Skin & Allergy News articles from January 2002

Skin & Allergy News archives from January 2002

Laser combos bring better results. (Study of Nonablative Therapy).
January 1, 2002... DALLAS -- The combined use of a variable pulse KTP laser and a 1,064-nm neodymium: YAG laser for skin rejuvenation resulted in better outcomes than did either laser used alone, Dr. MinWei Christine Lee said at the joint annual meeting of the...

Pimecrolimus okayed for mild, moderate Eczema: New topical immunomodulator adds heft to armamentarium for common disease. (Use in Infants Promising).
January 1, 2002... The Food and Drug Administration has approved pimecrolimus for the treatment of mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in patients aged 2 years and older. The product, which Novartis Pharmaceuticals plans to bring to market in March under the...

Cornelison wins bid for AAD president-elect: Vows to raise patient's direct access to care. (Defeats Resnik).(Raymond L. Cornelison, Jr. elected president of the American Academy of Dermatology)
January 1, 2002... Dr. Raymond L. Cornelison Jr. has been elected American Academy of Dermatology president-elect, the academy announced. Dr. Cornelison will begin his 1-year term as president-elect after the AAD annual meeting in February and become...

Drug resistance an ongoing problem with Staphylococcus. (Clindamycin Resistance Standard).
January 1, 2002... KAMEUELA, HAWAII -- The proliferation of drug-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus is a persistent and troubling challenge to dermatologists and all practicing physicians, Dr. Lawrence Eron said at a dermatology meeting sponsored by the...

Where the revenue goes in corporations marketing the top 50 drugs prescribed to seniors. (Vital Signs).
January 1, 2002... Where the Revenue Goes in Corporations Marketing the Top 50 Drugs Prescribed to Seniors (*) Revenue Percent of Revenue (in millions) Profit Merck and Co....

Life-threatening reactions reported with anticonvulsant lamotrigine. (Also Confused With Other Drugs).
January 1, 2002... LAS VEGAS - One in every 100 children and 3 in every 1,000 adults given the anticonvulsant lamotrigine will develop life-threatening cutaneous eruptions, according to Dr. Adelaide A. Hebert. Ten percent of all patients on lamotrigine will...

Parameters studied for laser rhytid repair. (Upper Lip, Neck).
January 1, 2002... DALLAS - Neck and upper lip rhytides improve following treatment with a 1,320-nm neodymium:YAG laser, Dr. Richard E. Fitzpatrick said at the joint annual meeting of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery and the American College of Mohs...

Legislative hurdles lead to AMA call for unity. (AMA Interim Meeting).
January 1, 2002... SAN FRANCISCO -- Leaders of the American Medical Association urged the House of Delegates at its interim meeting to set aside differences and unite on Medicare reform and other legislative issues important to physicians. "When medicine is...

Physician prescribing data. (AMA Briefs).
January 1, 2002... Debate continued to rage in the House over the AMA's sale of its master file on physicians, which includes the physician's Drug Enforcement Administration number, which pharmaceutical sales representatives can then match with prescription data...

E&M coding. (AMA Briefs).(evaluation and management)
January 1, 2002... The practice of collapsing the number of evaluation and management (E&M) codes from the current five down to three must be stopped, the delegates said. In a resolution sponsored by the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal...

HIPAA privacy. (AMA Briefs).(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
January 1, 2002... The AMA will study the federal privacy regulations associated with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and propose that the government delay further enacting the regulations if they are found to be too burdensome. The...

Smallpox bioterrorism. (AMA Briefs).
January 1, 2002... The House declined to call for mass vaccination of the U.S. population against smallpox as a protection against a terrorist attack with the disease. Instead it pledged to follow the lead of government agencies better equipped to judge the risks...

Organ donation. (AMA Briefs).
January 1, 2002... The House of Delegates voted to delay a decision on supporting studies of whether payment would increase organ donations. The AMA ethics panel issued a report saying that concerns about the pernicious and beneficial effects of payment are both...

Safety-net hospitals. (AMA Briefs).
January 1, 2002... The AMA must act to save safety-net hospitals, which are in serious jeopardy, the delegates said. In the last few years, the hospitals that provide the most indigent care have been financially devastated by Medicaid cuts and by the fact that...

