Publications by authors named "Russ Chess-Williams"

Urinary stress incontinence has a high prevalence in women, with many associated risk factors, such as high impact and intensity sports due to increased intra-abdominal pressure causing stretching and weakening of the pelvic floor muscles. No previous study has investigated the effects of undulatory resistance training (URT), deemed as high impact sports's modality, on urinary bladder (UB) and tissue remodeling. Healing of tissue depends on the equilibrium of metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their inhibitors (TIMPS).

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Purpose/objective: This study explores the role of phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors (specifically PDE-4, PDE-5 and PDE-1) in modulating the contractility of the porcine urethral smooth muscle and mucosal layers.

Methods: Using an organ bath setup, the effects of PDE inhibitors rolipram, roflumilast, sildenafil, tadalafil and vinpocetine (0.1 nM to 10 μm) on isolated porcine urethral mucosa-intact smooth muscle, mucosa-denuded smooth muscle and mucosal layers were investigated.

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Introduction: Antimuscarinics are the first-line pharmaceutical treatment for overactive bladder (OAB). However, some literature suggests that responses to these antimuscarinics can influence a variety of non-muscarinic receptors. This study aimed to identify any non-muscarinic influences on contraction from commonly prescribed clinical antimuscarinics using porcine detrusor or urothelium with lamina propria (U&LP) tissues.

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Drug repurposing provides a cost-effective and time-saving approach to cancer therapy. Aripiprazole (ARI), a third-generation antipsychotic, has shown potential anticancer properties by modulating pathways central to tumor progression and resistance. This scoping review systematically examines evidence on ARI's anticancer effects, mechanisms of action, and translational potential.

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The aim of this study was to investigate the functional role of phosphodiesterase enzymes (PDE) in the isolated porcine ureter. Distal ureteral strips were mounted in organ baths and pre-contracted with 5-HT (100 μM). Upon generation of stable phasic contractions, PDE-4 and PDE-5 inhibitors were added cumulatively to separate tissues.

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Recent studies suggest that lower urinary tract dysfunction may arise due to changes in local perfusion. Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors can improve urinary bladder blood flow, although the local mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. The aim was to pharmacologically characterise the vascular supply to the bladder and determine the mechanisms underlying the effects of the phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors tadalafil and sildenafil.

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Ageing is associated with deteriorating urinary bladder function and an increasing prevalence of disorders such as underactive bladder. There are suggestions that G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) second messenger pathways are altered during ageing, rather than the receptor proteins themselves. The aim of this study was to identify age-related variations in GPCR activation systems in urinary bladder smooth muscle (detrusor).

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Objectives: Antimuscarinic medications are the first-line treatments for overactive bladder, the most common form of bladder dysfunction. Their primary action is thought to block detrusor muscarinic receptors. It is unclear, however, if these therapeutics have actions on other tissues within the lower urinary tract.

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The influence of extracellular and intracellular calcium on smooth muscle contractile activity varies between organs. In response to G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) stimulation, the urinary bladder detrusor muscle has shown a 70% dependence on extracellular calcium, whereas the urothelium and lamina propria (U&LP) has a 20%-50% dependence. However, as this only accounts for partial contractile activity, the contribution of intracellular calcium and calcium sensitization pathways remains unclear.

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Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide. Radiotherapy remains one of the first-line treatments in localised disease and may be used as monotherapy or in combination with other treatments such as androgen deprivation therapy or radical prostatectomy. Despite advancements in delivery methods and techniques, radiotherapy has been unable to totally overcome radioresistance resulting in treatment failure or recurrence of previously treated PCa.

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Evidence to support the effectiveness of β3-adrenoceptor agonist mirabegron and anti-muscarinic solifenacin in the management of bladder dysfunction caused by psychological stress is lacking. This study investigates whether mirabegron or solifenacin reduces the bladder overactivity caused by water avoidance stress (WAS) in mice. Female mice were exposed to WAS for 1 h/day for 10 days and received either placebo, solifenacin or mirabegron in drinking water.

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Psychological stress causes bladder dysfunction in humans and in rodent models, with increased urinary frequency and altered contractile responses evident following repeated environmental stress exposure. However, whether these changes persist after removal of the stressor is unknown, and the aim of this study was to determine if stress-induced changes in voiding behaviour and bladder function recover following removal of the stressor. Adult female mice were allocated to three groups: Unstressed, Stressed or Stressed + Recovery.

