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This issue of Urology Times includes a number of articles from one ofthe most successful meetings on interstitial cystitis ever held, the NationalInstitute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Disorders and InterstitialCystitis Association joint symposium "Research Insights into InterstitialCystitis" in Alexandria, VA, last fall.

Fax-to-e-mail and e-mail-to-fax services can save you time and moneywhen traveling

Amounts paid into Health Savings Accounts can be used to reimburse medicalexpenses

Basic science provides a rationale for resiniferatoxin, but clinicaltrial disappoints

Atlanta--Fewer people are dying from prostate and other genitourinarycancers. But ask why that is, and you'll have a difficult time finding aconsensus among epidemiologists, urologists, and others.

Alexandria, VA--The search for a sensitive and specific screening tool for interstitial cystitis has been nothing short of elusive.

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a popular supplement among athletes, does not increase testosterone levels and may, in fact, break down into hormones associated with prostate gland growth, according to results of a small study from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

The anti-obesity drug orlistat (Xenical) has been found to inhibit prostate cancer growth in a study of mice.

The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention has launched an educational campaign aimed at informing health care providers about the health risks of diethylstilbestrol (DES) exposure.

A new group formed by members of the Society of University Urologists (SUU) has decided on a name and an initial project aimed at helping urology program directors and department chairs.

The Senate last week unanimously approved the nomination of FDA commissioner Mark McClellan, MD, PhD, to serve as administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

With construction having started last month, the first independent lithotripsy facility in Queens is slated to open this summer at Utopia Center, a mixed-use property located in Flushing, NY.

The University of Cincinnati department of surgery named James F. Donovan Jr, MD, chief of its division of urology.

A major breakthrough in the field of prostate cancer research was announced last summer. For the first time in a randomized clinical trial, a drug was found to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Widely reported headlines such as "Drug might prevent prostate cancer, researchers say" (USA Today, June 25, 2003, page 1) were tempered by reports of the drug's "disturbing" side effects.

Unique obturator approach treats stress incontinence Somerville, NJ Gynecare introduces the TVT Obturator System Tension-free support, a surgical device for the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence.

Chicago--Therapeutic cloning can be used to generate immune-compatible renal cells, according to the results of a collaborative study from the Laboratory for Tissue Engineering, Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, and Advanced Cell Technology, Worcester, MA. The technique may be used to engineer renal tissue for autologous applications, researchers suggest.

New Orleans-After 17 years of positive experience, Italian urologists consider endoscopic treatment their first-line approach for children with vesicoureteral reflux.

Error rate of 5.3% is below national average compared with other majorspecialties

Discrepancy may be due to a reporting bias; testis-sparing approach recommended

White River Junction, VT--The often-controversial PSA test has now achieved broad public acceptance as a screening tool, according to a recent study. But only a minority of primary care physicians are following published guidelines for administering the test, according to another, separate study.

Ralph Straffon, MD, a urologist and retired chief of staff at the Cleveland Clinic, died Jan. 22.

A phase II study comparing the onset of action of two oral phosphodiesterase-type 5 inhibitors?TA-1790, an investigational agent and sildenafil citrate (Viagra) showed comparable results, according to VIVUS, Inc., maker of TA-1790.

Up to 40% of men with prostate cancer have a virus in their blood that, until now, has been linked to relatively rare cancers, new research from the University of Pittsburgh shows.

Most men over the age of 40 years attempt to protect themselves against prostate cancer, according to a new survey by researchers at Thomas Jefferson University?s Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia.

Death rates continue to level off for prostate cancer and the two other leading cancer killers in men?lung and colon cancer?according to the American Cancer Society?s report, "Cancer Facts & Figures 2004."

Las Vegas--An in-office bladder cancer test is significantly more sensitive than cytology at detecting the disease in high-risk patients, report community-based urologists from Anchorage, AK. The test also appears to be effective at determining risk of recurrence in patients with known disease, at least in the short term.

Las Vegas--Which material is better for pelvic floor reconstruction: allografts or synthetic mesh? If you ask two of urology's leading pelvic floor surgeons, each will provide a very different answer. Gary Leach, MD, a proponent of allografts, and Shlomo Raz, MD, a proponent of synthetic slings, made their points known in a verbal face-off at the AUA Western Section annual meeting here

Las Vegas--Radical cystectomy has a different risk profile in women than men, a difference that should be addressed during preoperative patient counseling, say investigators at Stanford (CA) Medical Center.