Skin & Allergy News articles from April 2006

Skin & Allergy News archives from April 2006

Supplements over sun for vitamin D.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... San Francisco -- The burning issue of how best to make sure that patients get enough vitamin D comes down to this conclusion: Recommending intentional exposure to the sun is inappropriate, Dr. Henry W. Lim said. For patients at risk of...

Hyperhidrosis CPT codes validate Dx; complicate billing: counter new complexity with proactivity.(Dermatologic Surgery)
April 1, 2006... Wailea, Hawaii -- The newly available CPT codes for botulinum toxin type A injections for hyperhidrosis are truly a good news/bad news story, Dr. David M. Pariser said at the annual Hawaii Dermatology Seminar sponsored by the Skin Disease...

New psoriasis spray aims for higher compliance.(Dermatologic Therapy)
April 1, 2006... Wailea, Hawaii -- With the plethora of topical clobetasol propionate formulations already on the market, why do physicians and patients need the recently approved Clobex spray that's now reaching pharmacy shelves? "Compliance, compliance,...

Avian influenza's spread in Africa worries World Health Officials.(News)
April 1, 2006... The spread of avian influenza to poultry in Niger confirms officials' fears that conditions in West Africa favor the further spread of the infection, the World Health Organization has reported. There are no human cases of H5N1 viral...

Panel: give pertussis shot to health care workers: new formulation is expected to decrease exposures, secondary cases in pediatric and adult care settings.(News)
April 1, 2006... Atlanta -- Health care workers in hospitals or ambulatory care settings and those who have direct patient contact should receive the adolescent/adult formulation of the tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis vaccine, the Advisory Committee on...

FDA panel votes to follow WHO, change flu vaccine strains.(News)
April 1, 2006... Bethesda, MD. -- A federal advisory panel unanimously voted to change two of the three strains slated to compose the 2006-2007 influenza vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory...

Tequin associated with hypo- and hyperglycemia.(News)
April 1, 2006... Results from two large studies of patients aged 66 and older show a strong association between the use of gatifloxacin and inpatient treatment for both hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. The findings follow close on the heels of the drug's fourth...

Tequin labeling now addresses dysglycemia.(News)
April 1, 2006... Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. has announced labeling changes for Tequin (gatifloxacin) that update the prescription information as a result of continued reports of cases of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia in patients taking the drug. Tequin is...

Contamination prompts recall of cefazolin.(News)
April 1, 2006... Hanford Pharmaceuticals Inc. is recalling four lots of cefazolin for injection due to the possibility of microbial contamination, which may pose a serious or life-threatening risk for some patients. The recall affects 379,975 vials (1 g/10...

Extended Efalizumab Tx appears well tolerated.(News)
April 1, 2006... San Francisco -- Efalizumab appears to be well tolerated over the course of up to 60 weeks of treatment, according to a combined analysis of more than 1,000 patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis. Common adverse events...

Cardiac device components can cause contact dermatitis.(News)
April 1, 2006... San Francisco -- Allergy to the materials in an implanted cardioverter defibrillator can cause a contact dermatitis over the implantation site, that may be mistaken for infection, Dr. Margaret Lee-Bellantoni said. Although allergic...

Senators spar over medicare drug benefit rollout.(News)
April 1, 2006... Washington -- Does your Medicare patient need a prescription for a drug not on his or her drug plan formulary? Be forewarned: You may have to fill out pages of forms. "There continue to be widespread reports of drug plans requiring prior...

Studies seek data on isotretinoin adverse events.(News)
April 1, 2006... Wailea, Hawaii -- Most of the reported adverse events associated with the use of isotretinoin for acne--aside from the oral retinoid's long-established teratogenicity risk--don't stand up to scrutiny, Dr. Lee T. Zane said at the annual Hawaii...

iPledge: dermatologists concerned about patients' privacy.(News)
April 1, 2006... San Francisco -- The iPledge program for mandatory registration of all patients receiving isotretinoin prescriptions began on March 1, but at a question and answer session at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology on March 6,...

Older patients should get herpes zoster vaccine.(News)
April 1, 2006... Atlanta -- Most internists and family physicians would recommend the herpes zoster vaccine to their older patients despite concerns about the vaccine's cost and reimbursement for its administration, Dr. Allison Kempe said at a meeting of the...

Unlicensed product is available for varicella postexposure prophylaxis.(News)
April 1, 2006... The dwindling U.S. supply of varicella-zoster immune globulin has been replenished with a new unlicensed product made available under a Food and Drug Administration investigational new drug application, according to the Centers for Disease...

