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Open research questions in Urinary Bladder and Prostate Research

654 gap statements mined from Urinary Bladder and Prostate Research papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 2,844 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • Longitudinal studies are needed to examine the effects of LUTS on quality of life over time. Studies should investigate the relationship between LUTS and quality of life in male MS patients. Research should focus on developing effective interventions to manage LUTS and improve quality of life in MS patients. The role of loneliness in the relationship between LUTS and quality of life should be further explored.

    Association between lower urinary tract symptoms on quality of life in women with multiple sclerosis: The mediating role of loneliness · 2026 · DOI

  • The neural mechanisms underlying PNE are not well understood. Prior studies have not comprehensively analyzed structural and functional brain networks in children with PNE. The correlation between clinical and behavioral variables and brain network properties in PNE is not well established.

    Altered structural and functional brain networks in children with primary nocturnal enuresis: a DTI and resting-state fMRI study · 2026 · DOI

  • The need to interpret the results in the context of the differences between mouse and human spinal anatomy.

    Different types of sensory nerve endings in the urinary bladder of mice arising from dorsal root ganglia (DRG) at the thoracolumbar region of vertebral column · 2026 · DOI

  • Understanding why one signaling system produces three opposite outputs is a challenge. The evidence base for the outflow tract is limited. The causal direction of the association between pathway activation and BPH is untested.

    The PGE2–EP receptor axis in urinary tract smooth muscle: one signaling system, three organ-specific strategies · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a need to assess the efficacy of non-hormonal pharmacological treatments for BPO. Prior studies have focused on hormonal treatments or other aspects of BPO, leaving a gap in the understanding of non-hormonal treatments.

    Non-hormonal pharmacological treatments for benign prostatic obstruction: a systematic review of trials published between 2005 and 2025 · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a gap in the knowledge on the effects of CO-RMs in CP/CPPS. The study aims to fill this gap by investigating the potential therapeutic effects of CORM-A1 on pain and anxiety-related behaviors in an experimental model of CP/CPPS.

    Carbon Monoxide in an Experimental Model of Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome: The Effects of CORM-A1 on Pain and Anxiety-Related Behaviors · 2025 · DOI

  • Solifenacin and mirabegron were better tolerated: future research should investigate optimal medical therapy for LUTS in children.

    Side effects of medical therapy for non-neurogenic lower urinary tract symptoms in children: a UK-based single centre retrospective case-note review · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should focus on prospective trials evaluating preventive therapies, validating novel urodynamic technologies in spinal cord injury populations, and establishing standardized protocols that optimize diagnostic accuracy while reducing the incidence and severity of procedure-related autonomic dysreflexia.

    Autonomic Dysreflexia in Urodynamics Studies: Recognition and Management · 2026 · DOI

  • Introduction Overactive bladder (OAB) is a common condition that substantially impairs quality of life yet remains underreported and undertreated.

    Perceptions of overactive bladder treatments among women, caregivers, and healthcare professionals: a systematic review and meta-synthesis · 2026 · DOI

  • Lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD) increases with age and disproportionately affects women, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying this sex bias remain poorly defined.

    Sex-specific proteostasis and urothelial responses to senolytic therapy in the aged mouse bladder · 2026 · DOI

  • However, evidence is limited to a few small studies with inconsistent findings, and it remains unclear whether lower urinary tract symptoms and objective bladder function change after the restoration of euthyroidism.

    Evaluation of bladder function in newly diagnosed thyrotoxicosis patients: a prospective controlled study · 2026 · DOI

  • While heavy metals have been linked to prostate cancer and inflammation, little is known about how the dietary intake of trace metals influences BPH risk.

    Unveiling the association between dietary metals and prostate health: Identifying benign prostatic hyperplasia using a SHAP-based interpretable machine learning model in US adults · 2025 · DOI

  • Although laboratory tests confirmed its safety, the therapeutic efficacy remains under-explored.

    Benchmarking TENSmini for Neuromodulation via Tibial Nerve Stimulation · 2025 · DOI

  • Despite having access to the FUTURE study data, the parameterisation of the model is limited by the current evidence base.

    Long‐term cost‐effectiveness of invasive urodynamic studies for overactive bladder in women · 2025 · DOI

  • Postoperative neurological morbidity remains a major concern, particularly in relation to functional recovery and quality of life. The multidimensional nature of postoperative deficits, particularly bladder and bowel function, is challenging to capture. The temporal evolution of urinary and fecal outcomes is complex and requires a structured longitudinal approach.

