PLC Systems Receives FDA Approval To Commence Pivotal Study Of RenalGuard(TM) In The U.S.

PLC Systems Inc. (Amex: PLC) announced that it has received conditional approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin enrollment in a U.S. pivotal trial to study the effectiveness of the Company's RenalGuard Therapy(TM) and RenalGuard System(TM) in the prevention of Contrast-Induced Nephropathy (CIN). Mark R.

Prostate Size, Other Neglected Factors Influence Prostate Cancer Treatment Satisfaction

Men with prostate cancer and their partners face difficult decisions regarding treatment, and accurate information regarding expected outcomes can be hard to find, according to results of a multi-center study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

New Tool For Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

New clinical data from a study of 570 men published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Urology1 support the use of PROGENSA PCA3 as a tool for diagnosing prostate cancer. The study confirms that PROGENSA PCA3, the world's first gene-based urine test to help detect prostate cancer, can provide clinicians with valuable information that helps guide diagnosis. As awareness and clinical support for PROGENSA PCA3 grows, a unique new resource regarding prostate cancer has been launched.

Urinary Incontinence In Women Alleviated With Physical Therapy Treatment, New Study Reveals

A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine (March 18, 2008) reports that pelvic floor muscle training, in conjunction with bladder training, resolved the symptoms of urinary incontinence in women. According to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), proper preventive measures and treatment by a physical therapist can help patients manage, if not alleviate, this often debilitating condition.

New Study Reports That Physical Therapy Treatment Resolves Symptoms Of Urinary Incontinence In Women

Early Clues To Diabetic Kidney Disease May Be Provided By Uric Acid In The Blood

For patients with type 1 diabetes, increased levels of uric acid in the blood may be an early sign of diabetic kidney disease - appearing before any significant change in urine albumin level, the standard screening test, reports a study in the May 2008 issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.The results raise the possibility that treatments to reduce uric acid might slow the decline of renal function in patients with diabetes.

Interventional Cryoablation Stops Cancer Cold Curative Option For Patients With Small Localized Kidney Tumors

Two papers presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting show that cryoablation -- the minimally invasive interventional radiology treatment to freeze primary kidney tumors without surgery -- is 95 percent effective when the tumors are four centimeters or smaller and nearly 90 percent effective for tumors up to seven centimeters, when the disease is confined to the kidney at one-year follow-up.

How Predictable Are Urinary Tract Infections?

It is expected that women will experience urinary tract infections (UTIs) at least twice during their lifetime. If a test existed that could predict UTIs, health care providers and patients would benefit. In the February 2008 issue of Urologic Nursing, Deborah Kuklinski and Sumana Koduri explore using urine dipsticks, an in-office test, to predict UTI.

Older Women With Urinary Dysfunction Tend To Prefer To Live With The Problem Than Undergo Treatment

Pelvic floor dysfunctions (PFD) are common among elderly women, but little is known about how this group views quality of life and PFD care. In the February 2008 issue of Urologic Nursing, Katharine K. O'Dell, Cynthia Jacelon and Abraham N. Morse discuss how frail, elderly women living in residential facilities feel PFD affects their quality of life and outline their preferences for care.

Nurses Need Further Education On Sacral Nerve Stimulation

For people who suffer from incontinence, urinary frequency and urinary retention, finding the right treatment can be difficult. Behavior modification, pelvic floor training, medication and other treatments often fail because patients find these therapies uncomfortable, time consuming and costly.

Sequence Of Treatments May Induce Clinical Response In Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients

Several recently approved agents offer promising treatment possibilities for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and the order in which these agents are administered may positively impact clinical response, according to a presentation given during the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) 13th Annual Conference: Clinical Practice Guidelines & Quality Cancer Care™.

SUFU 2008 Winter Meeting - Repair Of Vesicovaginal Fistual: Lessons Learned In Africa

UroToday.com - Dr. Kristin Chrouser presented a phenomenal lecture that prompted a standing ovation. She recounted her experience providing care for underprivileged women in Africa with vesicovaginal fistulae (VVF), many of whom were ostracized and destitute due to their condition. Not only was her well-delivered lecture educational, but it was inspirational, both from a medical and a social aspect.

SUFU 2008 Winter Meeting - Lumbo To Sacral Nerve Rerouting To Restore Voiding Function In Spina Bifida

UroToday.com - In spinal cord injury patients, the communication between the brain and the cord is interrupted, but the reflex arcs distal to the injury remain intact. Research by Dr. Xiao in China showed that rerouting of afferent nerves from the thigh to the efferent nerves to the bladder could results in modulation of bladder function via cutaneous stimulation of the thigh.

SUFU 2008 Winter Meeting - Genetic Factors In SUI/Pelvic Organ Prolapse

UroToday.com - Risk factors for female pelvic floor disorders include aging, obesity, multiparity, and genetics. Dr. Larissa Rodriguez and the UCLA group have demonstrated that environmental effects and genetics each contribute an approximate 40% increased risk of development of pelvic prolapse, which appears to be inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion with high penetrance.

