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Shanghai, China - A growing number of men in Shanghai are taking an interest in their looks and are having cosmetic surgery or walking into beauty salons, according to People's Daily Online.

West Yorkshire, England - Scientists have developed a new wound dressing that could provide the benefits of maggot therapy to patients without placing live blowfly larvae in nonhealing wounds.

Toronto - Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) may cause necrotizing fasciitis, especially in areas where community acquired MRSA is prevalent, researchers say.

Washington - A recent change to the federal iPLEDGE program that eliminates one controversial lockout period is a welcome one, says Stephen P. Stone, M.D., president of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).

Sacramento, Calif. - Noting that unsanitary nail salons can pose a serious health threat to consumers, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed into law a bill aimed at preventing bacterial infections during manicures and pedicures by threatening salons with loss of their license if they fail to keep their instruments and premises clean.

National report - Two recent studies regarding isotretinoin risks confirm what dermatologists have long known - that the drug can transiently raise cholesterol levels and perhaps aggravate inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

National report - Hirsutism may signal an underlying medical condition including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or Cushing's syndrome that dermatologists can help detect without laboratory tests, says Marcelle Cedars, M.D., who also suggests several treatment plans available to the dermatologist.

Philadelphia - It is estimated that psoriasis affects 1.5 percent to 2.5 percent of the general population, with more than 4.5 million adults affected here in the United States alone. Approximately 20 percent of patients afflicted with this disease are categorized as "moderate-to-severe".

The first systematic review of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in isotretinoin users shows that this drug may trigger IBD in certain patients. While the Physician's Desk Reference lists IBD as a possible adverse event associated with use of isotretinoin, "Our goal was primarily to determine if this association was legitimate," and if so, what it means to physicians and patients, Corey A. Siegel, M.D., says. He is one of the review's authors and assistant professor of medicine and director of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center in Lebanon, N.H.

Washington - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s General and Plastic Surgery Advisory Panel has recommended that Radiesse, a soft-tissue augmentation product manufactured and distributed by San Mateo, Calif.-based BioForm Medical, be approved for use in restoring facial contours such as nasolabial folds and in treating facial lipoatrophy associated with HIV.

National report - As most dermatologists know, it's no accident that the skin on the most consistently covered-up parts of the body is typically in the best shape. External elements ranging from the sun and wind to temperature extremes can take their toll on even the healthiest of skin, but when conditions such as rosacea are present, the elements can wreak particular havoc.

Because the category is so broad, Dr. Wu says it's impossible to generalize about the effect the products have on the skin barrier function. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that manufacturers are not required to test for the safety or efficacy of their products.