Food irradiation. (AMA Briefs).
January 1, 2002... The AMA supports the idea of irradiating appropriate foods before they are sold and will urge the Department of Agriculture to implement such a program. There is no evidence to suggest that using radiation to sterilize foods can cause any harm...

Medicare phototherapy, AK coverage improved. (Victories for Dermatology).(actinic keratoses)
January 1, 2002... Dermatologists nationwide had more than one reason to celebrate during the recent holidays-increased Medicare reimbursement for phototherapy treatment and the issuance of carrier instructions for paying for removal of actinic keratoses. ...

Diffusion is one key to getting good Botox results. (Inject into the Belly of the Muscle).
January 1, 2002... LAS VEGAS - To avoid immobilizing more muscle than you would like to, keep in mind that botulinum toxin A diffuses 13 cm from the injection site, Dr. Seth L. Matarasso said at a seminar sponsored by the Skin Disease Education Foundation. ...

Botox + saline with preservative makes injections more comfortable. (Efficacy Unaffected).
January 1, 2002... DALLAS -- Botox reconstituted with preservative-containing saline is dramatically less painful upon injection than Botox reconstituted with preservative-free saline, Dr. Murad Alam said at the joint annual meeting of the American Society for...

Debunking eight myths of facial reconstruction. (Some Dog Ears Persist).
January 1, 2002... LA JOLLA, CALIF. -- It's a myth that finer suture materials enable you to achieve the best results in facial reconstruction, Dr. Richard G. Bennett said at a conference on superficial anatomy and cutaneous surgery. "In fact, 6-0 suture...

Variety of options available for neck rejuvenation. (Few Complications).
January 1, 2002... GUADALAJARA MEXICO -- A variety of techniques used alone or in combination can achieve remarkable results in neck rejuvenation, Dr. Maritza I. Perez said at the 22nd Congress of the International Society for Dermatologic Surgery. The...

Consider fat rebalancing as an alternative to face-lift. (Requires G-12 Procedures Over 1-2 Years).
January 1, 2002... NEW YORK -- Fat rebalancing is a good alternative to a face-lift in some patients, Dr. Lisa Donofrio said at an update sponsored by the American Academy of Dermatology. This procedure "can be done much earlier than a face-lift to effect...

Frozen fat still histologically viable at 19 months. (Facial Augmentation).
January 1, 2002... DALLAS -- Frozen fat appears to remain histologically viable for up to 19 months prior to use for facial augmentation, Dr. Lisa Donofrio said at the joint annual meeting of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery and the American College...

Complications happen: Be prepared for them. (Bleeding Tops the List).
January 1, 2002... DALLAS -- Good surgical skills and proper preoperative evaluation are the best means for preventing surgical complications, but complications can occur even in the most skilled hands. When they do, it is important to deal with the patients'...

Adulterated silicone behind granuloma epidemic. (Surgeries Done in Asia).
January 1, 2002... GUADALAJARA, MEXICO -- Hundreds of Indonesian patients have developed foreign body granulomas after receiving injections of adulterated silicone from lay practitioners, and the problem is likely to spread to the United States, said Dr. Lawrence...

Sutures superior to glue for cosmetic outcome. (Pediatric Population).
January 1, 2002... Sutures resulted in a cosmetic outcome superior to 2-octyl cyanoacrylate tissue adhesive (Dermabond) in a prospective, nonrandomized pediatric study reported Dr. Laurie Bernard and colleagues at the University of California, San Diego. In...

Rhytidectomy with tisseel glue means less discomfort. (No Suction Drains).
January 1, 2002... DENVER -- Using Tisseel glue during rhytidectomy eliminates the need for suction drains and pressure dressings, Dr. Jolene Andryk reported at the annual fall meeting of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. But...

Nd: YAG laser significantly clears PFB lesions. (Small Study).
January 1, 2002... CHICAGO -- Long-pulsed 1,064-nm neodymium: YAG laser significantly reduced pseudofolliculitis barbae lesions in 19 African American men and women, Dr. Seymour Weaver III reported at an international symposium sponsored by the L'Oreal Institute...

Cooling expands lasers' usefulness. (Treating Darker Skin).
January 1, 2002... VAIL VALLEY, COLO. - Active skin cooling has become routine in laser surgery, Dr. J. Stuart Nelson said at a symposium on cutaneous laser surgery sponsored by SkinCare Physicians of Chestnut Hill. That's because the threshold light dose for...

