August 2007 Briefing - Urology

Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Urology for August 2007. 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.

FDA Approves First Human Thrombin Since 1954

THURSDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Evithrom (human thrombin) -- a blood-clotting protein derived from human plasma -- was approved this week by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It's the first human thrombin the FDA has approved since 1954, the only such product currently licensed, and is applied to the surface of tissue during surgery to help control oozing and minor bleeding from capillaries and small veins.

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Optic Nerve Edema Rare in Patients with Dialysis Shunts

FRIDAY, Aug. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Despite isolated reports of optic nerve edema in hemodialysis patients with peripheral arteriovenous shunts, this complication appears to be rare, and routine surveillance of asymptomatic patients is probably not warranted, researchers report in the August issue of Ophthalmology.

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Sexual Activity Often Continues into Older Age

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Many older adults in the United States continue to have sex into their 70s and 80s, although they do have a high prevalence of sexual problems compared to younger patients, researchers report in the Aug. 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Resident Duty-Hour Cuts Curb Surgeon Job Satisfaction

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Reforms limiting resident duty hours are increasing surgeons' workloads and may be negatively affecting patient care, researchers report in the August issue of the Archives of Surgery.

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Study Sheds Light on Penile Melanoma

FRIDAY, Aug. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Primary mucosal penile melanoma has a similar prognosis as cutaneous melanoma when the tumors are of comparable thickness, according to a report in the August issue of Urology. Wide local excision and sentinal node biopsy for clinically negative lymph nodes is the recommended treatment.

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Color Doppler Enhances Prostate Cancer Detection

FRIDAY, Aug. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Contrast-enhanced color Doppler targeted biopsy identifies prostate tumors with higher Gleason scores than does ultrasound-guided systematic biopsy, according to a report published in the August issue of the Journal of Urology.

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New Biomarker Helps Predict Prostate Cancer Outcomes

THURSDAY, Aug. 16 (HealthDay News) -- B7-H3, a protein that can inhibit T-cell anti-tumor activity, appears to play a role in the development of prostate cancer and is an independent predictor of cancer progression following surgery, according to a report published in the Aug. 15 issue of Cancer Research. The biomarker may have diagnostic and therapeutic potential for the clinical management of prostate cancer and other cancers.

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Eye Cancer Risk Elevated in Kidney-Transplant Patients

THURSDAY, Aug. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Kidney-transplant patients have an increased risk of ocular squamous cell carcinoma, according to the results of a study published online Aug. 14 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Because HIV patients also have an increased risk, the finding suggests that this malignancy is an immune deficiency-associated cancer.

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Small Kidney Stones May Be Safe in Renal Transplant

THURSDAY, Aug. 16 (HealthDay News) -- In patients undergoing live donor renal transplant, the presence of small asymptomatic renal calculi in the donor kidney does not appear to lead to obstructive complications, according to a small case series published in the August issue of Urology.

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U.S. Asians' Prostate Cancer Survival Similar to Whites

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Asian American men with prostate cancer appear to have survival comparable to white Americans, despite prognostic factors that predict worsened survival, according to study findings published online Aug. 13 in Cancer.

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Hormonal Blockade in Prostate Cancer May Lead to Bone Loss

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 15 (HealthDay News) -- In men with prostate cancer undergoing their first year of androgen deprivation therapy, longer duration of the therapy is associated with decreased bone mineral density while higher body mass index, calcium/vitamin D supplementation and alcohol use are associated with a greater bone mineral density, according to a study published in the July issue of Urology.

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Nerve-Sparing Surgery Reduces Risk of Penile Shortening

TUESDAY, Aug. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Men undergoing radical prostatectomy may be less likely to have post-operative shrinkage of penile length if they undergo nerve-sparing surgery and quickly recover erectile function, according to a report in the August issue of the Journal of Urology.

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Some Risk Factors Modifiable for Erectile Dysfunction

MONDAY, Aug. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Risks associated with erectile dysfunction in men over 40 without prostate cancer or a chronic disease include urinary disorders and selected medications for depression and hypertension, which may be potentially modifiable factors, researchers report in the August issue of the Journal of Urology.

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Higher BMI May Confer Survival Advantage in Renal Cancer

MONDAY, Aug. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity is associated with an increased risk of renal cell carcinoma, but survival rates improve for patients who have a higher than average body mass index (BMI), according to the results of a Japanese study published in the July issue of Urology.

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Post-Prostatectomy Erectile Dysfunction Helped by Statin

FRIDAY, Aug. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Men with prostate cancer who take statins are less likely to have erectile dysfunction after nerve-sparing surgery than those taking sildenafil alone, researchers report in the August issue of the Journal of Urology.

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Heatwave Length, Not Intensity, Spurs Hospital Visits

FRIDAY, Aug. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Hospital admissions of elderly patients are more influenced by a heatwave's duration than by its intensity, according to the results of a study published Aug. 9 in the journal BMC Public Health. The study also suggests that patients do not necessarily adapt to the effects of repeated heatwaves over the course of a summer.

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Stem Cell Transplant Patients At Risk for Infertility

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Cancer patients who undergo myeloablative stem cell transplant have a higher prevalence of infertility and concerns about infertility than their siblings or friends, according to a report published online Aug. 8 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

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Racial Differences Found in Serum Selenium Levels

TUESDAY, Aug. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Black patients have mean serum selenium levels that are lower than whites, according to a study in the August issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology. Low concentrations of selenium have been associated with a greater risk of prostate and other cancers, which may explain some of the racial variation in cancer rates.

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Common Geriatric Conditions Linked to Disability

TUESDAY, Aug. 7 (HealthDay News) -- In older adults, geriatric conditions that are not part of the traditional disease model of medicine are significantly associated with disability, according to the results of a study published in the Aug. 7 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

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U.S. Abstinence Programs Ineffective for HIV Prevention

FRIDAY, Aug. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Abstinence-only programs in the United States have no effect on the risk of HIV infection based on self-reported sexual behavior, according to a systematic review of 13 trials published online Aug. 3 in BMJ.

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Radiofrequency Ablation Safe, Effective for Renal Tumors

FRIDAY, Aug. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation guided by computed tomography is an effective and safe treatment for patients with renal cell carcinomas, according to a report published in the August issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

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Combination Therapy Benefits Fabry Disease Patients

THURSDAY, Aug. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Adding both an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and an angiotensin-receptor blocker to enzyme replacement therapy with agalsidase-beta may stop the progressive loss of kidney function seen in some patients with Fabry disease, according to a new report published online in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

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