News

New Orleans - Although multiple abnormal genes probably control psoriasis, only a few people inherit a combination of disease genes that causes psoriasis, according to James T. