Pediatric Dermatology

Support group offers community, empathy, forum to disenfranchised patientswith severe acne scars

Compliance, treatment, and results differ vastly in post-teen populationthan in traditional groups

New York-The incidence of skin disease is not significantly different among Latinos than with other patient groups, but physicians who treat Latino patients need to be aware of some differences in the frequency of diagnosis as well as the cultural aspects of treatment, Miguel R. Sanchez, M.D., said.

New York - Awareness and sensitivity about beliefs and cultural practices are important tools in treating the Asian population - especially those that are newly immigrated, Henry W. Lim, M.D., said at the annual meeting of The Skin of Color Center, St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York.

New York - The good news is that African American children do not need to change their hairstyles to minimize their risk for tinea capitis infections. But a change of wardrobe - to one that eliminates button-fly pants, garments with metal grommets, etc. - is definitely in order to prevent severe allergic reactions to nickel, Nanette Silverberg, M.D., said at the annual meeting of The Skin of Color Center, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York.

New York - Although relatively uncommon in African Americans, skin cancer does occur in this group and often in atypical or advanced forms.

New Orleans - As antipruritic drugs, newer second-generation oral antihistamines, including loratadine (Claritin), cetirizine (Zyrtec), fexofenadine (Allegra), and desloratadine (Clarinex), offer several advantages compared with their predecessors. However, clinicians should be aware that these newer compounds are neither all alike nor routinely effective for controlling all types of cutaneous itch, Michael D. Tharp, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

New York -The old idea that chemical peels cannot be used on people of ethnic skin has been eradicated according to Harold E. Pierce, M.D., a Philadelphia dermatologist.

Los Angeles - Another case of nephrogenic fibrosing dermopathy has appeared, according to Francis J. Dann, M.D., UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles.

New Orleans - Psoriatic patients achieving >75 percentreduction in PASI score with one course of alefacept (Amevive) followedby treatment-free follow-up maintained >50 percent reduction for at leasteight months.

New Orleans - Atopic dermatitis is a frustrating condition to treat,and many frequently employed interventions lack scientific support. Thiswas the rationale behind a systematic review of all randomized, controlledtrials of AD conducted by the United Kingdom Department of Health and presentedat the American Academy of Dermatology annual meeting by Hywel Williams,Ph.D.

New Orleans - When it comes to understanding dandruff, two top researchers at Procter & Gamble are successfully getting to the root of the nasty scalp condition that affects more than half of the global population. Innovative research in P&G's lab has yielded some surprising new data about a type of fungus that grows on the human scalp. The study findings point to new causes of dandruff and lay the groundwork for new cures.

>If you're looking up melanoma information on the Internet, be sure todouble-check your finding with your doctor, says a new study from the Journalof Clinical Oncology.

The back is typically neglected, so it's not a surprise people don'tthink about it until it's time to wear a swimsuit.

Compact discs and your computer are great tools to facilitate active learning from meeting presentations you were unable to attend

Study shows intervention can lead to important changes in workers' behaviors

Dermatologists should familiarize themselves with stages I, II of newstaging system

Problems exacerbate when patients, doctor falsely believe diagnosis isless serious than it actually is

Maui, Hawaii - Shoe-related allergic contact dermatitis is commonlyoverlooked in the differential diagnosis of foot dermatitis, mainly becausepatients are not patch tested, according to James S. Taylor, M.D. at theSkin Disease Education Foundation's 26th Hawaii Dermatology Seminar.

In future, sensitivity tests may be performed on individual chemicals;better labeling a possibility

Contact Allergen Replacement Database helps patients avoid antigen exposurein skincare products

Suspicion remains high among parents of patients, but true food allergypresents in only one-third of cases

Kenilworth, N.J. - Clarinex, a new systemic drug for treatmentof urticaria (hives), has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration(FDA), according to Schering-Plough, the drug's manufacturer.

Mechanism action UVB treatment isinactivation of pruritogenic substancesNewOrleans - UV light therapy has been used to treat a variety of pruriticconditions, although there is a lack of definitive data regarding the efficacyof the therapeutic modality in some of the disorders for which it has beentried, Henry W. Lim, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Academyof Dermatology.

New Orleans - New long-term data with the topical immunomodulator tacrolimus(Protopic) and the skin-selective inflammatory cytokine inhibitor pimecrolimus(Elidel) demonstrate efficacy as maintenance therapies in the treatmentof atopic dermatitis in children. Data with pimecrolimus show safety andefficacy for as long as 26 weeks in infants as young as three months, LawrenceEichenfield, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Academy ofDermatology.