Skin & Allergy News articles from December 2004

Skin & Allergy News archives from December 2004

Telepathology for tough Mohs cases.(Dermatologic Surgery)
December 1, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- Using telepathology in a Mohs surgery setting to discuss difficult cases with an off-site dermatopathologist is convenient, simple, and provides reassurance in terms of confirming diagnosis, Kishwer S. Nehal, M.D., said at the...

MRSA fuels more skin infections in children, adults: MRSA's link to necrotizing fasciitis calls for 'major shift in treatment approach.'.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2004... BOSTON -- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is rearing its ugly head outside of the hospital, causing record numbers of skin infections in children, necrotizing fasciitis in otherwise healthy adults, and severe pneumonia among some...

Psoriasis strongly linked to comorbid conditions: monitor arterial HT, diabetes, alcoholism.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2004... PARIS -- Psoriasis is highly associated with several diseases, including arterial hypertension, type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus, and alcoholism--a finding with profound implications for monitoring patients and choosing appropriate...

Lymphangiogenesis may predict melanoma metastasis to SLN.(News)
December 1, 2004... BOSTON -- The lymphatic vascular area of primary melanomas may be the most sensitive prognostic factor for predicting metastasis to the sentinel lymph node--and may be more accurate than tumor thickness, according to the results of a study on...

HHS orders 2 million avian flu vaccine doses.(News)
December 1, 2004... The federal government has awarded Aventis Pasteur a $13 million contract to produce and store 2 million doses of avian influenza H5N1 vaccine, which would be used to vaccinate medical and lab workers in the event of an avian flu pandemic. ...

New Medicare drug reimbursement sparks flap: CMS has published prices for only about 30 of the 450 drugs that were expected to be reimbursed.(News)
December 1, 2004... WASHINGTON -- Medicare's new methodology for determining how much to pay for drugs administered in the doctor's office is raising physician concerns even before it's implemented. Members of the Practicing Physicians Advisory Council, which...

Fixing the Medicare pay flaw will be costly, GAO predicts.(News)
December 1, 2004... No matter what the solution is, fixing the Medicare physician reimbursement formula will be a costly venture, concluded the Government Accountability Office in a report. Modifications to the sustainable growth rate (SGR), a component in...

Genetic risk prediction may never be a sure bet.(News)
December 1, 2004... VIENNA -- Genetics has been enthusiastically oversold as a potential predictor of individual future risk of developing serious common diseases, Nicholas Hastie, Ph.D., declared at the annual meeting of the European Society for Dermatological...

FDA aims to bolster biologic submissions.(News)
December 1, 2004... GAITHERSBURG MD. -- At a meeting aimed at helping the Food and Drug Administration re energize an increasingly sluggish pipeline for new biologic products, manufacturers and patient advocates lobbied for what would amount to a faster track for...

What is a disease, anyway?(Under My Skin)
December 1, 2004... Picture Wilbur. At 76, his face and trunk are covered with homely, brown keratoses. Above his right eyebrow, a narrow crusty cone sticks out and comes to an ugly point. You desiccate it. Was it a wart? Another keratosis? Does it matter?...

Vascular care paper not exclusive.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2004... I was disappointed by your article, "Vascular Care Paper May Snub Derms" (September, 2004, p. 1). As chair of the writing committee, I can say that the purpose of the "Clinical Competence Statement on Vascular Medicine and Catheter-Based...

Topical fusidic acid tied to S. aureus resistance.(Dermatologic Therapy)
December 1, 2004... BELVAST -- Widespread and prolonged use of topical fusidic acid for the treatment of skin conditions such as eczema has led to a rapid increase in the prevalence of resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains in the United Kingdom, according to the...

Promising Tx for hereditary angioedema.(Dermatologic Therapy)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... VIENNA -- The investigational bradykinin receptor antagonist icatibant appears to hold considerable therapeutic potential in episodes of hereditary angioedema, Konrad Bork, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the European Society for...

Rethink steroid for irritant dermatitis.(Dermatologic Theraphy)
December 1, 2004... SANTA FE, N.M. -- Despite the widespread use of topical corticosteroids for irritant contact dermatitis, there is little evidence that they work any better than moisturizers, and they may make the dermatitis worse, Howard I. Maibach, M.D., said...

Are patients getting the most from topical medications?(Current topics in skincare: No. 1 in a series)
December 1, 2004... The importance of skin preparation. As you may know, proper selection of a cleanser and moisturizer can help prepare the skin for greater drug penetration and may enhance healing of skin conditions such as acne, eczema and rosacea. Your...

Six C's advised as burn treatment protocol.(Dermatologic Therapy)
December 1, 2004... PARIS -- Caring for burn wounds is as simple as following the six C's, Sue Mendez-Eastman, R.N., said at a meeting of the World Union of Wound Healing Societies. The six C's of burn care include clothing, cooling, cleaning,...

Topical cream plus occlusion reduced cellulite.(Dermatologic Therapy)
December 1, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- Application of Spa MD Anti-Cellulite Cream effectively reduced cellulite of the thighs in 59% of patients who received the cream without occlusion and in 65% of patients who received it with occlusion, results from a small trial...

New research may expand sclerosis options: immune activation may play a critical role early in the disease, offering a target for immunosuppression.(Dermatologic Therapy)
December 1, 2004... SANTA MONICA, CALIF. -- A growing body of evidence supports a multi-factorial hypothesis for the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis, at last opening the gateway to treatments aimed at individual as well as combined components of that picture,...

Palladone, Abilify.(New & Approved)
December 1, 2004... Palladone (hydromorphone hydrochloride extended release, Purdue Pharma) An extended-release formulation of the opioid agonist for managing persistent moderate to severe pain in patients requiring around-the-clock analgesia with a...

Silymarin.(Cosmeceutical Critique)
December 1, 2004... Silymarin is a naturally occurring polyphenolic flavonoid compound derived from the seeds of the milk thistle plant, Silybum marianum. Milk thistle has been used for various purposes for thousands of years. It was used by ancient peoples...

Retinoids' posttransplant efficacy remains unproven.(Dermatologic Therapy)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- The efficacy of oral systemic retinoids for the chemoprevention of skin cancers in solid organ transplant recipients is strongly supported but is not proven, results from a review of current medical literature suggest. "It's...

Despite gains, mortality remains relatively high in SLE patients.(Dermatologic Therapy)(systemic lupus erythematosus)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... BERLIN -- Today there are more promising potential new therapies for systemic lupus erythematosus than patients in whom to test them--and that's good news, since current treatments reliant upon cytotoxic agents and corticosteroids are unable to...

Wide number of biologics for psoriasis complicates therapy.(Dermatologic Therapy)
December 1, 2004... SPOKANE, WASH. -- With four biologic therapies on the market and a promising fifth in the pipeline, dermatologists now find themselves with an embarrassment of riches when it comes to treating psoriasis. Choosing among the biologics isn't...

Itraconazole effective for pediatric tinea capitis.(Dermatologic Therapy)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Itraconazole cleared 88% of children with tinea capitis caused by Microsporum canis, suggesting that it is a good alternative to griseofulvin and more effective than terbinafine, reported Gabriele Ginter-Hanselmayer, M.D., of the University of...

Manuka honey may sweeten Tx for leg ulcers.(Dermatologic Therapy)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... PARIS -- Medical honey is drawing the attention of wound-care researchers like, well, flies to honey. Researchers in New Zealand plan to study the efficacy of medical honey as an adjuvant to compression therapy in the healing of venous leg...

Pre-Mohs curette didn't remove tumor and leave normal skin.(Dermatologic Surgery)
December 1, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- Using a curette to remove tissue prior to Mohs surgery in previously biopsied nonmelanoma skin cancers does not reliably distinguish tumor from the surrounding skin, Ming H. Jih, M.D., reported at the joint annual meeting of the...

