Bladder cancer

Waterjet hydrodissection: first experiences and short-term outcomes of a novel approach to bladder tumor resection Nagele, U. et al. World J. Urol. doi:10.1007/s00345-011-0653-8.

Transurethral resection of bladder tumors can cause damage to the lamina propria, making it difficult to distinguish between superficial and invasive cancers. Waterjet hydrodissection, which involves electrical coagulation of resection edges followed by waterjet implantation of a submucosal fluid cushion, is a feasible alternative; complete resection with negative margins and intact lamina propria was performed in five patients.

Bladder cancer

Prospective trial to identify optimal bladder cancer surveillance protocol: reducing costs while maximizing sensitivity Kamat, A. M. et al. BJU Int. doi:10.1111/j.1464-410X.2010.10026.x.

Cystoscopy remains the most cost-effective method for detecting recurrence of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Addition of fluorescence in situ hybridization, cytology, or NMP22 urinalysis to cystoscopy surveillance strategies did not improve detection rates in a cohort of 200 patients, while adding significantly to cost.

BPH

Phase 1 and 2 studies demonstrate the safety and efficacy of intraprostatic injection of PRX302 for the targeted treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia. Denmeade, S. R. et al. Eur. Urol. 59, 747–754 (2011)

PRX302 is a PSA-activated pore-forming toxin and a promising targeted treatment for BPH. Approximately two-thirds of men with moderate to severe BPH who received intraprostatic injection of PRX302 reported >30% improvement in International Prostate Symptom Score, as well as reduced prostate volume and improved quality of life up to 360 days after treatment.

Male factor infertility

A recurrent deletion of DPY19L2 causes infertility in man by blocking sperm head elongation and acrosome formation Harbuz, R. et al. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 88, 351–361 (2011)

Men with total globozoospermia have acrosomeless, round-headed spermatozoa, and are consequently infertile. Whole-genome single nucleotide polymorphism analysis revealed that 15 of 20 men with total globozoospermia harbored a homozygous deletion of DPY19L2. Although its function in humans is unknown, DPY19L2 might be used to identify infertile men for whom intracytoplasmic sperm injection is likely to be more successful than in vitro fertilization.