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Carle Place, NY-Nuclear Associates' Glassers Radiation Protection Eyewearprovides unimpaired peripheral vision. Available with prescription or non-prescriptionlenses, the products' extra-large lens area reduces scatter radiation strikingthe eye-socket bone structure, the company says. Lenses provide .50-mm lead-equivalentprotection. For added comfort, the eyewear has plastic-reinforced ear rests.

San Fernando, CA-Precision Dynamics Corp. introduces the UR-Assure Legand Drainage Bags, both of which are intended for use for up to 15 days.The short-time use helps to prevent the possibility of urinary tract infections,according to the company. In addition, both bags feature anti-reflux mechanisms,further ensuring patient cleanliness and comfort. Each bag features graduationmarks so collection amounts are easy to determine, the company says.

Uppsala, Sweden-Q-Med has received FDA approval to market Deflux, a treatmentfor vesicoureteral reflux grades II-IV in children.

Downers Grove, IL-Vysis, Inc. has received FDA approval to market itsUroVysion assay for monitoring bladder cancer recurrence.

Assign specific tasks, outline agenda, and highlight objectives to avoid confusionThe recent tragedies at the World Trade Center and the Pentagonhave made air travel more difficult-and have increased the need for teleconferences.Teleconferences for businesses, clinical trials, and medical organizationshave become increasingly popular in recent years and are now becoming avital communication tool.

About 42% of physicians currently work in practices that have a web site.Patients who connect with their physicians through the Internet commenton the ability to feel more connected to the practice and more in controlof their care.

Boston-Perhaps offering a measure of reassurance to prostatitis patientsand their urologists, data from a prospective study suggest that the symptomsof chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) typicallyimprove or remain stable over time. During a 1-year follow-up of a cohort receiving "usual care"for their symptoms, half the patients had symptom improvement, and morethan one-third reported their symptoms unchanged. Symptoms deterioratedin about 14% of patients.

Uppsala, Sweden-If use of sentinel node detection in bladder cancer provesas successful as recent studies suggest, it will not be long before moleculartests on the sentinel tissues replace full histologic reports in stagingthis disease. That's the prediction of Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD, who hasbeen at work on a genetic-based cancer-detection test, but who thinks workthis year by a group in Sweden may portend a significant diagnostic toolfor bladder cancer: sentinel node analysis.

Worsening economic downturn has shifted focus to helping unemployed pay for health insuranceWashington-In early September, it appeared that advocates of a new patients'bill of rights would see success, and lobbyists for business and insuranceorganizations who opposed the initiative were willing to settle for thebest deal they could get.

The presentations of Jay Pearson, PhD, and Brett Carver, MD, cited in this issue of Urology Times, provide further experimental and epidemiologic evidence that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may have some role in the fight against prostate cancer. While these are certainly not the first reports that NSAIDs might beuseful for the prevention or treatment of this malignancy, they continueto identify the remarkable value of these agents for human health and raiseimportant questions as to why so many different types of disease statesare affected by them. Arthritis, benign cardiac conditions, and colon andprostate cancer are diseases of extraordinarily different tissues, etiologies,pathologies, and outcomes. Yet each of these conditions are likely benefitedby NSAID therapy.

New York-The young, otherwise healthy men urologists see for an infertility evaluation may be hiding a condition more commonly observed in older men and women. Researchers from the Cornell Institute of Reproductive Medicine in New York report that three-fourths of men with nonobstructive azoospermia, a severe form of male infertility, are at risk for significant bone loss.

Toronto-A team of Canadian researchers has isolated at least two unexpected strains of bacteria from the genitourinary fluids of men with type III (nonbacterial) prostatitis. The two strains, Proteobacterium species and Paenibacillus species, have never before been identified in patients with prostatitis.

In this exclusive Urology Times interview, Joseph W. Segura, MD, discussesthe current state and the future of AUA clinical practice guidelines, includinghow guidelines influence practice, their use in residency training, andupcoming guideline topics. Dr. Segura is the Carl Rosen professor of urologyat Mayo Medical School, Rochester, MN, and chairman of AUA's Practice GuidelinesCommittee. The interview was conducted by UT editorial consultant PhilipM. Hanno, MD, of the department of urology, University of Pennsylvania,Philadelphia.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia afflicts millions of men throughout the world, with an overall prevalence of histologic BPH at autopsy of 50% by age 60 years and 90% by age 85 years (J Urol 1984; 132:474-9). Surgery, although effective, includes a 1% to 3% incidence of mortality.

Baltimore-Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may reduce therisk of prostate cancer, suggests a study completed by Johns Hopkins Hospitalin Baltimore, the National Institute on Aging, and Merck Research Labs.The researchers stress that the findings are suggestive but not definitive.

