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Stanford, Calif. — Studying functional tissue has provided Stanford University researchers important insight into melanoma's development.

The procedures were performed without any anesthesia and yet were regarded by the majority of patients as pain-free or associated with only slight to moderate discomfort.

Children 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.

Chicago — 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.

New 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.

Chicago — Researchers are making progress but still have a long way to go in the field of bioengineered-assisted wound healing, according to some experts.

National report — Treating wounds is a delicate mixture of new tools and tried-and-true wound healing basics, according to Mark D.P. Davis, M.D., associate professor of dermatology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Chicago — CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced results from two, phase 3 clinical trials with Oracea, its drug for the treatment of rosacea, at the American Academy of Dermatology's Academy '05, here.

Vienna, Austria — A new study suggests that extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is highly effective in treating patients with several types of skin lesions, including venous ulcers and burns.

Tokyo — 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.

Hepatitis C patients receiving treatment with interferon have a tendency to develop lesions consistent with sarcoidosis, both on the skin and internally.

The 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.

The company's technology relies on the electrical impedance characteristics of skin cells.

I do believe Dr. Levine gives an overly optimistic view of the benefits of these four drugs over biologics.

Our 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.

Congress and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should get involved with industry and scientists to investigate the effectiveness of alternative therapies, according to an Institute of Medicine report.

National report — Dermatologists should be more diligent in asking psoriasis patients about symptoms of psoriatic arthritis, says Kenneth Gordon, M.D., associate professor of medicine, Loyola University, Chicago.

Ann Arbor, Mich. — Accurate, reliable, and appropriate documentation of the severity of psoriasis is important in clinical practice and essential for clinical trial research, says Charles N. Ellis, M.D.

Chicago — As psoriasis often affects persons during their reproductive years, dermatologists are often faced with decisions regarding management of patients who are pregnant or who want to have a child.

Chicago — Among the more promising directions among biologic drugs for psoriasis are longer treatment regimens and combinations with other modalities, says Mark Lebwohl, M.D., professor and chairman, department of dermatology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York.

Chicago — Systemic pharmaceuticals — from cyclosporine to methotrexate and everything in between — retain a relevant role in the treatment of psoriasis despite today's seemingly all encompassing focus on biologics.

While the FDA approval trials were completed over a year ago, work continues on two additional trials to determine the minimum dose to maintain efficacy.

Buenos Aires — In selecting therapies for patients with psoriasis, dermatologists need to consider that psoriasis is a life-long, systemic disease that substantially affects a patient's quality of life, according to Alan Menter, M.D., chief of the division of dermatology at Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas.

Irvine, Calif. — Recent research validates the long-suspected link between high levels of estrogen occurring during pregnancy and improvement in psoriasis.

New Orleans — There has been a boon in advances for the treatment of psoriasis, spanning an arsenal of new biologic therapies to new methods of administration of tried-and-true options.

National report — The treatment of psoriasis is a complicated process in which the dermatologist has to be "a little bit of an artist," according to Steven Feldman, M.D.

The market for products to treat skin ulcers will grow at nearly 10 percent per year to surpass $5 billion by 2009, according to a recent report from Kalorama Information.

Galderma Laboratories, L.P. has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for MetroGel (metronidazole) Topical Gel, 1%, a topical treatment for the inflammatory lesions of rosacea.

The pharmaceutical industry last year spent a record $128 million on lobbying efforts -- more than any other business sector, according to a report released last month by the Center for Public Integrity, a non-profit public-policy research group.

When it comes to original research studies, you shouldn't believe everything you read -- or at least you should wait until follow-up studies are done.