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Members of the American Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers (AAASC) and Foundation for Ambulatory Surgery in America (FASA), the nation’s largest ASC associations, voted nearly unanimously to approve the proposed merger of the groups. Effective Jan. 1, 2008, the two organizations will become one, known as the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association, or ASC Association.

Mission Pharmacal has sold the rights to its line of kidney stone diagnostics to Quest Diagnostics Inc. Products in the diagnostic line include UroRisk Diagnostic Profile, StoneRisk Diagnostic Profile, StoneTrack Diagnostic Monitoring Test, StoneRisk Citrate Test, and StoneRisk Cystine Tests. These tests are designed to help physicians diagnose patients who are symptomatic and, among those who previously had a stone, help in periodic evaluations of a patient’s propensity to form stones.

The FDA has requested that manufacturers update the labels and prescribing information for tablet and intranasal formulations of desmopressin (DDAVP, Minirin, Stimate), used to treat pediatric nocturnal enuresis, to include important new information about the risk of severe hyponatremia and seizures. The action follows reports of 61 patients who experienced hyponatremia-related seizures linked to use of the drug, including two who died.

Vardenafil (Levitra) significantly improves the ability of men with erectile dysfunction and dyslipidemia to achieve and maintain an erection for successful sexual intercourse, according to a study presented at the Sexual Medicine Society of North America winter scientific meeting in Chicago.

Results from two genome-wide association studies have identified a genetic variant of the DAB2IP gene that is associated with the risk of aggressive prostate cancer. Research teams from the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) in Phoenix, Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC, the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, and Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore made the discovery jointly.

Transrectal high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) appears to offer long-term cancer control in patients with low- or intermediate-risk localized prostate cancer, according to a multicenter study published in the Nov. 5, 2007, online edition of European Urology.

Immunicon Corp. has filed a request for FDA clearance of a product designed to aid in monitoring patients with metastatic androgen-independent prostate cancer. According to the company, the CellSearch Circulating Tumor Cell Kit has successfully met its primary endpoint, demonstrating that circulating tumor cell levels 3 to 5 weeks after the initiation of chemotherapy predict overall survival.

Researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY, have found that broccoli sprouts, a rich source of isothiocyanates, may play a direct role in preventing bladder cancer.

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FDA has accepted a new drug application for a topically applied alprostadil cream for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, according to NexMed, Inc., the drug’s developer.

Patients who undergo cryoablation to treat cancerous kidney tumors are cancer free for up to 2.5 years after having the procedure, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.

University of California, Davis researchers have identified a microRNA that helps jump-start prostate cancer cell growth midway through the disease process, eventually causing it to become fatal. The discovery is an important link to finding new treatments targeting this cellular function and reducing cancer deaths among American men, researchers say.

An investigational therapy for BPH known as NX-1207 has shown positive results in a long-term outcome study, according to its manufacturer, Nymox Pharmaceutical Corp.

More than one-third of men with early prostate cancer who participated in a study analyzing treatment choice received therapies that might not be appropriate, based on pre-existing problems with urinary, bowel, or sexual function. The prevalence of these treatment "mismatches" could reflect patient unwillingness to discuss such problems with their physicians, according to the authors of the study, which will appear in the Jan. 1, 2008, issue of Cancer.

The extra blood volume produced in obese patients may so dilute levels of PSA that the PSA test may be significantly less effective for diagnosing prostate cancer in men carrying extra pounds, suggests a recent study in JAMA (2007; 298:2275-80).

AUA has announced the release of new guidelines on the management of two common urologic conditions: nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer and ureteral calculi.

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Urology Times randomly contacted urologists across the United States about how they respond to their patients' complaints and concerns about side effects from urologic medications, as well as the types of problems those side effects may create for the physician and the patient.

The most recent Urology Times State of the Specialty survey is notable in confirming some widely accepted urologic practice trends, but challenging the significance of others.

Retention of staff in the medical office is emerging as a difficult challenge, and urology practices are no exception.

Safety is an unspoken yet fundamental expectation of almost all personal and business relationships.

Nephron-sparing procedures now have clear advantages over radical nephrectomy for most small renal masses.

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Agents in the pipeline but not yet approved are expected to expand the range of OAB treatment choices.

There is growing evidence that finasteride (Proscar) can prevent the clinical manifestation of prostate cancer and increase the diagnostic accuracy of PSA testing.

The regulations guiding the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for the establishment of the 2008 physician fee schedule remain unchanged for the most part.

For the first time in years, patients with interstitial cystitis, especially those with the worst cases, may have an effective new treatment.

Interstitial cystitis biomarkers didn't change with long-term neuromodulation in a surprising study.