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February 2007 Issue of Renal And Urology News

World Literature Review

Simple Enucleation for Small RCC Tumors Safe, Acceptable

Simple enucleation is a safe and acceptable nephron-sparing treatment for pT1a renal cell carcinoma (RCC), Italian researchers say.

Repeated Botox Injections Have a Persistent Effect

Repeated injections of botulinum toxin A into the detrusor muscle have a persistent beneficial effect on neurogenic detrusor overactivity, according to a study by French ...

Valve Calcifications Linked to Mineral Abnormalities

Data from a Moroccan study implicate calcium and phosphate metabolism abnormalities in the pathogenesis of heart valve calcifications in patients on hemodialysis.

Asians Are More Likely Than Whites to Choose PD

A Canadian study shows that East Asian and Indo Asian patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are more likely than white patients to initiate dialysis ...

FDA News

New Advisory Issued on MRI Contrast Agents

The FDA has updated a public health advisory it issued last June after receiving reports of 90 patients with moderate to end-stage kidney disease who ...

Expanded Use for Anti-diabetes Injection Approved

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Eli Lilly and Company have announced that Byetta (exenatide) injection has been approved for expanded combination therapy in people with type ...

Application and Study Protocol Accepted for BPH Drug

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc., of Irvine, Calif., has announced the FDA’s acceptance of its Investigational New Drug application for ozarelix for the treatment of benign prostatic ...

Updated Alert on Counterfeit Glucose Test Strips

The FDA has updated its October alert regarding counterfeit blood glucose test strips being sold in the United States for use with various models of ...

Legal Issues

A Young Urologist’s First Job Turns into a Nightmare

When Dr. R, age 33, finished his urologic residency and went in search of a location to settle down, he selected a community hospital in ...

Renal Nutrition Update

Dialysis Patients Need Vitamin D

Until relatively recently, little attention was given to a patient’s vitamin D status because it was assumed that with sun exposure, the skin could synthesize ...

Your Money

Every Portfolio Needs Foreign Stocks

Domestic stocks have done well recently, but foreign stocks have soared. During the five years ending in October 2006, the average international stock fund returned ...

General News

A Clinical First in Miami Transplant Recipient

INVESTIGATORS IN Miami report what they believe is the first case of Mycobacterium chelonae osteomyelitis without pulmonary or skin involvement in a renal transplant recipient. ...

A Novel Biomarker for Lupus Nephritis

RESEARCHERS SAY they have discovered a novel biomarker for renal activity in patients with lupus nephritis. The marking, a cytokine called TWEAK, can be measured ...

Analyze Semen More Often to Chart Fertility

A FIVE-YEAR study looking at the sperm characteristics from ejaculates of men presenting to an infertility clinic suggests there is a wide range of intrapatient ...

Antioxidants May Affect Sperm Health

THERE IS increasing evidence that higher intake of fruits and vegetables may help ensure better sperm quality, researchers say.

Any Lupus Nephritis Remission Helps

EVEN PARTIAL remission of lupus nephritis may be associated with better patient survival and a reduced risk of progressing to end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

Crescents In Renal Biopsies A Bad Sign

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Class IV patients with diffuse lupus glomerulonephritis with crescents may require more aggressive therapy directed at non-immune complex mediated necrotizing glomerulonephritis compared to patients ...

CVD Predictor Inadequate for ESRD Patients

THE FRAMINGHAM Risk Equation (FRE), a standard tool for predicting CVD risk, may greatly underestimate the true rate of heart disease among dialysis patients, according ...

Daily Dialysis Boosts Survival

PATIENTS WHO dialyze daily at home rather than thrice weekly have better outcomes, according to recent research.

Delayed PCa Therapy Hikes Mortality Rate

TWO RECENT studies suggest that men with localized prostate cancer have a survival advantage if they are treated rather than managed conservatively.

DHEA, Testosterone Supplements Fail

NEITHER dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) nor testosterone supplements confer any health benefits, according to a study.

Drug Is Beneficial In Some PCa Cases

NEW YORK CITY—Results of the largest clinical trial ever conducted in non-metastatic prostate cancer suggest that bicalutamide (Casodex) added to standard care may improve overall ...

Factors Affecting Sperm Form Defined

INCREASED SPERM concentration and total motility are associated with increased percentages of normal sperm forms, whereas increasing age is linked to a decreased percentage of ...

Ferritin Unreliable As Iron Measure

INFLAMMATION profoundly influences serum ferritin, making it unreliable as a marker of iron status in hemodialysis patients, a nephrologist-researcher said.

Gadolinium Imaging Dangers Reported

USE OF gadolinium as a contrast agent during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) may increase the risk of a condition called ...

High Pregnancy BP Increases Risk

CHICAGO—Hypertension that develops during pregnancy places women at higher risk for the condition when they get older, researchers reported at the American Heart Association 2006 ...

