Effect of distension on adrenergic innervation of the rat urinary bladder

Summary The effect of distension on adrenergic innervation was investigated in the rat urinary bladder. Bladders were distended for 3 h by forced diuresis and ballon obstruction, and specimens were taken from the bladder dome, body and neck for the demonstration of glyoxylic acid-induced fluorescence of catecholamines. Depletion of catecholamines started after 10 h and was almost complete after 2 days. The fluorescence had recovered part way after 5–7 days and was practically normal after 21 days. Small, intensely fluorescent (SIF) cells in the ganglia continued to leak catecholamines throughout the 21-day study period. The primary clinical success of distension therapy for the treatment of unstable bladder may be at least partly due to a reversible disturbance in the function of the adrenergic nerves, which have an excitatory alpha-adrenergic dominance in such cases, but the persistent leakage from SIF cells raises the question of whether distension causes prolonged disturbances in bladder function.     

Temporal Changes in Micturition and Bladder Contractility after Sucrose Diuresis and Streptozotocin-induced Diabetes Mellitus in Rats

Studies were done to compare the acute effects of streptozotocin-induced diabetes and sucrose consumption on micturition, bladder mass and contractile responses of bladder strips to field stimulation and contractile agonists. Micturition changes occurred gradually in diabetic rats, reached maximal values within 7 to 14 days, and were accompanied by significant increases in bladder mass after 7 days. Bladder strips from diabetics responded to field stimulation, carbachol and KCl with significantly greater contractions than did those from controls within 7 days. Sucrose-drinking rats had maximal increases in fluid consumption and micturition frequency on the first night after starting treatment. Increases in micturition volumes were slower to develop than in diabetics. Bladder mass was significantly increased 30 and 60 days after starting sucrose treatment. Bladder strips from sucrose-drinking rats responded to field stimulation and carbachol with significantly greater contractions than did those from controls only after 60 days. Monitoring of drinking and micturition patterns established that diabetic rats drink and urinate during both the dark and light cycles. In contrast, control and sucrose-drinking rats drink and urinate principally at night. The results demonstrate that differences in bladder function between diabetic and sucrose drinking rats are apparent during the first month after treatment begins. The data suggest that the effects of diabetes and sucrose consumption on contractile bladder function are related to the diuresis-induced increases in bladder mass.     

Intrascrotal adenomatoid tumors

Adenomatoid tumors are regarded as uncommon neoplasms of the paratesticular tissues, probably of mesothelial origin. The majority of cases reported have involved the epididymis. We report our experience with 8 cases of testicular tumors and 11 of epididymal adenomatoid tumors during a 13-year period, and review the relevant literature. The incidence of adenomatoid tumors relative to all tumors in the testis was 6.9% (8 of 116), exceeding that of Leydig cell tumors, which were previously believed to be the most common benign testicular neoplasms. The adenomatoid tumors included 38% epididymal tumors (11 of 29). The clinical course of the tumors was benign, without recurrences. Local excision is regarded as the treatment of choice for epididymal and testicular adenomatoid tumors.     

Ethanolamine oleate sclerotherapy for hydroceles and spermatoceles: a survey of 158 patients with ultrasound followup.

Sclerotherapy with 5% ethanolamine oleate was used to treat 102 hydroceles in 100 patients and 63 spermatoceles in 58 patients. Scrotal ultrasound examination was performed before the sclerotherapy and at each followup visit. Of the hydroceles 98% were cured completely and 68% were cured after only 1 sclerosant instillation, while 60% of the spermatoceles resolved completely and 33% partially, with 7% failures. No hydroceles recurred during an average followup of 43 months, whereas spermatocele recurred in 4 patients more than 1 year after successful treatment, with a mean followup of 46 months. Approximately half of the patients experienced pain after treatment, 3 had infection and 2 had hematoma. No changes in the structure or size of the testicles were found by ultrasound during followup. Ethanolamine oleate sclerotherapy is a safe, effective and economical form of outpatient therapy that can be recommended as primary treatment for hydroceles in adults and as an alternative to surgery for spermatoceles with 1 to 3 cysts in elderly men in whom fertility is not important.     

Postoperative urinary retention. II. Micturition problems after the first catheterization

198 out of 5220 surgical patients were catheterized because of unexpected postoperative urinary retention. In 39% of cases micturition succeeded after the first catheterization of the overdistended bladder, but 61% (58% of the males and 66% of the females) developed more copolicated voided problems. The volume of fluids given intravenously during anaesthesia, the volume of primary urinary retention and increasing age were predisposing factors for prolonged micturition difficulties. Hospitalization was protracted because of postoperative urinary retention in 21 patients, and for 20 males prostatic surgery was necessary to relieve persistent retention.     

Validation and advantages of FAWSETS perfusion measurements in skeletal muscle

This work discusses the strengths, limitations and validity of a novel arterial spin labeling technique when used specifically to measure perfusion in limb skeletal muscle. The technique, flow-driven arterial water stimulation with elimination of tissue signal (FAWSETS), offers several advantages over existing arterial spin labeling techniques. The primary goal of this study was to determine the perfusion signal response to changes in net hind limb flow that were independently verifiable. The range of perfusate flow was relevant to skeletal muscle during mild to moderate exercise. Localized, single voxel measurements were acquired from a 5 mm-thick slice in the isolated perfused rat hind limb at variable net flow rates. The results show that the perfusion signal is linearly proportional to net hind limb flow with a correlation coefficient of 0.974 (p = 0.0013). FAWSETS is especially well suited for studies of skeletal muscle perfusion, where it eliminates the need to compensate for magnetization transfer and arterial transit time effects. A conceptual discussion of the basic principles underlying these advantages is presented.     

A new family with epiphyseal chondrodysplasia type Miura

Epiphyseal chondrodysplasia, Miura type (ECDM) is a skeletal dysplasia with tall stature and distinctive skeletal features caused by heterozygous NPR2 pathogenic variants. Only four families have been reported. We present a family with five affected individuals (mother, three sons, and daughter). The mother's phenotype was relatively mild: borderline tall stature and elongated halluces operated during childhood. The children were remarkably more severely affected with tall stature, scoliosis, and elongated toes and fingers leading to suspicion of Marfan syndrome. Progressive valgus deformities (at the hips, knees, and ankles) were the main complaints and necessitated orthopedic investigations and surgery. Radiographs showed coxa valga, scoliosis, multiple pseudoepiphyses of the fingers and toes with uneven elongation of the digits and ankle valgus. The two older brothers underwent osteotomies and guided growth for axial deformities and arthrodesis for elongated halluces. Genetic testing confirmed the clinical diagnosis of ECDM: all affected individuals had a heterozygous c.2647G>A (p.Val883Met) NPR2 variant in a highly conserved region in the carboxyl‐terminal guanylyl cyclase domain. This two‐generation family elucidates the clinical and radiological variability of the disease. These rare cases are important to gain further understanding of the fundamental processes of growth regulation.