Urethra News and Research

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In anatomy, the urethra is a tube which connects the urinary bladder to the outside of the body. The urethra has an excretory function in both genders to pass urine to the outside, and also a reproductive function in the male, as a passage for sperm.

Immersion in virtual reality can be used to alleviate the discomfort of medical procedures

Pain relief typically involves anesthetic but VR also provides a new technology to limit some of the pain experienced in medical procedures.

12 Jul 2021

Thousands of men to trial new home test kit for prostate cancer

Thousands of men worldwide are to receive a home test kit for prostate cancer – thanks to pioneering research from the University of East Anglia and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH).

30 Apr 2021

FDA investigates contributing factors for reported infections from reprocessed urological endoscopes

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it is investigating numerous medical device reports (MDRs) describing patient infections and other possible contamination issues associated with reprocessing urological endoscopes, including cystoscopes, ureteroscopes and cystourethroscopes—devices used to view and access the urinary tract.

1 Apr 2021

New type of drug significantly increases survival of bladder cancer patients

A new type of drug that helps target chemotherapy directly to cancer cells has been found to significantly increase survival of patients with the most common form of bladder cancer, according to results from a phase III clinical trial led in the UK by Queen Mary University of London and Barts Health NHS Trust.

13 Feb 2021

Study evaluates the use of flow cytometry in diagnosing male urethritis

According to the World Health Organization, the global prevalence estimates of sexually transmitted infections for men in 2016 were 2.7% for chlamydia, 0.7% for gonorrhea and 0.6% for trichomoniasis. In men, these and other sexually transmitted infections may lead to urethritis, inflammation of the urethra.

3 Dec 2020

COVID-19 potentially has negative impacts on male fertility

A review recently published in the Journal of Medical Virology has discussed some of the effects that infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – may have on male fertility.

22 Nov 2020

UH researcher receives $1.6 million to reverse urinary incontinence

A University of Houston researcher is working to reverse pelvic floor dysfunction which can result in urinary incontinence, a condition affecting 30-60% of the female population and 5-15% of males.

15 Oct 2020

Scientists find sensor protein that makes normal bladder function possible

A team co-led by scientists at Scripps Research has found that the main sensor protein enabling our sense of touch also underlies the feeling of having a full bladder and makes normal bladder function possible.

14 Oct 2020

Chlamydiae need a lot of glutamine to multiply in human cells

If chlamydiae want to multiply in a human cell, the first thing they need is a lot of glutamine. Würzburg researchers have clarified how the pathogenic bacteria obtain this substance.

3 Aug 2020

Novel testicular luminal protein is vital for male fertility

Newly produced spermatozoa within the testis are not fully functional until they mature in the epididymis, a duct that helps to transport and store sperm.

9 Jul 2020

Bees-Haus method of cell therapy for treating urethral stricture receives Japanese patent

Treating male urethral stricture with the patient’s own buccal mucosal cells, encapsulated in a polymer scaffold as carrier, has been granted a patent in Japan.

3 Jul 2020

Researchers unravel how the body fights off urinary tract infections

Anyone who has ever had cystitis knows that urinary tract infections of this kind are annoying and painful. They can be well treated by antibiotics, but may be fatal if left untreated.

2 Jul 2020

Researchers develop a microfluidic chip to help detect prostate cancer

Researchers of Sechenov University together with their colleagues from Australia used the microfluidics technology to develop a device able to isolate cancer cells from urine of patients with prostate cancer.

10 Mar 2020

Going vegan lowers risk of urinary tract infection

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are usually caused by bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, which is normally found in the gut but enters the urinary tract through the urethra. UTIs, when left untreated, can reach and affect the kidneys. It is one of the most common microbial infections across the globe, with a worldwide prevalence of 10 in 1,000 people.

30 Jan 2020

Individualized pelvic physical therapy decreases incontinence, pain in post-prostatectomy patients

For decades, therapy to strengthen pelvic muscles has been the standard treatment for men dealing with urinary incontinence after prostate surgery. But a new study from UT Southwestern's Departments of Urology and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation suggests that may not be the best approach.

30 Dec 2019

Boys born small at higher risk of infertility

A new study published in the journal Human Reproduction on December 13, 2019, shows that baby boys who don’t grow as well as expected in the womb may grow up to be infertile as adults. The study showed a 55% or 85% higher risk of infertility among this group of men compared to those born with appropriate weights.

15 Dec 2019

MRI-guided ultrasound ablation: safer better treatment for prostate cancer

Prostate cancer may soon be treated more effectively using ultrasound at therapeutic levels, without the significant and distressing side effects of more traditional treatments. A new study presented on December 2, 2019, presents the outcome of using focused ultrasound ablation under MRI guidance in a novel procedure that can be used to treat both benign and malignant enlargement of the prostate gland.

2 Dec 2019

Injured veteran almost back to normal after penis and scrotum transplant

An interesting letter in the New England Journal of Medicine on November 7, 2019, describes the successful outcome at one year of a rare genital transplant in a young war veteran who lost most of the lower part of the abdominal wall, the scrotum and both testes, and both legs below the knee, to a bomb blast.

10 Nov 2019

Effective non-surgical treatment options for urinary incontinence

A common myth about urinary incontinence (the loss of bladder control or urinary leakage) in women is that surgery is your only option.