Journal of Drugs in Dermatology articles from December 2003

Journal of Drugs in Dermatology archives from December 2003

A letter from the editor-in-chief.
December 1, 2003... We are very pleased to announce that we have been named the official publication for both the International Society for Dermatologic Surgery, and the Skin Cancer Foundation. We are appreciative for the recognition granted by these fine...

Hypothesis: superoxide scavengers or superoxide dismutase may potentiate the therapeutic efficacy of contact dermatitis against alopecia areata.(Letters To The Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... Induction of irritant or allergic contact dermatitis has been shown to be effective in the treatment of alopecia areata (1). Though various mechanisms have been proposed, none could explain the efficacy of both types of contact dermatitis in...

One score and ten PDRs ago: the transformation of medical practice.(Letters To The Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... The practice of medicine continues to be altered by political and legal forces. Before government involvement with Medicare, organized medicine functioned like a club with total professional autonomy. Local society memberships were necessary...

Beware confusing micrograms and milligrams.(Letters To The Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... I noticed errors in the dosing for ivermectin in "Current Trend in Ivermectin Usage for Scabies" (August 2003; 2(4):397-401). The correct dose should be expressed in micrograms, not milligrams. James Wharton MD Northwest Dermatology...

Tissue fillers.(Letters To The Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... The in-depth paper on "What's New in Fillers?" (June 2003; 2(3):250-253) is problematic. First, cadaver-derived substances such as Cymetra, Fascian, and Alloderm are not FDA approved. Second, while the word "collagen" is mentioned, there is no...

The rounded Siegel scalpel handle: a better instrument for curved incisions.(Letters To The Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... Flat scalpel handles are readily available and frequently used for all types of incisions, whether rounded, straight, or a combination of both. The most frequently used flat scalpel handles include the #3 or #9 handles, and the elongated...

Errata.(Correction Notice)
December 1, 2003... Errata # 1 The Editors wish to apologize for omitting tables which should have accompanied Dr. Lewis P. Stolman's excellent article in the September/October issue of JDD, entitled "Treatment of Hyperhidrosis," (J Drugs Dermatol 2003;...

A possible role for non-ablative radiofrequency in the treatment of rosacea.
December 1, 2003... Introduction Rosacea is a chronic disease characterized by redness, pimples, and thickened and inflamed skin. It affects both women and men, and does so primarily between the ages of 30 and 60. Daily interaction with other people is often...

Remittive effects of intramuscular alefacept in psoriasis.
December 1, 2003... Abstract Alefacept is the first biologic agent approved for the treatment of chronic plaque psoriasis in the United States. Alefacept, administered intravenously (IV) or intramuscularly (IM), was found to be well tolerated, safe. and...

Short incubation PDT versus 5-FU in treating actinic keratoses.
December 1, 2003... Abstract The efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) using broad area treatment with 5 aminolevulinic acid (ALA) has not been compared 1o topical 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in the treatment of actinic keratoses (AK). The purpose of this...

Photodynamic therapy for molluscum contagiosum infection in HIV-coinfected patients: review of 6 patients.
December 1, 2003... Abstract Molluscum contagiosum, a viral disease of the skin, manifests as a smooth-surfaced, firm, and spherical papule with umbilication of the vertex. It commonly presents as multiple lesions, which may be extensive in immunocompromised...

Compatibility of desoximetasone and tacrolimus.
December 1, 2003... Abstract The physical and chemical compatibility of desoximetasone ointment 0.25% and tacrolimus ointment 0.1%, both widely used to treat atopic dermatitis, were determined. A 1:1 (w/w) mixture of desoximetasone ointment 0.25%...

Effect of PTU on IL-12 and IL-10 in psoriasis.
December 1, 2003... Abstract Propylthiouracil (PTU), an antithyroid thioureylene with immunomodulatory properties, has been shown to be effective in the therapy of patients with plaque psoriasis. The mechanism of action of antithyroid thioureylenes in...

Comparing therapy costs for physician treatment of warts.(Focus on: cost analysis model)
December 1, 2003... Abstract To compare the cost of several common modalities used to treat non-genital warts in immunocompetent patients, we identified studies published in English using standard search strategies and evaluated the literature for the...

Fixed drug eruption to ibuprofen in daughter and father.(Case Reports)
December 1, 2003... Fixed drug eruption (FDE) is a common cutaneous reaction which may be seen in reaction to several medications. The usual etiologic agents associated with FDE are phenazones, sulfonamides, and tetracyclines. Often the causative agent is made out...