Dermatology residents graduating from ACGME-accredited specialty programs.(Data Watch)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
December 1, 2004... Dermatology Residents Graduating From ACGME-Accredited Specialty Programs Men Women 1999 53% 47% 2001 44% 56% 2003 43% 57% Note: Based on a survey of 7,040 program directors who confirmed the...

Subcuticular stitches favored for superficial scars.(Dermatologic Surgery)
December 1, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- A double-blind comparison of scars closed with half 4-0 Prolene and half 4-0 Monocryl buried subcuticular stitch revealed no significant differences between the two sutures in terms of erythema, induration, and wound opposition,...

Choice of dressing should complement type of wound.(Dermatologic Surgery)
December 1, 2004... SANTA FE, N.M. -- While literally hundreds of wound-care dressings are available, physicians would do well to choose a single favorite product from each category, Mark D.P. Davis, M.D., said at a dermatology conference sponsored by the Skin...

Some would halt lipolysis Tx pending safety data.(Dermatologic Surgery)
December 1, 2004... ST. LOUIS -- Studies are urgently needed to establish the safety of lipolysis using phosphatidylcholine, but whether the practice should stop until more data are available remains a matter of dispute among experts. This procedure, intended...

Jessner's solution useful for superficial, medium-depth peels.(Dermatologic Surgery)
December 1, 2004... SANTA FE, N.M. -- Chemical peels are coming back into vogue, and using Jessner's solution is one of the best ways to treat patients, P. Kim Phillips, M.D., said at a dermatology conference sponsored by the Skin Disease Education Foundation. ...

Combo Tx may benefit merkel cell patients.(Dermatologic Surgery)
December 1, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- Radiation as adjuvant therapy to surgery for Merkel cell carcinoma may be associated with a significantly lower risk of local and regional recurrence, results from a metaanalysis suggest. The effect of such combination therapy...

Shark flap spurs recreation of perialar concavity.(Dermatologic Surgery)
December 1, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- A new "shark" island pedicle flap is useful for combined nasal ala-perialar defects, Joseph Cvancara, M.D., reported at the joint annual meeting of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery and the American College of Mohs...

Pulsed dye laser showed promise with granuloma annulare case.(Dermatologic Surgery)
December 1, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- The 585-nm pulsed dye laser may be an effective tool for treating granuloma annulare, especially lesions with a prominent erythematous component, Patrick Sniezek, M.D., reported in a poster session at the joint annual meeting of...

Granulomatous reactions seen with derm fillers.(Dermatologic Surgery)
December 1, 2004... BELFAST -- In the burgeoning world of injectable cosmetic fillers, nothing is actually inert, Debjani Sahni, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the British Association of Dermatologists. The new so-called biologically inert fillers have...

Steer clear of laser hair removal complications.(Dermatologic Surgery)
December 1, 2004... LAS VEGAS -- The best way to avoid complications from laser hair removal is to familiarize yourself with the optimal treatment parameters of the device you plan to use, Suzanne L. Kilmer, M.D., said at the 13th International Symposium on...

Lasers for acne: useful, but not first-line Tx.(Dermatologic Surgery)
December 1, 2004... MONT TREMBLANT, QUE. -- Laser therapy is definitely not the first choice for acne, but it does have a place in treatment, agreed several experts at a recent symposium on cutaneous laser surgery sponsored by SkinCare Physicians of Chestnut Hill....

Psoriatic inflammation tied to diabetes, heart disease.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2004... PARIS -- Chronic cutaneous inflammation associated with psoriasis may trigger a cascade of metabolic events leading to serious systemic diseases, including diabetes and coronary heart disease, Enno Christophers, M.D., asserted at the European...

