Orally consumed viable bacteria with proposed beneficial health effects, the so-called probiotics, are increasingly used to treat disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. It has been recently suggested that specifically selected lactobacilli could have a therapeutic role in female urogenital tract infections. It has been also suggested that some of these bacteria could be not intravaginally ins...

Malakoplakia, first described by Michaelis and Gutmann in 1902 [1], occurs mainly in the genitourinary tract (60% of cases), and less frequently in the gastrointestinal tract (10% of cases) [2]. Although the pathogenesis of malakoplakia is not completely understood, the disease may be considered the result of an impairment of the mononuclear phagocyte and immunoregulatory effector system [3]. T...

Hyoscine-N-butyl bromide is a widely used antispasmodic belonging to the belladonna alkaloid class of semisynthetic quaternary ammonium compounds. These compounds exert a spasmolytic action on the smooth muscles of the bile-gastrointestinal tract, genitourinary tract, salivary glands (xerostomia), and also on the visual apparatus - in particular, the irido-ciliary complex. As a consequence, the...

Since the first work about neuronal desensitization mediated by vanilloids, performed back in the 1970’s, major advances have been made in the elucidation of TRPV1 role in the genitourinary (GU) tract. The receptor distribution in the GU tract was unveiled. Both in vivo and in vitro studies brought new insights on TRPV1 physiology. The role of TRPV1 in bladder function in both normal and pathol...

Urothelial carcinomas are malignant tumors that arise from the urothelial epithelium and may involve the lower and upper urinary tract. They are characterized by multiple, multifocal recurrences throughout the genitourinary tract. Bladder tumors account for 90-95% of urothelial carcinomas and are the most common malignancies of the urinary tract. Upper urinary tract urothelial carcinomas (UTUC)...