The emerging role of PTBP1 in human cancer: Novel prognostic factor in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer

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Feasibility of mirabegron in the treatment of overactive bladder in patients affected by Parkinson's disease: a pilot study

Background: We investigated the effectiveness and safety of mirabegron oral treatment in a group of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and overactive bladder (OAB), refractory to antimuscarinics. Materials and methods: Thirty patients with PD and refractory OAB were prospectively included in the study. At baseline, motor symptoms, severity of disease and cognitive status were assessed with the Hoehn–Yahr Scale, the Unified Parkinson’s disease Rating Scale, the Mini Mental State examination and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. At baseline, urinary symptoms, satisfaction with treatment and the impact of urinary incontinence on quality of life (QoL) were assessed with the 3-day voiding diary, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), the Incontinence–QoL questionnaire and urodynamics. Patients started assuming mirabegron 50 mg tablets once daily. Evaluation of urinary symptoms and related questionnaires, motor symptoms, severity of PD and uroflowmetry with postvoid residual volume measurement were then repeated at the 3- and 6-month follow up. Side effects were also noted. Results: At baseline, the most frequently reported urinary symptoms were: urinary urgency (present in all the patients), urge urinary incontinence in 28/30 (93.3%) and increased daytime urinary frequency in 25 (83.3%) patients. At the 3-month follow up, 7 out of the 30 patients achieved a complete urinary continence. Significant improvements in VAS and Incontinence–QoL scores were observed in 24 patients. These benefits were maintained for the whole observation period. Four patients discontinued treatment due to poor efficacy, and two due to the cost of the drug. Conclusions: Mirabegron is a safe and effective treatment in patients with PD and OAB refractory to anticholinergics in the short-term follow up. © The Author(s), 2019

Intermittent catheterization with a prelubricated catheter in spinal cord injured patients: A prospective randomized crossover study

Purpose: We compared the safety and patient acceptance of a conventional Nelaton and a prelubricated nonhydrophilic catheter in 18 spinal cord injured patients on intermittent catheterization. Materials and Methods: In a prospective crossover study each catheter was used for 7 weeks and the initial course was randomized. Urinalyisis and urine culture were performed at 2, 4 and 7 weeks. Urethral trauma was evaluated by urethral cell count on the surface of each catheter used on the last day of each study period. Patient satisfaction was assessed at the end of the study by a questionnaire using multiple visual analog scales. Results: Urinary tract infection was identified in 12 and 4 patients on a Nelaton and a prelubricated nonhydrophilic catheter (p = 0.03), while asymptomatic bacteruria was identified in 18 and 8 (p = 0.0244), respectively. The mean urethral cell count, plus or minus standard deviation on the catheter surface was 6.7 +/- 2.8 x 10(4) and 15.1 +/- 8.9 x 10(4) for the prelubricated nonhydrophilic and the Nelaton catheter, respectively (p = 0.01). The prelubricated nonhydrophilic catheter resulted in a better mean satisfaction score than the Nelaton catheter (2.33 +/- 1.06 versus 4.72 +/- 2.13, p = 0.022). Urethral bleeding was reported in 2 patients during the study period while using the Nelaton catheter. Conclusions: The prelubricated nonhydrophilic catheter is a safe, effective and comfortable option in spinal cord injured patients on intermittent self-catheterization

Intravesical electromotive drug administration

"Iontophoresis" is the common term used to define the active transport of ionic molecules across biologic tissues under the influence of an electric field. The term "electro-osmosis" defines the subsequent transport of the solvent. The term "electrophoresis" indicates the transport of a solution and a solute, by means of an electric current, independently of the electric charge of the solute. The three terms: iontophoresis, electroosmosis and electrophoresis are now usually included in the following few words: "Electromotive Drug Administration" (EMDA), and indicate the phenomena involved in drug transport across the biologic membranes, with the application of an electric current. In urology, EMDA has been used in different fields of application, as uro-oncology, neuro-urology, andrology and infective urological diseases. All the studies conducted, showed that EMDA is more effective than intravesical passive drug diffusion, without inducing any local or systemic side-effects. The basic premises of EMDA, as a greater knowledge of physical and chemical properties of the bladder wall and a more comprehensive knowledge of the drug employed, allow us to perform a non-empiric intravesical treatment. Repeatability of the results is one of the major concerns, which makes this methodology a really scientific treatment modality