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Chicago-Research on lowering the PSA cutpoint, prostate cancer treatments,and new methods for treating BPH, prostatitis, and stone disease are amongthe major scientific advances coming out of this year's AUA annual meeting.Thomas Brady, MD, chair of AUA's public media committee, offered a previewof the research yesterday to about 15 members of the news media.Dr. Brady said members of the media committee read all abstracts submittedfor presentation at the meeting and select 25 to 30 based on their scientificmerit and news value."Many articles are extremely scientific but have absolutely no newsworthinessto them; other articles are extremely newsworthy and have absolutely noscientific merit," he said.

Chicago-Some researchers investigating the physiology and treatment ofoveractive bladder have questioned whether a "therapeutic ceiling"has been reached with anticholinergic medications, the current mainstayof treatment. Although the balance between efficacy and tolerability ofanticholinergics falls short of ideal, a number of products under developmenthold promise, said Roger Dmochowski, MD, professor of urology at VanderbiltUniversity School of Medicine in Nashville, TN.

Chicago-William J. Catalona, MD, has been named professor of urology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. Dr. Catalona was previously at Washington University Medical Center, St. Louis, for 27 years, serving as chief of urologic surgery (1984 to 1998) and professor of urologic surgery (1998 to present) before accepting the new position.Dr. Catalona will continue to be medical director of the Urological ResearchFoundation and editor of QUEST newsletter.

Modo Inc., introduces Flo, a configurable family of carts designed forclinicians who want more than a modular system but may not need full customization.The company says the carts provide height adjustability with a palm-sizedlever and internal gas spring.

Medtronic Urology provides the following treatment solutions: sacralnerve stimulation (InterStim Therapy) for urinary incontinence; transurethralneedle ablation for the treatment of BPH; and diagnostics, including urodynamicsand anorectal manometry.

Civco Medical Instruments offers the Micro-Touch LP (low-profile) stand,created to satisfy the special requirements for performing prostate brachytherapyprocedures on cystoscopy tables with a fixed overhead x-ray or fluoroscopygantry.

The Alpha O.R. from Olympus is a customized operating room offering thehighest level of patient care through seamless, build-on-demand integrationof surgical and communications devices. The operating room provides real-timeand cost-saving benefits such as quicker set-up and enables superior imagingfor quicker visualization, treatment, and reporting, the company says.

Olympus offers the reusable and autoclavable SonoSurg Ultrasonic Cuttingand Coagulation System. The product cuts and coagulates simultaneously,and its scissors can be rotated 360 degrees without rotating the wrist orswitching hands, according to the company.

The Visera Digital Visual Imaging and Information platform from Olympusallows the physician to specialize each procedure while maintaining standardizationon the platform, creating greater operating efficiency for operating roomstaff and surgeons. The system can be upgraded to match the changing anddiverse needs of a facility's medical staff by adding build-on-demand moduleseven after the unit has been purchased and installed.

Mission Pharmacal's StoneTrack Diagnostic Monitoring Test is a metabolicevaluation that provides a method of "tracking" patient progressand compliance to treatment. The semi-comprehensive metabolic evaluationmeasures seven risk factors for stone formation.

The UroRisk Diagnostic Profile from Mission Pharmacal is available forurine metabolic evaluation of renal stone disease. This test is recommendedfor initial and recurrent stone formers and those who do not test positivefor urinary tract infection. UroRisk is a semi-comprehensive evaluationthat measures nine risk factors for stone formation, the company says. Testresults are reported on an easy-to-read graphic display.

Mission Pharmacal offers Urocit-K (potassium citrate), 5 mEq and 10 mEqtablets, for the management of renal tubular acidosis with calcium stones,hypocitraturic calcium oxalate nephrolithiasis of any etiology, and uricacid lithiasis with or without calcium stones.

Mission Pharmacal offers the StoneRisk Diagnostic Profile, which measures10 urine risk factors for stone formation. It offers a urine collectionand preservation system and is recommended for initial and recurrent stoneformers who test positive for a urinary tract infection, according to thecompany. Test results are shown on a computer-generated graphic display.

Rüsch announces the addition of the original Belly Bag, formerlyof Life Tech Inc., to its extensive line of urological products. The urinedrainage bag is designed to restore mobility and dramatically increase comfortand quality of life for patients who are currently using indwelling catheters.

