News


All News

The increased risk of skin cancer through exposure to sunlight, and the benefits of that exposure through enhanced production of vitamin D, were brought into sharper focus in a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science in January.

The University of California, San Francisco, news release on the CA-MRSA paper highlighted the "superbug" nature of the research. It also used language suggesting that gay men were not part of the "general population."

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is appealing a Federal Court order requiring the release of information about the number of Medicare claims filed by individual physicians. The order was the result of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by Consumers' CHECKBOOK/Center for the Study of Services, a nonprofit consumer research and information organization.

Washington & You

WASHINGTON – A new report to Congress this month by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) is expected to recommend that lawmakers approve an average increase in Medicare physician fees of 1.1 percent for 2009 rather than allowing a scheduled 5 percent reduction to take effect.

Dear Editor: I read with interest John Jesitus' December article, "M.D., D.O. Disparity," which highlighted osteopathic and allopathic dermatology education, and how differences between the two groups have become less obvious since the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) first recognized the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology (AOCD) as a subspecialty college in 1957.

Much about it is still somewhat of a mystery, but early findings on a topical form of botulinum toxin have been compelling enough to earn a $20 million show of support from Medicis and catapult the research onto the cosmetic medicine radar.

Philadelphia - A recent study suggests a continued lack of awareness in the United States regarding the best steps to take to minimize overexposure to the sun, news source Cosmeticsdesign.com reports.

Washington - More than 1 million Americans contract shingles every year, and nearly 1 million are seeking treatment for the condition, according to recently released government statistics, Reuters reports.

Philadelphia - A recent study suggests a continued lack of awareness in the United States regarding the best steps to take to minimize overexposure to the sun, news source Cosmeticsdesign.com reports.

London - Results of a British meta-analysis suggest that there is no evidence to support the concept that clinicians should use a combination of biological therapies and chemotherapy instead of the commonly used single-agent chemotherapy regimen for patients with metastatic melanoma, news source MedicalNewsToday.com reports.

Exton, Pa. - Biotech company Isolagen announced recently that injections have been completed in the phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the Isolagen Therapy for the treatment of nasolabial folds, and that trial subjects are now in the follow-up period, PRNewswire reports.

Cambridge, Mass. - Researchers at Harvard Medical School have identified a population of cells capable of initiating human melanomas, which could be targeted in cases of resistance to systemic therapy, HealthDay News reports.

Boston - Any face transplant performed at Brigham and Women's Hospital, based here, will be the culmination of carefully designed consent procedures for both the recipient and the donor's family, says the project's leader.

Special to Dermatology Times - Spurred by consumer complaints, the state of Kansas has restricted the use of Lipodissolve to scientific studies, while the state of Nebraska might ban the procedure.