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David L. Murray, 72, of Naples, FL, who formed the publishing company that originally published Urology Times, passed away Jan. 31, 2007.

Verathon, Inc. (Bothell, WA) has issued a challenge to urology researchers: The company is offering $10,000 for the most practical and scientifically valid protocol to study the relationship of bladder wall mass and overactive bladder or BPH. The goal is to determine how bladder wall mass measurements can best be used in clinical practice.

A set of molecular biomarkers might predict the recurrence of bladder cancer and survival from the disease better than conventional prognostic features, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, researchers have found. Once a patient undergoes radical cystectomy, researchers say a routine tissue analysis could easily test for the presence of altered proteins that they found to help ascertain the chances that the cancer will return.

A new study from the University of Michigan Health System establishes one of the strongest connections yet discovered between muscle damage that can occur during vaginal deliveries and pelvic organ prolapse, the authors say.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has updated its prostate cancer guidelines, which now include revised recommendations regarding pelvic lymph node dissection, robotics, and the use of bisphosphonate therapy.

The FDA has approved new labeling for sunitinib malate (Sutent) to include first-line treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma. The labeling change is based on results of a large phase III trial that showed prolonged progression-free survival.

More than 90% of men who receive appropriate radiation dose levels with permanent radiation seed implants to treat their prostate cancer are cured of the disease 8 years after diagnosis, according to a recent study in the International Journal for Radiation Oncology Biology Physics (2007; 67:327-33).

Higher levels of a protein made by a gene known as JM-27 have been found in men whose BPH is more severe and more likely to lead to bladder-related complications if left untreated, according to Johns Hopkins researchers. The team, lead by Robert Getzenberg, PhD, also developed a blood test that detects the JM-27 protein in men with severe symptoms.

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Herbal supplements and other complementary therapies are surrounded by clinical and ethical issues, some involving urologists.

Atlanta-Secondary testicular ascent (acquired cryptorchidism) remains a relatively rare condition, occurring in 3.2% to 6.9% of patients in a recent cohort study of boys with retractile testes. The diagnosis of ascent is becoming more commonplace, and ,therefore, boys with questionable testicular exams should have follow-up through adolescence, according to re-searchers from the Vanderbilt University Children's Hospital, Nashville, TN.

Postoperative hemorrhage can and will occur in a minority of patients, despite the most careful of laparoscopic procedures.

Cypress, CA-Medison America's SonoAce X8 portable ultrasound system integrates new software that allows users to modify system controls using simple, intuitive steps with built-in protocols and advanced digital signal processing, high-resolution 3-D imaging, live 3-D, 3-DXI, full-spectrum imaging, dynamic MR, and spatial compound imaging. Features include a high-resolution 17-inch LCD monitor and an articulated arm for optimal ergonomic viewing during procedures. SonoAce X8 has received FDA approval, and will be available for sale in mid-2007.

Ortho-McNeil, Inc. has filed a supplemental new drug application with the FDA for new indications of levofloxacin (Levaquin), 750 mg tablets: acute pyelonephritis and complicated urinary tract infections. The filing is based on a clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of IV/oral levofloxacin, 750 mg once daily for 5 days, compared with IV/oral ciprofloxacin (Cipro), 500 mg twice daily for 10 days, in more than 1,100 patients with acute pyelonephritis or complicated UTIs.

Medicare has mandated a change from the current provider identification system to a new National Provider Identifier (NPI). The change will occur on May 23, 2007. This change is not an option, but is mandated for Medicare and, ultimately, all private payers that accept electronic claims.

Postoperative hemorrhage can and will occur in a minority of patients, despite the most careful of laparoscopic procedures.

San Francisco-How uropathogenic Escherichia coli spreads within families is a continuing question for both practicing urologists and researchers. It has long been known that sexual contact may spread specific strains. A new study examining members of a single family confirms that casual contact between family members and even pets can also contribute to the transmission of E. coli, leading to cystitis and possibly other urologic infections.

