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The Alabama Medicaid Agency said last week it will no longer approve phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors for erectile dysfunction.

Decreased expression of a protein known as alpha-methylacyl-CoA racemase (AMACR) in localized prostate cancer may be associated with an increased rate of biochemical recurrence, suggest the findings of a multicenter study.

Men age 45 years and older with diabetes may be more than twice as likely as non-diabetic men to have low testosterone levels, and sexual dysfunction is the most common symptom experienced by men with diabetes and hypogonadism, according to a subset analysis of the Hypogonadism in Males study.

Dutasteride (Avodart) appears to improve the accuracy of prostate biopsies by suppressing blood flow in benign tissue, allowing radiologists to better target cancer tissue using Doppler ultrasound-guided biopsy, according to a small pilot study.

A new high-dose calcitriol pill designed as a cancer therapy, given in combination with docetaxel (Taxotere), appears to extend the lives of men with advanced prostate cancer, according to a recent study.

Botulinum toxin type A (Botox) produces a rapid and sustained reduction in the number of daily incontinence episodes and markedly improves patients' quality of life, according to a European phase II clinical trial presented at the AUA annual meeting.

A new Health Decision Guide for men with BPH is now available on the Mayo Clinic's web site, MayoClinic.com. The guide explains treatment options, including emerging and alternative treatments, to men diagnosed with the condition.

Early prostate cancer antigen (EPCA) successfully detects prostate cancer in its earliest stages, according to a Johns Hopkins study published in Cancer Research (2005 65:4097-100).

AUA released an update of its clinical diagnosis and treatment guidelines for erectile dysfunction during its recent annual meeting.

The FDA is investigating a possible connection between PDE-5 inhibitors and a form of blindness known as nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION).

San Antonio--Urologists who might have bypassed the option of surgery to send patients with clinical T3 (cT3) disease directly to a radiation oncologist might want to rethink the way they refer patients, according to a new study.

San Antonio--Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (M-PCR) is a sensitive, specific, fast, and relatively inexpensive method of diagnosing Klinefelter syndrome, according to data presented here by Cornell University researchers.

Istanbul, Turkey--Because AUR is the most serious complication of BPH, all efforts should be made to reduce the duration of catheterization in order to reduce risks. Use of TWOC revealed up to 70% success in relieving retention.

Washington--The federal government is proposing a new way to pay for injectable or intravenous drugs administered by physicians in their offices, but AUA says the plan is so confusing, burdensome, and administratively costly that it will not be used unless significant changes are made.

Southborough, MA--ACMI Corp. has launched the all-digital Invisio Flexible CystoNephroscope (ICN). Compared with traditional fiber optic endoscopes, the product has seven times better resolution and a lower total cost of ownership.

This year, you have a unique opportunity to improve your income by providing more services in the office.

Periurethral bulking agents provide a unique, minimally invasive treatment option for stress urinary incontinence in female patients. Although many different injectable agents have been described, the gold standard remains glutaraldehyde cross-linked bovine collagen (Contigen). Limited efficacy and durability have been reported in a significant proportion of patients and presumed to result from collagen loss (eg, by tissue absorption/metabolism and luminal extravasation).

Atlanta--Children treated with endoscopic intervention for vesicoureteral reflux continue to demonstrate cures that approach those of open surgery and have a high resolution rate after initial failure. In addition, incidence of febrile and non-febrile urinary tract infection after treatment is lower than after surgery, according to data presented here at the State-of-the-Art Symposium on Pediatric UTI, Reflux, Antibiotic Resistance, and Endoscopy.

Charleston, SC--Patients presenting with bladder cancer pose a difficult question for the urologists who must decide how to treat them. Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (Pacis, TherCys, TICE BCG) is an option to consider before cystectomy in some patients, but knowing when BCG is no longer effective and when to perform cystectomy remains a challenge.

Charleston, SC--Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) is an effective screening tool for patients who present with signs and symptoms of bladder cancer that warrant an investigation for malignancy, according to a new study from the Medical University of South Carolina. Analysis of the data collected in the study, led by MUSC urology chairman Thomas Keane, MD, showed FISH to be more sensitive than the customary method of cytology.

San Antonio--The prevalence of women being discharged for stone disease has increased in recent years, according to research presented at last month's AUA annual meeting. The rate discharges for men with stone disease over the same period increased slightly for renal calculi and decreased in the case of ureteral calculi.

San Antonio--Genitofemoral (GF) nerve grafting during radical retropubic prostatectomy can be performed safely with a low risk of postoperative morbidity and shows promising efficacy for returning erectile function after surgery involving wide nerve resection, according to the results of a retrospective study.

San Antonio--A new study examining the expression of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family of proteins in kidney cancer has yielded several important findings, including the identification of different expression profiles of VEGF proteins in clear cell and papillary type renal cell carcinoma.

San Antonio--A relatively new inherited syndrome known as hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC) has a more aggressive clinical course than other hereditary renal cancer syndromes, and expectant management of even small HLRCC tumors is not recommended, according to a study presented at the AUA annual meeting here.

San Antonio--Patients who have other primary cancers are at higher risk for being identified with a renal tumor. But while physicians should have a low threshold for looking for renal cancer, the risk is not high enough to warrant that all patients in this population should be screened, according to a new study.

San Antonio--Urologists who might have bypassed the option of surgery to send patients with clinical T3 (cT3) disease directly to a radiation oncologist might want to rethink the way they refer patients, according to a new study.

Washington--Federal officials, after considering arguments and concerns presented by urologists and others, have decided to continue coverage for nearly 100 procedures performed in ambulatory surgical centers, including three urologic procedures, instead of removing them from the approved list as had been previously proposed.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) proposed legislation Tuesday that would end federal funding for "lifestyle" drugs such as sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis), and vardenafil (Levitra) to treat sexual and erectile dysfunction. Coverage would be provided if the drugs are prescribed for a purpose other than sexual performance.