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March 2008 Issue of Renal And Urology News

Editor's Letter

The Kidney Transplant Tradeoff

Research developments that have implications for nephrology and urology certainly are not limited to the meetings and journals targeting these specialties. That is why our ...

World Literature Review

Lower BPH Risk Linked to Greater Vegetable Intake

A diet high in vegetable intake is associated with a lower risk of surgically treated BPH, according to Australian researchers.

HoLEP Efficacy for BPH Increases with Prostate Size

The efficacy of holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) in the treatment of symptomatic BPH increases with prostate size, according to researchers in India.

'Remarkably High' Prevalence of CKD Found in Thailand

Thailand has a "remarkably high" prevalence of CKD among individuals aged 35 years and older, according to Thai and Australian researchers.

Ascorbate Deficiency Common in Australian PD Patients

Ascorbate deficiency is common among peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients and can be identified readily with serum ascorbate measurements, researchers in Australia report.

FDA News

Approval for Adjunctive Drug to Treat Type 2 Diabetes

The FDA has approved Welchol (colesevelam hydrochloride) to reduce blood glucose in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus in combination with metformin, sulfonylureas, or insulin, ...

Agency to Review Study Data on Cholesterol-Lowering Drug

The FDA issued an Early Communication regarding its ongoing review of Vytorin (ezetimibe and simvastatin) based on preliminary results from the recently completed ENHANCE (Effect ...

Single-Tablet Combo for Greater BP Reduction Cleared

Tekturna HCT has been approved as a single-tablet combination of two medicines for high BP: tekturna (aliskiren), the first new type of antihypertensive drug in ...

Not Approvable Letter Issued on OTC Lovastatin

Merck has received a not approvable letter from the FDA to its New Drug Application seeking approval for over-the-counter (OTC) Mevacor (lovastatin) 20 mg.

Legal Issues

A Urologist Is Tripped Up By Saying Too Much

When the emergency department nurses had difficulty passing a urethral catheter, Dr. S was the urologist on call. One such case led to a malpractice ...

Malpractice News

Contracts Would Replace Malpractice Suits

The think tank that developed the Health Savings Accounts is proposing that contracts replace lawsuits to compensate injured patients. These contracts would disregard fault and ...

Survey: Error-Reporting Systems Need Work

Doctors want to learn from each others' mistakes, but concerns about confidentiality and retribution make them leery about formal reporting systems, according to a recent ...

AHRQ Makes Safety Toolkits Available

The federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has published an updated series of safety toolkits that apply evidence-based practices to many settings.

Renal Nutrition Update

High BMI Raises Kidney Disease Risk

THE POSITIVE association between obesity and kidney disease (KD) is strongly supported by results of a recent meta-analysis by Wang et al (Kidney Int. 2008;73:19-33) ...

Your Money

Why Municipal Bonds May Be Bargains

AS MORTGAGE defaults increased last year, the markets took unnerving turns. Panicked investors raced to buy Treasuries and sell securities that seemed to present risks.

How Much Should You Invest Abroad?

WITH STOCKS tanking recently in places like India and Brazil, investors may be cautious about investing abroad. But many experts say that this is no ...

General News

Gastric Bypass Good for Male Hormones

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Weight loss which is achieved through Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (GBS) may reverse abnormal reproductive hormone profiles in obese men, according to researchers.

Lupus Nephritis Criteria Challenged

BOSTON—A widely used classification scheme for lupus glomerulonephritis (GN) may mask the pathologic and prognostic implications of focal segmental lupus GN, according to researchers.

Rituximab May Not Halt Progression to ESRD

BOSTON—Rituximab is highly effective for treating resistant systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but, in certain patients, the medication does not prevent progression to end-stage renal disease ...

Hepatitis C May Reduce EPO Requirements

HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) have a significantly decreased requirement for erythropoietin (EPO) compared with hemodialysis patients with no history of HCV ...

Hospitalizations May Lower Hct

SAN FRANCISCO—Dialysis patients hospitalized for infection, GI bleeding, or a major surgical procedure may experience a significant decline in hematocrit (Hct) levels, researchers say. The ...

Improving Post-RRP Potency

AMONG MEN undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) for localized prostate cancer, younger age, bilateral nerve sparing, and good surgical technique improve the likelihood of a ...

PCa Found in 12% of Male Organ Donors

RESEARCHERS WHO studied the prevalence of prostate cancer among male organ donors found that approximately one in eight of them had the malignancy.

SWL Effective for Larger Ureteral Stones

USE OF shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) for proximal ureteral stones can be expanded to stones up to 15 mm in diameter with acceptable success rates, researchers ...

PCa Progression Risk Factors Defined

NEARLY 15% of men with clinical localized prostate cancer treated without curative intent experience local progression within 10 years of diagnosis, according to a study.

CMV Retinitis in Transplant Patients

CYTOMEGALOVIRUS (CMV) retinitis is rare in organ transplant recipients, but it is progressive and is associated with high morbidity, according to researchers at the Mayo ...

Study: Renal Scarring More Likely in Boys

THE MOST significant risk factors for renal scarring in children with primary vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) are high-grade reflux, age at VUR diagnosis greater than five ...

TRUS Alone is Not Enough for Prostate Cancer Detection

GRAY-SCALE transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) alone has a limited potential to detect prostate cancer, particularly in patients with total PSA levels below 20 ng/mL, researchers reported ...

Why Blacks Tend to Get Worse CKD Care

SAN FRANCISCO - African Americans receive worse care for renal disease compared with whites, and the reason may be related, in part, to a lack ...

Hip Fracture Risk Elevated in Men with CKD

MEN WITH CKD stage 4 have an elevated risk of hip fracture comparable to that of men on dialysis, data show.

Cover Articles

Post-Transplant Skin Cancer

SAN ANTONIO—Kidney and other solid organ recipients are largely unaware of their elevated risk for skin cancer, according to data presented here at the American ...

Severe Acne, Prostate Cancer Link Found

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 ...

Novel IV Iron Drug Beats Oral Agent

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 ...

Feature

Anabolic Steroids: What Urologists Should Know

THE CONSEQUENCES of anabolic steroid use is a treatment reality for many clinicians, including urologists. Although anabolic steroid use among professional athletes gets the lion's ...