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March 2010 Issue of Renal And Urology News

Cover Articles

PCa Vaccine Results Promising

Experimental immunotherapy prolonged survival in men with metastatic castration-resistant disease .

Renal Disaster Relief Arrives in Haiti

Nephrologists and other renal care professionals faced formidible obstacles in treating individuals with earthquake-related kidney injuries in Haiti.

Use of Kidneys From High-Risk Donors Drops

The trend could be a response to cases of transplant-related HIV transmission in November 2007.

Commentary

Paid for Good Outcomes Measures

Who could have guessed that one day physicians would be paid based on the outcomes of patients under their care? This is the imminent reality ...

News in Brief

Prostate Cancer Diagnosis Increases Suicide Risk

Receiving a diagnosis of prostate cancer raises a man's risk of suicide or cardiovascular death, particularly in the first few months after learning the news.

Good Diabetes Control Delays Nephropathy

Patients with type 2 diabetes can prolong kidney health by meeting American Diabetes Association (ADA) target levels for hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), BP, cholesterol, and triglycerides.

Prostate Cancer Surgery Less Likely in Private Hospitals

Men treated for prostate cancer in private facilities were nearly 2.5 times more likely to undergo radiation and more than 4.5 times more likely to ...

Acetaminophen May Stop Renal Damage

Acetominophen may help ward off life-threatening kidney damage brought on by statin drug interactions, crush injuries, excessive exercise, or other severe muscle injuries.

Immune Cells Predict Post-Transplant Skin Cancer

The risk of skin cancer after kidney transplantation was more than five times higher in patients with high levels of T-regulatory immune cells and low ...

Erectile Dysfunction Levels Off Two Years After EBRT

For men who have had external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for prostate cancer, the greatest decline in sexual function is in the first 24 months post-treatment, ...

New Urocit K Formulation Introduced

Mission Pharmacal Company has introduced the Urocit-K 15 mEq (potassium citrate) extended-release tablet.

Feature

Dietary Fat and Prostate Cancer Risk

Studies provide conflicting results on the influence of dietary fat, but caloric intake may be the key, researcher says.

FDA News

New Indication Approved for Rosuvastatin

Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium) has received FDA approval to market the drug as a treatment for reducing the risk of stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), and arterial ...

Olmesartan Cleared for Treating Hypertension in Children

The FDA approved the use of Benicar (olmesartan medoxomil) for the treatment of hypertension in individuals aged 6 to 16 years. The drug original was ...

Pneumococcal Vaccine with Broader Protection Cleared

The FDA has approved Prevnar 13, a pneumococcal 13-valent conjugate vaccine for infants and children aged six weeks through five years.

Safety Plan Announced for Agents Used to Treat Chemo-Related Anemia

The FDA has approved a risk management program to inform health care providers and their patients about the risks of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), which include ...

Legal Issues

PCa Patient Dies After Lack of Follow-Up

A doctor referred a man with an elevated PSA level to a urologist, but did not follow-up and ask him if he went. It turns ...

Malpractice News

Decline in Malpractice Cases in Iowa Debated

In 2002, 335 medical malpractice lawsuits were filed in the state of Iowa. By 2009, that number had dropped to 171. This is good news ...

Litigation Fears Impact Physician Work Hours

A new study published in the Journal of Law and Economics (2009;54:635-663) has revealed that physicians work fewer hours when their risk of litigation increases.

California Hospitals Fined For Preventable Errors

In 2007, California initiated a hospital penalty program that fined hospitals for preventable errors that put patients in severe jeopardy.

Renal Nutrition Update

DASH Diet Variation May Help Lower Blood Pressure

Clinicians might want to consider prescribing a diet that includes lower-potassium fruits and vegetables, with close monitoring of serum potassium, parathyroid hormone, and phosphorus.

General News

Anemia Hikes Long-Term Mortality in Non-Diabetic CKD Patients

Anemia in non-diabetic CKD patients increases their risk of long-term mortality, and this predominantly explained by the association between anemia and degree of renal function, ...

Obesity Need Not Rule Out Renal Transplants

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—Elevated BMI in renal transplant recipients does not appear to impact early graft function and the risk of acute rejection, according to study ...