CMS says drug firms can continue to offer patient-assistance programs.(News)
April 1, 2006... Pharmaceutical companies should not end their patient-assistance programs because of Medicare Part D prescription drug program implementation, according to a statement from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Companies can...

Private narratives.
April 1, 2006... It's been said that 36 plot lines cover every dramatic situation. These include "Revenge: Avenger, Criminal" (no. 3); "Famillal Hatred: Two Family Members Who Hate Each Other" (no. 13); and "Adultery: Deceived Spouse, Two Adulterers" (no. 25)....

Topical calcineurin inhibitors and black boxes.(Guest Editorial)
April 1, 2006... When the Food and Drug Administration posted a Public Health Advisory in March 2005 and then added a black box warning and medication guide to the labeling Jan. 19, 2006, to "inform health care providers and patients about a potential cancer...

Bureaucratic Gridlock in Medicine.
April 1, 2006... As a practicing psychiatrist, I became an unwilling conscript of the information age during the 1980s, as health maintenance organizations began to enter the U.S. health scene. What had taken a few minutes of paperwork in the 1960s and 1970s...

Defending the drugmakers.(Guest Editorial)
April 1, 2006... "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings." Cassius in Julius Caesar, Act I, Scene 2--William Shakespeare Over the past several years, the pharmaceutical industry has replaced managed care...

iPledge trust issues.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... I disagree with Dr. Hilary Baldwin's contention that you cannot trust a 16-year-old who claims that she is sexually abstinent ("iPLEDGE Program Moving Forward Despite the Delays," February 2006, p. 1). The physician-patient relationship...

Dermatology and the Psyche.
April 1, 2006... When I was in junior high school, I remember a time when I suffered with a set of warts--on both feet. Walking to school day after day was excruciating as the warts grew larger. Finally, I complained to my parents, and my father took me to a...

Psoriasis Tx evolution will engender challenges.(Dermatologic Therapy)
April 1, 2006... Park City, Utah -- The challenges clinicians face in managing psoriasis have not gone away with the introduction of new therapies for the disorder, Dr. Gerald G. Krueger said at a clinical dermatology seminar sponsored by Medicis. Indeed,...

Echinacea.(Cosmeceutical Critique)
April 1, 2006... Echinacea belongs to the Asteraceae (formerly Compositae) family and was traditionally used by Native Americans for sundry indications beginning, according to the earliest archeological evidence, in the 1700s. The conditions for which...

T-Cell activation key to targretin gel efficacy: the rexinoid is showing positive data in early-phase studies in several hard-to-manage dermatoses.(Dermatologic Therapy)
April 1, 2006... Wailea, Hawaii -- What do alopecia areata, psoriasis, severe chronic hand dermatitis, and mycosis fungoides have in common? All are diseases in which T-cell activation figures centrally in the pathogenesis. And all four appear to respond to...

Methotrexate treatments may benefit cutaneous lupus patients.(Dermatology Therapy)
April 1, 2006... Abano Terme, Italy -- Intravenous methotrexate proved to be an effective steroid-sparing treatment for recalcitrant cutaneous lupus, Dr. Joerg Wenzel reported at a congress on skin, rheumatism, and autoimmunity. Dr. Wenzel and his...

Knowledge of fusiform, z-plasty aids new Mohs surgeons.(Dermatologic Surgery)
April 1, 2006... San Diego -- Some closures may be too complex for inexperienced Mohs surgeons, but even novices can successfully close most of their cases if they have an understanding of how skin flaps move and a willingness to see the possibilities in the...

Zinc paste may enhance Mohs surgery success.(Dermatologic Surgery)
April 1, 2006... San Diego -- The use of zinc chloride fixative paste may be controversial, but its judicious application can increase the melanoma-clearing properties of Mohs surgery; Dr. Norman A. Brooks said at a meeting sponsored by the American Society for...

Eliminate perineural invasion by taking wider margins.(Dermatologic Surgery)
April 1, 2006... San Diego -- Tumors travel within the nerve structure, so if a Mohs surgeon has a habit of taking superficial margins, he or she will miss perineural tumors, Dr. Alexander Miller said at a meeting sponsored by the American Society for Mohs...

Fat transfer adds volume, takes years off a face.(Disease/Disorder overview)
April 1, 2006... Orlando -- One way to achieve a more youthful appearance may be to restore volume around the eyes and mouth rather than simply remove excess skin, said Dr. Mark Berman at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery. "The...

Stay abreast of specific benefits, limitations as filler choice grows.
April 1, 2006... Park City, Utah -- The growing number of fillers approved and pending approval in the United States presents cosmetic dermatologists not just with an array of choices, but also of benefits and risks specific to those choices, according to Dr....

Starting up a medical spa? Get the right equipment.(Dermatologic Surgery)
April 1, 2006... Orlando -- For those who are thinking about going into the medical spa business, Dr. Mitchel P. Goldman, a dermatologist in private practice in La Jolla, Calif., named the essential services to offer: * Intense pulsed light. "If you can...

Stem cell transplants tame systemic sclerosis.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... Abano Terme, Italy -- Autologous stem cell transplantation has produced durable benefits in a small series of patients with severe systemic sclerosis, based on 2 years of follow-up data, Dr. Irene Miniati reported at a congress on skin,...

Metabolic factors may link diabetes and morphea onset.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... Abano, Terme, Italy -- The unexpected finding of increased rates of diabetes among patients with morphea suggests that metabolic factors may be involved in triggering the condition, Dr. Christiane Pfeiffer said in a poster session at a congress...

Hydrogel Tx improves burn outcomes.(Medical condition overview)
April 1, 2006... Semipermeable adhesive Film used with a hydrogel is effective for improving medication delivery and outcomes in burn patients, Dr. Enzo Osti of San Dona di Piave, Venice, Italy, reported. This type of therapy was used in a prospective study...

Data raise doubts about D.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... The failure of vitamin D and calcium supplementation to reduce the risks of fracture or colorectal cancer in two recently published placebo-controlled studies generated abundant media coverage and controversy. Both studies had significant...

Prompt cicatricial alopecia diagnosis and treatment may impede scarring.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... NAPLES, FLA. -- Biopsy, diagnose, and treat early--these are three common strategies for the many different clinical presentations of cicatricial alopecia, Dr. Elise A. Olsen advised at a symposium sponsored by the Dermatology Foundation. ...

To prevent melasma relapse, stress sunscreen.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... Park City, Utah -- Melasma is a chronic, relapsing condition occurring across racial groups, Dr. Susan C. Taylor said at a clinical dermatology seminar sponsored by Medicis. Although the pigmentation disorder is seen primarily as a...

Community MRSA skyrockets in 1-year period: one emergency department saw 107 first-time MRSA patients in 2004, up from 9 in 2001.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... Washington -- The number of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections has dramatically risen in recent years, and more and more cases are community acquired, at least in one emergency department, Dr. Mary-Claire Roghmann said at...

Admissions screening does not reduce methicillin-resistant S. aureus infections.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... Washington -- Screening acute admissions patients for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and then following a set of infection control measures appeared to have no effect on the number of new cases of infection due to the organism,...

History of MRSA, chills, and shunts can flag bacteremic patients.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... Washington -- Three clinical characteristics--arteriovenous shunts or grafts, history of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and the presence of chills--were significantly associated with S. aureus bacteremia in a study of 1,015...

New clues help to diagnose melanoma vs. Spitz.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... Wailea, Hawaii -- Dermatologists can now draw on two new histologic criteria that have been shown useful in distinguishing malignant melanoma from Spitz nevi, Dr. Clifton R. White Jr. said at the annual Hawaii Dermatology Seminar sponsored by...

Pearls shed light on Tx for dark-skinned children.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... Bal Harbour, Fla. -- When treating skin problems in children of color, do not ignore postinflammatory hyperpigmentation, and be brave in using topical steroids for vitiligo, said Dr. Andrea Trowers at the annual Masters of Pediatrics conference...

Rise in childhood melanoma underscores need for sun protection.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... Bal Harbour, Fla. -- The strongest risk factor for melanoma in children is the presence of more than 100 nevi that are 2 mm or larger in diameter, Dr. Elizabeth Connelly said at the annual Masters of Pediatrics Conference sponsored by the...

Sleuthing may lead to root of contact dermatitis: children's exposures can be myriad and overlapping; know links between seemingly dissimilar substances.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... Bal Harbour, Fla. -- Tracking the cause of allergic contact dermatitis in children requires investigation of all possible avenues of exposure, from toys and clothes to personal hygiene products and foods. "Patients can receive a dose of...

Adequate prevention means children won't be bugged by bites.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... Bal Harbour, Fla. -- "The hardest thing to instill in parents is a mind-set of preventing bug bites, [but] prevention is the best treatment," Dr. Elizabeth Connelly said at the annual Masters of Pediatrics conference sponsored by the University...

