News

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.

National report — Reconstruction of facial wounds is excisional surgery that requires special attention to cosmetic outcome.

One critical but often-overlooked component of providing patients with the best possible spa experience is design.

A business plan is crucial in determining how a business will become successful.

Sometimes success with a medspa requires more than simply knowing what to do. Knowing what not to do is equally helpful in determining successful outcomes.

Winston-Salem, N.C. — The future of stem cell research, and ultimately therapy, may be skin deep.

National report — As have physicians in other specialties, dermatologists have begun abandoning HMOs and other managed care plans in an effort to get timely, fair compensation directly from patients.

Managing test results is a constant challenge for busy dermatology practices that see dozens, if not hundreds, of patients each day. Timely, accurate and consistent management of test results reduces legal risks, improves relationships with patients and referring physicians and helps to lower the level of daily stress in the office.

The unique aspect of the telederm.org philosophy is that every colleague can easily seek diagnostic advice for free from a pool of other colleagues who are willing to share their knowledge.

Anaheim, Calif. — The cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid, or caBIG, is an important introduction of information technology to the war on cancer, much the same as information technology has been used to transform business and the military, according to Kenneth H. Buetow, Ph.D., director of the NCI Center for Bioinformatics and laboratory chief, Laboratory of Population Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Md.

Vienna, Austria — Although there appears to be potential for developing systemic methods of protecting skin from sun damage, researchers still seem to be a long way from determining how to do that, according to Harald Maier, M.D.

Philadelphia — The unraveling of the relationship between tumor growth and falling oxygen levels is expanding what is known about cancer and encouraging research into new antitumor therapies, according to M. Celeste Simon, Ph.D.

Chicago — A new combination treatment for advanced metastatic melanoma has performed so impressively in anecdotal cases that its developers are seeking funding for a National Cancer Institute (NCI) pilot trial.

A rapidly growing trend in medical practices is the expansion into ancillary services. The rising costs of operating a medical business have forced physicians to take a look at how they can expand and better serve their patients.

The broad range of fillers available today allows dermatologists to target any depth of the skin and treat an array of cosmetic defects. Now, according to Kevin Pinski, M.D., the emphasis is on indications, and analyzing the skin of each patient to determine which fillers would be best and then tailoring a treatment plan that's just right for that person.

Boston — What distinguishes chronic urticaria — both autoimmune and chronic idiopathic?

Newport Beach, Calif. — A rare instance of cutaneous pseudolymphoma presenting as leonine facies was recently diagnosed in Southern California and treated successfully with a prolonged prednisone taper, says Rebecca Scudiero, M.D., a resident in the division of dermatology, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA.

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., professor and associate chair, department of dermatology, University of Michigan Medical School.

New Orleans — Transdermal delivery of hyaluronic acid is possible using a technology combining microdermabrasion with a novel electrophoretic system (Ultrapeel with Transderm Ionto, Mattioli Engineering), and this procedure appears to be a safe and effective method for improving facial rhytids, says Jaggi Rao, M.D.

New, exciting treatments for rosacea are on the horizon. Several new topicals will become available, including SR101, which SansRosa Pharmaceuticals has developed to reduce triggers and to treat rosacea redness and flushing.

Chicago — The globalization of business, international adoption, immigration and tourism has given rise to the spread of new and emerging pathogens.