Transplants Can Proceed Despite Substance Abuse

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla.—Substance abuse by renal transplant recipients does not significantly affect graft and patient outcomes, according to new data presented at the American Society ...

Kidney Allocation Policy May Need Rethinking

De-emphasis on HLA matching could lead to worse outcomes in highly sensitized patients,

Anticoagulants Improve Prostate Cancer Outcomes

Use of the drugs was associated with better four-year biochemical control following radiotherapy.

ACE Inhibitors, Angiotensin Receptor Blockers Have Heart Benefits in Hemodialysis Patients

Study finds that the drugs reduce left ventricular mass.

BP Drug Combination May Offer Better Renoprotection

Use of benazepril with amlodipine rather than hydrochlorothiazide is more effective at slowing CKD progression.

Hypogonadism Linked to Statin Use

Statin therapy may induce primary hypogonadism and should be considered a possible confounding factor when evaluating testosterone levels in patients with erectile dysfunction (ED), according ...

Walnuts May Benefit Type 2 Diabetics

Eating walnuts may improve endothelial function in patients with type 2 diabetes, data suggest.

ECD Kidneys Are Underused in Older Patients

One third of those who can benefit are not waitlisted for the organs.

BPH Again Linked to Inflammation

The condition is more likely to develop in men with high interleukin-6 or C-reactive protein levels.

Fatigue Increases Cardiovascular Risk in ESRD Patients

Cardiovascular events are twice as likely to occur in highly fatigued patients, recent study shows.

Pre-Nephrectomy Sorafenib Shrinks Renal Cancer Tumors

Administering sorafenib prior to nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) can reduce the size of the primary tumor with adding to the risk of surgery, ...

Gemcitabine May Hold Promise for BCG Failures in Bladder Cancer Patients

Gemcitabine might be a second-line treatment option for patients with high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (BC) who fail therapy with bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), according to Italian ...

Statins, NSAIDs Improve Prostate Cancer Outcomes

Study reveals survival benefit after curative treatment.

Study Links CP/CPPS To H. pylori

Patients with chronic prostatitis have a higher prevalence of seropositivity to Helicobacter pylori compared with patients without the condition, according to researchers.

Hemodialysis Patient Outcomes After Long-Term Care Hospital Stays

Most hemodialysis (HD) patients admitted to a long-term care hospital (LTCH) are either re-admitted to acute-care hospitals or require nursing home placement, according to researchers.

Robotic Pyeloplasty Has Advantages

Treatment outcomes are similar to those of laparoscopic procedures, but operating times are shorter and surgeons operate with ergonomic comfort.

TOT Preferred Over TVT for Urinary Incontinence

Tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) and transobturator tape (TOT) procedures for urinary incontinence in women provide similar results with respect to continence and patient quality of ...

Radical Prostatectomy Benefits Lymph Node-Positive Patients

Radical prostatectomy (RP) is associated with improved survival in patients with prostate cancer and positive lymph nodes (LN), according to German researchers.

Two-Drug Preoperative Chemo Safe for High-Risk Prostate Cancer

Docetaxel-mitoxantrone combination given before radical surgery is feasible, new findings suggest.

HoLEP Safely Provides Durable BPH Outcomes

Even more than five years postoperatively, the procedure is associated with few complications.

Proteinuria Is A Key Determinant of Outcome

Adverse clinical outcomes associated with a given level of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) vary substantially based on the presence and severity of proteinuria, according ...

Reduced Salt Intake Could Yield Big Benefits

Modest reductions in dietary salt intake can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular events and significantly lower medical costs, a study found.

Resistant Hypertension Tied to Less Sleep

Short sleep time and poor sleep efficiency may have an etiologic role.

Cerebral Infarction May Predict Renal Decline

The presence of silent cerebral infarction (SCI) may predict an increased risk for worsening kidney function in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a ...

Familial Prostate Cancer Risk Further Defined

A man's prostate cancer risk depends on how many of his first-degree relatives were diagnosed with the malignancy, according to researchers. In general, the risk ...

Renal Cell Carcinoma Type Linked to Time on Dialysis

The histologic type of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) arising in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) may be related to the time on dialysis, according ...

