783, and all of them were selected for this study. Approximately, 65.3% of residents (1,816 individuals) had incontinence. The mean usage was 75 incontinence pads per month. Only 15.6% of residents received proper management for urinary incontinence, while the remaining 84.4% of residents did not have any experience in evaluating or managing their urinary symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of urinary incontinence in medical welfare facilities in Korea was about 65.3%. However, the management of urinary incontinence was insufficient. Urologists should make further efforts for the proper management of urinary incontinence in elders in these facilities.
Aged ; Geriatrics ; Humans ; Incontinence Pads* ; Korea* ; Methods ; Nursing Homes ; Prevalence ; Urinary Incontinence

PURPOSE: To assess the prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and erectile dysfunction (ED) and the relationships between LUTS, ED, depression, and other factors in Korean men with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 124 male patients with T2DM who attended a university hospital diabetes clinic between October 2010 and April 2012. Data were collected using structured interviews and chart reviews. LUTS were measured using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), ED using the five-item Korean version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), depression using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and glycosylated hemoglobin level from clinical data. RESULTS: The IPSS score was 9.2+/-6.6. The total IPSS scores indicated that 53.3% of the subjects had either moderate or severe symptoms. The mean IIEF score was 7.3+/-8.6, indicating the severity of ED to be mild, mild to moderate, moderate, and severe in 10.5%, 9.7%, 1.6%, and 66.9% of the participants, respectively. LUTS showed a significant negative correlation with ED (r=-0.26, P=0.003) and a significant positive correlation with depression (r=0.33, P<0.001). ED was negatively correlated with age (r=-0.44, P<0.001), duration of diabetes (r=-0.26, P=0.004), and depression (r=-0.24, P=0.008). CONCLUSIONS: LUTS and ED were found to have a high prevalence among Korean men with T2DM. More severe ED was associated with worse LUTS, whereas more severe depressive symptoms were found to be associated with more severe ED and LUTS.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depression ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Erectile Dysfunction* ; Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated ; Humans ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms* ; Male ; Prevalence ; Prostate

PURPOSE: This study was designed to investigate the effect of detrusor overactivity induced by partial bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) on the expression of aquaporin 1 (AQP1) and caveolin 1 (CAV1) in the rat urinary bladder, and to determine the role of these molecules in detrusor overactivity. METHODS: Female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control (n=30) and experimental (n=30) groups. The BOO group underwent partial BOO, and the control group underwent a sham operation. After 4 weeks, an urodynamic study was performed to measure the contraction interval and contraction pressure. The expression and cellular localization of AQP1 and CAV1 were determined by western blot and immunofluorescence experiments in the rat urinary bladder. RESULTS: In cystometrograms, the contraction interval was significantly lower in the BOO group (2.9+/-1.5 minutes) than in the control group (6.7+/-1.0 minutes) (P<0.05). Conversely, the average contraction pressure was significantly higher in the BOO group (21.2+/-3.3 mmHg) than in the control group (13.0+/-2.5 mmHg) (P<0.05). AQP1 and CAV1 were coexpressed in the capillaries, arterioles, and venules of the suburothelial layer. AQP1 and CAV1 protein expression was significantly increased in the BOO rats compared to the control rats (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Detrusor overactivity induced by BOO causes a significant increase in the expression of AQP1 and CAV1, which were coexpressed in the suburothelial microvasculature. This finding suggests that AQP1 and CAV1 might be closely related to bladder signal activity and may have a functional role in BOO-associated detrusor overactivity.
Animals ; Aquaporin 1 ; Arterioles ; Blotting, Western ; Capillaries ; Caveolin 1* ; Female ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Humans ; Microvessels ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Urinary Bladder Neck Obstruction* ; Urinary Bladder* ; Urodynamics ; Urothelium* ; Venules

PURPOSE: Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) is a well-known gene involved in alcohol and aldehyde metabolism. Moreover, recent studies have reported associations between ALDH2 and age-related disorders. Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is an age-related disorder and genetic factors may contribute to its onset. In this study, we investigated the association of a well-studied ALDH2 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs671, with the onset and clinical features of BPH. METHODS: A total of 222 BPH patients and 214 control subjects were genotyped. The clinical features of the BPH patients (prostate volume, prostate-specific antigen level, and International Prostatic Symptom Score) were analyzed. RESULTS: The results show that rs671 was only associated with the volume of BPH in genotype and allele frequencies (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: We propose that rs671 is an Asian-specific SNP in ALDH2 that may affect the disease progression of BPH in the Korean population.
Aldehyde Dehydrogenase ; Disease Progression ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Hyperplasia* ; Metabolism ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide* ; Prostate* ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Prostatic Hyperplasia

PURPOSE: Methylphenidate is the most widely used central nervous system stimulant in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. However, few studies have assessed its effects on voiding. Various doses of methylphenidate were investigated for their effects on cystometric parameters in conscious mice. METHODS: Ten male C57BL/6 mice, weighing between 20 and 23 g, were used in this study. To compare the acute drug responses before and after the oral medication was administered in the awake condition, we injected the solution through a catheter inserted into the stomach. Methylphenidate (1.25, 2.5, and 5 mg/kg) in an injection volume of 0.05 mL was administered. RESULTS: Four mice that received high doses of methylphenidate (2.5 and 5 mg/kg) showed no voiding contraction, with urine leakage. Six mice that received a low dose of methylphenidate (1.25 mg/kg) showed typical micturition cycles before and after administration. The micturition pressure decreased and bladder capacity increased without an increased residual volume after administration. CONCLUSIONS: Methylphenidate has differential, dose-dependent effects on the function of the lower urinary tract, due to the dependent relationship between the brain and lower urinary tract. Especially at higher doses, this drug may interfere with normal micturition. Therefore, more detailed clinical or experimental studies are warranted in the future.
Animals ; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity ; Brain ; Catheters ; Central Nervous System ; Humans ; Male ; Methylphenidate* ; Mice ; Residual Volume ; Stomach ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Bladder, Neurogenic ; Urinary Tract ; Urination ; Urodynamics

Paper-based analytical devices are fluidic chips fabricated with extremely inexpensive materials, namely paper, thereby allowing their use as a zero-cost analytical device in third-world countries that lack access to expensive diagnostic infrastructures. The aim of this review is to discuss: (1) microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (microPADs) for quantitative analysis, (2) fabrication of two- or three-dimensional microPADs, (3) analytical methods of microPADs, and (4) our opinions regarding the future applications of microPADs for quantitative urinalysis.
Developing Countries ; Methods ; Microfluidics ; Urinalysis*

No abstract available.
Urinalysis*