Using social media to crowdsource collection of urine samples during a national pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown had a substantial impact on normal research operations. Researchers needed to adapt their methods to engage at-home participants. One method is crowdsourcing, in which researchers use social media to recruit participants, gather data, and collect samples. We utilized this method to develop a diagnostic test for Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS). Participants were recruited via posts on popular social-media platforms, and enrolled via a website. Participants received and returned a mail kit containing bladder symptom surveys and a urine sample cup containing room-temperature preservative. Using this method, we collected 1254 IC/BPS and control samples in 3 months from all 50 United States. Our data demonstrate that crowdsourcing is a viable alternative to traditional research, with the ability to reach a broad patient population rapidly. Crowdsourcing is a powerful tool for at-home participation in research, particularly during the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Cost, Time, and Demographic Analysis of Participant Recruitment and Urine Sample Collection Through Social Media Optimization.

INTRODUCTION: Clinical research can be expensive and time consuming due to high associated costs and/or duration of the study. We hypothesized that urine sample collection using online recruitment and engagement of research participants via social medial has the potential to reach a large population in a small timeframe, at a reasonable cost. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cost analysis of a cohort study comparing cost per sample and time per sample for both online and clinically recruited participants for urine sample collection. During this time, cost data were collected based on study associated costs from invoices and budget spreadsheets. The data were subsequently analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Each sample collection kit contained 3 urine cups, 1 for the disease sample and 2 for control samples. Out of the 3,576 (1,192 disease + 2,384 control) total sample cups mailed, 1,254 (695 control) samples were returned. Comparatively, the 2 clinical sites collected 305 samples. Although the initial startup cost of online recruitment was higher, cost per sample for online recruited was found to be $81.45 compared to $398.14 for clinic sample. CONCLUSIONS: We conducted a nationwide, contactless, urine sample collection through online recruitment in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results were compared with the samples collected in the clinical setting. Online recruitment can be utilized to collect urine samples rapidly, efficiently, and at a cost per sample that was 20% of an in-person clinic, and without risk of COVID-19 exposure.

Urinary Incontinence and Alzheimer's Disease: Insights From Patients and Preclinical Models.

Alzheimer's disease effects a large percentage of elderly dementia patients and is diagnosed on the basis of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) present in the brain. Urinary incontinence (UI) is often found in the elderly populations and multiple studies have shown that it is more common in Alzheimer's disease patients than those with normal cognitive function. However, the link between increased UI and Alzheimer's disease is still unclear. Amyloid plaques and NFTs present in micturition centers of the brain could cause a loss of signal to the bladder, resulting in the inability to properly void. Additionally, as Alzheimer's disease progresses, patients become less likely to recognize the need or understand the appropriate time and place to void. There are several treatments for UI targeting the muscarinic and ß3 adrenergic receptors, which are present in the bladder and the brain. While these treatments may aid in UI, they often have effects on the brain with cognitive impairment side-effects. Acetylcholine esterase inhibitors are often used in treatment of Alzheimer's disease and directly oppose effects of anti-muscarinics used for UI, making UI management in Alzheimer's disease patients difficult. There are currently over 200 pre-clinical models of Alzheimer's disease, however, little research has been done on voiding disfunction in these models. There is preliminary data suggesting these models have similar voiding behavior to Alzheimer's disease patients but much more research is needed to understand the link between UI and Alzheimer's disease and discover better treatment options for managing both simultaneously.