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The concept looks good from the outside: Offset the financial challenges of running a traditional dermatology practice by adding fee-for-service aesthetic procedures. However, dermatologists who have done it say that successfully launching or expanding a cosmetic practice requires more than whim. Dermatologists need to weigh the costs, realize the commitment they need to make to these patients and have the time to devote to an aesthetic practice.

National report ? Working with medical residents and students is a means of keeping pace with new technologies in dermatological practice for some clinicians.

National report -- Dermatologists likely will exercise more caution in prescribing the topical calcineurin inhibitors (TCIs) Elidel cream (pimecrolimus, Novartis) and Protopic ointment (tacrolimus, Astellas Pharma) in response to the Food and Drug Administration's decision to add "black box" warnings to these drugs' labels, an expert tells Dermatology Times.

Palm Beach, Fla. ? There has been a significant growth in the dispensing of cosmeceutical products, driven by consumer demand, which has taken the place of dispensing of prescription products as the mainstay of the dermatologist's dispensing practice, says a Florida dermatologist.

Stephen Stone, M.D., dermatologist, professor at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, Ill., and new president of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), says that an organization worth volunteering for is, probably, worth leading.

Stocks carry the most risk, but provide the best return over the long run; bonds are not as risky as stocks, but have a lower return; cash provides the most safety for your principal, but with earnings that may barely keep up with inflation.

Since our legal system provides very little downside for filing a frivolous lawsuit, we can expect this problem to get worse before it gets better.

San Francisco ? While physician extenders represent one potential solution for underserved patient populations, they must only be used in supervised settings, according to an American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) official.

On a larger scale, he notes that few, if any, medical conferences could survive as currently structured without heavy subsidies from the pharmaceutical industry.

Sixty percent of families in which three or more members have melanoma also have a germline mutation in the p16 sequence, which, when functioning properly, inhibits CDK4 and activates RB1 (retinoblastoma). When the p16 function of human melanocytes is blocked, senescence is delayed.

It is a higher-viscosity hyaluronic acid manufactured by Q-Med, the same company that manufacturers Restylane for Medicis. Medicis purchased the marketing rights for Restylane in the United States and invested the time and money to get the filler approved. At some point, Medicis undoubtedly will obtain approval for Perlane and add this to its offerings.

The emphasis on blood vessel quantity over quality might explain why efforts to grow new vessels in patients with ischemic complications by simply supplying cells with VEGF have fared poorly.

Las Vegas ? Hormonal therapy with an estrogen-progestin oral contraceptive (OC) can be a useful adjunct for acne treatment in adult women who fail to respond to traditional topical and systemic therapies, according to Julie C. Harper, M.D., at the Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference.

As expected, based on experience using alefacept in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis, onset of response was somewhat slow. Over time, however, the treatment was associated with clinical improvement in most patients without any serious safety concerns.

In patients for whom rheumatologists once hoped to achieve 20 percent improvement, Dr. Lisse says that with TNF inhibitors, "We're now looking for 50 or 70 percent, or even remission."

The concept looks good from the outside: Offset the financial challenges of running a traditional dermatology practice by adding fee-for-service aesthetic procedures. However, dermatologists who have done it say that successfully launching or expanding a cosmetic practice requires more than whim. Dermatologists need to weigh the costs, realize the commitment they need to make to these patients and have the time to devote to an aesthetic practice.

Tucson, Ariz. ? In the months following a French surgical team'sgroundbreaking partial face transplant, details have emerged notonly about the recipient's identity and appearance, but also aboutthe precarious progress of the surgical outcome.

Barrington, Ill. -- The National Rosacea Society (NRS) announced last month that it has awarded research grants to five new studies aimed at advancing scientific knowledge of rosacea and finding new treatments to combat it.

Washington -- Amid a number of high-profile state and federal pharmaceutical liability cases, federal regulators are proposing to insert language in a prescription-drug rule that some state officials say would help drug companies defend themselves against lawsuits.