Lower urinary tract symptoms, nocturia and overactive bladder in patients with depression and anxiety

Summary Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) remain highly prevalent worldwide, and are well known to negatively impact patients' quality of life, sleep and psychosocial wellbeing. Conversely, both depression and anxiety have been shown to have a negative effect on perception, development and prolongation of LUTS. This paper provides an overview of an association between the lower urinary tract symptoms, depression and anxiety. It also explores possible common mechanisms underlying the causes of both conditions. There has been a large body of evidence linking LUTS with anxiety and/or depression. Studies have documented not only a significant impact of LUTS on the psychosocial wellbeing, but also showed a strong negative effect of depression and anxiety on perception, development and prolongation of LUTS. High level of psychiatric morbidity has important implications on the appropriate management in patients with LUTS, as well as LUTS may have important implications on development and management of depression and anxiety. Therefore, clinicians should be aware of the bidirectional association between LUTS and anxiety and/or depression, as some patients may require a multidisciplinary approach and a combined treatment. The precise common mechanism underlying LUTS, depression and anxiety remain largely unknown and further research is needed to elucidate the underlying pathophysiological pathways

Nettle as a distinct bronze age textile plant

It is generally assumed that the production of plant fibre textiles in ancient Europe, especially woven textiles for clothing, was closely linked to the development of agriculture through the use of cultivated textile plants (flax, hemp). Here we present a new investigation of the 2800 year old Lusehøj Bronze Age Textile from Voldtofte, Denmark, which challenges this assumption. We show that the textile is made of imported nettle, most probably from the Kärnten-Steiermark region, an area which at the time had an otherwise established flax production. Our results thus suggest that the production of woven plant fibre textiles in Bronze Age Europe was based not only on cultivated textile plants but also on the targeted exploitation of wild plants. The Lusehøj find points to a hitherto unrecognized role of nettle as an important textile plant and suggests the need for a re-evaluation of textile production resource management in prehistoric Europe