As more urologists implement computer technology into their practices, we are learning about the benefits and features of many of the software packages that are available to improve practice efficiency and performance. Unfortunately, those software programs are expensive and require the technological assistance of information technology specialists to load and debug those complicated programs.

Minimally invasive surgical approaches are an area of interest to the general public and have provided important benefits to urologic patients. The development of laparoscopic radical prostatectomy has been one of the most significant advances in the field. In this Urology Times interview, Claude C. Abbou, MD, a pioneer in laparoscopic prostatectomy, discusses the current state of the art in this cutting-edge procedure. Dr. Abbou is head of the department of urology, Hospital Henri Mondor, Creteil, France. UT Editorial Consultant Andrew C. Novick, MD, chairman of the Cleveland Clinic Urological Institute, conducted the interview.

Washington-Two urology organizations have made good on their promise to fight the Stark II regulations with legal action.

Washington-A sweeping new proposed federal regulation dealing with hospital outpatient compensation would change Medicare payments for specific medical procedures and tighten rules governing new technology payments, a move that could adversely affect urologists. The regulation from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS) would apply to services furnished on or after January 1, 2002.

St. Louis-Mallinckrodt introduces the Liebel-Flarsheim Hydra Vision Plus DR urological imaging system with optional liquid crystal display (LCD) viewing technology. Incorporating the features of the Hydra Vision Plus DR, the new LCD monitor option includes a lightweight triple articulating arm with ergonomic handles for easy movement, according to the company.

Minneapolis-American Medical Systems has received FDA approval to market the AMS SPARC Sling System for female stress incontinence. The system's suprapubic approach is designed to provide a potentially safer and simpler option for sling placement, according to the company.

Salt Lake City-Varian Medical Systems, Inc., offers Eclipse, a Windows-based three-dimensional treatment planning and virtual stimulation system for cancer radiotherapy. The software features user-friendly tools for physicians to quickly identify the contours of cancerous tumors and surrounding healthy organs for more precise treatment planning, according to the company.

Santa Barbara, CA-Mentor Corp. offers a new ergonomically designed Self-Cath Closed System for the management of urinary retention. A sterile, unisex device for individuals who must maintain an intermittent self-catheterization schedule, the system includes a pre-lubricated 100% latex-free intermittent catheter and a new, narrow collection bag.

Canton, MA-Organogenesis Inc., has received FDA clearance to market its FortaPerm, a bioengineered surgical sling. The product, which uses the company's FortaFlex engineered collagen technology, is a natural collagen biomaterial indicated for urinary incontinence and vaginal prolapse. It is engineered to add long-term structural support to soft tissue where the patient's tissue is absent or inadequate, according to the company.

Los Angeles-Diagnostic Products Corp., has been granted FDA approval to market four PSA immunoassays for prostate cancer detection: Immulite PSA, Immulite 2000 PSA, Immulite Third Generation PSA, and Immulite 2000 Third Generation PSA. The assays are intended for in vitro diagnostic use with the Immulite and Immulite 2000 immunoassay analyzers.

Reading about the current state of laparoscopic radical prostatectomy related by one of its pioneers may give the impression that this procedure is relatively easy to perform in most patients with prostate cancer (see article, page 1). But it is important to realize that Claude Abbou, MD; Bertrand Guillonneau, MD; Guy Vallencien, MD; and others now have a large clinical experience with the procedure that did not occur overnight. I have been awed by the dedication shown by these French urologists in developing and refining what might be considered the "Mount Everest" of minimally invasive surgery.

Overactive bladder comprises a spectrum of conditions ranging from urgency-frequency syndrome to urge incontinence. The incidence of overactive bladder increases with age, with a prevalence exceeding 4% to 5.5% of the population. Its etiology is not clearly understood, and the treatment options often have poor efficacy and significant side effects.

Paris-Many therapies for urinary incontinence continue to suffer from a lack of definitive data from well-controlled clinical trials, according to a panel of experts convened by a group of international health organizations. Their findings were reported here at the Second International Consultation on Incontinence, which was sponsored by the World Health Organization International and organized by the International Consultation on Urological Diseases and the International Continence Society.

Charlottesville, VA-Use of molecular analysis for the uroplakin II (UPII) gene may potentially be a more sensitive method than conventional histopathology for identifying lymph node metastasis in patients with urothelial bladder cancer, according to a joint University of Virginia/University of Western Ontario study appearing in Clinical Cancer Research (2001; 7:1516-22).

Anaheim, CA-Leading urologic researchers, including several speakers at the AUA annual meeting, have issued a needle-sharp advisory to urologists who perform prostate biopsies: more samples are warranted, and they need to be taken in a single setting. You could call it-as some physicians do-a case for one-stop "extreme biopsy."