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MAL-PDT clears Bowen's disease with excellent cosmesis
September 1st 2005National report — Photodynamic therapy using the topical photosensitizer methyl aminolevulinate 16 percent cream (Metvix, Galderma) is a non-invasive, well-tolerated, effective treatment for Bowen's disease, offering excellent cosmetic results, according to the findings of a multicenter, randomized, active- and placebo-controlled study, says Colin A. Morton, M.D., consultant dermatologist, Falkirk Royal Infirmary, Falkirk, Scotland.
M.D. travels to Vietnam, shares new techniques, resources
September 1st 2005Tri Nguyen, M.D. was 6 years old when he finally escaped from war-ravaged Vietnam in 1976. The exit route: his parents paid a French-Vietnamese woman leaving for France to adopt him. After a year in Paris, he was reunited with his family, who ultimately settled in the United States.
Building a private practice requires exacting standards, attention to detail
September 1st 2005Chicago — Running a successful private practice demands that dermatologists give their patients the best of everything, from pre- and postoperative care to drug samples and waiting-room d?cor, says Haines Ely, M.D., a Grass Valley, Calif.-based private practitioner and clinical professor of dermatology, University of California, Davis. Dr. Ely's office logs at least 50 patient visits daily.
Inform, entertain your patients while they wait
September 1st 2005Despite your best efforts in managing your schedule, patient waits and delays are inevitable in your dermatology practice. Because you are a service business, patient no-shows, delayed arrivals and your need to maximize revenue based on filling your time, create this predictable situation. You can simply expect patients to wait in an uncomfortable chair, staring at a portrait of you from 1986, with only a tattered magazine to read — or you can dazzle them.
Restraint helps avoid filler pitfalls
September 1st 2005Chicago — As physicians increasingly use injectable fillers and botulinum toxin as complementary treatments for facial rejuvenation, success depends on educating patients thoroughly and injecting products cautiously, says Seth L. Matarasso, M.D., clinical professor of dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine.
Phase 3 studies demonstrate broad utility of lidocaine/tetracaine peel
September 1st 2005National report — Results achieved in a series of studies comprising an extensive phase 3 clinical research program support the conclusion that a self-occlusive lidocaine 7 percent/tetracaine 7 percent peel (LT peel) provides safe, rapid and effective anesthesia for a broad spectrum of cutaneous procedures.
Matrix metalloproteinases in tumor progression: Past, present, future teaches valuable lessons
September 1st 2005Anaheim, Calif. — Lessons can be learned from the failure of matrix metalloproteinases inhibitors (MMPIs) to make a difference in halting tumor progression in clinical trials, according to the president of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).
Possible drug target: Protein amplified in metastatic melanoma
September 1st 2005National report — Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and Yale University Medical Center have pinpointed a specific amplified gene and protein overproduction in melanoma that they think cause malignant melanoma to be aggressive.
Certain pediatric skin diseases more likely in children with skin of color
September 1st 2005Children with skin of color are also especially likely to develop hypo- or hyperpigmentary changes after resolution of lesions of a dermatosis or secondary to other forms of skin trauma, including treatments administered for skin disorders.
Hispanic patients pose unique issues for dermatologic evaluation, care
September 1st 2005Chicago — As the Latino population continues to be the fastest growing minority group in America, dermatologists should be prepared to treat an increasing number of patients of Hispanic origin and for the unique situations they may pose regarding evaluation and management, said Miguel R. Sanchez, M.D., at the American Academy of Dermatology's Academy '05, here.
MSCs may repair tissue in diseased organs
September 1st 2005New Orleans — Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which originate in bone marrow, show promise as candidates for transplantation into diseased organs to repair damaged tissue, according to Darwin J. Prockop, M.D., director of the Tulane Center for Gene Therapy here.
Hormonal role in pigmentation studied
September 1st 2005Tokyo — There is the possibility that sex hormones and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) may regulate melanogenesis, a recent finding that may change the way in which pigmentation is viewed, according to Taketsugu Tadokoro, M.D., Ph.D., director, department of dermatology, Osaka National Hospital, Osaka-shi, Japan.
New insights into disease that causes skin blistering
September 1st 2005The latest research concerning pemphigus, a life-threatening blistering disorder of the skin and mucous membranes, may help lead to a better understanding of the immunopathogenesis of disease and to more specifically targeted therapeutic approaches, according to Aimee Payne, M.D., Ph.D., of the department of dermatology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Reflections from a new chair on the new math in our profession
September 1st 2005Our department had a terrific shindig late in June as we celebrated the kickoff of our 50th anniversary celebration in 2006 as well as a new chairperson and five new faculty members, all of whom have joined us within the past 12 months. But mainly we celebrated Dermatology in Miami, a great past, a vibrant present and an unlimited future.