Implanted hardware calls for presurgical prophylaxis. (Conservative Approach).
January 1, 2002... DALLAS -- Consider taking special precautions in patients with implanted hardware who are to undergo cutaneous surgery, Dr. Clark C. Otley said at the joint annual meeting of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery and the American...

Smallpox vaccine has adverse effects. (Beware Complications).
January 1, 2002... NEW YORK -- As the nation faces the possibility that some citizens could need to be vaccinated against smallpox, physicians need to acquaint themselves with the potential side effects associated with the vaccine, Dr. Donald Rudikoff said at a...

Antimicrobial peptides are first line of defense against skin infections. (From Keratinocytes and Epithelial Cells).
January 1, 2002... MUNICH -- Human skin produces antimicrobial peptides that form an innate epithelial chemical defense shield against infection, Dr. Jens M. Schroder said at the 10th Congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. This...

HSV-2 may be driving force in spread of HIV. (STD is Given the Brush off by Physicians).
January 1, 2002... SAN FRANCISCO -- Physicians have long shrugged off genital herpes as basically a trivial infection, when in fact there is persuasive evidence that herpes simplex virus type 2 is a major force driving the AIDS epidemic, Dr. Lawrence Corey said...

Managing the risk of pregnancy for teratogenic drugs used in dermatology. (Symposia Highlights).
January 1, 2002... Introduction Approximately 50% of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended, the highest rate among all industrialized nations. Unintended pregnancy can be particularly devastating when conception occurs during treatment with a...

Pregnancy precautions warranted for many dermatologic agents. (Symposia Highlights).
January 1, 2002... Dermatologists may have only one opportunity to counsel patients on the need for contraception during use of teratogenic drugs, so they should make a concerted effort to provide complete, accurate information and guidance, New York...

Need for pregnancy counseling arises daily in clinical practice. (Symposia Highlights).
January 1, 2002... The need for contraception counseling occurs on a daily basis in many dermatology practices, although many clinicians remain unaware of the multitude of issues associated with use of teratogenic drugs, said Pittsburgh nurse-practitioner...

Comprehensive prevention program helps avoid unintended pregnancy. (Symposia Highlights).
January 1, 2002... Clinician and patient adherence to a pregnancy prevention program helps avoid unintended pregnancy in the vast majority of women who use teratogenic dermatologic drugs, results of one manufacturer's program demonstrate. Data from the Roche...

Birth control options varied, effective. (Symposia Highlights).
January 1, 2002... Female patients can avail themselves of a wide variety of effective contraceptive methods to avoid pregnancy when using teratogenic or potentially teratogenic dermatologic drugs. Every method of birth control is safer and more...

Reproductive history elicits patient knowledge, needs. (Symposia Highlights).
January 1, 2002... Although sometimes uncomfortable for the patient and clinician, a thorough reproductive history has an essential role in assessing a patient's knowledge and needs regarding reproduction and contraception. The need for an accurate...

Use of teratogenic drugs poses counseling challenges. (Symposia Highlights).
January 1, 2002... Successful implementation of contraception counseling in dermatology practice requires an awareness of simple but essential principles shown to have a direct impact on clinical outcomes, said Anne Marie Ruszkowski, R.N., director of nursing in...

Self-regression holds clue to melanoma therapy. (Common in BCC Too).
January 1, 2002... MUNICH -- Roughly 10% of malignant melanomas undergo spontaneous regression--and therein lie clues to novel therapies, Dr. Ross Barnetson said at the 10th Congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. "Melanoma is a...

Staining aids diagnosis of spindle cell lesions. (Ulcerated Nodules).
January 1, 2002... LAS VEGAS -- Certain ulcerated nodules typically found on the sun-damaged heads of elderly men are diagnostically ambiguous in more ways than one. Clinically, they may be mistaken for basal cell carcinomas or pyogenic granulomas. ...

Stains to order to improve diagnostic accuracy. (Clinical Rounds).
January 1, 2002... Clinicians needn't memorize all types of immunohistochemical markers for all kinds of situations. Just keep in mind this short list of differentiation difficulties for which staining can help improve diagnostic accuracy, Dr. Golitz said: *...

BCC depth influenced by histologic subtype, tumor width, and male sex. (Location has no Impact).(basal cell carcinoma)
January 1, 2002... NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. -- Arecent study reporting that the anatomic location of basal cell carcinoma does not influence the risk of tumor invasion contradicts current dogma, Dr. James Q. Del Rosso commented at a symposium on dermatologic surgery...

