A new study from a USC research team just published in  Nature Communications reveals major insights in understanding how the human spinal cord triggers the bladder emptying process – insights that could lead to new therapies to help patients regain control of this essential function. For the study researchers from USC Viterbi School of Engineering and Keck School of Medicine of USC harnessed functional ultrasound imaging (fUSI), an emerging neuroimaging technology that is minimally invasive, to observe real-time changes in blood flow dynamics in the human spinal cord during bladder filling and emptying. Because the fUSI process requires a “window” through the bone to work, researchers worked with a group of patients undergoing standard-of-care epidural spinal cord stimulation surgery for chronic low back pain to measure where changes in blood volume occur on the spinal cord during the cycle of urination. During the implantation of the stimulator, researchers were able to use the window created in the bone to safely insert leads to image the spinal cord using fUSI. While the patient was under anesthesia, the team gathered the fUSI imaging data of the spinal cord while gently filling and emptying the bladder with saline to simulate a full urination cycle. The experiments identified that some spinal cord regions showed positive correlation, meaning their activity increased as bladder pressure rose, while others showed negative (anti-correlation), with activity decreasing as pressure increased. This suggests the involvement of both excitatory and inhibitory spinal cord networks in bladder control. This study offers a tangible path toward addressing this critical need for patients suffering from neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction. The ability to decode bladder pressure from spinal cord activity provides proof-of-concept for developing personalized spinal cord interfaces that could warn patients about their bladder state, helping them regain control.

Women who are overdue for cervical cancer screening are most likely to participate in screening when a self-sampling kit is offered by a healthcare professional as part of routine GP appointments, according to a new study led by Queen Mary University of London with King’s College London. Over half of the people offered an at-home test during an unrelated GP appointment returned the sample. If this approach were adopted across the NHS, it is estimated that as many as 1,000 women would be prevented from developing cervical cancer every year. 

The majority of liver cancer cases could be prevented by reducing levels of viral hepatitis, alcohol consumption and MASLD (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease – previously called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease), suggests an analysis as part of The Lancet Commission on liver cancer. The Commission highlights several ways to reduce these risks factors, including increasing the coverage of the hepatitis B vaccine and public health policies targeting obesity and alcohol consumption. 

Childhood brain tumor survival depends on the type of tumor. Comparing survival rates across countries is difficult, because brain tumors aren’t recorded in the same way everywhere in Europe. A new study led by the Princess Máxima Center is helping to change that. For the first time, the research provides a clear and clinically relevant overview of survival outcomes for children with brain tumors.

This study explores the geographic distribution of family physicians providing maternity care and identifies opportunities for family physicians to expand access to maternity care.