San Francisco-Farm animals often are implicated as the source of drug-resistant Escherichia coli and other pathogens in humans. In some cases, human outbreaks have been traced back to infected farm animals, but a recent study of such outbreaks in Iowa exonerates food herds as the source of resistant E. coli that are responsible for urinary tract infections.

San Francisco-A study at one of the largest health systems in Vancouver, British Columbia, has found that long-term care facilities have become a significant reservoir for resistance to fluoroquinolone antibiotics. The rise of resistance appears to be the result of the increased use of quinolones for empiric treatment of urinary tract infections and pneumonia in residents of these facilities.

San Francisco-One of the most frustrating problems for women with urinary tract infections is to complete apparently successful antibiotic treatment, only to have the infection reoccur.

San Francisco-A recent study from Sweden has confirmed what many clinicians have suspected: couples routinely share bacterial microflora. In clinical terms, if one partner is treated for a urinary tract infection or similar complaint, the other partner is likely to serve as a reservoir to re-infect the treated person.

Atlanta-Tissue engineering research has grown by leaps and bounds in the past decade and a half, yielding findings that may someday have a profound impact on the field of pediatric urology. At the 2006 American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Urology annual meeting here, several groups presented cutting-edge data on novel systems for organ generation, including research demonstrating the feasibility of generating a functioning bladder from stem cells.

Atlanta-The impact of environmental toxins on male sexual development has become a topic of keen interest among pediatric urologists, who have released a growing body of data suggesting environmental links to hypospadias, cryptorchidism, and other urinary tract anomalies and diseases. At the 2006 American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Urology annual meeting, several groups presented data on the effect of in utero exposure to endocrine disrupters on the developing fetus.

Atlanta-Sexual activity is lower and more disturbed in adult patients with spina bifida than it is in the general population, according to a recent study by researchers from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Interestingly, however, this diminished sexual activity does not appear to significantly affect spina bifida patients' quality of life, researchers said at the 2006 American Association of Pediatrics Section on Urology annual meeting here.

Atlanta-A study funded by the National Institutes of Health and a new registry promise to provide needed information on the incidence, prevalence, and consequences of two important urologic conditions in children: vesicoureteral reflux and prenatal hydronephrosis. Both the study and the registry were highlighted at the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Urology annual meeting here.

Atlanta-For a number of urologic conditions in adult patients, pure laparoscopic and robot-assisted laparoscopic procedures have taken urology by storm. Pediatric urology has been somewhat slower to adopt laparoscopic approaches, but many of the same questions arise in pediatric circles when arguing the relative merits and shortcomings of current laparoscopic and open surgical options: How do postoperative pain scores, operative times, and return to activities compare? What is the learning curve for laparoscopy, and does robotic assistance shorten it? In which patients, and for which indications, is one approach preferred over another?

Atlanta-Shifting patient and physician demographics, a rapidly changing medical marketplace, and evolving national health policies will create unique challenges for pediatric urology in the next decade, according to William J. Cromie, MD, MBA, a pediatric urologist who is CEO of Capital District Physicians' Health Plan, Inc.

New York-Satraplatin, an oral platinum analog in late-stage development as second-line chemotherapy for hormone-refractory prostate cancer, has shown encouraging results in phase III trials, said Oliver Sartor, MD, associate professor of medicine at the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston. Dr. Sartor, who reviewed phase III results of the drug at the recent Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium here, said satraplatin is one of the most promising new agents under study for hormone-refractory disease.

New York-The administration of sipuleucel-T (Provenge), an investigational immunotherapy designed to stimulate a patient's immune response, followed by docetaxel chemotherapy prolonged survival in men with asymptomatic androgen-independent prostate cancer (AIPC), according to a recently released study. Median survival in these men was 14 months longer than would have been predicted by a prostate cancer survival nomogram, said Daniel Petrylak, MD, associate professor of medicine and director of genitourinary oncology at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York.