Dear Colleagues,

I would like to announce the launch of the UroToday International Journal® (UIJ) (http://www.urotodayinternationaljournal.com), a new online, peer-reviewed, fast-tracked urology and urologic oncology publication. UIJ focuses specifically on the professional global urology and urologic oncology community. It will elevate the access to relevant urology and oncology science to professionals around the world. UIJ will make the scientific information available to a much wider audience than that reached by other journals, including potential readers who do not have access to a research library that can afford to pay for journal subscriptions. There is no charge to register, submit or publish an article in the UIJ. Additionally there are no charges for color figures. There is no other urology journal offering this unique approach to achieve peer-review publication.

UIJ reaches currently over 55,000 professionals in urology. UIJ will open for general submission of manuscripts on May 31st, 2008 for the July issue.

All manuscripts will be subject to rigorous peer-review. All accepted articles will be given Digital Object Identifier (DOI) numbers so that they can be retrieved and indexed by Pubmed as soon as the pending application from UroToday International Journal has been accepted.

The UroToday International Journal® has an international editorial board headed by myself, Professor at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University. The Section/Associate Editors are; Christopher P. Evans, Christian Gratzke and Yasuhiko Igawa. Christopher P. Evans MD, FACS is the Chair of the Department of Urology and Professor & Chairman of Urologic Surgical Oncology University of California, Davis, School of Medicine. Christian Gratzke is an Urologist in the Department of Urology, at the University of Munich in Germany and Yasuhiko Igawa, MD, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Urology at Shinshu University School of Medicine, Japan.Gina B. Carithers is the Publisher of both the UroToday International Journal® and www.urotoday.com. The Managing Editor is Tracy Ireland.

Kind regards,
Karl-Erik Andersson, MD, PhD

Editor-In-Chief

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is the involuntary leakage of urine during periods of increased abdominal pressure (e.g., coughing, running or lifting). It is caused by an incompetent urethral sphincter which may arise as a consequence of damage to the pelvic floor muscles sustained during pregnancy and childbirth. Pharmacological therapy includes the off-label use of sympathomimetic medication (alpha-adrenergic agonists), to enhance urethral tone and alleviate symptoms, however their associated cardiovascular side effects (e.g. hypertension) limits their utility. PSD503 (Plethora Solutions Ltd, London, UK) is a controlled dose topical gel, which contains the alpha-adrenergic agonist phenylephrine (20% w/w). It has been developed as a locally administered treatment for SUI, to increase urethral tone and provide symptomatic relief, in the absence of systemic side effects.

Background

Obesity is an established and modifiable risk factor for urinary incontinence (UI) but conclusive evidence for a beneficial effect of weight loss on UI is lacking.

Introduction: We present a retrospective study involving 48 patients, who underwent transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) for bladder outflow obstruction due to prostatic enlargement [4]. The aim of the study was to compare the safety of 2-way catheters post-TURP in relation to the 3-way catheter.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD) following neurological illness depends upon the level of lesion in the nervous system, causing a characteristic pattern of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). However, a subset of patients may have symptoms that are at variance from the expected pattern.

Background

Obesity is an established risk factor for urinary incontinence (UI).

ABSTRACT

Introduction and Objectives: Faecal incontinence is a devastating social and physical handicap affecting 2% of the general population. It is 8 times more common in females than males, largely due to the adverse effects of childbirth on vulnerable pudendal nerves. Our laboratory created 2 rat models simulating faecal incontinence in which the inferior rectal nerve (a terminal branch of the pudendal nerve that supplies the external anal sphincter) is either crushed or compressed. We aimed to determine the effects of these injuries on inferior rectal-nerve axonal counts and cross-sectional areas in our rat models, and to correlate these findings with somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) from the same animals.

Introduction and Objectives

The objectives of this clinical study were to demonstrate non-inferiority of oral trospium chloride (TC) in comparison to oxybutynin (OXY), and to evaluate efficacy, safety, and quality of life parameters when using either substance in the treatment of patients with urge urinary incontinence.

