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This prospective, noninterventional, multicenter 12-wk study in women with overactive bladder investigated the effectiveness of Granu Fink femina, a herbal combination of seed oil from Uromedic pumpkin (cultivar of Cucurbita pepo), Rhus aromatica (fragrant sumach) bark extract, and Humulus lupulus (hop) cone extract in a clinical setting. Patients documented overactive bladder symptoms and quality of life using questionnaires as well as diaries recording day- and nighttime micturition frequencies, urine leakages during physical activity or at sneezing or coughing, and use of incontinence pads. The full analysis set included 117 women (age: 21 – 78 y). Urination frequency decreased significantly with improvement during daytime in 49, 71, and 77 (out of 99) patients and at night in 45, 63, and 70 (out of 100) patients after 1, 6, and 12 wk, respectively. The mean frequency of leakages and used pads decreased significantly from 0.9 leakages and 2.0 pads at baseline to 0.4 leakages and 1.4 pads after 12 wk. In all measured aspects of overactive bladder-related quality of life, (coping, concern, sleep, social), statistically significant improvement was reached after 1 wk, with further improvement at 6 and 12 wk. Ninety-nine percent of the physicians and 95.4% of the patients rated tolerability as "very good" or "good". Treatment with Granu Fink femina progressively improved overactive bladder symptoms and related quality of life with significant improvements already after 1 wk. Based on these effects and the observed excellent tolerability profile, Granu Fink femina may be considered a valuable therapeutic option for overactive bladder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water is becoming scarcer as world population increases and will be allocated among competing uses. Some of that water will go toward sustaining human life, but some will be needed to install and support landscape plants. Thus, future water resource availability may literally change the American landscape. Recent research suggests that consumers' attitudes and behavior toward potable water supplies have changed in other countries because of greater social awareness and increasingly widespread exposure to drought conditions. We conducted an online survey of 1543 U.S. consumers to assess their perceptions about landscape plants, the water source used to produce them, and plant water needs to become established in the landscape. Using two separate conjoint designs, we assessed their perceptions of both herbaceous and woody perennials. Consumers placed greater relative importance on water source in production over water use in the landscape for both herbaceous and woody perennials included in this study. They preferred (had a higher utility score for) fresh water over recycled water and least preferred a blend of fresh with recycled water for perennials and recycled water used for woody perennial production. In addition, the group that did not perceive a drought but experienced one placed a higher value (higher utility score) on nursery plants grown with fresh water compared with those which were actually not in drought and did not perceive one. Educational and promotional efforts may improve the perception of recycled water to increase the utility of that resource. Promoting the benefits of low water use plants in the landscape may also facilitate plant sales in times of adequate and low water periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]