Question

Reply to text below in 200 words

The urinary system is composed of many working parts. The main parts include, the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. The function of the kidneys involves nephrons (filtering units) filtering out urea (product of waste due to the breakdown of proteins) in the blood. The urine then will travel down from the kidneys to the bladder through tubes called the ureters. Urea, or waste products, are excreted in the form of urine through the urethra and out of the body. If one of these parts becomes damaged or diseased, it may be very difficult for the body to filter out waste properly. End stage renal disease is a severe disease of the kidneys that causes them to fail. People suffering from this disease will be on dialysis for the rest of their life, or have a kidney transplant. If someone wants to donate a kidney, the procedure is much less invasive now than it has been in the past. According to UCLA Health, a recent discovery of laparo/scopic nephr/ectomy has changed the way this procedure is done. Lapar(o): abdominal wall, -scopic: examination, nephr-: kidney, -ectomy: surgical removal of. Surgeons only need to make a small incision and will use a tiny camera to see what they are doing beneath the skin. This allows the kidney to be removed easier in a healthy patient, and it will reduce the recovery time post surgery. (http://urology.ucla.edu/innovations-technology). Urinary tract infections are very common, especially in women. UTI's can occur in the bladder, urethra, or kidneys. This occurs when a bacteria is introduced into the urinary tract. If the infection is caught early, it can simply be treated with a course of antibiotics. According to Sunday Express, a team of engineers from 3P innovation are working to solve the problem of catheter related UTI's. They discovered that a "small mounded valve...could be repurposed to solve the problem of catheter-related urinary tract infections."( https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/760679/bladder-UTI-urinary-tract-infection-cystitis). Interstitial cystitis, which is also known as painful bladder syndrome, is a chronic condition within the bladder. The exact cause is not known, but it may be due to a defect in the epithelium of the bladder. this defect may allow some toxic substances from the urine enter the bladder wall and cause irritation. As I could tell from my research, many things can go wrong within the urinary system and it is beneficial to be educated on the possible diseases and disorders.

Answer 1

ANSWER:

INTRODUCTION

The system that is in charge of processing and dealing with this waste is called the urinary system, or renal system. This system involves your kidneys bladder, ureter and urethra. The kidneys are powerful organs that work hard to not only filter out the things that the body don't need (waste), but also to regulate blood pressure, balance fluids in the body, and control red blood cell production. The bladder also has an important function ,collecting liquid waste and releasing it from the body. And the ureter and urethra are the important tubes that all this waste flows through.

New advances in urology procedures:

Faculty members of the UCLA Department of Urology have been pioneers in developing new innovations and technologies leading to safer and more effective treatments for patients.

Minimally Invasive Procedures

These advances have been new approaches and techniques in minimally invasive surgery, using miniature instruments inserted via a small tube (called a laparoscope) through tiny incisions in the body.

Laparoscopic surgery has revolutionized the way patients are treated for a variety of conditions because these minimally invasive procedures result in less discomfort, quicker recovery times and better outcomes for patients than traditional “open” surgery. Biological sensors, instruments, and surgical techniques are used in minimally invasive surgery.

Urologic conditions for which UCLA currently offers minimally invasive surgery include kidney stones, live donor nephrectomy, pelvic organ prolapse, prostate cancer, renal cell carcinoma, renal cysts, transitional cell carcinoma, uretal stricture, and uretopelvic junction obstruction.

These minimally invasive surgery has been used successful in adults and in children. Some of these procedures include nephrectomy, which removes malformed or dysfunctional kidneys; pyleloplasty, which removes blockages in the ureter; and treatment of undescended testicles in infants.

Robotic Surgery

Using a robotic surgical system, urologists at UCLA are able to perform operations more precisely than ever before. The system filters the surgeon’s hand tremors and allows better range of motion, which ultimately will narrow the deviation in surgical skill among surgeons and result in less discomfort and quicker recovery times for patients.

New Advances in Diagnostics

UCLA aims to develop and test a rapid new system that would enable point-of-care diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract infections using clinical urine samples.

Cryosurgery.

New cryosurgical technology for prostate cancer treatment allows the surgeon to precisely map cancerous cells, freezing and killing the cells that radical prostatectomy would not reach.

Laparoscopic Nephrectomy

Until recently, nephrectomy, or removal of a kidney, was a major operation requiring open surgery and up to eight weeks of recovery. The extent of the procedure was often a deterrent for healthy donors to agree to donate a kidney. But laparoscopic nephrectomy is much less invasive, meaning less pain, a shorter recovery period, and a rapid return to normal activity. Doctors use a miniature video camera and other instruments to perform the procedure.

Cryosurgical Ablation

Roughly half of all prostate cancer patients decline radical surgery, which involves the removal of the prostate. For many of these patients, cryosurgery ,which uses freezing as a means of destroying diseased tissues, can be effective and is equivalent to radiation therapy in eradicating the cancer. The newest cryosurgical technique injects the prostate with ultra-thin cryoprobes cooled by argon gas. This allows the surgeon to map the placement of ice balls and control temperatures throughout the procedure. The procedure can be done on an outpatient basis and can be performed without an incision, resulting in minimal side effects or blood loss.

URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS

UTIs occur when the urinary tract becomes infected, usually by bacteria, but they can be treated using antibiotics. Symptoms of the condition include needing to pass urine more often than usual, pain and discomfort while peeing, pain in the stomach, cloudy urine and feeling generally unwell.

There are a number of things which can increase the risk of getting a UTI.

A urinary catheter is usually used in people who have difficulty passing urine naturally.

It can also be used to empty the bladder before or after surgery and to help perform certain tests.

However, catheters used in UK hospitals lead to 250,000 serious infections, 3,000 deaths and up to £500m in healthcare costs each year, researchers have revealed.

A team of engineers from 3P innovation have introduced a infection-cutting medical device to market. The experts were working on a type of catheter, when they realised that a small moulded valve, used by other clients in food dispensers, to solve the problem of catheter-associated urinary tract infections.

As a catheter valve it can be positioned outside to the body, fitting between conventional catheters and urine leg bags. Their concept has been proven to significantly reduce catheter infections. It also causes reduced bladder muscle tone and long-term incontinence, especially in older patients.the use of this valve was found to reduce infection of the bladder in UK hospitals by up to 50 per cent.