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Chicago - Treatment with bacille Calmette-Guérin plus interferon-alpha-2B appearsto be effective in a salvage situation for superficial bladder cancer patientswho have failed primary BCG treatment.

Chicago-Patients with carcinoma in situ or recurrent Ta, Tis, or T1 bladdercancer are at increased risk of dying of the disease within 5 years unlessthey achieve a complete response with bacille Calmette-Guérin therapy,say researchers from the Southwest Oncology Group.

Chicago-Morbidity and hospital stay after standard post-chemotherapyretroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) decreased in testis cancerpatients undergoing the procedure over a 10-year period, even no changesoccurred in surgical technique. Researchers from Indiana University Schoolof Medicine suggest that this outcome probably reflects changes in care.

Chicago-Women who undergo cesarean section without a trial of labor appearto be significantly less likely to experience stress urinary incontinencethan those who deliver vaginally or underwent a CS for obstructed labor,according to a study from Israel.

Chicago-When renal tumors are found in a patient less than 45 years old,a benign pathology is more common, especially in women. Symptomatic presentationis also more common in younger patients, perhaps because young patientsare less likely to undergo ultrasound or computed tomography evaluationfor nonspecific complaints.

Chicago-Six weeks of antimicrobial therapy with levofloxacin (Levaquin)appears to improve symptoms of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndromein men, although the benefits are not sustained, according to a Canadianstudy presented yesterday.

Chicago-Two alpha-blockers appear to have modest efficacy in treatingchronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome, according to separatestudies presented here.

Chicago-African-American men with clinically localized prostate cancerhave poorer overall and cancer-specific survival rates compared with similarwhite patients, according to results of a retrospective study. This disparitycan be substantially explained by differences in socioeconomic status andlower rate of surgical treatment among African-Americans.

Chicago-Plaintiffs' lawyers in medical liability lawsuits contend thatthere is a direct correlation between the level of service a physician providesand his or her risk of being sued."What causes malpractice claims is not malpractice," said JamesW. Saxton, chairman of the health care litigation group at Stevens &Lee in Lancaster, PA. "What causes malpractice claims-60% to 70% ofthem-is lack of service."

Tyco Healthcare offers the Liebel-Flarsheim Hydra Vision DR UrologicalImaging System with the ViewMax LCD Dual Monitor Viewing Option, which providesmonitor positioning flexibility and procedural vision. A lightweight triplearticulating arm with ergonomic handle allows the monitors to easily bemoved and placed for virtually any need, which increases physician comfortand patient positioning, the company says.

UrologyTrends.com (www.urologytrends.com), an online communitydedicated to providing educational resources to the practicing urologist,is launching this week. The web site is intended to help urologists improvepatient care by providing a convenient forum to expand their knowledge ofkey clinical, economic, and patient management issues.

Chicago-Urologists interested in Medicare reimbursement rates for prostheticurology should consider attending an informational lunch hosted by the Coalitionfor the Advancement of Prosthetic Urology (CAPU). John Mulcahy, MD, chairmanof CAPU, which is comprised of leading clinical experts and researchersin prosthetic urology and the nation's leading manufacturers and developersof prosthetic urological devices, will discuss the group's advocacy andoutreach initiatives.

Chicago -Once daily dosing with ciprofloxacin extended-release 1,000 mg (CiproXR) is as safe and effective as twice a day administration with conventionalciprofloxacin, 500 mg (Cipro), in the treatment of complicated urinary tractinfections and acute pyelonephritis, according to the results of a NorthAmerican, multicenter study.

Chicago-Leading a healthy lifestyle may stop or even reverse the progressionof prostate cancer as measured by PSA levels in men undergoing watchfulwaiting, according to the findings of the first randomized controlled clinicaltrial on the subject.

Chicago-Patients under 65 years of age are more likely to return to baselinecontinence, potency, and physical health 1 year after radical prostatectomy,according to results from a multicenter study presented yesterday. Also,RP patients without comorbidities and those with high health self-ratingsare more likely to return to baseline physical and mental health, respectively.

Medstone's STS-TC Transportable Spark Gap Lithotripter features the largest available focus (12 x 90 mm) and facilitates fragmentation of larger stones and mitigates positioning errors. The anterior/posterior shockwave transmission allows the deeper penetration required for obese patients or horseshoe kidneys.