SUFU 2008 Winter Meeting - Breakout Session #4 - Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation

UroToday.com - Jill Dubbes, OT, Alain Bourcier MD, and Jerry Blaivas MD provided an informational overview of the role of conservative measures in the treatment of urinary incontinence. Conservative measures, including behavioral changes and dietary modification, voiding pattern recognition, pelvic floor exercises were reviewed.

SUFU 2008 Winter Meeting - Biochemical Basis For SUI/Pelvic Organ Prolapse

UroToday.com - Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI), both of which are related to pelvic floor weakness, are prevalent amongst women in the United States. Dr. Gopal Badlani presented an intriguing lecture about collagen, elastin, and the effects of estrogen on the tissues of women with SUI compared with women who do not have SUI.

Pediatric Laparoscopic Pyeloplasty: 4-Year Experience

UroToday.com - A study from the University of Oklahoma by Lam, et. al. evaluated their four-year experience with pediatric laparoscopic pyeloplasty. They retrospectively reviewed the records of 59 patients who underwent surgical correction for UPJ obstruction in a single system. Of these patients 27 underwent open dismembered pyeloplasty and 28 underwent laparoscopic dismembered pyeloplasty, while 4 others underwent percutaneous endopyelotomy for concomitant urolithiasis.

Is Smaller Workspace A Limitation For Robot Performance In Laparoscopy?

UroToday.com - A study by the senior author C.K. Yeung and his colleagues from Hong Kong evaluated the limitation of a small working space in the performance of the da Vinci Surgical System. They wanted to globally assess the robotic system in a static environment based on the fact that they had difficulties performing specific tasks using the da Vinci robot in small cavities.

Single-Port Laparoscopic Surgery In Urology: Initial Experience

UroToday.com - The hottest area of minimally invasive surgery is now that of NOTES (natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery) and SPA (single port access). However, most of the work has been in the laboratory and very little has seen the light of clinical experience.

The Clinical Management Of Patients With A Small Volume Of Prostatic Cancer On Biopsy: What Are The Risks Of Progression?

UroToday.com - PSA screening has led to the over detection of small volume and perhaps indolent prostate cancer (CaP). In the online version of Cancer, Dr. Hamden and colleagues report a meta-analysis on whether patients with microfocal CaP on biopsy have adverse pathologic findings or any significant risk of PSA recurrence after undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP).

The Use Of Polypropylene Mesh As A Transobturator Sling For The Treatment Of Female Stress Urinary Incontinence (Early Experience With 40 Cases)

Urotoday.com - Urinary incontinence is a significant health problem in the developed and the developing countries. Various tissues and synthetic materials are used for that purpose. The transvaginal tape (TVT) procedure which uses a retropubic route has been associated with a number of complications resulting from penetrations of the surgical device into pelvic vessels, nerves and organs.

Sensitivity Of Normal, Paramalignant, And Malignant Human Urothelial Cells To Inhibitors Of The Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Signaling Pathway

UroToday.com - Starting from a well-established cell culture system of normal human urothelial cells (1,2), the epithelial cells that line the bladder, we used retroviral transduction to generate "designer" cell lines with specific molecular alterations. These "paramalignant" human urothelial cell sub-lines were engineered with the loss of p53 and/or p16 tumour suppressor protein function (3), which are key events in the development and progression of early-stage bladder cancer.

External Validation Of IMP3 Expression As An Independent Prognostic Marker For Metastatic Progression And Death For Patients With Renal Carcinona

UroToday.com - This trial was a validation of IMP3 as marker for the aggressiveness of renal cell carcinoma. It confirmed that IMP3 positivity can predict increased metastasis and decreased survival in renal cell carcinoma patients.Validation studies are not widely performed or reported on biomarkers, but provide valuable insight on the importance of these markers on a larger scale.

Beyond The Abstract Mayo Clinic Validation Of The D'Amico Risk Group Classification For Predicting Survival Following Radical Prostatectomy

UroToday.com - The study here externally validates the ability of the D'Amico risk group classification to predict clinical progression as well as cancer-specific and overall survival after RRP using the largest series of surgical patients (7,591) evaluated using this model to date.

Frequency And Distribution Of Multiple Diagnoses In Chronic Pelvic Pain Related To Previous Abuse Or Drug-Seeking Behavior

UroToday.com - Majority of Pelvic Pain Patients Have More Than One Pain Generating DiagnosisChronic pelvic pain afflicts up to 10% of women and results in billions of dollars in direct and indirect costs. Fenton and colleagues from an Akron, Ohio Pain Center determined the frequency and distribution of multiple pain-generating diagnoses in their chronic pelvic pain center and also explored the relationship to previous abuse and drug-seeking behavior.

Other Reading:
What Cause Kidney Stones
I started feeling major pain in my lower left abdomen, side, and ...
Surgical treatment of infectious kidney stones
Acupuncture.Com - Kideny Stones - Chinese, Western Medicine and Nutrition
Kidney Stone Photographs