State of the art in intravesical therapy for lower urinary tract symptoms

Intravesical therapy is the routine first-line treatment for effectively delaying or preventing the recurrence of bladder cancer. This route of drug administration has also shown tremendous promise in the treatment of interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) and potentially overactive bladder to justify investments for further improvements. This review takes a bird's eye view into the current status of intravesical therapy, with emphasis on liposomal nanoparticles, in diseases associated with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Ongoing efforts to advance the field of intravesical drug delivery include development of sustained-release drug implants and efforts to improve delivery of biotechnological products including large protein acting as neurotoxins and small interfering RNAs.     

The future of bladder control-intravesical drug delivery, a pinch of pepper, and gene therapy

The incidence of urinary incontinence and overactive bladder problems will continue to grow as the population ages. Future treatments are likely to include an implantable drug delivery system, gene therapy, and the intravesical use of the vallinoids capsaicin and resiniferatoxin (RTX). An understanding of the urothelium is essential for effective design of these therapies. Intravesical anticholinergic drug treatment is currently not widely used, but intravesical pumps are under development to provide less cumbersome treatment methods and will provide nonsurgical options for patients who cannot tolerate oral anticholinergic agents. Research on the use of capsaicin as an intravesicular drug has had limited success, but trials have confirmed the efficacy of intravesical capsaicin for detrusor hyperreflexia. RTX is as effective as capsaicin but without side effects, such as pain and inflammatory neuropeptide release. RTX treatment may eliminate the need for surgical and other drug treatments of lower urinary tract dysfunction in patients with spinal cord injuries. Gene therapy will change the practice of urology by addressing the deficiencies that cause symptoms rather than attacking the symptoms themselves.     

Block of outward current in cardiac purkinje fibers by injection of quaternary ammonium ions

We have studied the effects of iontophoretic injection of the quaternary ammonium compounds tetraethylammonium (TEA) and tetrabutylammonium (TBA) in cardiac purkinje fibers. We find that TBA(+) is a more effective blocker than TEA(+), but injection of either compound reduces the time-dependent outward plateau currents, transient outward current (I(to)), and the delayed rectifier (I(x)). Our findings provide evidence that these outward cardiac currents are carried by channels that in some respects are pharmacologically similar to squid axon potassium channels. We demonstrate that this procedure is a new tool that can be useful in the analysis of membrane currents in the heart.     

First record of lily thrips, Liothrips vaneeckei Priesner, in Australia (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae)

The first Australian record of the lily thrips, Liothrips vaneeckei Priesner, is reported from a bulb farm in Warragul South, Victoria. It is an occasional pest of Lilium bulbs, both in the field and in storage, particularly in the USA and several European countries, and is also infrequently found in considerable numbers on the corms of orchids.