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Presentations at the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Urology annual meeting indicate slow, methodical progress in efforts to engineer biologically active tissues.

Two groups have taken innovative steps to match technology with important clinical problems: the microscope with NOA and the Whitaker test with EDO.

Routine semen analysis does not absolutely predict the quality of sperm chromatin, which may help to explain why it often fails to predict reproductive outcomes in infertile couples.

Data from studies on post-vasectomy clearance suggest that a single azoospermic sample submitted 16 weeks following vasectomy is sufficient to establish the success of the procedure and future sterility.

Mounting evidence suggests that the appearance of sperm has little to do with its function.

A novel modification of the Whitaker test using ejaculatory duct manometry shows promise for the diagnosis of ejaculatory duct obstruction.

While understanding of the basic science of shock waves has increased dramatically, questions have also been raised about the potential for serious adverse advents and urologist ownership of lithotriptors.

Studies of vesicoureteral reflux in children show steady progress in treatment modalities and outcomes.

Serum-based tumor markers are not used in more than half of all patients who have testis cancer, report researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor.

The FDA has approved SpermCheck Vasectomy (ContraVac, Inc., Charlottesville, VA), a diagnostic product that confirms men’s post-vasectomy sterility. The device will enable men to test their post-vasectomy fertility status at home, rather than returning to the physician’s office or a laboratory for confirmation.

An investigational bladder instillation appears to improve daytime pain in patients with painful bladder syndrome/interstitial cystitis in a single dose, according to interim results of a phase II study.

PSA levels typically have correlated with prostate biopsy results in the detection of prostate cancer, but that correlation no longer exists for men with a normal prostate exam, suggest results of a study published online in Cancer. The study suggests that improved biopsy techniques make PSA less useful in prostate cancer screening.

When it comes to effects on sperm motility or chromatin integrity, the choice of vaginal lubricant appears to make a difference, researchers reported in Fertility & Sterility (2008; 89:375-9).

Substantial variation in the prescribed and delivered doses of intensity-modulated radiation therapy for prostate and other cancers exists among medical institutions, raising concerns about the validity of comparing clinical outcomes, according to a University of Pennsylvania study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (2008; 100:300-7).

Men with prostate cancer and their partners face difficult decisions regarding treatment, and outcomes depend on some unexpected factors, according to results of a multicenter study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (2008; 358:1250-61).

The department of urology at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC, has added three new urologic oncologists to its faculty: Ashok K. Hemal, MD, A. Karim Kader, MD, PhD, and Joseph A. Pettus IV, MD.

The FDA has indicated that a new therapy for first-line nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer meets the criteria for fast track designation.

Ferring Pharmaceuticals has submitted applications in the United States and Europe for the marketing authorization of its prostate cancer treatment, degarelix, a new gonadotrophin-releasing hormone receptor blocker intended for patients in whom androgen deprivation is warranted.

Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute, Portland, researchers have found that even men with advanced prostate cancer can take a safe and much-needed break from chemotherapy.

Treatment with toremifene citrate (Acapodene) appeared to reduce hot flashes in men with prostate cancer receiving androgen deprivation therapy, according to a phase III clinical trial.

An independent data monitoring committee stopped a major phase III clinical trial of the investigational drug everolimus (RAD001) after interim results showed significantly better progression-free survival in patients with advanced kidney cancer who received everolimus compared with placebo.

One-third of women appear to suffer from one or more pelvic floor disorders, researchers from Kaiser Permanente reported in Obstetrics & Gynecology (2008; 111:678-85).

The FDA has approved an expanded clearance for the CellSearch System to be used as an aid in monitoring patients with metastatic prostate cancer. The system currently is cleared for monitoring metastatic breast and colorectal cancer patients.

A new blood test that measures levels of endoglin appears to accurately predict 98% of prostate cancers that will spread to regional lymph nodes, according to a study published in Clinical Cancer Research (2008; 14:1418-22). Endoglin is a plasma biomarker that has been previously shown to predict the spread of colon and breast cancer.

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission is expected to recommend to Congress this month that it increase average Medicare physician fees by 1.1% for 2009, rather than allowing a scheduled 5% reduction to take effect.

With all the changes you face, it's easy to forget that focusing on the basics just might provide the results you want.

Poor communication skills are a frequently cited factor in a patient's decision to leave a practice or even pursue a malpractice claim against a physician.

There is no specific code for the intravesical use of botulinum toxin A as a treatment of urgency and frequency of urination.