After treatment with the new biologic agents, patient-reported outcomes measuring quality of life were evaluated, since psoriasis has been shown to have a significantly negative impact on patients' physical, psychological, and social functioning.22 Because the condition can affect the ability to perform normal work activities and often causes absence from work, psoriasis can negatively affect a person's job and income.
An open-label study was undertaken to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of continuous efalizumab therapy in patients achieving PASI 50 or an OLS grade of Mild, Minimal, or Clear at 12 weeks of therapy.
Efalizumab is a humanized IgG monoclonal antibody directed against the alpha chain of LFA-1 (CD11a) expressed on the surface of T cells.11 Efalizumab blocks the interaction between LFA-1 and ICAM-1 on APCs, vascular endothelial cells, and cells in the dermis and epidermis.
In order to understand the clinical relevance of T-cell-specific agents in the treatment of psoriasis, dermatologists first must understand the role of T cells in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Before the mid-1980s, psoriasis was believed to be predominantly a disease of abnormal regulation of keratinocyte growth and differentiation.
San Francisco - Two research projects have serendipitously led one researcher to a third study - with an unanticipated result.
San Francisco - Supplemental patch testing for allergens not included in TRUE Test is necessary, albeit less convenient, for dermatologists, according to Erin M. Warshaw, M.D.
San Francisco - A randomized, two-center study conducted at the University of Cincinnati and Oregon Health & Science University suggests that topical bexarotene gel (Targretin) 1 percent monotherapy may be a promising new treatment for severe chronic hand dermatitis.
San Francisco - A fuller understanding of the pathophysiologic processes of pruritus associated with atopic dermatitis (AD) may yield effective new therapies, Martin Steinhoff, M.D., Ph.D. said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.
San Francisco - Bacitracin, the widely used topical antibiotic, has been named "Contact Allergen of 2003."
At first glance, it appears to be a routine office chore. You have a position to fill, so you or one of your employees must interview the applicants and select the most promising individual.
San Francisco - Injected silicone may not be as safe as many physicians believe. Long-term complications are popping up, even in patients who were treated appropriately by trained physicians using good techniques and clean, unadulterated material.
San Francisco -- Topical application of a moisture-based formulation containing Total Soy can significantly reduce the appearance of male beard hair on the face and neck, according to the results of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study.
San Francisco - Physicians require proper training in order to inject botulinum toxin appropriately. The treatment can be a safe and relatively straightforward way of treating fine lines, but in the wrong hands, results may be far from satisfactory.
Q. What is the practical difference between a cosmetic and a drug? A. This is a very interesting question. At face value the question seems somewhat simplistic, since all dermatologists know that a drug requires a prescription and a cosmetic does not.
San Francisco - Tissue engineered skin has been a significant advance for wound care and holds future promise for enhancing treatment of other dermatologic problems and even as a drug delivery system, Robert S. Kirsner, M.D., said at the American Academy of Dermatology.
Maui, Hawaii - Topical anesthetics represent the state-of-the-art for minimizing pain and anxiety in procedures ranging from filler injections and chemical peels to those used in pediatric dermatology, Lawrence F. Eichenfield, M.D., said at the annual Hawaii Dermatology Seminar, sponsored by the Skin Disease Education Foundation.
San Francisco - Topical ALA (5-aminolevulinic acid HCl) photodynamic therapy using a nonlaser blue light source is a safe and effective treatment for multiple actinic keratoses when applied to a 25 cm2 area of skin or scalp containing lesions, according to a Phase II multicenter study.
Boston - Combined cytotoxic and antiangiogenic therapies may have synergistic effects in treating advanced Kaposi's sarcoma in patients with AIDS, according to Richard F. Little, M.P.H., M.D., senior clinical investigator, HIV and AIDS malignancy branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute.
San Francisco - Etanercept (Enbrel) produces rapid, significant, and sustained improvement in symptoms in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis, according to the results of a large, multicenter Phase III study presented by Alice Gottlieb, MD, Ph.D.
San Francisco - Thanks to their effectiveness against dermatophytes and their ability to concentrate in the nail plate, itraconazole (Sporanox) and terbinafine (Lamisil) have transformed toenail onychomycosis from a chronic condition to a curable disease.
San Francisco - Based on clinical efficacy data, botulinum toxin A (Botox) should become the treatment of choice for suppressing axillary hyperhidrosis, according to Nicholas J. Lowe, M.D.
San Francisco - Two large phase III studies involving 15 percent azelaic gel (Finacea) for the treatment of rosacea each resulted in more than a 50-percent reduction in the number of lesions.
San Francisco - Uncovering and successfully treating itch may depend on how readily dermatologists accept that some cases may be related to neurological or psychological factors, John Y.M. Koo, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.
San Francisco - A book-in-progress will document the experiences of women dermatologists and articulate issues important to them, Gloria Graham, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.
San Francisco - Daily antiviral therapy can prevent transmission of genital herpes simplex virus (HSV-2) from an infected individual to his or her partner, according to Stephen K. Tyring, M.D., Ph.D.
San Francisco - Octyl-2-cyanoacrylate products can play a useful role in woundcare as tissue adhesives, dressings, and antibacterial sealants, William H. Eaglstein, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.
San Francisco - Medical dermatology in the United States cannot be saved, according to dermatologist Marcus Conant, M.D.
Dermatology resident Steven Q. Wang was relaxing one Sunday last August, reading The New York Times. He never got past an article on the first page about how an AIDS tragedy sweeping through China's rural heartland was creating an "explosion of destitute orphans."
Although August is when the Internal Revenue Service traditionally begins selecting those 2002 tax returns that are to be examined in more depth, many dermatologists found themselves being targeted for examination soon after the April 15 tax deadline. After all, April 15, was also the deadline for participating in the IRS's "Offshore Voluntary Compliance Initiative" (OVCI), a "come back into the fold and you will be forgiven your tax transgressions" program.
Q. I recently attended a seminar on how to protect assets from potential lawsuits that detailed a number of complicated strategies, all of which seemed rather impractical and expensive. From a practical standpoint, which of the various asset-protection techniques are dermatologists successfully utilizing?