Introduction and Objectives

Since the initial description by Ulmsten, the wide use of TVT was associated with per and post operative complications.

ABSTRACT

Introduction and Objectives: Suburethral synthetic sling procedures have become widely used as surgical treatment for female urinary stress incontinence. However synthetic slings are expensive. Since 2002, we have used in a non- randomized fashion, Composix-based slings, tension-free vaginal tapes TVT and transobturator tapes TVT-O. The Composix sling was cut from a large sheet used for ventral hernia repair and resterilized. The Composix sling was fitted with 0 Maxon resorbable sutures on each side and positionned suburethrally with a Raz needle introduced though a small suprapubic incision. The goals of this prospective study are to compare the success rate, the durability, the complications and the cost of the three different approaches.

ABSTRACT

Introduction and Objectives: The objectives of this clinical study were to demonstrate non-inferiority of oral trospium chloride (TC) in comparison to oxybutynin (OXY), and to evaluate efficacy, safety, and quality of life parameters when using either substance in the treatment of patients with urge urinary incontinence.

ABSTRACT

Objective: To evaluate changes in bowel symptoms after sacrocolpopexy (SC).

 ABSTRACT

Introduction and Objectives: Since the initial description by Ulmsten, the wide use of TVT was associated with per and post operative complications. Alternative routes were later described and more recently mini slings procedures without skin exit. We recently developed the Sub Pubic TVT route (TSP) using a small sub urethral sling. Anatomical considerations and short term results are presented.

Introduction and Objectives: Suburethral synthetic sling procedures have become widely used as surgical treatment for female urinary stress incontinence. However synthetic slings are expensive. Since 2002, we have used in a non- randomized fashion, Composix-based slings, tension-free vaginal tapes TVT and transobturator tapes TVT-O. The Composix sling was cut from a large sheet used for ventral hernia repair and resterilized. The Composix sling was fitted with 0 Maxon resorbable sutures on each side and positionned suburethrally with a Raz needle introduced though a small suprapubic incision. The goals of this prospective study are to compare the success rate, the durability, the complications and the cost of the three different approaches.

ABSTRACT

Objectives: Demonstrate our early and preliminary experience with the use of small intestinal submucosa [SIS] as a suburethral sling in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence[SUI] in females.

Introduction and Objectives

Health economic analyses are used routinely to evaluate a number of types of healthcare interventions and are required for all new pharmaceuticals by many national and regional health authorities.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Stress urinary incontinence is associated with substantial economic costs for incontinence management, decrement in health-related quality of life, and a high willingness to pay for incontinence care.

Introduction and Objectives: Women with overactive bladder and other lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) may not improve through monotherapy with antimuscarinic agents or alpha-blockers. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of tamsulosin and tamsulosin plus tolterodine in women with lower urinary tract symptoms, we assessed changes of international prostate symptom scores (IPSS), bladder diary variables, and safety and tolerability following 2 different treatments.

Introduction and Objectives: Although there is an accumulation of data that suggest 2-pore domain potassium (K2P) channels are involved in diverse cellular functions such as cell excitability, signal transduction, apoptosis, and abnormal cell proliferation, and thus probably involved in many different physiological and pathophysiological processes, limited data are available for native K2P channel characteristics, including tissue-specific expression patterns and pharmacological properties. Thus, aims of this study were to examine if stretch-activated K2P channels such as TREK1, TREK2, and TRAAK expressed in bladder mucosa and to measure urinary incontinence-associated changes of RNA and protein levels.

ABSTRACT

Introduction and Objectives: Health economic analyses are used routinely to evaluate a number of types of health care interventions and are required for all new pharmaceuticals by many national and regional health authorities. These analyses assess the implications of projected outcomes and costs of a new drug treatment, and are often used as a tool to guide decisions about pharmaceutical development and consumption. As an illustrative example, an overview of the components and construction of an economic model are presented here using the costs and outcomes associated with fesoterodine (FESO), a new antimuscarinic that has been shown to be safe, tolerable, and effective for the management of overactive bladder (OAB) in adults.