Autologous adipose stem cells lend themselves well to theengineering of bladder smooth muscle and may eventually make theuse of gastrointestinal tissue for this purpose obsolete, say theauthors of an animal study from UCLA. The group reports that it hasshown, for the first time, that adipose stem cells can bedifferentiated into functional smooth muscle.
The debate over the most appropriate surgical approach to placementof an artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) may be coming to aresolution. In the largest retrospective trial reported to date,Gerard Henry, MD, of Regional Urology in Shreveport, LA, found thatthe traditional perineal approach offers significantly betterurinary control than the newer penoscrotal insertion.
Obesity does not appear to independently predict long-term prostatecancer survival after primary treatment of the disease, accordingto two new studies.
Complications resulting from sling surgery for stress urinaryincontinence may happen far more frequently than is reported in theliterature, data from UCLA suggest.
Young men with PSA velocities greater than 0.5 ng/mL/year are atsignificantly greater risk for prostate cancer, researchersreported here yesterday. This suggests that the traditional PSAvelocity threshold of a 0.75 ng/mL/year to distinguish prostatecancer from benign conditions is too high and would miss asubstantial proportion of prostate cancers among men younger than60 years.
Monica Liebert, PhD, recently resigned from her post as director ofthe AUA Office of Research. Dr. Liebert, who served AUA in thiscapacity since 2001, has accepted a research position at theUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
As all practicing urologists know, shrinking reimbursement forurologic services has become the norm. But current market forcesactually favor the specialty, and urologists can take control oftheir financial future - as long as they are willing to takea handful of forward-thinking steps.
If you stop at Boston Scientific Corp.'s BPH booth at this week'sAUA annual meeting, you won't get a pen. But you could help make achild's wish come true. For every physician who stops at thecompany's booth, Boston Scientific will make a $25 donation to theMake-A-Wish Foundation, up to $25,000.
A study from the New England Research Institutes (NERI) inWatertown, MA, shows that lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) canhave as great an impact on a man?s mental and physical quality oflife as do diseases considered by many to be more severe.
Researchers from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor havedeveloped and validated a new questionnaire to assesshealth-related quality of life outcomes among patients treated forbladder cancer, it was reported here yesterday.
Urologists continue to perform substantial numbers of majorsurgical procedures despite having predominantly office-basedpractices, according to data on recent candidates for certificationand recertification by the American Board of Urology.
Chronic prostatic inflammation may increase the chance that a manwill develop prostate cancer, suggesting that men with inflammationon biopsy may need to be followed more closely and perhaps evenre-biopsied more aggressively, even if there is no evidence ofcancer.
"It's an exciting year, with a lot of good presentations andinteresting panel discussions," J. Brantley Thrasher, MD, chair ofAUA's Public Media Committee, told members of the media at abriefing here yesterday, and to illustrate his point, he guidedthem on a whirlwind summary of the highlights of the 101st AUAannual meeting.
Welcome to the first of five special daily issues of Urology TimesE-news Daily Meeting Report, devoted to coverage of the 2006 AUAannual meeting in Atlanta. Over the next five days, the editors of Urology Times will bringyou a quick recap of news and information from urology's biggestevent, as it occurs.
Outsourcing may help meet the needs of non-recurring professional services.
There is a story of a little boy who goes to the dentist and asks,"Do I really have to floss?" The dentist replies, "Only the teethyou want to keep!"
When doctors get together to discuss practice problems, sooner orlater, someone will tell a horror story about a trusted employeewho stole money. Could that happen in your practice? Beforeinsisting it couldn't, ask yourself how much you really know aboutthe backgrounds of those who handle your office payments, payroll,and finances. How carefully did you investigate their credit andcriminal records or their employment and personal references?
White Plains, NY-ProStream with ETP+ is a new prostate MRIproduct from CAD Sciences that delivers simultaneous high temporaland high spatial resolution of the prostate in dynamiccontrast-enriched series. The device uses a series of proprietarysoftware algorithms-not an endorectal coil-to calculatetissue permeability and extracellular volume fraction and creates ahybrid image series from acquired data, ensuring high spatialresolution and signal-to-noise. Imaging workflow is streamlinedbecause technicians do not need to position the endorectal coil,and the cost of disposable coils is eliminated.
A second phase III trial of Bioniche Life Science's proprietary mycobacterial cell wall-DNA complex (MCC [Urocidin]) has been given the green light by FDA. The double-blind study will randomize approximately 630 patients at sites in North America and Europe comparing the agent to bacillus Calmette-Guerin as first-line therapy in superficial bladder cancer at high risk of recurrence or progression.
Paris-Botulinum toxin A (Botox) proves to be a safe,effective treatment modality in combating overactive bladdersymptoms in patients with idiopathic detrusor overactivity, Britishresearchers reported at the European Association of Urology annualcongress here.
Clearwater Beach, FL-Treating incontinence in children withsystemic medications should be considered a last resort, andalthough several products are available for treatment ofincontinence in adults, there have been few studies in children.
Brisbane, Australia-A diverse array of difficult stone cases discussed at the Urological Society of Australasia meeting here made two points very clear. First, no single treatment strategy will be appropriate for every case. Second, treatment approach should be decided upon only after comprehensively reviewing multiple factors, including the patient's age, weight, general health, and comorbidities in addition to stone size, number, and location.
Clearwater Beach, FL-Pelvic floor therapy-teachingchildren to control their bladders through various exercises thatinclude biofeedback techniques-has come of age, and PatrickH. McKenna, MD, has the statistics to prove its success.
Brisbane, Australia-Failure of midurethral sling surgery isoften blamed on poor surgical technique, inappropriate indicationsfor surgery, or the sling material itself, according to CindyAmundsen, MD, associate professor of urogynecology at DukeUniversity Medical Center, Durham, NC. Nevertheless, surgeons cantake a number of steps to avoid failure and minimize complications.
Brisbane, Australia-Female urology is a rapidly changing andwide-ranging specialty that requires special expertise, accordingto George Webster, MD, professor of urology and head of the sectionof reconstructive urology, female urology, and urodynamics at DukeUniversity Medical Center, Durham, NC. Because of the highfrequency of concomitant stress incontinence and pelvic prolapse,surgeons must take an integrated approach to correcting bothconditions.
Brisbane, Australia-The artificial urinary sphincter provides"predictable success" in men who suffer from urinary incontinenceafter radical prostatectomy, according to George Webster, MD,professor of urology and head of the section of reconstructiveurology, female urology, and urodynamics at Duke University MedicalCenter, Durham, NC. Functional problems requiring a secondprocedure are not an uncommon problem with the device, he toldattendees at the Urological Society of Australasia annual meetinghere.
When IIEF-EF scores for group on-demand and rehabilitative therapywere compared, there was no significant difference (p=0.31).
Paris-Although a male condition, premature ejaculation has asignificant impact on women, according to a multinational studyanalyzing the effects of premature ejaculation on women and on menwho suffer from it presented by Italian researchers at the EuropeanAssociation of Urology annual congress here.
Brisbane, Australia-Declines in PSA levels and transrectalultrasound prostate volume appear to be useful when evaluatingendoscopic treatment techniques for BPH that do not retrievetissue, according to New Zealand researchers.
Munich, Germany-The phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitorvardenafil hydrochloride (Levitra) is a safe and effective optionin the treatment of erectile dysfunction in men being treated withcommon medications for hypertension, researchers report in a recentstudy published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine (2005; 2:856-64).Both hypertension and the drugs used to treat it have been known toadversely affect erectile function.