Doxycycline-induced photo-onycholysis.(Case Reports)
December 1, 2003... ABSTRACT An uncommon manifestation of phototoxicity, photo-onycholysis results in the separation of the distal nail from the nail bed. Photo-onycholysis may follow the use of various medications or may occasionally be idiopathic. We...

Generalized granuloma annulare in a patient with adult onset diabetes mellitus.(Case Reports)
December 1, 2003... Granuloma annulare is a benign idiopathic disorder, which affects the dermis. Several reports have demonstrated an association between granuloma annulare and diabetes mellitus. We report the case of a 69-year old man with an unusual...

Imiquimod for the treatment of Bowen's disease and invasive squamous cell carcinoma.(Case Reports)
December 1, 2003... Abstract Topical imiquimod is an immune response modifier FDA approved for the treatment of anogenital warts. Recent studies have reported its effectiveness in the treatment of some types of basal cell carcinomas. There have also been some...

Reticulate and stellate acral pigmentation associated with systemic lupus erythematosus and high titers of circulating anticardiolipin antibodies: a possible association with acral microlivedo.(Case Reports)
December 1, 2003... Abstract A Hispanic man with a twenty-eight year history of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and a high titer of anticardiolipin IgG antibodies was noted to have reticulate and stellate acral pigmentation. The patient reported that hand...

Improvement of acanthosis nigricans on isotretinoin and metformin.(Case Reports)
December 1, 2003... Abstract Acanthosis nigricans (AN) is an eruption of hyperpigmented, velvety thickened patches, often with papillomatosis, that occurs symmetrically on any body site but most commonly at the axillae, neck, groin, and flexural surfaces. We...

Botox reverses the signs of photoaging.(Skin Cancer Foundation Update)
December 1, 2003... Botulinum toxin injections have become a popular treatment for minimizing or eliminating facial wrinkles and rejuvenating the face aged by years of sun exposure, hyperkinetic (overactive) muscles, and thinning skin (1,2). Known as Botox, its...

Cubicin (daptomycin) for the treatment of skin infections.(Pipeline Previews)
December 1, 2003... The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved Cubicin[TM] (daptomycin for injection) for the treatment of complicated skin and skin structure infections. Cubicin is the first approved product in a new class of antibiotics called...

Raptiva (efalizumab) recommended by FDA advisory committee for the treatment of psoriasis.(Pipeline Previews)
December 1, 2003... The FD/Ks Dermatologic and Ophthalmic Drug Advisory Committee (DODAC) voted unanimously (11-0) to recommend that Raptiva[TM] (efalizumab) be approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in adults age 18 or older. Although...

Valtrex (valacyclovir HCl) approved by FDA for reducing spread of genital herpes.(Pipeline Previews)
December 1, 2003... Valtrex[TM] (valacyclovir hydrochloride) has recently received expanded labeling indication by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Once daily 500 mg Valtrex Capleta have been approved for suppressive therapy in healthy adults with...

Topically-administered keratinocyte growth factor-2 (KGF-2) will not be developed for the treatment of chronic venous ulcers.(Pipeline Previews)
December 1, 2003... Human Genome Sciences reported that a Phase 2 clinical trial of topically administered repifermin (keratinocyte growth factor-2, KGF-2) in adults with chronic venous ulcers did not meet its primary endpoint. Repifermin is thought to promote...

FDA approves Gamunex, Immune Globulin Intravenous (Human), 10% Caprylate/Chromatography Purified.(Pipeline Previews)
December 1, 2003... HealthCare LLC, Biological Products Division (Bayer BP), has received approval from the FDA for Gamunex[TM], Immune Globulin Intravenous (Human), 10% Caprylate/Chromatography Purified, a new and advanced immunoglobulin intravenous (IGIV)...

FDA tentatively approves generic fluconazole.(Pipeline Previews)
December 1, 2003... Upon the application of the Hungarian based firm Richter Gedeon, the FDA has tentatively approved an abbreviated new drug application for a generic version of Pfizer's Diflucan[TM] (fluconazole). Final approval depends on whether Pfizer's...

Novel psoriasis treatment to begin Phase I testing.(Pipeline Previews)
December 1, 2003... Astralis Ltd. received approval from the FDA to begin Phase l clinical trials in the U.S. for Psoraxine[TM], a new product for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Psoraxine, Astralis' first product candidate, is an innovative...

