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Blue laser vaporization alleviates lower urinary tract symptoms while preserving sexual function in patients undergoing benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) surgery, according to a study. Zun-Jie Hu and colleagues assessed the impact of 450-nm blue laser vaporization on sexual function in 67 patients (median age, 65 years) undergoing BPH surgery and followed for three months. The researchers found that blue laser vaporization significantly improved International Prostate Symptom Score, quality of life, and International Consultation on Incontinence Modular Questionnaire for Male Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (ICIQ-MLUTS) scores. Blue laser vaporization was also significantly associated with a reduction in postvoid residual volume. There...

Researchers have found definitive proof of a kidney microbiome that influences renal health and kidney stone formation, demonstrating that the urinary tract is not sterile and low levels of bacteria are normal. They also identified certain bacteria within the microbiome that could promote or block kidney stone development and showed that antibiotic misuse (commonly associated with kidney stone development in a hospital setting) skewed the microbiome towards stone-promoting bacteria. The team's methods showed that bacteria living in the urinary tract were not only there because of disease, since they found them in the urinary tract of people without evidence of...

For men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), prostatic artery embolization (PAE) is safe and effective over 24 months of follow-up, according to a study. Marc R. Sapoval, M.D., Ph.D. and colleagues conducted an international trial of men with BPH with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) or acute urinary retention (AUR) treated with PAE. Clinical outcomes were described over 24 months, with the primary outcome of 12-month change in the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) or urinary catheter independence for patients referred for bothersome LUTS and treated for AUR, respectively. The analyses included 478 patients who underwent PAE (405 with bothersome...

Targeted treatment with the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitor erdafitinib improved responses and overall survival compared to standard chemotherapy for patients with metastatic urothelial cancers with FGFR alterations. Results from the Phase III THOR trial were reported. Genetic changes in FGFR are present in approximately 20% of patients with metastatic bladder cancer and up to 35% of patients with other urothelial cancers, including renal pelvis and ureter cancers. In 2019, erdafitinib was approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The ongoing randomized THOR trial, conducted at 121 sites in 23 countries, evaluated the efficacy and safety of erdafitinib in...

Drinking cranberry juice has long been a mythical prevention strategy for women who develop a urinary tract infection—and new medical evidence shows consuming cranberry products is an effective way to prevent a UTI before it gets started. A global study looking at the benefits of cranberry products published in Cochrane Reviews has determined cranberry juice, and its supplements, reduce the risk of repeat symptomatic UTIs in women by more than a quarter, in children by more than half, and in people susceptible to UTI following medical interventions by about 53%. Cranberry juice and healthcare supplements that commonly include the fruit,...

Scientists reported new evidence on the effectiveness of that old folk remedy — cranberry juice — for urinary tract infections at the ACS' 240th National Meeting. "A number of controlled clinical trials — these are carefully designed and conducted scientific studies done in humans — have concluded that cranberry juice really is effective for preventing urinary tract infections," said Terri Anne Camesano, Ph.D., who led the study. "That has important implications, considering the size of the problem and the health care costs involved." Estimates suggest that urinary tract infections (UTIs) account for about 8 million medical visits each year, at...

Cranberries Help Combat Urinary Tract Infections In Women, Researcher Finds ScienceDaily (Jan. 14, 2008) — Cranberry juice, long dissed as a mere folk remedy for relieving urinary tract infections in women, is finally getting some respect. Thanks to Prof. Itzhak Ofek, a researcher at Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine, the world now knows that science supports the folklore. Prof. Ofek's research on the tart berry over the past two decades shows that its juice indeed combats urinary tract infections. And, he’s discovered, the refreshing red beverage has additional medicinal qualities as well. Prof. Ofek has found that cranberry...