A team from Children's Hospital Boston and Brigham and Women's Hospital analyzed specimens from 28 children and adults with brain and central nervous system (CNS) tumors and 23 people with no tumors.

They found that urinary levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) -- a multi-gene family of degradative enzymes -- are elevated in patients with brain and CNS tumors.

"Recent studies from our laboratory, now confirmed by others, support the premise that tumor stage and progression correlate with urinary levels of MMPs," Dr. Edward R. Smith said in a prepared statement. "These studies are the first to suggest that the measurement of MMPs and related biomarkers in the urine of affected patients might represent a novel, noninvasive method of detecting disease status, progression and therapeutic effect."

"Early results from our ongoing protocol evaluating the role of urinary MPPs as noninvasive biomarkers for brain tumors are encouraging, particularly in light of this uniquely challenging cohort of cancer patients," Smith said.

Smith was expected to present his findings Monday at the American Association of Neurological Surgeons annual meeting, in Chicago.

"Ultimately, we envision that routine sampling of urinary MPPs and other biomarkers may enhance current methods of brain tumor detection and follow-up by facilitating earlier detection of both [new] and recurrent disease through noninvasive surveillance for abnormal urinary biomarker profiles. And most exciting is that this has real potential to equate to improved patient outcome," Smith said.

In 2005, about 43,800 new cases of primary nonmalignant and malignant brain and CNS tumors were diagnosed in the United States, and about 12,760 children and adults died from these kinds of tumors, according to background information in a news release about the study.

More information

The American Brain Tumor Association has more about brain tumors.

The findings, published in the April issue of the Archives of Neurology, support early laboratory studies about urate's protective qualities and offer hope for future disease therapies to delay Parkinson's symptoms such as tremors, rigidity and difficulty walking and talking.

Urate is a salt derived from uric acid, and it is a normal component of blood; however, high levels can lead to gout and kidney stones.

In a two-year study of 800 men recently diagnosed with Parkinson's, researchers from the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease and Harvard School of Public Health found that those with the highest urate levels at the study's start had almost half the risk of needing to start Parkinson's treatment drugs as did those with the lowest levels.

Brain scans showed that participants with higher urate levels also lost the fewest dopamine-producing neurons. Parkinson's disease is caused when brain cells that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine are destroyed.

"These findings, combined with prior knowledge of urate's protective properties in laboratory studies, raise the possibility that urate-elevating strategies could be used to slow the neurodegeneration of Parkinson's disease," study author Michael Schwarzschild, an associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, said in a prepared statement.

"Potential benefits of urate have to be tempered against the known risks of elevated urate levels, which include gout and kidney stones. From what we know now, urate elevation should only be attempted in the context of a closely monitored clinical trial, in which potential benefits and risks are carefully balanced," Schwarzschild said.

More information

We Move has more about Parkinson's disease.

Frequent urge to urinate, incontinence and dropped pelvic organs are among the symptoms of such disorders.

The study of 4,000 women (80 percent had given birth) found that 25 percent suffered from anal incontinence, 15 percent from stress urinary incontinence, 13 percent from overactive bladder, and 6 percent from dropped pelvic organs (pelvic organ prolapse). The women in the study were aged 25 to 84. The findings were published in the March issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

"These conditions really affect a woman's quality of life. Many women think this is just something they have to deal with as they age, and there isn't anything they can do about it, but that's not true," study author Jean M. Lawrence, a research scientist at Kaiser Permanente's department of research and evaluation in southern California.

A previous study by the same team of researchers found that vaginal births double the rate of pelvic floor disorders, compared to Caesarean deliveries or never giving birth.

"One of the myths surrounding pelvic floor disorder is that it affects only older women, but the truth is these conditions are extremely prevalent and extremely debilitating. But because the subject matter isn't cocktail conversation, women feel isolated and don't seek support and treatment," study co-author Dr. Karl Luber, a urogynecologist in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medial Center, said in a prepared statement.

Women with symptoms of pelvic floor disorders should consult with a doctor trained in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery, he advised.

"Among the available options for treatment for these common disorders are physical therapy to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, devices that can be fit to support your vaginal walls, and surgery. Many of today's surgeries are very noninvasive and can be done as an outpatient," Luber said.

In the United States, more than 15 million women have stress urinary incontinence, 16 million have an overactive bladder, and one in 10 suffers from anal incontinence, according to information in a news release about the study.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Child Health & Human Development has more about pelvic floor disorders.

Here are possible causes of painful urination, courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine:

• A urinary tract infection (UTI).
• Gonorrhea or chlamydia, both of which can cause inflammation of the urethra.
• An inflamed prostate.
• Chronic inflammation of the wall of the bladder.
• Inflammation of the vagina.
• Inflammation of the vulva.

According to a new national study, fewer than one in three hospitals are using either bladder scanners or antimicrobial catheters to prevent urinary tract infection and less than one in 10 are using daily, automated reminders that prompt doctors to review the need for a catheter.

Researchers at the University of Michigan noted that one in four hospital patients has a urinary catheter, a tube inserted into the urinary tract to allow urine to flow out of the bladder and into a bag. One percent of these patients are at risk for a urinary tract infection, the most common kind of infection acquired while hospitalized.

To study policies and practices surrounding the prevention of urinary tract infections, the Michigan team sent a detailed survey to all 119 Veterans Administration hospitals in the United States, as well as 600 randomly selected non-federal hospitals with an intensive care unit over 50 hospital beds.

They inquired about a variety of techniques that can prevent urinary tract infections, including the use of infection-reducing catheters (antimicrobial, condom-style or suprapubic). They also asked about the use of bladder scanners, which are used to find out if bladders are completely emptied, or the use of antimicrobial agents in the bags themselves.

The research team also asked about other infection-control methods, such as automated reminders, stop orders, monitoring systems, evaluation of infections and urinary catheter teams.

When they analyzed the results, the group found no consistently applied strategy for preventing catheter-related infections. Furthermore, most hospitals were not using even basic, proven tactics that can prevent these infections.

The study, published in the January issue of Clinical Infectious Disease, is the first national survey of catheter-related urinary tract infection prevention, the researchers said.

"Until now, we haven't had national data to tell us what hospitals are doing to prevent this common and costly patient-safety problem," lead author Dr. Sanjay Saint, director of the U-M/VA Patient Safety Enhancement Program, said in a prepared statement. "Now that we have these data, it's clear that there's no one dominant practice that's being used, including physician reminders, which have proven benefit and make a lot of common sense. The bottom line for hospitalized patients and their families is, if you have a catheter, ask the doctor or nurse every day if you really still need it."

The researchers added that infection control is of particular interest to hospitals now that Medicare no longer covers the cost of treating infections acquired during hospitalization.

According to the researchers, previous studies have shown that one third of patients have a catheter longer than needed, and one third of doctors do not know whether any particular patient still has a catheter in place.

VA hospitals were no more likely than other hospitals to have an automated catheter-reminder system, despite the hospitals' use of electronic medical records and information, said the researchers.

More information

To learn more about preventing hospital-acquired infections, visit the World Health Organization.