Bayer Corp. has received FDA approval to market ciprofloxacin extended-releasetablets (Cipro XR), 500 mg, for the treatment of uncomplicated UTI. Thequinolone antibiotic is formulated for use once a day over a 3-day period.

TAP Pharmaceuticals Products, Inc., presents the Lupron Living Album,the company's new booth design, which reflects its continued commitmentto the urology community for more than 17 years. Highlights include an interactivequiz game of pertinent clinical messages for physicians who treat advancedprostate cancer and updated information CaPSURE, the nationwide prostatecancer database.

GlaxoSmithKline features dutasteride (Avodart), 0.5 mg, an FDA-approved5-alpha-reductase inhibitor for patients with BPH. Initially approved forthe treatment of BPH, the drug is now also indicated for the treatment ofsymptomatic BPH in men with an enlarged prostate to improve urinary symptomsand reduce the risk of urinary retention and the need for BPH-related surgery.

World of Medicine offers Uropower, a self-cleaning device for the measurementof urinary flow that can be operated by the patient. To start the measuringprocess, the patient inserts a measuring card into the product. A displaymounted above the urinal explains each step. Immediately after urine flowis measured, the patient's flow measurement and assessment are printed onthe card, which can be presented to a physician and kept as a personal record.If the urine volume is too low for a proper evaluation in accordance withmedical regulations, the product will advise the patient.

For improved and precise coagulation and transection of tissue, GyrusMedical offers the following bipolar devices for use in laparoscopic urologicsurgery: PK Zip L-Hook, PK Cutting Forceps, and PK Lyons Dissector.

Gyrus Medical introduces the PK System Open Forceps with an angled jawfor open urologic procedures, including prostatectomies, nephrectomies,and cystectomies. The bipolar radiofrequency-based device coagulates vesselsup to 7 mm, has minimal thermal spread, and replaces sutures and staples,the company says.

The PK Saline TUR System from Gyrus Medical combines the safety and efficacyof bipolar radiofrequency energy and saline for "seal-as-you-go"tissue resection and vaporization for treating enlarged prostates and bladdertumors. Benefits include less bleeding, shorter catheterization, and improvedpost-op results, according to the company.

Rosenblum Industries, LLC, has received FDA approval to market FoleyGoalie,a device designed to prevent male patients from pulling out their Foleycatheter with the balloon inflated. The cylindrical device is constructedof braided helical strands of stretch-resistant multifilament polyesterand urethane-coated nylon. It is back-loaded over a patient's indwellingFoley catheter and penis. A Velcro strap secures the product to the baseof the penis, and distally, tape adheres the product to the indwelling catheter.

Varian BrachyTherapy, a division of Varian Medical Systems, offers anextensive line of brachytherapy products, including the GammaMed planningsoftware product line and the enhanced features of VariSeed planning softwarefor permanent brachytherapy. VariSeed's new features are designed to overcometechnical difficulties associated with the protocol, allow real-time planningin the procedure room, and enable functional image-guided therapy, accordingto the company.

The UroPro from Medstone Inc., is a digital urology imaging table withtomographic option. The compact, modular design makes future upgrades fast,easy, and cost effective. The imaging system allows complete coverage andunencumbered studies without bladder cutoff.

The new Pro-2000TU Urodynamics/Urology C-Arm Table from Medstone allowsunencumbered imaging. It was designed with all C-arms in mind, accordingto the manufacturer.

The Medstone Pro-2000BT carbon fiber C-arm table allows imaging for urology,brachytherapy, surgery, and other procedures. Motorized movements include16-inch longitudinal travel, 12-inch to 16-inch vertical travel, 8-inchlateral travel, ±15-degree Trendelenberg tilt, and optional ±15-degreelateral tilt.

ProstaScint (In-111 capromab pendetide) from Cytogen Corp. is a radiolabeledmonoclonal antibody specific to prostate-specific membrane antigen. Theproduct aids in the staging of prostate cancer, allowing physicians to makecritical distinctions between localized and metastasized disease.

Lab-quality PSA and testosterone test results are now available on demandwith the FastPack System from Qualigen, Inc. The system includes a fullyautomated analyzer designed to perform quantitative immunoassay tests within15 minutes in physician offices and small laboratories, according to thecompany.