Oral treatment of chronic peripheral diabetic neuropathy.(Drug Update)
April 1, 2006... Peripheral diabetic neuropathy is believed to affect at least 20% of all adults with type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus. Optimal glucose control is the key to preventing or delaying its onset. Once neuropathy occurs, establishing good metabolic...

Ranexa, Rituxan.(New & Approved)
April 1, 2006... Ranexa (ranolazine, CV Therapeutics) A novel antianginal drug approved as a second-line treatment for chronic angina, added to conventional therapy in patients who remain symptomatic on other antianginal drugs. Ranexa is the first new...

Sebaceous carcinoma: a rare but deadly mime: the neoplasm occurs most often in the periocular region and can assume a variety of forms.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... Stowe, Vt. -- Extraocular sebaceous carcinoma is as virulent as its ocular counterpart, and the aggressive metastatic capability of both underscores the need for early recognition and treatment of this rare type of neoplasm, said Dr. Jonathan...

Black dot marks may indicate early basal cell carcinoma.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... Los Cabos, Mexico -- Jet-black dots that resemble marks from a ballpoint pen may be an easily overlooked sign of basal cell carcinoma, Dr. Jennifer L. Vesper said at the annual meeting of the Noah Worcester Dermatological Society. Dr....

Follow-up visits boost adherence to topical Tx.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... Kapalua, Hawaii -- Topical therapies work better if patients use them, Dr. Steven R. Feldman said at the Winter Clinical Dermatology Conference, Hawaii. That may seem obvious, but "about 40% of psoriasis patients report non-compliance. The...

Botox effective for tennis elbow pain.(Clinical Capsules)
April 1, 2006... Botulinum toxin injections may provide short-term pain relief for patients with lateral epicondylitis, Chinese researchers have reported. A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of botulinum toxin in 60 patients with lateral epicondylitis...

Liver toxicity reported with Ketek.(Clinical Capsules)
April 1, 2006... The Food and Drug Administration is recommending that physicians monitor patients taking telithromycin (Ketek) for signs and symptoms of liver problems, in response to reports of liver toxicity in three patients taking the drug. ...

Risks of episodic HIV therapy.(Clinical Capsules)
April 1, 2006... A large, international HIV-1 trial was stopped prematurely because patients who received episodic antiretroviral therapy had more than twice the risk of disease progression and a higher rate of major complications than did those who received...

Ricin vaccine shows promise in small safety trial.(Clinical Capsules)
April 1, 2006... Avaccine against the neurotoxin ricin has been found to be safe and effective in its first-ever human trial, which justifies further studies to test the vaccine's effectiveness, according to a report by Ellen S. Vitetta, Ph.D., and her...

Personification of drugs compromises therapy: when a patient transfers feelings to a drug, side effects can be exacerbated and distress amplified.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... New York -- People often experience medication as if it were a person, transferring to a drug feelings aroused by the prescriber or important people in the patient's life. This process, if unappreciated, can compromise psychoanalysis and...

Lupus induced by anti-TNF appears to be rare, reversible.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... Abano Terme, Italy -- The occurrence of drug-induced lupus is "extremely rare" among patients being treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor-ex (TNF-[alpha]) agents despite the fact that many patients develop autoantibodies during treatment, Dr....

Statins do not affect cancer risk or mortality, metaanalysis finds.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... Statins neither raise nor lower the risk of cancer or cancer mortality, according to a metaanalysis of 26 randomized clinical trials. Several retrospecuve studies have suggested that statins reduce the risk of developing cancer by as much...

Bill seeks consent for off-label Rx.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... A new bill in the California assembly would require physicians and surgeons to get informed consent from their patients before "prescribing, administering, or furnishing" a prescription for off-label use. A failure to adhere to the requirement...

Botox popularity.(Policy & Practice)
April 1, 2006... In 2005, the most popular nonsurgical cosmetic treatment was Botox injection, with almost 3.3 million procedures, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Laser hair removal was second, with 1.5 million treatments in...

MDs preferred for cosmetic Tx.(d)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... A still-small but growing number of Americans are electing to have invasive (7% of those polled) and noninvasive (8%) cosmetic treatments even though these procedures are rarely covered by insurance, according to a Wall Street Journal...

Lester Crawford, lobbyist.(Policy & Practice)
April 1, 2006... Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Lester Crawford, D.V.M., has taken a position at Policy Directions, Inc., a Washington, DC-based lobbying firm with drug, biotechnology and food company clients. Mr. Crawford will be senior...

Medicare drug prices up?(Policy & Practice)
April 1, 2006... Several new reports charge that prescription drug prices rose in the first month that Medicare beneficiaries were eligible for coverage under the Part D drug benefit. For example, Consumers Union said it found an average increase of 5%. The...

