Nonbladder related symptoms in patients with interstitial cystitis.

PURPOSE: Clinical experience and epidemiological studies suggest that patients with interstitial cystitis have multiple nonbladder related symptoms. However, to our knowledge this finding has not been tested with a validated questionnaire and matched controls. With the University of Wisconsin scale, we compare the scores for patients with interstitial cystitis to those for control subjects. This validated questionnaire includes 7 bladder and 18 reference symptoms not related to the bladder. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 35 female patients with interstitial cystitis and 35 age matched female controls completed the University of Wisconsin questionnaire. RESULTS: For the 7 bladder symptoms the difference between interstitial cystitis and control groups was extremely significant (p = 0.0001). Patients with interstitial cystitis had higher scores than controls for 2 reference symptoms, including other pelvic discomfort, backache, dizziness, chest pain, aches in joints, abdominal cramps, nausea, heart pounding and headache (p <0.01). However, they did not have higher scores for blind spots and/or blurred vision, numbness and/or tingling in fingers or toes, swollen ankles, feeling of suffocation, sore throat, cough, flu, nasal congestion and ringing in ears. The majority of patients with interstitial cystitis had a 0 score for all but 2 of the reference symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with interstitial cystitis had increased scores for 9 reference symptoms but did not indiscriminately report high scores for generalized complaints. This result suggests that in some cases of interstitial cystitis the pathophysiology may affect other organ systems besides the bladder. Alternatively, some of these symptoms may result from changes in sleep pattern or other factors associated with interstitial cystitis.

Localization and diurnal expression of mRNA encoding the beta1-adrenoceptor in the rat pineal gland: an in situ hybridization study.

The rat pinealocyte is stimulated by norepinephrine, which is released from sympathetic nerve fibers innervating the gland. Norepinephrine binds to beta1-adrenoceptors situated on the pinealocyte cell membrane. Ligand binding to these receptors exhibits a diurnal rhythm, with the largest number occurring in the late part of the light phase when the release of norepinephrine is minimal. By using in situ hybridization with a cDNA antisense oligonucleotide probe recognizing mRNA encoding the rat beta1-adrenoceptor, we have demonstrated a stronger hybridization signal in the rat pineal gland than in other brain regions. Cells containing beta1-mRNA are located in the superficial pineal gland, the deep pineal gland, and the pineal stalk. However, the number of receptors varies considerably between the individual pinealocytes. The beta1-mRNA in situ hybridization signal for mRNA encoding the beta1-adrenoceptor of the rat pineal has been quantified over a 24-h period; the strongest signal is found at mid-dark and the weakest signal at mid-light, indicating that the transcriptional regulation of beta1-mRNA synthesis in the rat pineal is diurnal. In addition, maximal receptor protein expression occurs late in the light phase in the rat pineal and is thus considerably delayed compared with its peak mRNA synthesis. This lag time indicates that the beta1-receptor is regulated at the translational or post-translational level. Removal of the sympathetic input to the pineal gland by superior cervical ganglionectomy decreases the beta1-mRNA signal in the gland.