title: Nerve growth factor does not seem to be a biomarker for neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction after spinal cord injury.
abstract: To prospectively investigate the association of bladder function with the nerve growth factor (NGF) concentration in the urine of individuals with neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD) after spinal cord injury (SCI).
  
  
  
  Individuals with chronic SCI and NLUTD presenting for a routine urologic examination at a tertiary urologic referral center were recruited for the study. Patient characteristics, the current bladder evacuation method and urodynamic parameters were collected. As controls, individuals with normal bladder function were recruited from the staff of a SCI rehabilitation center. The urinary NGF concentration was measured in triplicates by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay with a minimal sensitivity of 10 pg/ml.
  
  
  
  The data of 10 and 37 individuals with normal bladder function and NLUTD, respectively, were analyzed. The urinary NGF concentration was below 10 pg/ml in all investigated samples.
  
  
  
  The urinary NGF concentration did not differentiate between individuals with normal bladder function and those with NLUTD. At least in patients with SCI, the urinary NGF concentration does not seem to be a clinically relevant biomarker for NLUTD. Neurourol. Urodynam. 36:659-662, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Trial Unit, Swiss Paraplegic Centre, Nottwil, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Krebs
authors.affiliation: Laboratories, Swiss Paraplegic Foundation, Nottwil.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pavlicek
authors.affiliation: Laboratories, Swiss Paraplegic Foundation, Nottwil.
authors.forename: Jivko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stoyanov
authors.affiliation: Neurourology, Swiss Paraplegic Centre, Nottwil, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pannek
authors.affiliation: Neurourology, Swiss Paraplegic Centre, Nottwil, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wöllner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor / Q000652:urine*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000652:urine; D001750:Urinary Bladder, Neurogenic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor
keywords: bladder function; nerve growth factor; neurogenic detrusor overactivity; neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction; spinal cord injury