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December 2007 Issue of Renal And Urology News

FDA News

Tablet for Phosphorus Control in Dialysis Patients Okayed

Genzyme Corp., of Cambridge, Mass., has received approval to market Renvela (sevelamer carbonate) for the control of serum phosphorus in dialysis patients.

IV Injection for UTIs, Intra-Abdominal Infections Cleared

Doribax (doripenem injection), a 500-mg IV infusion for treating complicated UTIs (cUTI), including pyelonephritis, as well as intra-abdominal infections (cIAI), has received marketing clearance.

New Type 2 Diabetes Indications Granted for DPP-4 Inhibitor

Merck announced that expanded labeling has been approved for Januvia (sitagliptin), the only DPP-4 inhibitor indicated domestically as an adjunct to diet and exercise to ...

Expanded Indication for Multiple Myeloma Drug in Renal Patients

Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., received an expanded indication for Velcade (bortezomib) for injection, without dose adjustments, in patients with impaired kidney function, including ...

Legal Issues

Aggressive Attorney Adds to a Urologist's Distress

At age 38, Dr. K was new to private practice. He had completed his residency three years earlier and formed a partnership with an established ...

Malpractice News

Lawyers' Study Rips 'Health Courts' Plan

Some reformers are trying to move malpractice litigation into specialized "health courts" modeled on the worker's compensation system. Congress is considering legislation that would fund ...

Quality of Care Drives Settlement Size

Doctors usually get a fair shake in malpractice cases, with the quality of care determining the size of a settlement, if there is a settlement ...

Medical Trainees Are Prone to Mistakes

Doctors affiliated with teaching hospitals should get ready to get more involved with trainees. Physician residents are "highly vulnerable to errors," a federal watchdog agency ...

Renal Nutrition Update

Tighter Glycemic Control Beneficial

WITH 45% of dialysis patients presenting as a result of diabetic kidney disease or with comorbidity of diabetes, studies are examining blood sugar control as ...

General News

Donor Acceptance Criteria Widening

PRAGUE—New studies presented at the 13th Congress of the European Society for Organ Transplantation suggest that transplant surgeons can make more effective use of kidneys ...

Drug May Cure a Rare Type of Peritonitis

SAN DIEGO—A catheter-chewing cockatoo may have led clinicians to a new tool for the treatment of peritoneal dialysis (PD)-related zygomycete peritonitis. While these infections are ...

Enterococcal UTIs May Be Overtreated

SAN DIEGO—Significant numbers of men with enterococcal UTIs are being overtreated and undertreated, according to findings reported here at the Infectious Diseases Society of America ...

Frequent Ejaculation May Protect DNA

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Frequent ejaculation may help reduce sperm DNA damage, according to a recent pilot study.

Hallucinations Tied to Anti-Fungal Drug

CHICAGO—Some patients receiving voriconazole for invasive fungal infections may experience hallucinations, researchers report.

Invasive MRSA Hits Dialysis Patients

SAN DIEGO—In dialysis patients, invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections occur much more frequently than in the general population, a study found.

Unusual Urinary Pathogen Characterized

SAN DIEGO—According to researchers, urine cultures yielding vancomycin-resistant, ampicillin-sensitive Enterococcus faecalis (VRASEF) may not always represent a true UTI, and the proper treatment is not ...

Monitoring Local E. coli Resistance Patterns

SAN DIEGO—The empiric use of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (SXT) to treat uncomplicated UTIs may be contributing to increased SXT resistance and multidrug resistance in the United States.

Mortality Predictors Defined in Transplants

SAN DIEGO—Transplant patients suffering from candidemia are more likely to die if they have renal or hepatic insufficiency, data show.

Novel Agent Eases BPH-Related LUTS

PARIS—Ozarelix, an investigational agent, may be effective for selected men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) associated with BPH, phase II trial data suggest. The ...

Cover Articles

Breast Cancer Screening Value is Questioned

SAN FRANCISCO—For women aged 50 and older who are on dialysis, routine mammography screening for breast cancer may not be a cost-effective use of medical ...

Type of Donor Death Matters

SAN FRANCISCO—Elderly recipients of expanded criteria donor (ECD) kidneys have worse outcomes if the organs come from non-beating heart donors rather than brain-dead donors, data ...

Post-Biopsy Prophylaxis Caution Urged

SAN DIEGO—Urologists may need to re-examine the use of oral fluoroquinolones (FQ) as prophylaxis after transrectal ultrasound-guided (TRUS) biopsy of the prostate, according to study ...

Feature

When Gender Is In Doubt, What Then?

SHOULD CHILDREN with disorders of sex development (DSD) —in which genitalia, chromosomes, or reproductive systems diverge from what is considered the norm for females or ...