Sun protection: Choosing the correct clothing. (Tight Weave Most Important).
January 1, 2002... CANCUN, MEXICO - When it comes to the sun protection of clothing, a tightly-woven heavy fabric is best, dark is better than light, and moisture will significantly reduce effectiveness, Dr. Richard Antaya said at the Ninth World Congress of...

Calif. law allows children to wear hats at school. (Sun Safety).
January 1, 2002... CORONADO, CALIF. - California Governor Gray Davis has signed a bill allowing children to wear hats and other sun-protective clothing on school grounds, overturning dress codes in some school districts. The law went into effect on Jan. 1, 2002....

Celiac disease patients face higher cancer risk. (Including Melanoma).
January 1, 2002... LAS VEGAS - Patients with celiac disease have twice the risk of cancer as is seen in the general population, Dr. Peter Green reported at the annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology. European studies have previously...

Cosmeceutical critique: Coenzyme Q10. (Dermatologic Therapy).
January 1, 2002... Coenzyme Q10 is a powerful antioxidant. It combats free radical stress and assists in energy production. It is also called ubiqui-none because it is ubiquitous-- it is found in all cells. The free radical theory of aging, first proposed in...

HRT may restore postmenopausal skin tensile strength and elasticity. (Correlates With Diminishing BMD).
January 1, 2002... MUNICH -- Skin elasticity and bone mineral density correlate so closely that any noticeable increase in skin slackness occurring during menopause should prompt a bone mineral density measurement, Dr. Gerard E. Pierard advised at the 10th...

Dermatology will be key to gene therapy success. (Expert Predictions).
January 1, 2002... CANCUN, MEXICO -- When gene therapy comes to the clinic, dermatologists maybe on the front line, Dr. Jean-Paul Ortonne predicted at the Ninth World Congress of Pediatric Dermatology. Gene therapy could become the bailiwick of dermatologists...

Green tea extract may help prevent sun damage. (Potential Chemopreventive Agents).
January 1, 2002... ANAHEIM, CALIF. -- Today's sunscreens have their place, but they are only modestly successful chemopreventive agents. Most are not effective at blocking UVA radiation; they do not reverse DNA damage already sustained; and they must be used...

Isotretinoin therapy may ignite acne fulminans. (Truncal Acne Most Susceptible).
January 1, 2002... LAS VEGAS -- Acne treatment with isotretinoin can trigger acne fulminans in some patients, Dr. Guy Webster warned at a dermatology conference sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. Fortunately, you can predict fairly accurately which...

Intermittent isotretinoin good for older patients. (Beware 'Addiction').
January 1, 2002... MUNICH -- Low-dose, intermittent isotretinoin is a particularly good option in the older acne patient, Dr. William J. Cunliffe said at the 10th Congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. "We've treated in excess of...

Imiquimod an option for some Bowen's disease. (Not on Head and Neck).
January 1, 2002... NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. -- Imiquimod 5% cream can be a useful treatment for Bowen's disease on the extremities, but watch out for potentially explosive reactions, Dr. Lee S. Portnoff said. Recent uncontrolled studies reported that imiquimod...

Imiquimod's efficacy is variable for basal cell carcinoma. (Good Results in Superficial Lesions).
January 1, 2002... LAS VEGAS -- Do not expect that every small, basal cell carcinoma will respond to treatment with imiquimod 5% cream, Dr. Todd S. Anhalt said at a seminar sponsored by the Skin Disease Education Foundation. "I have had three or four patients...

Tinea capitis now calls for higher-dose therapy. (Add Topical Selenium Sulfide).
January 1, 2002... MAUI, HAWAII -- Higher doses of griseofulvin are needed to treat tinea capitis in children than have been recommended in the past, Dr. Lawrence F. Eichenfield said at a meeting sponsored by the Children's Medical Group. Standard antifungal...

Aggressive initial therapy a must for AD remission. (Expert Recommendations).(atopic dermatitis)
January 1, 2002... CANCUN, MEXICO -- Many physicians are not aggressive enough when they treat moderate to severe atopic dermatitis and never get to the point where maintenance therapy is possible, Dr. Jon M. Hanifin said at the Ninth World Congress of Pediatric...

