A Pilot Study of Functional Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging in BPS/IC Patients: Evidence of Central Sensitization.

Bladder pain syndrome/Interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC) is characterized by increased activity in bladder afferent pathways, recruitment of silent nociceptive neurons, and sensitization of the brain areas responsible for pain amplification. Default mode network (DMN) is a set of regions activated during the resting state, which reflect the brain's intrinsic activity. Conversely, the sensorimotor network (SMN) plays a key role in structural neuroplasticity.

What is in the pipeline for new treatments for bladder pain syndrome/ interstitial cystitis?

Purpose Of Review: Despite available treatments, many bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC) patients continue to have poor quality of life. Thus, there is an urge for new therapies. Our manuscript aims to review papers about BPS/IC treatments published in the last 2 years.

The Role of Urinary VEGF in Observational Studies of BPS/IC Patients: A Systematic Review.

Background: Bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC) is a chronic pain condition, often underdiagnosed, with an important impact on patient quality of life. More recently, an association between VEGF and its receptors has been suggested in BPS/IC pathophysiology, due to their role in promoting angiogenesis and inflammation, which can enhance bladder pain. Eventually, VEGF may be used as a biomarker for the diagnosis and prognostication of BPS/IC.

Intratrigonal OnabotulinumtoxinA Improves Bladder Symptoms and Quality of Life in Patients with Bladder Pain Syndrome/Interstitial Cystitis: A Pilot, Single Center, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled Trial.

Purpose: We compared the efficacy and safety of trigonal injections of onabotulinumtoxinA and saline in patients with bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis.

Materials And Methods: This phase II study enrolled women who had had bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis for more than 6 months and pain for 4 months or longer on a visual analogue scale of 0 to 10, which were refractory to common treatment. OnabotulinumtoxinA 100 U in 10 or saline as placebo in 9 was administered as 10 trigonal injections of 1 ml.

Chemical and biochemical characterization and in vivo safety evaluation of pharmaceuticals in drinking water.

The water constituents that are currently subject to legal control are only a small fraction of the vast number of chemical substances and microorganisms that may occur in both the environment and water resources. The main objective of the present study was to study the health impact resulting from exposure to a mixture of pharmaceuticals that have been detected in tap water at low doses. Analyses of atenolol, caffeine, erythromycin, carbamazepine, and their metabolites in blood, urine, feces, fat tissue, liver, and kidney after exposure to a mixture of these pharmaceuticals in treated drinking water were performed.

Rare vertebral metastasis in a case of Hereditary Paraganglioma.

Paragangliomas are rare tumours with a prevalence of 1/10000 to 1/30000. Tumors arising from the paraganglia are characteristically of low malignant potential. Vertebral metastases are exceedingly rare, and only isolated case reports have described them.

The energetics of Pex5p-mediated peroxisomal protein import.

Most newly synthesized peroxisomal matrix proteins are targeted to the organelle by Pex5p, the peroxisomal cycling receptor. According to current models of peroxisomal biogenesis, Pex5p interacts with cargo proteins in the cytosol and transports them to the peroxisomal membrane. After delivering the passenger protein into the peroxisomal matrix, Pex5p returns to the cytosol to catalyze additional rounds of transportation.

Relationships between serum markers of monocyte/macrophage activation in type 1 Gaucher's disease.

We studied 44 patients with type 1 Gaucher's disease (16 non-treated patients and 28 treated with enzyme replacement therapy). We measured serum levels of chitotriosidase (ChT), neopterin, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), adenosine deaminase (ADA) and beta-hexosaminidase (Hex) and its major isoenzymes Hex A and Hex B. In the untreated group of patients, the increase in serum levels was ChT>neopterin>ACE> ADA>Hex, with all decreasing significantly in treated patients (p< 0.