Views mixed on benefits of health savings plans.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2006... As President Bush puts health savings accounts higher on his agenda, experts continue to debate whether they are a good idea for solving the problems of the uninsured. "The more I think about these proposals, the more troubling I find them...

Discount card's woes offer lessons for CMS.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2006... The experience of the drug discount card program that Medicare beneficiaries participated in prior to the launch of the Medicare drug benefit offers some lessons for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Government Accountability...

Study: medicare part D won't help seniors save.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2006... Medicare's new prescription drug benefit offers meager savings on drug prices, according to a Families USA survey. For 19 out of the top 20 drugs prescribed to seniors in 2004 in several regions of the country, Families USA found that...

Compliance programs show good faith in investigations.
April 1, 2006... LAS VEGAS -- Proper documentation is key to an effective corporate compliance program and can serve as evidence of a good-faith program to investigators, one compliance expert said at a meeting on reimbursement sponsored by the American College...

Consumer-driven care still involves employers.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Although consumer-driven health care puts much more decision making in the hands of consumers, employers and insurers still have a role to play, several speakers said at a meeting on health care competition sponsored by Health...

Racially targeted drug therapy questioned.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Drugs like BiDil that target a particular racial or ethnic group do not represent the best approach for looking at health disparities, Dr. Francis S. Collins said at a meeting sponsored by the Department of Health and Human...

Beware the confidence man.(identity crimes)
April 1, 2006... As I stepped from an exam room one busy morning last month, my office manager pulled me aside. "Someone from the county courthouse is on the phone, and needs to talk to you right now," she whispered. "You know better than that," I said....

Physician writers share their zeal for storytelling.(The Rest of Your Life)
April 1, 2006... Dr. Robert H. Bartlett was so mad that he had to find a way to channel his anger--he chose written words. It was the late 1970s and Dr. Bartlett was on the surgery faculty at the University of California, Irvine. He also directed the...

Malpractice concerns eat 10% of premium dollars.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- The costs of malpractice insurance and defensive medicine account for about 10 cents of every dollar spent on health care premiums, several speakers said at a press briefing sponsored by America's Health Insurance Plans. ...

Pay-for-performance pact ruffles some feathers.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2006... Specialty organizations are concerned that the American Medical Association is unilaterally setting performance goals that doctors won't be able to meet. A recent agreement between the AMA and leaders in Congress outlines an ambitious...

IT leaders set goals for health records.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2006... Over the next year or so, leaders in the health information technology community will work on ways to make medication history and some general demographic information available to consumers in a portable health record. Experts at a Webcast...

Physician-rating game fraught with difficulty.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2006... Washington -- The lists of "best doctors" published in magazines may not be all they're cracked up to be, several speakers said at a health care competition conference sponsored by Health Affairs journal and the Center for Studying Health...

Diagnosis: idiopathic hypereosinophilia.
April 1, 2006... London -- Laboratory evaluation also revealed anemia and an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Histology findings included hyperkeratosis, irregular acanthosis, and a mixed inflammatory infiltrate of lymphocytes, plasmocytes, and numerous...

Body Peel introduced.(Products)
April 1, 2006... The Smoothing Body Peel treatment uses a two-step process to smooth and hydrate skin. The pre-peel mask includes malic acid and urea. The peel solution includes lactic acid and salicylic acid. For more information, contact PCA Advanced Skin...

Automate the office.(Products)
April 1, 2006... The Virtual Billing System Pro is an Internet-based system that allows insurance billing to be performed on any computer (PC, Mac, Linux). The software setup lee is $49.95, and the month-to-month subscription is $29.95. For more information,...

ThermaCool moves off the face.(Products)
April 1, 2006... The ThermaCool system is now indicated for the noninvasive treatment of wrinkles and rhytids in procedures involving areas of the body other than the face, including abdomen, buttocks, arms, and hands. For more information, contact Thermage...

Self-adhesive eye shields.(Products)
April 1, 2006... MEDshields eyewear are disposable, anti-fog eye shields that adhere to the user's face with a medical-grade, hypoallergenic adhesive. Those who are interested in more information can contact SharkLids EyeGear Inc. by visiting its Web site at...

Eribtux for head/neck cancer.(Products)
April 1, 2006... Erbitux (cetuximab) is indicated for use in combination with radiation therapy to treat patients who have squamous cell cancer of the head and neck that cannot be removed by surgery. The drug also is indicated for use as a monotherapy to treat...