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Baseline urinary continence status, based on a strict definition of no leakage or pad use, is predictive of improved return of continence following radical prostatectomy, according to University of Chicago researchers.

Seal strength tests on two laparoscopic instruments indicate that each offers separate advantages when sealing ureters and blood vessels, researchers reported at the World Congress of Endourology & SWL.

Men who respond quickly to varicocele repair have a better chance of fathering children than men who take longer to respond do.

Fascial closure is an effective method to prevent port-site hernias, even when non-bladed trocars are used, according to a study presented at the World Congress of Endourology & SWL.

Researchers are trying to identify which oligospermic men will respond to the drug clomiphene citrate.

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Efforts to standardize PSA assays were undertaken a decade ago, but PSA standardization remains controversial.

An innovative technique for tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy is a viable alternative to stenting the ureter and placing a nephrostomy tube.

Various aspects of shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) were the focus of several abstracts presented at the World Congress of Endourology & SWL here. Data from one U.S. group seemed to suggest, however, that SWL's "gold standard" offers better stone fragmentation and clearance than at least one newer device.

The World Congress of Endourology & SWL proved to be a fertile platform for technological advancements in ureteroscopy. Three studies in this area were particularly noteworthy.

I've never used them. I didn't even know they existed.

The updated size is slightly smaller than our former traditional tabloid size, but little else has changed.

Ramakrishna Venkatesh, MD, has joined the department of surgery at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, as an associate professor in the division of urology.

Large-scale data mining of gene networks in fruit flies has led University of Chicago researchers to a sensitive and specific diagnostic biomarker for human renal cell carcinoma.

Surgeons who warm up for 15 to 20 minutes with simple surgical exercises before performing an operation demonstrate a substantial increase in surgical proficiency, report the authors of a study from Arizona State University, Tempe.

Researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, have confirmed their earlier findings that men who have too much calcium in their bloodstream subsequently have an increased risk of fatal prostate cancer, but they have also identified an even more accurate biomarker: high levels of ionized serum calcium.

Illegal sexual enhancement drugs tainted with the diabetes drug glyburide have been linked to an outbreak of severe hypoglycemia in more than 100 Singaporeans, according to correspondence recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine (2009; 360:734-6).

A panel of metabolites appear to be linked to aggressive prostate cancer, according to researchers from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor.

Urologists and primary care physicians should discuss the use of 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors for prostate cancer prevention with men who have a PSA ?3.0 and who regularly are screened for prostate cancer and show no signs of the disease. That is the primary conclusion of a new joint guideline released by AUA and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Inger Saphire-Bernstein has been named manager of regulation at AUA. Her duties will include monitoring, identifying, and analyzing proposed regulations relevant to urology.

Eric A. Klein, MD has been appointed chairman of the Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute at the Cleveland Clinic.

New nomograms developed by Cleveland Clinic researchers could help predict the success of kidney transplants, according to a study that will be published in the March 2009 issue of the Journal of Urology.

Men who experience erectile dysfunction in their 40s are twice as likely to develop heart disease as men who don’t, according to a study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings (2009; 84:108-13).

The results of two new clinical studies offer hope for men who experience biochemical recurrence after primary treatment for prostate cancer. Both are scheduled for publication in the March Journal of Urology.

Behavioral weight-loss programs can be effective for reducing urinary incontinence in women who are overweight or obese, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (2009; 360:481-90).

Oxybutynin chloride 10% topical gel (Gelnique) has received FDA approval for the treatment of overactive bladder with symptoms of urge urinary incontinence, urgency, and frequency.

360 Network

Surgeons are generally happy with their chosen profession, but there is significant dissatisfaction when it comes to hours worked and reimbursement.

In this interview, John B. Forrest, MD, chair of the Practice Guidelines Committee, discusses how the committee has changed over the years, its process for creating guidelines, and future plans.

Testosterone replacement in men with prostate cancer is a viable treatment option to improve their vitality, according to several studies presented at the Sexual Medicine Society of North America 2008 Fall Scientific Meeting.