Mucins (MUCs) are high molecular weight membrane glycoproteins. The gene expression of MUCs (MUC1-MUC8) may change characteristically during malignant transformation of epithelial tissues. Total RNA was isolated from the four bladder cancer cell lines RT4, 647V, HT1376, and 486P (pathological gradings between G1 and G4) and 17 samples of transitional cell carcinomas, as well as 16 samples of no...

AIMS To study the expression of the endothelial and inducible isoforms of nitric oxide synthase (eNOS and iNOS, respectively) in human bladder carcinoma and schistosomal bladder disease, and to compare it with normal adult and fetal urothelium. Nitric oxide is thought to play a complex role in human carcinogenesis, but has only recently been investigated in bladder cancer. METHODS Immunohisto...

In order to develop autologous tissue engineering of the whole wall in the urinary excretory system, we studied the regenerative capacity of the muscular bladder wall. Smooth muscle cell expansion on minced detrusor muscle in vitro and in vivo with or without urothelial tissue was studied. Porcine minced detrusor muscle and urothelium were cultured in vitro under standard culture conditions for...

Introduction ystic ureteritis or cystic pyeloureteritis (CPU) is an unusual benign disease, consisting of the appearance of suburothelial cysts filled with amorphous gelatinous substances that raise the mucosa layer of the urothelium. 1 Most probably a chronic inflammatory process is involved in its pathogenesis. Histopathological examination of pyeloureteritis cystica and cystitis cystica reve...

During urinary bladder filling the bladder urothelium releases chemical mediators that in turn transmit information to the nervous and muscular systems to regulate sensory sensation and detrusor muscle activity. Defects in release of urothelial mediators may cause bladder dysfunctions that are characterized with aberrant bladder sensation during bladder filling. Previous studies have demonstrat...

Interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome is a disease seen mostly in women, and symptoms tend to be worse premenopausally or during ovulation. The four cardinal symptoms of interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome are bladder pain, urgency, frequency, and nocturia. Estrogen has been implicated in the etiology of this disease, but the role of the two estrogen receptors (ER), ERalpha ...

Urothelium that lines almost the entire urinary tract acts as a permeability barrier and is involved in the pathogenesis of major urinary diseases, including urothelial carcinoma, urinary tract infection, and interstitial cystitis. However, investigation of urothelial biology and diseases has been hampered by the lack of tissue-specific approaches. To address this deficiency, we sought to devel...

It is generally considered that the bladder is impervious and stores urine in unmodified form on account of the barrier imposed by the highly-specialised uro-epithelial lining. However, recent evidence, including demonstration of aquaporin (AQP) expression by human urothelium, suggests that urothelium may be able to modify urine content. Here we have we applied functional assays to an in vitro-...