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The year 2008 is under way. It's a year that promises a lot of discussion of healthcare delivery and costs, and promises of change. On Call wondered what direction dermatologists expect to take in their practices in the coming year. What are their priorities for their practices? What are their New Year's resolutions for their practices? For several of the dermatologists who spoke to On Call, the business end of their practice is slated to get a lot of attention this year as they try to run their offices as efficiently as possible.

A recent headline in Dermatology Times read, "Niacin boosts IPL outcome." In small print, the sub-headline read, "Small study sees non-statistical improvement in skin texture." The summary of the article, called "Quick Read," had the following statement: "A niacin-based skincare cosmeceutical regimen combined with intense pulsed light (IPL) treatments offers better skin rejuvenation outcomes than IPL alone, a new study suggests."

National report - Prompted by dermatologists' concern over the safety of a recently approved permanent dermal filler, the FDA has formed a team to study postmarket experience with all newer dermal fillers, focusing mainly on the permanent variety.

When Discovery Channel invited Anthony Gaspari, M.D., to diagnose what might be causing tree-like structures to grow on an Indonesia man, the suspicion was an extreme case of epidermodysplasia verruciformis. But Dr. Gaspari, professor and chairman of the department of dermatology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, found the man was disfigured by disseminated HPV-2, infection. A genetic flaw robbed Dede, the Indonesian, of his ability to ward off warts that had spread like wild fire around his body-even to the point of causing tree-limb-like cutaneous horns.

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Toronto - The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario is urging legislators to pass measures that will help the college crack down on nonspecialists who are performing cosmetic surgery, The Ottawa Citizen reports.

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Toronto - The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario is urging legislators to pass measures that will help the college crack down on nonspecialists who are performing cosmetic surgery, The Ottawa Citizen reports.

Cincinnati - Reuters reports that researchers at Procter & Gamble say they have sequenced the genome of Malassezia globosa, a fungus that grows on the skin of between 50 percent and 90 percent of the population, causing dandruff and other skin conditions.

Lexington, Mass. - Synta Pharmaceuticals has launched a phase 3 trial of elesclomol in treating metastatic melanoma, Bioworld.com reports.

Exton, Pa. - Biotech company Isolagen, based here, has announced the initiation of a phase 3 clinical study to test Isolagen Therapy for the treatment of moderate to severe acne scars, PRNewswire reports.

Boston - Results of what is reportedly the largest phase 3 study ever conducted with a biologic treatment suggest that patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) achieve significant, sustained improvements in joint and skin manifestations of the disease after monthly subcutaneous injections of investigative golimumab, DocGuide.com reports.

Cleveland - The Case Western Reserve University medical school and University Hospitals Case Medical Center have received a five-year, $6.37 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to find new treatments for psoriasis, Crain’s Cleveland Business reports.

Bordeaux, France - French researchers have found that children with skin allergies may be allergic to oat proteins commonly found in skin products, Reuters Health reports.

Durham, N.C. - Researchers at Duke University Medical Center say they believe that changes in bone structure, not gravity, may be the cause of sagging facial skin, HealthNewsDigest.com reports.

The American Academy of Dermatology announced in May 2007 that it had launched its Seal of Recognition program, in which the Academy charges companies thousands of dollars for the right to display the Academy's logo on sun protection products that meet the Academy's criteria. Academy members who back the program say it is a noble cause that will greatly fuel the organization's skin cancer education efforts.

National report - Although the training of D.O. dermatologists and their M.D. counterparts differs somewhat, these paths are converging to the point that many sources say both are equally rigorous. But while acceptance of D.O. dermatologists in the M.D. community is increasing, pockets of resistance remain, they add.

National report - Although the training of D.O. dermatologists and their M.D. counterparts differs somewhat, these paths are converging to the point that many sources say both are equally rigorous. But while acceptance of D.O. dermatologists in the M.D. community is increasing, pockets of resistance remain, they add.

With the decreases in government funding of medical trials, manufacturers of the products being tested finance more and more clinical trials, whether for medication, therapies or equipment. Tests are obviously needed to determine the effectiveness and safety of new products in order to make medical progress. That system, however, can put unpredictable pressure on physicians conducting the trials.

Whether your retirement is years away or just around the corner, inflation will exert a major influence on your future economic health. Ignore it at your own peril.

Starting October 1, 2007, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) officially endorsed the practice of physicians charging a fee to Medicare beneficiaries who fail to show up for appointments. If you charge Medicare patients a fee for missing appointments, however, you must charge the same fee to all who skip appointments, regardless of the payer.

Starting October 1, 2007, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) officially endorsed the practice of physicians charging a fee to Medicare beneficiaries who fail to show up for appointments. If you charge Medicare patients a fee for missing appointments, however, you must charge the same fee to all who skip appointments, regardless of the payer.

Websites range from those structured as online brochures to the more complicated interactive sites. Whether you need the bells and whistles of interaction depends on your goals, how much you want to spend and how much effort you plan to focus on the web.

Zoe Diana Draelos, M.D., answers questions about cosmetic dermatology.

Epidemiology can provide very useful information about various skin diseases and when used properly, can help dermatologists treat their patients more effectively and impart to them invaluable advice on how to handle their skin condition or disease.

National report - An initiative to grant American Osteopathic College of Dermatology (AOCD) members full fellowship in AAD fell short, but the matter is likely to resurface, sources say.

National report - An initiative to grant American Osteopathic College of Dermatology (AOCD) members full fellowship in AAD fell short, but the matter is likely to resurface, sources say.

Congress has been warned that many doctors are "on the take" from big pharmaceutical companies, which pay them in one way or another to prescribe their drugs to patients, and are "at risk of corruption" while endangering the lives of patients.

In the Letters section of the October 2007 issue of Dermatology Times, both Craig G. Burkhart, M.D., and Michael H. Coverman, M.D., do not directly address two important points in the debate regarding "dysplastic" nevi. Clinical utility of a concept derives from its prognostic and therapeutic implications. Specifically, the utility of the concept of dysplastic nevi is that they are a significant risk factor for cutaneous melanoma.[1,2] This concept is analogous to hypercholesterolemia and hypertension being asymptomatic risk factors for cardiovascular disease and not diseases in and of themselves.

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