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Highlights of an industry-sponsored educational program at the 24th World Congress of Endourology. The 24th World Congress of Endourology was jointly sponsored by The Cleveland Clinic Center for Continuing Education and the Endourological Society and was held on The Cleveland Clinic campus in Ohio, August 17?20, 2006.

HealthTronics, Inc., an Austin, TX-based provider of services and products for the urology community, has entered into a definitive agreement for the purchase of a 35% interest in Keystone Mobile Partners, LP, Willow Grove, PA.

Bostwick Laboratories, which provides pathology and diagnostic laboratory services in the United States and United Kingdom, has opened a new laboratory in Uniondale, NY. Separately, Hillel Kahane, MD, has been appointed medical director of the new facility, the company’s fifth.

The manufacturer of a sexual performance-enhancing supplement has announced a voluntary recall of the product, known as Liviro3. FDA lab analysis found the product contains the erectile dysfunction drug tadalafil, making Liviro3 an unapproved drug.

Circulating tumor cell levels 3 to 5 weeks after the initiation of chemotherapy appear to predict overall survival in patients with metastatic androgen-independent prostate cancer, according to a prospective multicenter trial. Further, overall survival could be predicted at each of the tested time points.

Researchers at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, have discovered that men who have had a vasectomy may be at increased risk for developing primary progressive aphasia (PPA), an irreversible neurologic disorder that causes patients to lose the ability to use and comprehend words.

Erectile dysfunction is significantly and independently associated with age, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and lack of physical activity, suggests a study published in The American Journal of Medicine (2007; 120:151-7). Using data obtained from a computerized self-interview, the authors found that 18.4% of men 20 years of age and older experienced ED, defined as “sometimes able” or “never able” to have and keep an erection.

Obese men are more likely than are normal-weight men to have a prostate cancer screening, and associations among advanced stage, worse outcomes, and obesity may not be explained by disparities in screening, according to a study published in the Journal of Urology (2007; 177:493-8).

GPC Biotech AG has completed its rolling submission of a new drug application to the FDA for its oral formulation of satraplatin for the treatment of patients with androgen-independent prostate cancer who have failed prior chemotherapy.

David L. Murray, 72, of Naples, FL, who formed the publishing company that originally published Urology Times, passed away Jan. 31, 2007.

Verathon, Inc. (Bothell, WA) has issued a challenge to urology researchers: The company is offering $10,000 for the most practical and scientifically valid protocol to study the relationship of bladder wall mass and overactive bladder or BPH. The goal is to determine how bladder wall mass measurements can best be used in clinical practice.

A set of molecular biomarkers might predict the recurrence of bladder cancer and survival from the disease better than conventional prognostic features, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, researchers have found. Once a patient undergoes radical cystectomy, researchers say a routine tissue analysis could easily test for the presence of altered proteins that they found to help ascertain the chances that the cancer will return.

A new study from the University of Michigan Health System establishes one of the strongest connections yet discovered between muscle damage that can occur during vaginal deliveries and pelvic organ prolapse, the authors say.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has updated its prostate cancer guidelines, which now include revised recommendations regarding pelvic lymph node dissection, robotics, and the use of bisphosphonate therapy.

The FDA has approved new labeling for sunitinib malate (Sutent) to include first-line treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma. The labeling change is based on results of a large phase III trial that showed prolonged progression-free survival.

More than 90% of men who receive appropriate radiation dose levels with permanent radiation seed implants to treat their prostate cancer are cured of the disease 8 years after diagnosis, according to a recent study in the International Journal for Radiation Oncology Biology Physics (2007; 67:327-33).

Higher levels of a protein made by a gene known as JM-27 have been found in men whose BPH is more severe and more likely to lead to bladder-related complications if left untreated, according to Johns Hopkins researchers. The team, lead by Robert Getzenberg, PhD, also developed a blood test that detects the JM-27 protein in men with severe symptoms.

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Herbal supplements and other complementary therapies are surrounded by clinical and ethical issues, some involving urologists.

Atlanta-Secondary testicular ascent (acquired cryptorchidism) remains a relatively rare condition, occurring in 3.2% to 6.9% of patients in a recent cohort study of boys with retractile testes. The diagnosis of ascent is becoming more commonplace, and ,therefore, boys with questionable testicular exams should have follow-up through adolescence, according to re-searchers from the Vanderbilt University Children's Hospital, Nashville, TN.

Postoperative hemorrhage can and will occur in a minority of patients, despite the most careful of laparoscopic procedures.

Cypress, CA-Medison America's SonoAce X8 portable ultrasound system integrates new software that allows users to modify system controls using simple, intuitive steps with built-in protocols and advanced digital signal processing, high-resolution 3-D imaging, live 3-D, 3-DXI, full-spectrum imaging, dynamic MR, and spatial compound imaging. Features include a high-resolution 17-inch LCD monitor and an articulated arm for optimal ergonomic viewing during procedures. SonoAce X8 has received FDA approval, and will be available for sale in mid-2007.

Ortho-McNeil, Inc. has filed a supplemental new drug application with the FDA for new indications of levofloxacin (Levaquin), 750 mg tablets: acute pyelonephritis and complicated urinary tract infections. The filing is based on a clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of IV/oral levofloxacin, 750 mg once daily for 5 days, compared with IV/oral ciprofloxacin (Cipro), 500 mg twice daily for 10 days, in more than 1,100 patients with acute pyelonephritis or complicated UTIs.

Medicare has mandated a change from the current provider identification system to a new National Provider Identifier (NPI). The change will occur on May 23, 2007. This change is not an option, but is mandated for Medicare and, ultimately, all private payers that accept electronic claims.

Postoperative hemorrhage can and will occur in a minority of patients, despite the most careful of laparoscopic procedures.

San Francisco-How uropathogenic Escherichia coli spreads within families is a continuing question for both practicing urologists and researchers. It has long been known that sexual contact may spread specific strains. A new study examining members of a single family confirms that casual contact between family members and even pets can also contribute to the transmission of E. coli, leading to cystitis and possibly other urologic infections.

San Francisco-Farm animals often are implicated as the source of drug-resistant Escherichia coli and other pathogens in humans. In some cases, human outbreaks have been traced back to infected farm animals, but a recent study of such outbreaks in Iowa exonerates food herds as the source of resistant E. coli that are responsible for urinary tract infections.