Thesis supervisor: Gerald F. Gebhart. Includes bibliographic references (p. 134-144).

Abstract not available

Interstitial cystitis (IC)/painful bladder syndrome (PBS) is a functional visceral disorder characterized by increased bladder activity and chronic pelvic pain in the absence of a pathobiological condition. Enhanced sensory transduction of peripheral bladder afferents is hypothesized to contribute to the pain and mechanical hypersensitivity of IC/PBS patients. The aim of this thesis is to test the hypothesis that purinergic receptors, including ionotropic P2X and metabotropic P2Y, are important for sensory transmission in bladder afferent neurons and may be involved in bladder hypersensitivity after bladder tissue insults. Electrophysiological, single cell RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry techniques were performed in bladder afferent neurons from naïve and bladder inflamed mice to test the hypothesis. In Chapter 2, I characterized the distribution and function of P2X receptors in thoracolumbar (TL) and lumbosacral (LS) dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons innervating the urinary bladder, and found that LS and TL bladder neurons have differential purinergic signaling and distinct membrane electrical properties. In Chapter 3, I examined the sensitization of bladder afferent neurons and the plasticity of P2X receptor function in a mouse model of chemical induced bladder inflammation. P2X-mediated signals in LS and TL bladder neurons after bladder inflammation were enhanced compared with those in saline-treated controls, suggesting the importance of P2X in bladder hypersensitivity associated with cystitis. In Chapter 4, the modulation of P2Y on P2X function and the co-localization of P2Y and P2X were examined in bladder sensory neurons. It has been found that P2Y2 receptor enhances bladder sensory neuron excitability and facilitates the response of homomeric P2X2 receptor to the purinergic agonist (ATP). The present study provides evidence that LS and TL mouse bladder sensory neurons exhibit distinct P2X signaling, and the function of P2X receptors could be facilitated during bladder inflammation and modulated by activation of P2Y2 receptor, indicating an involvement of P2X and P2Y2 receptors as mechano- and chemosensors in bladder sensory transmission under normal conditions and in bladder hypersensitivity associated with inflammation.

No description available.

Interstitial Cystitis / Painful Bladder Syndrome (IC/PBS) is a persistent and refractory medical condition that is characterized by chronic pelvic pain along with abnormal urinary frequency and urgency. There is no widely accepted etiology or efficacious cure for IC/PBS, thus treatment often relies on pain and symptom management. IC/PBS is associated with strong functional disability but theoretical models of disability have yet to be tested with these patients. As well, psychosocial factors associated with various IC/PBS outcomes (i.e., depression, catastrophizing, social support) are also associated with disability in a variety of chronic painful medical conditions but remain untested in disability models for IC/PBS. Thus, this research evaluated psychosocial factors as potential mediators of disability within the Disablement Process Model. Female patients diagnosed with IC/PBS by a urologist in a tertiary care hospitals were recruited (n=196; females). In using structural equation modeling of a final IC/PBS disability model, negative affect and catastrophizing were found to be partial mediators on the relationship between impairments and functional disability and social support was not a significant mediator of disability. Negative affect and catastrophizing may be key psychosocial factors in IC/PBS disability. Research implications for the Disablement Process Model and potential clinical interventions are discussed in light of the current findings. / Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-29 14:18:29.478

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2005. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xii, 153 p.; also includes graphics (some col.) Includes bibliographical references (p. 132-153). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS) is a disabling chronic disease of still unknown origin and complex pathophysiology. The disease affects mainly female patients, with a female to male ratio of about 9 to 1. Prevalence ranges from 52 to 500/100,000 in females and 8 to 41/100,000 in males. The diagnosis of IC/BPS is mainly hampered by the lack of appropriate biomarkers and, therefore, extensive clinical examinations are required to exclude “confusable” diseases [1]. In consequence, most patients experience several years of ineffective treatments of various urinary tract symptoms often associated with, but by themselves not characteristic of, IC/BPS. Unequivocal diagnosis of IC/BPS is the prerequisite to find more effective therapeutic approaches. Therefore, more specific biomarkers are needed to facilitate IC/BPS diagnosis and to stratify patients for treatment at earlier stages of the disease. In this Special Issue, we gathered reviews and original work elucidating the current developments in IC/BPS biomarker research.

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Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst., 2004. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.