In Vitro Use of Chemical Aids Smokers’ Sperm

Even though smoking cessation is the best solution for male and female smokers who have borderline fertility, in vitro use of synthetic cannabinoid analogs may ...

Kidney Disease Linked to Lesser Care

CHICAGO—Two studies suggest that physicians need to pay attention to renal insufficiency in hospitalized patients with cardiac conditions.

Low-Carb Diets Do Not Increase CHD Risk

After decades of controversy, the verdict is in: Low-carbohydrate, higher-fat diets do not increase women’s risk of CHD. But the source of fat matters: It ...

Management of Distal-Ureteral Stones

Ureteroscopic pneumatic lithotripsy (URS-PL) has a high success rate in treating unilateral distal-ureteral stones, a study found.

Medication Relieves Severe Lupus Nephritis

Rituximab (Rituxan), a biologic agent used to treat B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, may offer a promising option for treating severe membranous lupus nephritis (MLN), according to ...

Medication Relieves Severe Lupus Nephritis

Rituximab (Rituxan), a biologic agent used to treat B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, may offer a promising option for treating severe membranous lupus nephritis (MLN), according to ...

Metabolic Syndrome and BPH

Prostate growth in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is increased in the presence of the metabolic syndrome, according to a study that supports a ...

New Predictors of ICU Mortality

Older age, acute MI, and hypotension are among the factors that predict ICU mortality among patients with acute renal failure (ARF), data show.

NO Higher in Proliferative Nephritis

Systemic nitric oxide (NO) levels are elevated in patients with proliferative lupus nephritis, researchers found. The association is independent of renal elimination of nitrate and ...

No Marker IDs Nonresponders to IV Iron

SAN DIEGO—No baseline transferrin saturation (TSAT), serum ferritin, or soluble transferrin receptor value predicts how hemodialysis patients with high ferritin levels will respond to ...

Oral Platinum Analogue Looks Good

NEW YORK—Satraplatin, the first oral platinum analogue, is among the more promising second-line treatments for hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC), a researcher said here at the ...

Obesity Does Not Always Increase Mortality

High BMI in patients at high risk for kidney disease seems to be associated with a reduced likelihood of death, researchers suggest.

‘Pocket Pets’ Danger To Transplants

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have confirmed the spread of lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCMV) from a pet hamster to four recipients ...

Primary Urethral Cancer Is More Common in Men, Blacks

Primary urethral carcinoma in the United States occurs more frequently in men than women, and African Americans than whites, a study found.

Primary Urethral Cancer Is More Common in Men, Blacks

Primary urethral carcinoma in the United States occurs more frequently in men than women, and African Americans than whites, a study found.

Protection for Pediatric Tx Patients

The 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (Prevnar) is safe and well tolerated in pediatric solid-organ transplant recipients, according to researchers at the Hospital for Sick Children ...

Proteinuria A Useful Measure in Kids

As with adults, proteinuria reflects CKD severity in children, according to researchers. Their study of 213 children with mild to moderate CKD revealed that proteinuria ...

Proteus Bacteriuria: Ominous Urinary Marker

Proteus bacteriuria may be a marker for poor urinary health in spinal-cord injury (SCI) patients.

Radiolabeled Antibody Shows Promise

NEW YORK—A radiolabeled antibody against prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) may be a useful treatment for metastatic prostate cancer, preliminary findings suggest.

Renal Tranplants Raise Cancer Risk

Renal transplant recipients are at markedly increased risk of cancer at numerous anatomical sites, according to an Australian study.

Rural Life Linked to Low ED Prevalence

A study of men in a rural community in Brazil revealed an extremely low prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED).

Take Small Creatinine Rise Seriously

An increase in serum creatinine as small as 0.3 mg/dL resulting from acute kidney injury after exposure to a contrast agent greatly raises mortality risk, ...

Troponin, GFR Link Found in Heart Failure Patients

CHICAGO—Elevated troponin levels are associated with renal insufficiency in patients with heart failure, a new study found.

Vitamin E-Coated Filters Fight Anemia

Long-term use of vitamin E-coated polysulfone membrane (VECM) dialysis filters may significantly improve hemoglobin levels and reduce requirements of erythropoietin (EPO), according to an Italian ...

Why Smoking Is Associated with ED

Vascular disease may explain the previously established link be-tween smoking and erectile dysfunction (ED), a Finnish study suggests. Additionally, ED may be a silent vascular ...

Why the Obese Get More Kidney Stones

Urinary supersaturation of uric acid rises with BMI, which could explain why obese individuals have a higher incidence of kidney stones, a study indicates.

Feature

Counseling ED Patients About Lifestyle

It’s increasingly clear that erectile dysfunction (ED) is strongly linked to a range of underlying ailments including systemic vascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. These disorders, ...