Chicago, site of AUA's 2003 annual meeting, offers attendees and their guests an almost endless assortment of cultural, entertainment, shopping, dining, and recreational activities to occupy their free time. Visitors benefit from the large range of choices found only in a big city but will feel welcome wherever they go, thanks to Chicago?s brand of Midwestern friendliness.The nation's third-largest city is home to the world's tallest building, North America?s biggest convention center, and the nation's second-busiest airport. Yet despite its size, enjoying the sites in Chicago is easy since most key attractions are located within a several-mile radius of the downtown area and are readily accessible through public transportation. Choices of activities appeal to tastes running from the sophisticated to the casual.The Chicago Cultural Center (312-346-3278) may be a good place to start because it is home to a Chicago Office of Tourism Visitor Information Center. Formerly the main branch of the Chicago Public Library, the Cultural Center is a Chicago architectural landmark. A key highlight is the world?s largest Tiffany stained-glass dome. Visitors can marvel at the elegance of the building?s interior on their own or take a guided tour. Free concerts and performances are also offered.

Chicago-Research on lowering the PSA cutpoint, prostate cancer treatments,and new methods for treating BPH, prostatitis, and stone disease are amongthe major scientific advances coming out of this year's AUA annual meeting.Thomas Brady, MD, chair of AUA's public media committee, offered a previewof the research yesterday to about 15 members of the news media.Dr. Brady said members of the media committee read all abstracts submittedfor presentation at the meeting and select 25 to 30 based on their scientificmerit and news value."Many articles are extremely scientific but have absolutely no newsworthinessto them; other articles are extremely newsworthy and have absolutely noscientific merit," he said.

Chicago-Some researchers investigating the physiology and treatment ofoveractive bladder have questioned whether a "therapeutic ceiling"has been reached with anticholinergic medications, the current mainstayof treatment. Although the balance between efficacy and tolerability ofanticholinergics falls short of ideal, a number of products under developmenthold promise, said Roger Dmochowski, MD, professor of urology at VanderbiltUniversity School of Medicine in Nashville, TN.

Chicago-William J. Catalona, MD, has been named professor of urology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. Dr. Catalona was previously at Washington University Medical Center, St. Louis, for 27 years, serving as chief of urologic surgery (1984 to 1998) and professor of urologic surgery (1998 to present) before accepting the new position.Dr. Catalona will continue to be medical director of the Urological ResearchFoundation and editor of QUEST newsletter.

Modo Inc., introduces Flo, a configurable family of carts designed forclinicians who want more than a modular system but may not need full customization.The company says the carts provide height adjustability with a palm-sizedlever and internal gas spring.

Medtronic Urology provides the following treatment solutions: sacralnerve stimulation (InterStim Therapy) for urinary incontinence; transurethralneedle ablation for the treatment of BPH; and diagnostics, including urodynamicsand anorectal manometry.

Civco Medical Instruments offers the Micro-Touch LP (low-profile) stand,created to satisfy the special requirements for performing prostate brachytherapyprocedures on cystoscopy tables with a fixed overhead x-ray or fluoroscopygantry.

The Alpha O.R. from Olympus is a customized operating room offering thehighest level of patient care through seamless, build-on-demand integrationof surgical and communications devices. The operating room provides real-timeand cost-saving benefits such as quicker set-up and enables superior imagingfor quicker visualization, treatment, and reporting, the company says.

Olympus offers the reusable and autoclavable SonoSurg Ultrasonic Cuttingand Coagulation System. The product cuts and coagulates simultaneously,and its scissors can be rotated 360 degrees without rotating the wrist orswitching hands, according to the company.

The Visera Digital Visual Imaging and Information platform from Olympusallows the physician to specialize each procedure while maintaining standardizationon the platform, creating greater operating efficiency for operating roomstaff and surgeons. The system can be upgraded to match the changing anddiverse needs of a facility's medical staff by adding build-on-demand moduleseven after the unit has been purchased and installed.

Olympus announces the release of the EndoEYE videoscopes, which featurea high-resolution simultaneous-multi-color CCD at the distal tip, producinga high-quality video image. The EndoEYE Flexible Video Cystoscope maintainsa small outer diameter and a large working channel and is available fordiagnostic or therapeutic procedures in the hospital, clinic, or office.

Mission Pharmacal's StoneTrack Diagnostic Monitoring Test is a metabolicevaluation that provides a method of "tracking" patient progressand compliance to treatment. The semi-comprehensive metabolic evaluationmeasures seven risk factors for stone formation.

The UroRisk Diagnostic Profile from Mission Pharmacal is available forurine metabolic evaluation of renal stone disease. This test is recommendedfor initial and recurrent stone formers and those who do not test positivefor urinary tract infection. UroRisk is a semi-comprehensive evaluationthat measures nine risk factors for stone formation, the company says. Testresults are reported on an easy-to-read graphic display.

Mission Pharmacal offers Urocit-K (potassium citrate), 5 mEq and 10 mEqtablets, for the management of renal tubular acidosis with calcium stones,hypocitraturic calcium oxalate nephrolithiasis of any etiology, and uricacid lithiasis with or without calcium stones.