Cytokines overexpressed in psoriasis lesions decline with treatment.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2004... PARIS -- Two newly discovered cytokines--interleukin-19 and interleukin20--may be important pathogenic markers of psoriasis and may prove to be important therapeutic targets as well, according to a study Danish researchers presented in poster...

Contact dermatitis? Check out clothing labels.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2004... BETHESDA, MD. -- Formaldehyde resins found in permanent press clothes may cause some cases of contact dermatitis. "Clinically, you have to have a high index of suspicion whenever anyone comes in with a chronic eczematous rash," Ryan...

Look beyond the skin with multiple sebaceous tumors.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2004... BUDAPEST, HUNGARY -- A 56-year-old man with a 7-year history of multiple small cutaneous tumors histologically identified as basal cell carcinomas presented with new skin-colored tumors on his forehead and back, K. Gaspar, M.D., said at an...

Skin lesions signal progression to systemic lupus.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2004... NEW YORK -- Markers of transition from chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus to systemic lupus include the finding of a rash below the neck and the presence of nonspecific lesions, Andrew G. Franks Jr., M.D., said at a meeting sponsored by the...

Conception during inactive SLE boosts pregnancy success.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2004... DUSSELDORF, GERMANY -- Successful pregnancies in women with systemic lupus erythematosus are all about timing. And now there are data showing that waiting for that perfect moment pays off, Rebecca Fischer-Betz, M.D., said at an...

Essentials.(Digital Assistance)
December 1, 2004... For the past 2 years, Digital Assistance has presented useful PDA software, accessories, and Web sites. With enthusiasm, we've taken on the interesting--and at times daunting--challenge of reviewing the newest in handheld technology for the...

Underdiagnosis masks extent of celiac disease.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2004... Celiac disease is far more prevalent than previously thought but often goes undiagnosed, according to a consensus statement released by the National Institutes of Health. The statement identifies candidates for screening, suggests management...

Cut gluten from diet to control dermatitis herpetiformis.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2004... BUDAPEST, HUNGARY -- Adherence to a gluten-free diet is the treatment of choice for the blistering rash of dermatitis herpetiformis, Timo Reunala, M.D., said at an international symposium sponsored by the European Academy of Dermatology and...

Topical corticosteroids still Tx of choice for lichen planus.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2004... ROME -- Lichen planus affects only about 3% of pediatric dermatology patients in the United States, and most cases can be adequately managed with medium-to high-potency topical corticosteroids, Barbara Kunz, M.D., said at the 10th World...

Bite type, infection risk should dictate treatment.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2004... PARIS -- The risk of infection from bites varies considerably depending on the type of wound that is inflicted, and therefore careful assessment and treatment are required, according to wound experts speaking at a meeting of the World Union of...

Risk assessment, prevention are key to managing pressure ulcers.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- It can often be difficult to heal pressure ulcers, so prevention is the key to effective care, Chesley Richards, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the National Medical Association. Prevention starts with risk assessment...

Bacterial conjunctivitis.(Drug Update)
December 1, 2004... Bacterial conjunctivitis is a rare, generally self-limiting condition in adults. It is distinguished from viral or allergic conjunctivitis by its thick, mucopurulent discharge and absence of pruritus. Treatment is usually with...

Industry incentives may help fill flu vaccine gap.(Practice Trends)
December 1, 2004... With the United States facing an influenza vaccine shortage this season, vaccine experts are calling for long-term solutions to ensure adequate supplies in the future. "It's such a fragile supply system and such an unpredictable demand...

Team practice: a winner for patients and for physicians.(Practice Trends)
December 1, 2004... LAS VEGAS -- Establishing a practice that combines dermatology with plastic surgery provides benefits for patients and physicians alike, David E. Bank, M.D., said at the 13th International Symposium on 2Cosmetic Laser Surgery. The key...

Malpractice 'surcharge' earns mixed reviews.(Practice Trends)
December 1, 2004... Ira Warshaw, M.D., felt he had no choice but to ask his patients to help save his practice. The family physician in North Palm Beach, Fla., had depleted his practice's line of credit at the end of 2003 and was operating at a continuing...

