THE PAST two decades have witnessed the introduction a dizzying array of minimally-invasive surgical alternatives to the gold standard treatments for BPH—transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) and the open simple prostatectomy.

Go to a grand rounds or medical conference and listen. What do you hear? In most discussions of patient care, clinicians relate compelling anecdotes typically beginning with “I once had a patient who…” Fill in the blank.

The recent publication of the CHOIR and CREATE studies in the New England Journal of Medicine questioning hemoglobin targets in dialysis patients (see article on page 19) have resulted in intense scrutiny of the relationship between Amgen, dialysis organizations, and physicians in the management of anemia. Last month, the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee held hearings on the matter. What is all the fuss about?

Nephrologists have been well aware that renal osteodystrophy, also known as kidney bone disease, is a common complication of advanced CKD (stages 3 to 5). In the past few years, however, there has been intensified emphasis on kidney bone disease and its association with other complications, including disorders of mineral metabolism, vascular calcification, and poor survival, especially among CKD patients who undergo maintenance dialysis. The emergence of a large number of observational studies and a few clinical trials has overwhelmed the field of kidney bone disease.

For centuries, human beings have spread diseases long distances through their travels. Yellow fever and the mosquitoes that transmit it, for instance, are thought to have originated in Africa and been introduced to the New World by slave ships in the 1500s. The 1918 influenza pandemic illustrates how contagious diseases can spread throughout the world.

Most patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are consigned to life on dialysis. Most undergo in-center hemodialysis three times a week, greatly diminishing their quality of life. Moreover, dialysis patients have a relatively high mortality. In 2003, three-year survival of dialysis patients was 56%, according to the U.S. Renal Data System.

Two articles in this issue report on outcomes in patients who underwent holmium laser enucleation for enlarged prostates, called HoLEP for short.