    Longitudinal trajectories and determinants of urinary outcomes after spinal ependymoma surgery · 2026 · DOI

  • Further studies are needed to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying primary nocturnal enuresis, - Longitudinal studies could be conducted to examine the developmental changes in brain networks in children with PNE, - Studies could explore the effects of treatment on brain network alterations in children…

    Altered structural and functional brain networks in children with primary nocturnal enuresis: a DTI and resting-state fMRI study · 2026 · DOI

  • Standalone evaluation of PCNA and caspase-3 is not an accurate assessment of proliferation and apoptosis, respectively - The tapered withdrawal groups showed a more recent final drug exposure than in the abrupt withdrawal groups, so different drug washout periods, which may reflect a different remaining drug effect - Cumulative dutasteride effects are encountered in the tapered withdrawal groups…

    Structural and proliferative responses of the prostate to abrupt versus tapered discontinuation of dutasteride in short- and long-term treated rats · 2026 · DOI

  • Further investigations of tapering strategies are recommended before tapering in clinical practice - Further studies are recommended to investigate possible epigenetic regulation facilitated by dutasteride - Additional markers such as Ki67, TUNEL assay, or the Bax/Bcl2 ratio could be investigated to strengthen the mechanistic interpretation of proliferation…

    Structural and proliferative responses of the prostate to abrupt versus tapered discontinuation of dutasteride in short- and long-term treated rats · 2026 · DOI

  • The study had a limited number of outcome events, - Exploratory multivariable analyses were restricted to variables significantly associated with postoperative urinary dysfunction on univariable analysis, - The study was a retrospective cohort…

    Longitudinal trajectories and determinants of urinary outcomes after spinal ependymoma surgery · 2026 · DOI

  • Investigate the functional consequences of the different innervation patterns, - Examine the development and plasticity of the thoracolumbar and lumbosacral spinal afferent populations, - Compare the innervation patterns in different…

    Different types of sensory nerve endings in the urinary bladder of mice arising from dorsal root ganglia (DRG) at the thoracolumbar region of vertebral column · 2026 · DOI

  • Further research is needed to understand the PGE2-EP axis in the outflow tract - The causal direction of the association between pathway activation and BPH needs to be tested - Research is needed to dissolve the apparent contradiction in the literature under five methodological…

    The PGE2–EP receptor axis in urinary tract smooth muscle: one signaling system, three organ-specific strategies · 2026 · DOI

  • Small sample size for some treatment arms, - Lack of poolable data for some studies, - Limited to studies published between 2005…

    Non-hormonal pharmacological treatments for benign prostatic obstruction: a systematic review of trials published between 2005 and 2025 · 2026 · DOI

  • The sample size was limited to 44 women, - The study only collected data over 2 days, - The study did not assess the app's effectiveness in different populations…

    Assessment of Environmental, Sociocultural, and Physiological Influences on Women’s Toileting Decisions and Behaviors Using “Where I Go”: Pilot Study of a Mobile App · 2024 · DOI

  • Further studies are needed to evaluate the app's effectiveness in different populations and settings, - Research is needed to explore the relationships between toileting behaviors and other health outcomes, - Studies should investigate the app's potential to inform the development of interventions to improve women's bladder…

    Assessment of Environmental, Sociocultural, and Physiological Influences on Women’s Toileting Decisions and Behaviors Using “Where I Go”: Pilot Study of a Mobile App · 2024 · DOI

  • These findings now quantify expected rates of improvement postoperatively and allow for further investigation into tailored interventions such as pharmacotherapy to enhance patient experience and outcomes.

    Natural history of lower urinary tract symptoms following transurethral resection of prostate: a prospective observational study · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Urinary Bladder and Prostate Research

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) Longitudinal studies are needed to examine the effects of LUTS on quality of life over time (“Association between lower urinary tract symptoms on quality of life in women…”, 2026); (2) The neural mechanisms underlying PNE are not well understood (“Altered structural and functional brain networks in children with primary…”, 2026); (3) There is a need to assess the efficacy of non-hormonal pharmacological treatments for BPO (“Non-hormonal pharmacological treatments for benign prostatic obstruction: a…”, 2026); (4) Solifenacin and mirabegron were better tolerated: future research should investigate optimal medical therapy for LUTS in children (“Side effects of medical therapy for non-neurogenic lower urinary tract symptoms…”, 2026); (5) Evidence is limited to a few small studies with inconsistent findings, and it remains unclear whether lower urinary tract symptoms and objective bladder function change after the restoration of euthyroidism (“Evaluation of bladder function in newly diagnosed thyrotoxicosis patients: a…”, 2026). 654 gap statements have been mined from Urinary Bladder and Prostate Research papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 2,844 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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