CMS launches Medicare drug comparison tool.(Practice Trends)
December 1, 2004... The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is offering Medicare beneficiaries a way to compare prices for similar drugs used to treat the same condition. The "Lower Cost Rx Comparison Tool," which is available online at...

Web messaging proves profitable and productive.(Practice Trends)
December 1, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- Giving patients access to online communications with physicians and their offices not only decreased the number of phone calls but also decreased the volume of all messages and increased revenues in a controlled study, said...

New patient e-mail system wins approval of office staff.(Practice Trends)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- Nonphysician staff in 10 primary care clinics initially were leery of giving patients the ability to email their clinics, but they became more enthusiastic 6 months after using an electronic communication system, a study of 76...

Initiative aims to fight leading causes of death.(Practice Trends)
December 1, 2004... The American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Heart Association have joined forces to help Americans lower their risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, which together account for nearly two out...

Feds: physician unions are bad medicine for patients.(Practice Trends)
December 1, 2004... Allowing physicians to bargain collectively "will harm consumers financially and is unlikely to result in quality improvements," according to the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission. The comments were made as part of a...

Botox survives tinseltown trial.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... The jury in a high-profile court case recently concluded that Botox (botulinum toxin type A) was not to blame for injuries experienced by a woman who received the drug for treatment of migraines and cosmetic purposes. The California jury in the...

Lawmakers take aim at isotretinoin.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... The Food and Drug Administration should pull the acne drug isotretinoin (Accutane, Amnesteem, Sotret, Claravis) off the market until there is more research on the effects of the drug, members of Congress told Health and Human Services Secretary...

Psoriasis: still a scarlet letter?(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Psoriasis sufferers are being treated as social outcasts, according to the results of a survey of people in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy. The survey, which included responses from more than 5,000 individuals in those...

Free online medical journal.(Policy & Practice)(Public Library of Science)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... The Public Library of Science, a coalition of researchers and physicians founded 4 years ago by Nobel Prize winner and former National Institutes of Health director Harold Varmus, M.D., has launched PLoS Medicine, a free online medical journal....

Med school demographics: 2004.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... The number of applicants to U.S. medical schools increased for a second year in a row, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Nearly 36,000 individuals applied to attend medical school in the 2004-2005 school year, a 2.7%...

HHS puts cash behind IT adoption.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services are putting some money behind their push to adopt health information technology (IT). HHS awarded $139 million in grants and contracts to communities, hospitals, physicians, states, and...

Federal policies push information technology.(Practice Trends)
December 1, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- The federal government has stepped up its initiatives pushing for the adoption of electronic health records and other information technologies, Eduardo Ortiz, M.D., said at the triennial congress of the International Medical...

How to prepare for adoption.(The Rest of Your Life)
December 1, 2004... Fourteen years ago, Gary Onady, M.D., was performing an EKG on a patient who presented with chest pain when his wife called to tell him that a birth mother in Columbus, Ohio, had chosen them to adopt her newborn daughter. The Onadys, drawn...

How to win the no-show game.(Managing Your Dermatology Practice)
December 1, 2004... Of all the headaches inherent in a private medical practice, few are more frustrating than patients who make appointments and then fail to keep them. No-shows are a problem for all physicians, but especially for dermatologists. In one...

Patients limit e-mail contact with physicians.(Practice Trends)
December 1, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- Not many patients are e-marling their physicians, and of those who do, the majority click "send" less than once a month, an online survey of 1,881 people suggests. Fewer than 17% of respondents report ed recently e-mailing...

Case of the month.(Practice Trends)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... MONTEREY, CALIF. -- Based on clinical features alone, the differential diagnosis of this 13-year-old boy's soft plaque included a number of possibilities. Potential diagnoses could include shagreen patch of tuberous sclerosis, collagenoma,...