Muscle, Matrix, and Bladder Function: (385 Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology)

This conference and monograph were the result of many collective efforts. The whole concept was formulated one early Wednesday morning at our weekly research meeting at Children's Hospital in our division of urology. We have been most fortunate to have a close collaboration with Bob Levin, Ed Macarak, and Pam Howard who have helped steer the course of our division's growing interest in basic science. At our weekly meetings our laboratory fellow will summarize their current work. Other ongoing areas of investigation in our labs and elsewhere are discussed. We have always made an effort to try and understand what other groups are doing who are working in the area of bladder smooth muscle research. It occurred to us that the best way to really know what everyone working in this field was doing would be to sponsor a 2-day meeting where we could all gather to discuss our ongoing work. A major limitation of the annual meeting of the American Urologic Association or the urology section of the American Academy of Pediatrics is that the scientfic sessions are limited as these are meant to be primarily clinical meetings (as they should be). For this reason the idea of a meeting devoted solely to research about the urinary bladder had great appeal. In addition to allowing for longer presentations than the standard 5 to 7 minutes, every effort would be made to encourage a dialogue amongst the presenters and the audience.

Table of Contents:
The Clinical Relevance of Basic Science: A Surgeon’s Perspective.- Bladder Outlet Obstruction - Overview.- Bladder Function in Experimental Outlet Obstruction: Pharmacologic Responses to Alterations in Innervation, Energetics, Calcium Mobilization, and Genetics.- Electrical Properties of Obstructed Guinea Pig Bladder.- Metabolism of Detrusor Smooth Muscle in Normal and Obstructed Urinary Bladder.- The Neuronal Response to Bladder Outlet Obstruction, a Role for NGF.- Contractile Proteins and Their Response to Bladder Outlet Obstruction.- Molecular Aspects of Bladder Outlet Obstruction.- Bladder Outlet Obstruction - Discussion.- Developmental Physiology - Overview.- Fetal Lower Urinary Tract Physiology: In Vivo Studies.- Fetal Bovine Compliance Changes.- Developmental Aspects of Excitation Contraction Coupling in Urinary Bladder Smooth Muscle.- Congential Bladder Obstruction: Research Strategies and Directions.- Developmental Bladder Physiology - Discussion.- Extracellular Matrix Update - Overview.- Is Collagen Remodeling Associated with Bladder Obstruction?.- Regulation of Matrix Metalloproteinases during Extracellular Matrix Turnover.- Elastic Fibers and Their Role in Bladder Extracellular Matrix.- The Collagens and Their Urologic Implications.- Extracellular Matrix Update - Discussion.- Changes in Bladder Extracellular Matrix - Overview.- Matrix Changes in the Bladder Associated With Normal Aging.- The Role of Proteoglycans in Bladder Structure and function.- Cultured Mechanical Bladder Cells and Their Response to Mechanical Strain.- Alterations in Extracellular Matrix Gene Expression in Normal Versus Non-Compliant Human Bladders.- Changes in Bladder Extracellular Matrix - Discussion.- Regenerative Bladder Augmentation: A Review of the Initial Preclinical Studieswith Porcine Small Intestinal Submucosa.- The Effects of High Urinary Potassium Concentration of Pelvic Nerve Mechanoreceptors and “Silent” Afferents From the Rat Bladder.- Muscarinic Receptor Subtypes in Normal, Fetal, and Gravid Rabbit Bladder, Heart, and Uterus.- Fetal Bovine Bladder Physiology and Pharmacology.- Two Mathematical Models Predict the Variation in Capacity and Compliance of Hypertrophied Bladders.- The Effects of Cholinergic Stimulation on Cultured Smooth Muscle Cells.- Autologous Periurethral Fat Injections for the Creation of Bladder Outlet Obstruction.- Participants and Faculty.