GRAPEVINE, Tex.—Higher levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25 [OH] D) may lower the risk of anemia and elevated C-reactive protein levels may raise the risk, according to new study findings that may explain much of the high prevalence of anemia among individuals with kidney disease, researchers conclude.

SAN DIEGO—Genetic analyses suggest that prostate cancer in African-American men is distinctly different as compared with European-American men, according to researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Bethesda, Md.

WASHINGTON D.C—CT-guided percutaneous cryoablation of renal tumors appears to be a viable option for the treatment of selected small renal cell tumors, according to new data presented at the 2008 Society of Interventional Radiology 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting.

ORLANDO—Patients with gram-negative peritonitis (GNP) undergoing early catheter removal have a higher rate of permanent transfer to hemodialysis but a lower death rate compared with GNP patients not having their catheter removed, according to study findings presented here at the 2008 Annual Dialysis Conference.

SAN FRANCISCO—Men recently diagnosed with prostate cancer are at elevated risk of cardiovascular death and suicide, according to separate analyses of a cohort of Swedish men.

MILAN—Intravesical alkalized lidocaine (PSD597) may be an effective short-term and possibly long-term treatment for patients with interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS), data suggest.

IN 2007, an international panel convened by the American Urological Association (AUA) and the European Association of Urology (EAU) updated the AUA ureteral stone guidelines. Most notably, the new guidelines reflect a pragmatic addition to the urologist's armamentarium: medical expulsive therapy (MET). MET is defined as the use of pharmaceutical agents to improve urinary stone passage rates and the time to stone passage in select individuals.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Percutaneous declotting of hemodialysis grafts less than 30 days from initial placement may result in shorter secondary patency compared with declotting of older grafts, according to researchers.

SAN FRANCISCO—Ferumoxytol, a novel IV iron replacement drug, may be more effective than oral iron in hemodialysis patients receiving anemia treatment with an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA), according to study findings presented here at Renal Week 2007.

PRELIMINARY DATA suggest that severe acne, as measured by tetracycline use for four or more years, may be associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer, according to a recent report.