New antifungals advance therapeutic spectrum. (Great Need for New Therapies).
January 1, 2002... SAN FRANCISCO -- An exciting major expansion in systemic therapeutic options for serious opportunistic fungal infections is getting underway, Dr. Thomas J. Walsh said at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. ...

Prescribing via handheld computer reduces fraud, medication errors. (Important Questions to Ask First).
January 1, 2002... ATLANTA -- Electronic prescribing via handheld computer has the potential to improve work flow, reduce prescription fraud, provide formulary and copay information, and reduce medication errors. "We're not just taking what we put on paper...

Medical software for handhelds abounds. (Several can be Downloaded Free).
January 1, 2002... ATLANTA -- Medical software packages for handheld computers can help you organize, schedule, code, calculate, dose, and track, speakers said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Many popular programs can be...

Operating system drives choice of handheld device. (Memory a Limitation).
January 1, 2002... ATLANTA -- The two main choices of handheld computer operating systems each have tradeoffs for physicians, according to experts. Those that use the Palm operating system--PalmPiots, Handspring Visors, and similar devices--tend to be...

'Paperless' offices boost compliance, efficiency. (Fee Proposed for Paper Claims).
January 1, 2002... An electronic medical record may have saved the life of one of Dr. Tamara Wetterman Price's patients. Dr. Price of Moon, Pa., recalls a phone call she got late one night: One of her patients was in the emergency room with an infection that...

Simple solutions to help reduce medical errors. ('Read-Back' Technique).
January 1, 2002... ALEXANDRIA, VA. -- Use of several low-tech, simple strategies can make a major difference in patient safety, Dr. Gregg S. Meyer said at a conference on sleep research sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. "Read-back"...

2001 Medical school applications drop 6%. (Sharpest Decline in Men).(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... About 35,000 people applied to medical school in 2001, a decline of 6% from last year, according to recent survey results released the Association of American Medical Colleges. Fewer men applied this year: 18,142, compared with 19,816 in...

Devising a compliance plan? Do risk analysis first. (Practice Audit should Come Second).
January 1, 2002... WASHINGTON -- The first step in developing a compliance plan should be a risk assessment, not an overall practice audit, Charles Artz said at a meeting sponsored by the American Health Lawyers Association. "If you do an audit first, and...

Nonsteroidal dry skin therapy. (Products).
January 1, 2002... Triceram is a nonsteroidal, emollient moisturizer for the treatment of dry skin associated with eczema. It contains the skin's three epidermal lipids with a ceramide-dominant ratio to correct the ceramide deficiency of atopic skin. The...

HIPAA compliance software. (Products).(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
January 1, 2002... Regimen is a multimedia and web-enabled software training and compliance tool for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). The program includes an "Introduction to HIPAA' training CD; policies and procedures...

Create education materials. (Products).
January 1, 2002... Tools RG is a CD-ROM software product that health care providers can use to quickly create custom patient education and exercise handouts. More than 25 Saunders and PhysioTools content modules are available, and the supplied protocols and...

Topical scalp treatment. (Products).
January 1, 2002... The corticosteroids Luxiq (betamethasone valerate) Foam, 0.12% and Olux (clobetasol propionate) Foam, 0.05%, are now available in 50-g cans. Both products are indicated for the treatment of inflammatory and pruritic manifestations of scalp...

Dry skin care. (Products).
January 1, 2002... Borage therapy body lotion treats severely dry, inflamed, or irritated skin with the essential fatty acid gamma-linolenic acid found in borage oil. It is available in two sizes in adult and pediatric formulas, according to ShiKai Products,...

Case of the month.
January 1, 2002... LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. -- Although infantile myofibromatosis is the most common fibrous disorder of infancy, it is still extremely rare, Dr. Tricia Brown said at the annual meeting of the South Central Dermatologic Congress and the Southeastern...

The perfect medical host. (Under My Skin).
January 1, 2002... Irene hasn't been back in 5 years. "My primary care doctor sent me to other dermatologists," she explained, "but I wasn't happy The first woman only wanted to talk about her daughter's new ballet slippers. And the second guy said he...

Tazarotene in women. (Guest Editorial).
January 1, 2002... Those of us who treat people with psoriasis know the profound impact this disease can have on a patient's quality of life. For patients with 10% or less body surface area affected, a topical preparation can be a safe, and convenient...