News

Parkville, Victoria, Australia -- Researchers here report that patient-applied ointment comprising 0.1 percent diphencyprone and 15 percent salicylic acid in white soft paraffin is effective in treating palmoplantar warts.

Washington -- In a move considered by many to be long overdue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a sunscreen product that contains Mexoryl, an ingredient considered to be more effective than other filters in protecting the skin against the sun's potentially damaging UVA rays.

National report - While rosacea remains incurable for the estimated 14 million people who suffer from the condition, treatment options are evolving to provide dermatologists with a more effective armamentarium in helping to control the condition.

National report - Results of a phase 3B study comparing once daily treatment with the new 1 percent metronidazole gel (MetroGel, Galderma) and twice daily application of 15 percent azelaic acid gel (Finacea, Intendis) demonstrate that the two products have statistically similar efficacy, safety and tolerability in the treatment of moderate papulopustular acne, says John E. Wolf, Jr., M.D., professor and chairman, department of dermatology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.

National report - Light-based treatment, in combination with topical treatment, is effective in relieving the symptoms of rosacea such as acne, flushing and redness, one dermatologist says.

Las Vegas - Rosacea treatment has taken a giant step forward with the Food and Drug Administration's recent approval of Oracea - doxycycline controlled-release capsules made by CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals. Oracea is the first FDA-approved, orally administered, systemically delivered drug to treat rosacea. It was approved for the treatment of inflammatory papules and pustules of rosacea in adult patients, and is currently available to dermatologists.

Part of the duty of dermatologists who want to be involved in emergency work is to educate themselves, says Boris Lushniak, M.D., M.P.H., assistant commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for counterterrorism policy, and assistant surgeon general in the U.S. Public Health Service

Atlanta - The federal government's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced that it will begin investigating a mysterious disease for which no cause has been identified - and which most medical professionals, including dermatologists, believe isn't a disease at all, but a psychotic disorder.

Bonds deserve a niche in your investment portfolio; they provide a dependable flow of income and are less risky than stocks.

Dermatologists often talk about how important it is to manage the impact of no-shows: the patients who fail to show up for appointments. But are you giving enough attention to the patients who cancel appointments?

Baltimore - Treatment for persons with numerous actinic keratoses (AKs) in an area of severely sun-damaged skin should include field therapy that can clear both the clinically evident lesions and sub-clinical danger spots, according to Anthony A. Gaspari, M.D., speaking at the East Coast Dermatology Seminar, here.

Philadelphia - There are multiple steps and mechanisms necessary for carcinogenesis, including multiple genetic alterations that cause an initiation phase, as well as microenvironmental factors that contribute to a promotion phase and a progression phase of a skin cancer.

National report - When a patient suffers damages as a result of care administered by a physician extender and a malpractice suit arises, then the physician as well as the physician extender will likely be sued, says David J. Goldberg, M.D., J.D.

National report - Some of today's newest clinical syndromes highlight the fact that diseases of other organs, including the heart, often manifest on the skin, and these skin findings can offer clues to disease severity.

Las Vegas - A nonwoven hydrofiber dressing with silver (Aquacel Ag) requires fewer dressing changes and fewer procedural medications, says Daniel M. Caruso, M.D., speaking at the annual meeting of the American Burn Association, here.

Oral isotretinoin, hormonal agents and photodynamic therapy all are effective modalities for acne treatment that work through the sebaceous gland - yet caveats apply to each.

Noninvasive skin cancer treatment can be an attractive option for patients, especially in this age of new techniques and pharmaceutical discovery. But with new and exciting advancements often come new and complex questions. Dermatology Times asked Ronald Moy, M.D., a Los Angeles Mohs surgeon and former professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Marc D. Brown, M.D., a Mohs surgeon and professor of dermatology and otolaryngology at the University of Rochester Medical School, Rochester, N.Y., to discuss noninvasive skin cancer treatments.

West Haven, Conn. - The kidney cancer drug Nexavar has been granted fast track designation by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment of advanced melanoma, manufacturer Bayer Pharmaceuticals announced.

National report - Antimicrobial (poly)peptides (AMPs) are an important part of the innate immune response that protects skin from infection.

Scottsdale, Ariz. - For many dermatologists, the new iPLEDGE registry has brought hassles and headaches, but there are plenty of benefits to be considered that could ultimately make the initial ordeal worthwhile, said Hilary Baldwin, M.D., at a recent meeting of the Skin Disease Education Foundation.

New Orleans - A disaster of Hurricane Katrina's proportions could strike virtually anyone anywhere, say dermatologists still struggling with the aftermath of the storm that ravaged this city in August 2005.

It's the job of sales representatives to sell their company's products. But with many dermatologists reporting six to eight week wait times for patients to get in for appointments, how do pharmaceutical sales people get their feet in the door to make their presentations?

The proposed change would make the practice expense methodology more transparent and easier to understand, would make it consistent across procedures, and would utilize data that has been collected by specialty societies.

In the past, I've used this space to rally for volunteerism/charitable endeavors and discuss outstanding services performed by those in dermatology. My sense has been that, while I'm not entirely "preaching to the choir," I am addressing a group of specialists, my fellow dermatologists, of whom many graciously give of their time in charitable medical and nonmedical ways.

Results from one-year of follow-up in a phase 3 trial investigating infliximab (Remicade, Centocor) for the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis demonstrate that the dramatic responses achieved rapidly after induction therapy are sustained with maintenance therapy in the majority of patients and without the emergence of new safety concerns, reported Alan Menter, M.D., at Academy '06.

A novice dermatologist may sometimes have a rough time in diagnosing perioral dermatitis and distinguishing it from its common imitators.

A network of teledermatology links throughout Alaska is providing cost-effective, timely access to dermatologic care for indigenous peoples in the nation's most underserved and sprawling state, its designer reports. Teledermatology programs organized by the Alaska Tribal Health System (ATHS) serve approximately 50,000 patients scattered throughout the state, reports John H. Bocachica, M.D., F.A.A.D., chief, dermatology and teledermatology at the Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC) in Anchorage.

The possibility of truncal involvement should not be overlooked in patients who present for treatment of facial acne vulgaris, said James Q. Del Rosso, D.O.

Dermatologists in outpatient practices should maintain an index of suspicion for infections caused by community-acquired methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) and recognize the need to prescribe alternatives to the usual antibiotics that can be relied upon to effectively treat the majority of skin and skin structure infections they see, says Kenneth J. Tomecki, M.D., department of dermatology, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

The very recent approval of the quadrivalent human papilloma virus (HPV) virus-like particle vaccine (Gardasil) is the biggest breakthrough in medicine in the 21st century so far because its prevents infection with the virus that is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide, says Stephen K. Tyring, M.D., Ph.D.