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Athens, Greece?Early response to treatment with an investigational anticholinergic agent for overactive bladder appears to be an accurate predictor of long-term therapeutic success, according to data recently presented at the AUA New York Section meeting.

San Jose, CA?The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has approved an application for assigning a new technology Ambulatory Payment Classification for photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP) to treat BPH.

Washington?Clinical studies on the use of testosterone replacement therapy in older men should move forward but only with a limited group of participants, according to a report released this week by an expert committee of the Institute of Medicine.

Chicago-Large-scale telephone-based management of eligible women withpresumed cystitis is associated with low clinical recurrence rates and avery low incidence of other gynecourologic diagnoses, according to a studyfrom a large California health maintenance organization.

Paris-Basic research in erectile dysfunction therapy is being hamperedby the attitude of some funding bodies that phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitorsalone have solved all problems, according to a special committee convenedat the 2nd International Consultation on Erectile and Sexual Dysfunctionshere.

Now more than ever before, men suffering from erectile dysfunction havea high likelihood that their condition will be successfully managed. Withtwo efficacious, safe, and easily administered oral medications on the marketand a third coming soon, men with ED are far better off than they were just6 years ago.

Chicago-Treating localized prostate cancer with high-intensityfocused ultrasound (HIFU) appears to be safe, efficacious, and well tolerated,according to data presented by several European research groups at the AUAannual meeting in Chicago.

Rotterdam, Netherlands-Four years is a reasonable interval for prostatecancer screening, concluded investigators from the European Randomized Studyof Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC).

The NIDDK-funded 'Urologic Diseases in America' is a broad-based, $6.9million project that will quantify the economic and human burden of urologicdiseases on the American population. In this exclusive Urology Times interview,Mark S. Litwin, MD, MPH, the study's principal investigator, outlines thescope of the project, its goals and objectives, and its relevance to practicingurologists. Dr. Litwin is professor of urology and public health at theDavid Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the UCLA School of Public Health.He is also a researcher at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. Theinterview was conducted by UT Editorial Consultant Richard D. Williams,MD, professor and chairman of the department of urology at the Universityof Iowa, Iowa City.

Washington-Congress has been told by its chief investigative agency thatincreasing medical liability awards, indeed, are contributing to skyrocketingpremium costs for many physicians, but that fact is not having a widespreadimpact on patients' access to health care.

Needle guide designed for transvaginal procedures: Kalona, IA-CIVCO Medical Instruments introduces a reusable endocavity needle guide for the EV9-4 transducer available on Siemens' new ultrasound systems, the G60 S and G50.

Instructions for coding for all Evaluation and Management (E&M) services have several elements in common. One should always base documentation and coding on the amount of work required to provide good patient care.

The paradigm for the medical management of benign prostatic hyperplasia has undergone a significant change during the past decade. Guided by new research, the approval of novel pharmaceutical and minimally invasive therapies, and the economics of health care financing, physicians have altered their approach to patient care in distinct ways.

Chicago-Resistance to drugs commonly used against uncomplicated urinary tract infections continues to grow, according to the results of a large North American study presented at the 43rd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobials and Chemotherapy.

Even after the tremendous victory won by the American Lithotripsy Society and the Urology Society of America last year in federal court, urologists still must be concerned with Stark II and the federal anti-kickback statute.

Baltimore-The American Foundation for Urologic Disease's Reproductive Health Council has developed a new patient brochure about the benefits and possible risks of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT).

Winston-Salem, NC--Some men may be more prone to prostate cancer because a variation in a specific gene makes them more susceptible to the harmful effects of cancer-causing agents, a new study shows.

Washington-The Department of Health and Human Services announced the Medicare premium, deductible, and coinsurance amounts to be paid by Medicare beneficiaries in 2004.

Salt Lake City--Prostate cancer researchers say they have developed methods to predict treatment failure in men undergoing radiation therapy that is more precise and specific than current American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology guidelines.

Salt Lake City--New research shows that men with clinically localized prostate cancer who are treated to high dose levels with three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy achieve long-term PSA relapse-free survival with minimal side effects.

The Board of Trustees of the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee,has approved the conversion of its division of urology to departmental status.William A. See, MD, has been appointed chairman of the new department.

Large-scale telephone-based management of eligible women with presumedcystitis is associated with low clinical recurrence rates and a very lowincidence of other gynecourologic diagnoses, according to a study by a largeHMO in California.

Scientists at Northwestern University have developed an ultra-sensitivetechnology based on gold nanoparticles and DNA that can detect PSA whenpresent at extremely low levels in the blood sample. The new protein-detectionmethod could be used to monitor prostate cancer patients following surgery,according to the researchers, whose findings are published in the Sept.26 issue of the journal Science (2003; 301:1884-6).

A 4-year screening interval was found adequate for detecting most cancersin a large European randomized trial of prostate cancer screening, accordingto a study in the Oct. 1 issue of the Journal of the National CancerInstitute (2003; 95:1462-6).

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Articles in this month's Urology Times deal with an issue of "timing"when determining the treatment of invasive transitional cell carcinoma ofthe bladder.

Consider these nine points to determine if your outside interest qualifiesas a 'business'

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