Objectives To determine whether nerve growth factorResults The levels of NGF were higher in samples from all three painful bladder conditions than in samples (NGF) is elevated in painful conditions of the urinary bladder (idiopathic sensory urgency, interstitial cystitis from controls. Immunostaining showed increased NGF expression in the urothelium, most marked in patients and painful chronic cystitis). Patients and methods Sixteen women patients were with idiopathic sensory urgency. Conclusions The increased level of NGF may explain recruited from the Urodynamic Clinic at The Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital, London. Four each had several clinical and pathological features in these conditions, including sensitization of nociceptor fibres idiopathic sensory urgency (mean age 34 years, range 24-51), chronic cystitis (mean age 51 years, range and increased numbers of mast cells. We propose that anti-NGF treatment may be a rational and effective 40-79) and interstitial cystitis (mean age 41 years, range 29-53). Four women who had genuine stress treatment in intractable bladder pain. Keywords Human, urinary bladder, inflammation, pain, incontinence on cystometry but with no irritative symptoms were used as controls (mean age 45 years, nerve growth factor range 35-54). The levels of NGF were determined in bladder biopsies from all women and biopsy sections were immunostained to detect NGF. including bladder capacity under anaesthetic and bladder

Renal cell carcinoma contains significantly lower concentrations of the lysosomal cysteine proteases, cathepsins B, C, H, L and S, than does normal kidney, as shown by several methods, such as activity determination, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. The same low levels of enzyme activity and concentration have been determined in renal cell carcinoma metastases in the lung. Our results on the decreased concentration of cysteine peptidases at the protein level would seem to conflict with earlier results on an increased concentration of the cathepsin L mRNA in renal cell carcinoma.

Renal cell carcinoma contains significantly lower concentrations of the lysosomal cysteine proteases, cathepsins B, C, H, L and S, than does normal kidney, as shown by several methods, such as activity determination, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. The same low levels of enzyme activity and concentration have been determined in renal cell carcinoma metastases in the lung. Our results on the decreased concentration of cysteine peptidases at the protein level would seem to conflict with earlier results on an increased concentration of the cathepsin L mRNA in renal cell carcinoma.