Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in urology for November 2005. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
RNA in Urine Predicts Renal Transplant Failure
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Measurement of FOXP3 gene messenger RNA (mRNA) in the urine of patients undergoing renal transplantation can predict the likelihood of graft failure after acute rejection, according to a report in the Dec. 1 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Skin-to-Stone Distance May Determine Lithotripsy Success
TUESDAY, Nov. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Success with shock wave lithotripsy of lower pole kidney stones can depend on the distance from skin to stone, and if that distance is greater than 10 cm, there is a high probability the technique will fail, University of Wisconsin investigators report in the November issue of Urology.
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Self-Reported Prostatitis Linked to Prostate Cancer, BPH
MONDAY, Nov. 28 (HealthDay News) -- A history of prostatitis is associated with greater odds of prostate cancer and benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), however, more study is needed to determine if there is a true link, according to the study in the November issue of Urology. In the cross-sectional study of 5,821 men aged 65 and older, all three diagnoses were self-reported.
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Obesity a Predictor of Prostate Cancer Recurrence
MONDAY, Nov. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Men who are obese and undergo radical prostatectomy have a greater risk of cancer recurrence than their leaner counterparts, according to data from CaPSURE, a registry of 10,018 men with prostate cancer. The findings are published in the November issue of Urology.
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Drug Prevents Bone Loss in Metastatic Prostate Cancer
MONDAY, Nov. 28 (HealthDay News) -- One-year therapy with zoledronic acid can increase bone mineral density and suppress biomarkers for bone turnover in men with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer and bone metastases, according to a study in the November issue of Urology.
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Drug May Be Superior Therapy for Lupus Nephritis
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 23 (HealthDay News) -- The immunosuppressive drug mycophenolate mofetil may be more effective in treating lupus nephritis than the standard cyclophosphamide therapy, according to report in the Nov. 24 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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FDA Issues Warning About Flomax and Cataract Surgery
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 23 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Tuesday that men taking the drug Flomax (tamsulosin) for benign prostatic hyperplasia, or those who have taken it in the past, could experience problems during cataract surgery.
Intraoperative Floppy Iris Syndrome (IFIS), an adverse event that can cause a flaccid, prolapse-prone iris, has occurred during phacoemulsification cataract surgery in some patients taking Flomax, or other alpha-1 blockers, the FDA said.
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U.S. Endometrial Cancer Rates Higher Than Thought
THURSDAY, Nov. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Endometrial cancer incidence rates in the United States are higher than thought because statistics have historically included women who have had hysterectomies, according to a study published in the Nov. 16 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. After correcting for this, the endometrial cancer rates in women with intact uteri increases 66.8% overall and 95.3% in blacks.
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Viagra Improves Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Sildenafil citrate is an effective therapy for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, significantly improving exercise capacity and World Health Organization functional class, according to a study in the Nov. 17 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Sperm Donors Decline in United Kingdom
THURSDAY, Nov. 10 (HealthDay News) -- The number of sperm donors in the United Kingdom has declined over the past 10 years, and changes in donor anonymity laws in April 2005 could make the problem worse, according to a study in the journal Human Reproduction.
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CDC Reports Syphilis Cases Surged in U.S. Men in 2004
TUESDAY, Nov. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Syphilis increased in the United States for the fourth year in a row, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, gonorrhea cases hit an all-time low in 2004, perhaps due to better testing.
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Researchers Discover Why Gonorrhea Infects Humans
MONDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Neisseria gonorrhoeae can only infect humans, and now researchers think they know the reason why. A specific interaction between one of the bacteria's membrane proteins and a factor in the human complement system allows the bacteria to escape destruction, according to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.
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Diabetes Increases Women's Risk of Incontinence
FRIDAY, Nov. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Diabetes independently increases the risk of urinary incontinence in women, according to a study published in the November issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
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U.S. Leads Six-Nation Survey of Medical Errors
THURSDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) -- The United States leads five other developed nations in the number of medical mistakes, medication errors or inaccurate or delayed lab results, according to an international patient survey conducted by The Commonwealth Fund.
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FDA Announces New Electronic Drug Labels
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Under regulations effective Wednesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will require drug manufacturers to submit package insert or labels to the federal agency in a new electronic format known as the structured product labeling (SPL).
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Detection Bias May Skew Familial Cancer Risk Rates
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) -- When one family member is diagnosed with cancer, an increased surveillance of relatives may lead to an overestimation of familial risk due to detection bias, according to a study in the Nov. 2 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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World War II Tactic Could Double Avian Flu Arsenal
TUESDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Doctors believe that a tactic invented during World War II to stretch penicillin supplies could double the Tamiflu arsenal available to fight avian flu, according to a news exclusive in the Nov. 3 issue of Nature.
Combining Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate) with the common generic drug probenecid would stop the antiviral drug from being excreted in urine, Nature reports.
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Paternity After Testicular Cancer Depends on Treatment
TUESDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Paternity rates after testicular cancer treatment are high, but post-treatment fertility is dependent on treatment intensity. For example, high-dose chemotherapy can cut paternity rates nearly in half, according to a report in the Nov. 2 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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