Urologist Calls for Improved LRP Ergonomics

VIENNA—Efforts should be made to improve the ergonomics of laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) to relieve the physical stress of performing the procedure, according to a ...

Drug for Type 2 Diabetes Is Introduced in the U.S.

Victoza (liraglutide [rDNA origin] injection) is now available in the United States, according to the product's maker, Novo Nordisk.

Research on a New Drug For Nocturia Advances

Vantia Therapeutics, a British pharmaceutical company, has begun a Phase 2b trial of its lead development compound VA106483 for nocturia, according to a company statement.

Only Prostate Cancer Clinical Stage Predicts Positive Surgical Margins

Clinical stage is the only preoperative variable independently associated with positive surgical margins (PSMs) following robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RARP) for prostate cancer, according to ...

Post-Transplant Fungal Infections Remain Problematic

Fungal infections, especially invasive candidiasis and invasive aspergillosis, remain problematic among solid organ transplant recipients (SOT), but overall mortality appears to have improved, new findings ...

Preoperative Embolization May Offer Benefits

Angiographic kidney embolization before allograft nephrectomy reduced blood loss, cut operating time.

Renal Resistance Could Improve Organ Evaluation

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—Renal resistance after three hours of machine perfusion may be a more sensitive marker than renal histology for predicting allograft survival, researchers reported.

Improved Immunosuppression in African Americans

FORT LAUDERDALE—Steroid-free immunosuppression in African-American (AA) renal transplant recipients using alemtuzumab induction with low-dose tacrolimus and mycophenolate (FK/MMF) maintenance may be done safely and successfully, ...

High-Risk Donors May Need to Be Redefined

Nucleic acid testing has greatly shortened the time it takes to detect infections in potential donors.

New Drug Clears Hemodialysis Catheter Clots

TAMPA, Fla.—Tenecteplase, a thrombolytic agent, may significantly improve the function of hemodialysis (HD) catheters blocked by blood clots, according to data from a phase 3 ...

Hypokalemia Endangers CKD Patients with Heart Failure

Low potassium levels increase mortality risk by 56%, data show.

Changes in Renal Cell Carcinoma Symptoms Identified

Shrinking percentages of patients have hematuria and elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rates.

Socioeconomic Status Affects Stone Formers' Dietary Habits

Socioeconomic status (SES) influences dietary habits, and this may strongly affect stone formation and recurrence, according to researchers at Emory University in Atlanta.

Stent Grafts May Outperform Balloon Angioplasty

The devices boosted the odds that failed arteriovenous access grafts would be patent at six months.

Study: Nocturnal Hemodialysis Superior for Phosphate Lowering

Patients who undergo nocturnal hemodialysis (NHD) experience significant decreases in serum phosphate compared with patients on conventional hemodialysis (HD), despite a reduction in the use ...

Prostate Cancer Risk Linked to IGF-I in Latinos

Elevated levels of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) may be associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer in Latino men, according to researchers.

PSA Lower in Aspirin-Using Never Smokers

Aspirin use is associated with lower PSA levels in men who have never smoked, data suggest.

Postop Epirubicin Improves Bladder Cancer Outcomes

Intravesical instillations of epirubicin after transurethral resection (TUR) for non-muscle-invasive bladder tumors may be effective as prophylaxis against recurrence, according to investigators.

CT Accurate For Measuring Renal Tumors

Computed tomography (CT) images generally provide an accurate assessment of the size of renal tumors, researchers have concluded.

Vinegar Reduces Hyperglycemia After Meals

Vinegar reduces postprandial hyperglycemia in patients with type 1 diabetes, according to a recent study.

Office-Based Bladder Cancer Procedures Rise

The trend followed changes in CMS policy that boosted reimbursement.

Radical Cystectomy's Role in Bladder Cancer Treatment

VIENNA—Radical cystectomy should be considered in all cases of muscle-invasive, non-metastatic bladder cancer, according to Marek Babjuk, MD, PhD, who presented an evidence-based argument for ...

Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Winter Dialysis Initiation

The likelihood of deficiency increases among hypoalbuminemic patients who start dialysis in winter.

TOT Approach for SUI Effective

The transobturator (TOT) approach from outside to inside is a highly effective treatment for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in women, and it is associated with ...