AccessMyLibrary provides FREE access to over 30 million articles from top publications available through your library.
Create a link to this page
Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:
Researchers pinpoint possible cause of chronic bladder disease.
2003 DEC 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- New research in cats suggests that the cause of some cases of interstitial cystitis (IC), a chronic and incurable inflammatory bladder disease that affects at least 700,000 women in the United States alone, may lie within the adrenal glands.
In a new study, researchers compared the adrenal glands of house cats with feline IC to the adrenal glands of healthy cats and found that the adrenals in the diseased cats were much smaller - nearly half the size of those in the healthy cats.
"Reduction in adrenal size has also been seen in people with chronic fatigue syndrome, which can occur in conjunction with IC," said Tony Buffington, lead author of the study and a professor of veterinary clinical sciences at Ohio State University. "We don't know why the adrenals were smaller in the cats with IC, but we think that the cats were born with smaller-than-average glands.
The adrenal glands, which sit on top of the kidneys, are responsible for a number of bodily functions, including hormone production and regulation of heart rate and blood pressure. IC affects cats and humans in a similar manner, and urologists believe that the feline urinary tract is one of the best animal models for the human urinary tract.
The researchers also found that, compared to healthy cats, the adrenal glands of the diseased cats produced lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol after the cats were injected with the stress-inducing compound adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). This suggests that the adrenal glands in the cats with IC may not provide an adequate hormonal response during stressful situations.
In humans, symptoms of IC include chronic pelvic pain, inflammation of the bladder, and increased urination frequency and urgency. Cats with the disease also have noticeable urinary problems; they strain when trying to urinate and also try to go frequently, often outside the litter box.
The study appears in the December 2003 issue of the Journal of Urology.
- ADRENAL GLANDS
- Reference information from: Young Students Learning Library January 1, 1996 700+ words
...00-00-0000 Human beings have two adrenal glands, one on top of each kidney. Like...body perform. In particular, the adrenal glands help the body cope with stress, anger...fear. The substances produced by the adrenal glands are called hormones. The adrenal glands...
- Adrenal glands and the rest of you: an interview with Decker Weiss,...
- Newspaper article from: Nutrition Health Review September 22, 2004 700+ words
Q. How can the adrenal glands affect blood pressure? A. Well...other systems of medicine. The adrenal glands may be hypofunctioning. One sign...How common are tumors on the adrenal glands? A. A rare event. These tumors...
- `The Rock' Bypasses Brain on Way Through Adrenal Glands
- Transcript from: NPR All Things Considered June 7, 1996 700+ words
00-00-0000 The Rock, another so-called summer blockbuster starring Sean Connery, Nicholas Cage and Ed Harris, foregoes plot detail to deliver high- decibel pyrotechnics, says critic Bob Mondello. ROBERT SIEGEL, Host: This is All Things Considered. I'm Robert Siegel. LINDA WERTHEIMER, Host: And I'm
- Researchers Pinpoint Possible Cause of Chronic Bladder Disease.
- News wire article from: Ascribe Higher Education News Service November 6, 2003 700+ words
...house cats with feline IC to the adrenal glands of healthy cats and found...This suggests that the adrenal glands in the cats with IC may not provide an adequate...smaller-than-normal adrenal glands will develop IC, and there are steps...
- adrenocorticotropic
- Reference information from: Webster's NewWorld Dictionary January 1, 1988 700+ words
...s NewWorld Dictionary 01-01-1988 a|dre|no|cor|ti|co|trop|ic (-kor|ti ko|trp'ik) adj. that can stimulate the cortex of the adrenal glands Erroneously a|dreno|cor|ti|co|trophic (-trf'ik) Copyright 1994...
- China IC Industry Report, 2006 Available Now.
- Press release article from: Business Wire April 12, 2007 700+ words
...c53790) has announced the addition of "China IC Industry Report, 2006" to their offering. China IC industry has become a focus of the global semiconductor...and favourable government policies, China IC industry has achieved a rapid development in...
- IC Industries agrees to acquire Pneumo Corp.
- Press release article from: PR Newswire August 9, 1984 700+ words
CHICAGO, Aug. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- IC Industries, Inc. and Pneumo Corporation...definitive merger agreement providing for IC Industries to acquire Pneumo. Under this...each company, Pneumo will merge into an IC Industries subsidiary. IC Industries will...
- IC and KCS: a complex courtship begins. (acquisition of Illinois Central Corp....
- Magazine article from: Railway Age Welty, Gus August 1, 1994 700+ words
...acquisition is to be handled through a merger of IC Corp. and KCSI, immediately following...approximately 21.2 million shares of IC Corp. common stock, and stock of a company...operations. The letter of intent also calls for IC Corp. to assume approximately $929 million...
Source: HighBeam Research, Researchers pinpoint possible cause of chronic bladder disease.