PURPOSE: To investigate the changes in urinary nerve growth factor (uNGF) levels after acute urinary tract infection (UTI) and to assess the role of uNGF in predicting UTI recurrence in women. METHODS: Women with uncomplicated, symptomatic UTIs were enrolled. Cephalexin 500 mg (every 6 hours) was administered for 7-14 days to treat acute UTIs. Subsequently, the patients were randomized to receive either sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim 800 mg/160 mg daily at bedtime, or celecoxib 200 mg daily for 3 months and were monitored for up to 12 months. NGF levels in the urine were determined at baseline, 1, 4, and 12 weeks after the initiation of prophylactic therapy, and were compared between women with first-time UTIs and recurrent UTIs, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim and celecoxib-treated women, and no UTI recurrence and UTI recurrence that occurred during the follow-up period. Twenty women free of UTIs served as controls. RESULTS: A total of 139 women with UTI and 20 controls were enrolled in the study, which included 50 women with a first-time UTI and 89 women with recurrent UTIs. Thirty-seven women completed the study. Women with recurrent UTIs (n=23) had a trend of lower uNGF levels than women with first-time UTIs (n=14). During follow-up, 9 women had UTI recurrence. The serial uNGF levels in women with UTI recurrence were significantly lower than those in women who did not have UTI recurrence during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: The lower levels of uNGF in women with recurrent UTI and the incidence of UTI recurrence during follow-up suggest that lower uNGF might reflect the defective innate immunity in women with recurrent UTI.
Biomarkers ; Celecoxib ; Cephalexin ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Immunity, Innate ; Incidence ; Inflammation ; Nerve Growth Factor* ; Recurrence ; Urinary Tract Infections* ; Urinary Tract*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the correlations among the Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS), International Prostate Symptom Score–Storage Subscore (IPSS-S), and the modified Urgency Severity Scale (USS) in patients with overactive bladder (OAB) and hypersensitive bladder (HSB) and to identify the most useful diagnostic tool for classifying the severity of OAB. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of consecutive patients with OAB who visited our urologic clinics for treatment. All patients underwent a detailed history, physical examination, urinalysis, uroflowmetry, and postvoid residual volume measurement, and completed a 3-day voiding diary. All patients answered the Chinese versions of the IPSS, OABSS, and USS, according to which they were classified as having wet or dry OAB based on whether their chief complaint was urgency urinary incontinence or urgency without incontinence. HSB was defined as a functional bladder capacity <350 mL and a USS of 0 or 1. RESULTS: The records of 325 OAB patients (99 women and 226 men) were reviewed. The OAB subgroups included HSB (n=31), OAB-dry (n=74), and OAB-wet (n=220). One-way analysis of variance showed significant differences among the OAB subgroups evaluated using each scoring system. Each scoring system was significantly correlated with the OAB subgroups. The Spearman rho was 0.983 for the USS, 0.651 for the OABSS, and 0.428 for the IPSS-S. CONCLUSIONS: The IPSS-S, OABSS, and USS showed good correlations with the OAB subgroups. Their ranking in terms of discriminant ability for classifying OAB severity as HSB, OAB-dry, and OAB-wet was USS>OABSS>IPSS-S. The simplest survey, the USS, with a single item scored from 0 to 4, had the strongest correlation with the OAB severity subgroups.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Female ; Humans ; Physical Examination ; Prostate* ; Residual Volume ; Retrospective Studies ; Urinalysis ; Urinary Bladder* ; Urinary Bladder, Overactive* ; Urinary Incontinence