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Baltimore-A new endourology/stone disease scholarship has been proposed in honor of the late Joseph W. Segura, MD.

This story about the operating microscope and the vas has two morals.

Several studies presented at the 2006 AUA annual meeting provided evidence of a relationship between erectile dysfunction and lower urinary tract symptoms, with some data showing that treatment of LUTS will improve ED and vice versa. Treating multiple conditions at once means that patients may be able to receive better overall care, but physicians must avoid simply treating symptoms and take a more global approach to patient care, according to Steven A. Kaplan, MD. In this Urology Times interview, Dr. Kaplan, professor of urology and chief of the Institute of Bladder and Prostate Health at Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, New York, discusses current findings on the association between ED and LUTS and their implications for patient management. He was interviewed by UT Editorial Consultant Philip M. Hanno, MD, MPH, professor of urology at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

Linthicum, MD-AUA has partnered with two leading ophthalmology groups to raise awareness that individuals with past or present use of an alpha-1 blocker may develop a condition known as intraoperative floppy iris syndrome (IFIS) while undergoing cataract surgery and should inform their ophthalmologist about such medication use so that appropriate surgical techniques can be used.

Atlanta-For the past several years, Andrew P. Evan, PhD, chancellor's professor of anatomy and cell biology at Indiana University, Indianapolis, and his colleagues have pursued the etiology of kidney stone formation, stone by stone.

Pat F. Fulgham, MD, has been appointed chief quality officer at Dallas-based Urology Clinics of North Texas (UCNT).

Matritech has launched a series of local programs to screen high-risk individuals for bladder cancer.

Uroplasty, Inc. has received an approvable letter from the FDA relating to its pre-market approval application for Macroplastique implants for the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence.

Kidney cancer patients with two otherwise healthy kidneys who underwent partial nephrectomy to remove a small cancer developed chronic kidney disease at a rate one-third lower than patients who underwent radical nephrectomy, reported researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Location may be everything when it comes to the pain associated with prostate biopsy.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation has launched Athletes for a Cure, a fundraising and awareness program to assist individual athletes in their quest to raise money for better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer.

Rotating-shift workers appear to be at significant risk for prostate cancer compared with fixed-night work, according to Japanese researchers.

A protein in the blood may prove to be a biomarker that is more sensitive and specific than PSA and digital rectal exam, according to scientists at Panacea Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Gaithersburg, MD.

Johannes W. Vieweg, MD, has been named the founding chair of the new department of urology at the University of Florida's College of Medicine in Gainesville.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen may prevent or delay BPH, according to a study conducted by researchers at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.

UCLA has launched a new Integrative Urology Program, which combines Western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, and the latest nutritional advice.

Treatment with hyaluronic acid/dextranomer gel (Deflux) showed a cure rate of more than 90% in children with vesicoureteral reflux, with 82.2% showing resolution after just one treatment, according to a study published last month in Pediatrics (2006; 118:698-703).

A daily glass of orange juice may help prevent the recurrence of kidney stones better than other citrus fruit juices such as lemonade, according to a small study from the University of Texas Southwesten Medical Center, Dallas.

GlaxoSmithKline has initiated REDEEM, a multicenter, North American clinical trial designed to determine whether the 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor dutasteride (Avodart) can delay or prevent prostate surgery or radiation, shrink prostate cancer tumors, and lessen severity of tumors in men with low-grade prostate cancer.

AUA, the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology have advised patients taking alpha-blockers for BPH treatment to inform their eye surgeon about the drugs before undergoing eye surgery.

Atlanta-A calculator that can instantly predict short-and long-term risks of recurrence and progression in patients with stage Ta/T1 bladder cancer is a few clicks away.

Atlanta-A trial of drug regimens in hormone-refractory prostate cancer came up with only modest results, but it did take an important first step: It is one of the first prospective trials conducted in taxane-refractory disease.

Spencer, IN-Cook Urological's 1.7F NCompass Nitinol Stone Extractor features a tipless 16-wire dual basket design that securely traps and extracts kidney stones and stone fragments as small as 1.5 mm without impeding irrigation or visibility during the procedure. Made from the shape-memory alloy of titanium and nickel, nitinol, the extractor's design minimizes tissue trauma and provides stability and ease of movement during procedures, according to Cook.

Whenever the needs of the practice change, job descriptions should be redefined to reflect those changes so that you achieve optimal staff productivity.

What you discuss with patients and when you do it can make a difference in how you code

The most instructive HRQoL studies are those that rely on prospective, longitudinal assessments of patients using a validated instrument.

Atlanta-Two recent studies have provided promising outcomes data on sorafenib tosylate (Nexavar), both as a second-line therapy and potentially as first-line treatment in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma, researchers reported at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting here.

Atlanta-Sorafenib tosylate (Nexavar), a newer oral multi-kinase inhibitor that targets tumor growth and vascularization, was generally well tolerated by patients with metastatic clear-cell renal cell carcinoma in a randomized phase II trial that compared the efficacy and tolerability of the drug with that of interferon in first-line therapy. Study results were presented by Bernard Escudier, MD, head of the immunotherapy and innovative therapy unit at Institut Gustave Roussy Villejuif, Cedex, France, at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting here.