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The β-agonist mirabegron is thought to induce relaxation of the detrusor muscle, contributing to the improvement of overactive bladder symptoms. There has been recent interest in purposing mirabegron as a medical expulsive therapy drug to improve the passage of smaller kidney stones by relaxing the ureteral smooth muscles. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of mirabegron on the activity of the ureter.

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With many common bladder diseases arising due to abnormal contractions, a greater understanding of the receptor systems involved may aid the development of future treatments. The aim of this study was to identify any difference in the involvement of extracellular calcium (Ca) across prominent contractile-mediating receptors within cells lining the bladder. Strips of porcine urothelium and lamina propria were isolated from the urinary bladder dome and mounted in isolated tissue baths containing Krebs-bicarbonate solution, perfused with carbogen gas at 37°C.

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Psychological stress has been linked to the development and exacerbation of overactive bladder symptoms, as well as afferent sensitisation in other organ systems. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effects of water avoidance stress on bladder afferent nerve activity in response to bladder filling and pharmaceutical stimulation with carbachol and ATP in mice. Adult female C57BL/6J mice were exposed to either water avoidance stress (WAS) for 1 h/day for 10 days or normal housing conditions.

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It is well established that lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), particularly urinary urgency and incontinence, cause stress and anxiety for patients. However, there is mounting evidence that the relationship between these two factors is bidirectional and that chronic psychological stress itself can result in the development of symptoms such as urinary frequency, urgency, incontinence, and pelvic pain. This review considers the evidence that such a relationship exists and reviews the literature from clinical and animal studies to identify some of the mechanisms that might be involved.

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The primary goals of medical expulsive therapy are to increase the rate of stone expulsion along the ureter to avoid ureteral obstruction and reduce ureteral colic and thus avoid the need for surgical and more invasive interventions. This review focussed on the findings from in vivo and in vitro animal and human studies that have investigated the pharmacological mechanisms controlling ureteral motility and their translation to current and potentially new clinically used drugs for increasing the rate of stone expulsion along the ureter. The complicated contractility profile of the ureter, which alters with age, tissue segment region, orientation and species contributes to the difficulty of interpreting studies on ureteral pharmacology, which translates to the complexity of discovering ideal drug targets for medical expulsive therapy.

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Aims: To determine if treatment with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) sertraline reduces the bladder dysfunction caused by water avoidance stress in mice.

Main Methods: Adult female mice were randomly allocated to (1) Unstressed, (2) Stressed or (3) Stress + Sertraline experimental groups. Stressed mice were subjected to water avoidance for 1 h/day for 10 days and received sertraline or vehicle in drinking water, starting 10-days prior to the first stress exposure.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study examined how trace amines (p-tyramine, p-synephrine, and p-octopamine) affect renal arteries, which are important for regulating blood pressure and can have cardiovascular side effects.
  • The research tested the contractile responses of these amines in isolated porcine renal arteries, using various receptor antagonists to understand their mechanisms of action.
  • Key findings revealed that all three amines caused vasoconstriction, but tyramine primarily worked through an indirect pathway, whereas synephrine and octopamine had both direct and indirect effects on the vascular system.
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Article Synopsis
  • Multi-ingredient pre-workout supplements (MIPS) often include Citrus aurantium as a source of p-synephrine but face issues regarding ingredient authenticity and potential side effects.
  • A study aimed to develop a method to accurately measure the ratios of synephrine enantiomers in these supplements compared to standardized reference materials (SRMs).
  • Results showed that only 42% of the tested MIPS had enantiomeric ratios matching the SRMs, raising concerns about proper labeling and the need for stricter regulations in dietary supplement testing.
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The aim of this study was to investigate the unknown effects of 17β-estradiol (E2) on ureteral contractility and the receptor and mechanisms involved. By utilising isolated porcine distal ureteral strips, we observed that E2 (30-300 μM) and a G protein-coupled estrogen receptor specific agonist G-1 (30 μM) both increased the frequency of phasic contractions of the ureter (P<0.05).

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Drug repurposing has been increasingly used by both researchers and clinicians to identify new cancer treatments. The alpha-1 adrenoreceptor blockers are a class of drugs that have been used for many years in the treatment of hypertension and benign prostatic hyperplasia. Some of the drugs in this class, notably the quinazoline derivatives, have been found to display cytotoxic properties, identifying them as potential options in the treatment of cancer.

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