Enhanced maximum flow rate and decreased postvoid residual volume were also described after PFMT. Interstitial Cystitis/Painful

Bladder Syndrome in the United States Dr. J.Q. Clemens2 from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, presented the RAND Interstitial Cystitis Epidemiology (RICE) study, a rigorous epidemiological research study funded by the National #buy VX-689 keyword# Institutes of Health (NIH) and led by scientists from RAND Corp., Santa Monica, CA. This study was designed to develop a symptom-based case definition of interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) for epidemiologic research, to validate the definition in physician-diagnosed cases, to conduct telephone population screening of a sample of women in the United States, and to calculate an estimate of the prevalence Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of IC/PBS in US women with IC/PBS-like symptoms. There is very little reliable information published on the epidemiology of IC/PBS. The criteria used for diagnosis of IC/PBS by different investigators have been variable. The authors suggested that lack of objective disease markers for IC/PBS is partly Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical to blame for the limited amount of epidemiologic information that exists related to IC/PBS. In this context, it is easy to understand the interest raised by

this study. Results showed that 3.4 to 7.9 million women in the United States may

have IC/PBS, according to the newly released prevalence number presented. Approximately Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical 3% to 6% of women aged ≥ 18 years in the United States meet RICE symptom criteria for IC/PBS. According to the authors, no single questionnaire-based definition of IC/PBS is able to simultaneously identify all IC/PBS cases and also distinguish these cases from similar conditions such as overactive bladder (OAB), endometriosis, and vulvodynia. Therefore, they recommended the use of 2 definitions: 1 with high sensitivity and 1 with high specificity. Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical This rigorous study provides us with an accurate picture of how many US women are living with IC. Results suggest that the known prevalence of IC/PBS may be underestimated. The authors noted that it is important to continue to study the epidemiology of IC/PBS, as this Behavioral and Brain Sciences is of interest to policy makers and physicians who treat women with this very challenging condition. Bladder Reinnervation by Rerouting Improves the Function of the Neurogenic Bladder Dr. William de Groat,3 Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA), gave a keynote presentation reviewing the principles and the potential of nerve rerouting to improve bladder function in patients with neural injuries or congenital abnormalities of the spinal cord (spina bifida). Dr.