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With the help of magnetic resonance imaging, University of Michigan researchers have determined that the external anal sphincter (EAS) has three different components: a main component (EAS-M), a lateral wing portion (EAS-W), and a subcutaneous component (SQ-EAS).

Trans-sacral magnetic stimulation using a portable device yielded no discernable benefits over a sham device in patients with overactive bladder in a study presented here yesterday. It remains unclear, said the authors, whether this failure is due to the particular manner in which the device delivered the magnetic field or whether magnetic stimulation in general is simply an ineffective treatment for this condition.

Results of a U.S. phase II trial investigating the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of the nonselective muscarinic antagonist fesoterodine fumarate in patients with detrusor overactivity offer hope for the 10% of men and women over age 40 years who have the syndrome, researchers say.

Factors such as body mass index, smoking, and the use of hormone replacement therapy affect whether women will develop various forms of incontinence in later life, according to results of a longitudinal study from Germany presented here yesterday.

Uroplasty, Inc. has received FDA 510(k) premarket clearance to distribute I-STOP, a polypropylene, tension-free mid-urethral sling for the treatment of female urinary stress incontinence.

The FDA has approved for marketing Novasys Medical's Renessa System, a treatment for stress urinary incontinence due to hypermobility in women unresponsive to conservative care who are not candidates for surgical therapy.

The frequency volume chart (FVC), coupled with bladder perception, is useful to assess voiding patterns, which may include convenience voids and urgency, particularly in women who have overactive bladder, according to research presented here yesterday.

An estimate of bladder weight using ultrasound can help predict both which patients with BPH will eventually require a prostatectomy and which ones will have favorable outcomes following the procedure, according to a Japanese study.

A revised version of a questionnaire designed to assess a wide range of vaginal symptoms is sufficiently sensitive and valid, and can detect changes in a patient's status, researchers reported yesterday.

A potent analog of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) significantly suppressed bladder overactivity without affecting bladder contractility in an animal model of interstitial cystitis, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine who presented their findings here Wednesday. Their study showed that because the analgesic, known as ajulemic acid, stopped the underlying cause of irritation &#8212 bladder overactivity &#8212 it was able to eliminate the pain associated with IC.

Montreal – UCLA researchers have discovered that adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) can be coaxed into building new bladders in rats, providing hope that one day a similar approach can be used for bladder reconstruction in humans. Human trials, however, are still a long way off.

Procedures using tension-free vaginal tape (TVT, Gynecare/Ethicon, Somerville, NJ) or trans-obturator tape (TOT, Mentor Corp., Santa Barbara, CA) appear to equally treat the incontinence associated with stress urinary incontinence. TOT, however, may leave patients more comfortable because it is associated with a lower risk of urgency symptoms, Italian researchers say.

Urology Times E-news will roll out a special edition of UT Daily Meeting Report during the upcoming International Continence Society annual meeting in Montreal, with coverage beginning Aug. 31. Check your e-mail inbox for daily news on stress incontinence, overactive bladder, and more. As a current E-news subscriber, you are automatically signed up to receive the Daily Meeting Report. Your colleagues can register at www.urologytimes.com/enews.

Urology Times E-news will roll out a special edition of UT Daily Meeting Report during the upcoming International Continence Society annual meeting in Montreal, with coverage beginning Aug. 31. Check your e-mail inbox for daily news on stress incontinence, overactive bladder, and more. As a current E-news subscriber, you are automatically signed up to receive the Daily Meeting Report. Your colleagues can register at www.urologytimes.com/enews.

Urology Times E-news will roll out a special edition of UT Daily Meeting Report during the upcoming International Continence Society annual meeting in Montreal, with coverage beginning Aug. 31. Check your e-mail inbox for daily news on stress incontinence, overactive bladder, and more. As a current E-news subscriber, you are automatically signed up to receive the Daily Meeting Report. Your colleagues can register at www.urologytimes.com/enews.

The Board of Regents of the American College of Surgeons has approved two statements intended to augment current efforts to safeguard patients during surgical procedures.

Urology Times E-news will roll out a special edition of UT Daily Meeting Report during the upcoming International Continence Society annual meeting in Montreal, Aug. 28 to Sept. 2.

The Men's Health Network has launched the "The Back to Life Without Interruptions" educational campaign, designed to provide men with the tools they need to talk to their physician and partners about BPH-related problems.

Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, have determined that prostate tumor growth is arrested through a biological process called cellular senescence, in which cells stop proliferating and remain alive but fail to respond to normal growth signals.

The Coalition for the Advancement of Prosthetic Urology is holding its Second Annual Congressional Advocacy Day Sept. 20 in Washington, DC.

Vipul Patel, MD, a specialist in treating prostate and kidney cancer, has joined The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, as clinical associate professor of surgery and will also direct a fellowship program in minimally invasive surgery.

The Board of Regents of the American College of Surgeons has approved two statements intended to augment current efforts to safeguard patients during surgical procedures.

Men with early-stage prostate cancer who make intensive changes in diet and lifestyle may stop or even reverse its progression, according to what researchers are calling the first randomized, controlled trial showing that lifestyle changes may affect the progression of any type of cancer (J Urol 2005; 174:1065-70).

Radiotherapy after radical prostatectomy appears to improve biochemical progression-free survival and local control in patients with pT3 prostate cancers or positive margins, according to European research published in The Lancet (2005; 366:572-8).

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has suspended the current Competitive Acquisition Program (CAP) vendor bidding process for which bids were previously due Aug. 5.

No single study on the topic of sexual dysfunction leapt from the podium as a breakthrough at this year's AUA annual meeting, but a number of studies offered valuable observations about various aspects of sexual function/dysfunction. Among these were studies showing that the degree of personal involvement in restoring sexual function after radical prostatectomy correlates with the degree of success, said John Mulcahy, MD, PhD, professor of urology, Indiana University Medical Center, Indianapolis. Also, research showed that erectile dysfunction can be associated with metabolic disorders and heart disease, and when prescriptions with level 1 interactions overlap, they are often for sildenafil citrate (Viagra) and nitrates.

San Jose, CA--Laserscope has launched a redesigned version of its GreenLight laser system for photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP), indicated for the treatment of BPH. The system features new fiber optic delivery device enhancements that permit greater flexibility and control during treatment, increased system up-time, faster setup time, and real-time response to fiber manipulation. This version of the system is available new and as a system upgrade.

San Antonio--Five years after radical prostatectomy, fewer than half of the men with erectile dysfunction who responded initially to sildenafil citrate (Viagra) continued to respond to the drug, which works best in patients who have had bilateral nerve-sparing surgery, according to a report presented at the AUA annual meeting here.

San Antonio--Almost half of all patients with erectile dysfunction following radical prostatectomy decide against any form of treatment for ED, Italian investigators reported at the AUA annual meeting here.

San Antonio--The United States and United Kingdom are two nations united by a common language and also an apparent proclivity for using complementary therapies to treat prostate cancer. A study presented at the AUA annual meeting found that one in four prostate cancer patients in the United Kingdom used complementary medicines. A similar report, published 2 years ago in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (2003; 21:2199-210), found that 23.5% of U.S. patients used complementary medicine.