Novel acne therapy MBI 594AN completes Phase IIB clinical trial.(Pipeline Previews)
December 1, 2003... Micrologix Biotech has completed treatment of all patients in its Phase lib clinical trial of MBI 594AN, a novel, antimicrobial peptide under development for the treatment of acne. Results of the study are expected to be available by December...

First topical peptide treatment effective in psoriasis.(Pipeline Previews)
December 1, 2003... Researchers at Boston University Medical Center reported the first successful development of a topical peptide drug for the treatment of psoriasis, by successfully encapsulating the parathyroid hormone analog PTH (1-34) into IGI Inc.'s Novasome...

Melanoma and melanocytic neoplasia II: a different point of view.(Washington Whispers)
December 1, 2003... Achenbach RE. Dermatologia Argentina. April-May 2003; Volume IX Number 2. The author suggests that there is in fact no epidemic of melanoma; rather, more suspicion, more biopsy sent to dermatopathology, more fear of litigation, longer life...

Methotrexate versus cyclosporine in moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis.(Washington Whispers)
December 1, 2003... Heydendael VM, Spuls PI, Opmeer BC, de Borgie CA, Reitsma JB, Goldschmidt WF, Bossuyt PM, Bos JD, de Rie MA. N Engl J Med 2003 Aug 14; 349(7):658-65. The authors conducted a randomized, controlled trial comparing methotrexate and...

Observer-blind, randomized, intrapatient comparison of a novel 1% coal tar preparation (Exorex) and calcopotriol cream in the treatment of plaque type psoriasis.(Washington Whispers)
December 1, 2003... Tzaneva S, Honigsmann H, Tanew A. Br J Dermatol 2003 Aug: 149(2): 350-3 The authors present a patented fatty acid-based 1% coal tar preparation that as per the authors has been found to be similar in efficacy to calcipotriol in the...

In vitro susceptibility testing of ciclopirox, terbinafine, ketoconazole and itraconazole against dermatophytes and nondermatophytes, and in vitro evaluation of combination antifungal activity.(Washington Whispers)
December 1, 2003... Gupta AK, Kohli Y. Br J Dermatol 2003 Aug; 149(2):296-305. The authors set out to determine the in vitro susceptibility of fungal organisms to ciclopirox, terbinafine, ketoconazole, and itraconazole, and to evaluate the in vitro activity...

Preoperative monitoring of warfarin in cutaneous surgery.(Washington Whispers)
December 1, 2003... Ah-Weng A, Natarajan S, Velangi S, Langtry JA. Br J Dermatol 2003 Aug; 149(2):386-9 A case report is presented of a patient who developed postoperative bleeding as a result of inadvertent excessive warfarin intake. The authors subsequently...

A usual frameshift and delayed termination codon mutation in keratin 5 causes a novel type of epidermolysis bullosa simplex with migratory circinate erythema.(Washington Whispers)
December 1, 2003... Gu LH, Kim SC, Ichiki Y, Park J, Nagai M, Kitajima Y. J Invest Dermatol 2003 Sep: 121(3):482-5. The authors report a unique familial type of epidermolysis bullosa simplex (EBS) and a novel mutation in the keratin gene KRT5, i.e., a...

Combination therapy of tetracycline and tacrolimus resulting in rapid resolution of steroid-induced periocular rosacea.(Washington Whispers)
December 1, 2003... Pabby A, An KP, Laws RA. Cutis 2003 Aug; 72(2):141-2. The authors present a case report of a 55 year-old man with history of fluticasone use BID for seborrheic dermatitis for 12 months. On physical exam the patient presented with...

Narrow B and ultraviolet B radiation therapy for recalcitrant vitiligo in Asians.(Washington Whispers)
December 1, 2003... Natta R, Somsak T, Wisuttida T, Laor L. J Am Acad Dermatol 2003 Sep: 49(3):473-6 The authors' objective was to assess the efficacy of NB-UVB in patients with vitiligo who did not respond either to topical therapy or to oral psoralen plus...

Clinical trial review.
December 1, 2003... CLINICAL TRIAL OF HUMAX-CD4, A NEW DRUG TO TREAT ADVANCED STAGE T-CELL LYMPHOMA IN THE SKIN This study is currently recruiting patients. Sponsored by: Genmab The purpose of this trial is to determine the effect of HuMax-CD4, as a...