News

There are innovations in nonsurgical modalities for the treatment of actinic keratoses (AKs) and nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) and a basis for broadening the use of preventive strategies, says Leonard H. Goldberg, M.D.

Most of us have had experiences of being unjustly accused of poor medical care by a person whose capabilities to make these sorts of judgments are suboptimal at best. What can be done to combat these annoying and sometimes slanderous utterances placed online?

Approaches to treatment of primary Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) have varied widely, but results of a published study (Schwartz JL, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2011;29(8):1036-1041) support nodal staging as an important component in managing this cutaneous malignancy, according to investigators from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

In healing persistent surgical or other wounds of the lower leg, says Jeffrey E. Petersen, M.D., it's dermatologists' understanding of the fine balance required for wound healing - and how to manipulate this balance - that "allows us to walk where others fear to tread."

Analyses of prospectively collected data from the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) suggest periodontal disease (PD) may be a risk factor for psoriasis, reported Sarah Nakib, M.D., M.P.H., at the 2011 meeting of the Society for Investigative Dermatology.

Dermatology practices are busy places where even a small delay in the morning can throw physicians off schedule for the remainder of the day. The result isn't just more stress; it can include unhappy patients and perhaps even staff overtime costs. None of those outcomes is good for you, your patients or your staff.

Medina, Ohio, dermatologist Helen M. Torok, M.D., says her busy practice could spend $3,000 to $5,000 every quarter on a printed and snail-mailed patient newsletter. Instead, creating a business page on Facebook eliminated that expense and allows her to offer patients more timely information.

While the standard of care to treat melanomas is surgery, when melanomas appear as in situ or as lentigo malignas, which have the potential for invasion, imiquimod can serve as a first-line option for treatment.

A review of published studies suggests that a new, effective class of psoriasis drugs may not raise the risk of heart problems, but researchers say the analysis is likely too small to detect rare cases, Reuters reports.

A new study links higher levels of vitamin D within the normal range with an increased risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer, Medpage Today reports.

A new international professional group has been formed for dermatologic and aesthetic surgeons, Medscape Today reports.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved Avita Medical’s investigational device exemption feasibility study for the use of ReCell Spray-On-Skin in the treatment of hypertrophic dyspigmented scars.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the oral targeted therapy vemurafenib (Zelboraf, Plexxikon/Roche) for treatment of metastatic and unresectable melanomas, Medscape Today reports.

The number of children hospitalized for skin and soft-tissue infections, mainly due to community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), has more than doubled over the past decade, Medical News Today reports.

Results of a small study suggest that there is significant potential for a pressure device used to supplement other treatments for auricular keloids, Medical News Today reports.

Most doctors will face at least one malpractice lawsuit by age 65, according to a new study. But dermatologists are among the least-sued specialists, Medscape Today reports.

Frequent tanning bed users may have a neurological reward-and-reinforcement trigger similar to that seen in drug or alcohol abusers, Medical News Today reports.

Two cases of otherwise healthy men acquiring a rare bacterial skin infection apparently after receiving tattoos at a Seattle parlor have prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to recommend that tattoo artists use sterilized water in their procedures, Medical News Today reports.

Environmental factors, injuries and occupations that involve heavy lifting are significantly associated with the development of psoriatic arthritis (PsA), HealthDay News reports.

Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of food sensitization in children with certain single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), HealthDay News reports.

Government regulatory agency Health Canada has issued a consumer alert that finasteride, a drug used to treat male pattern hair loss and enlarged prostate, can increase the risk of breast cancer, Toronto’s Globe and Mail reports.

Results of a new study affirm that the beta-blocker propranolol shrinks potentially disfiguring infantile hemangiomas in young children, MedPage Today reports.

A Spanish study has found that some compounds found in grapes help to protect skin cells from the sun’s ultraviolet rays, Medical News Today reports.

Researchers say they uncovered information about pathogenic biofilms that could lead to the development of new drugs to combat their potential threat to health, Medical News Today reports.

Recently published study results suggest that distinct antigen-specific T-cell responses may play a role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and atopic eczema, HealthDay News reports.

The Department of Defense has awarded a $1.4 million grant to scientists from The Ohio State University College of Medicine for wound treatment research.

Allergan will pay as much as $275 million to acquire Vicept Therapeutics, the Orange County (Calif.) Business Journal reports.

The American Board of Dermatology (ABD) has given provisional approval for U.S. dermatologists to use the DrScore.com online patient satisfaction survey for collecting and reporting patient feedback, BusinessWire.com reports.

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Chronic urticaria can be difficult to treat, but new and evolving therapeutic options can effectively manage symptoms. Treating the cause of chronic urticaria is one of the primary goals of therapy, but very often the cause is not found. Chronic idiopathic urticaria is the diagnosis given to those patients where the etiology remains unknown.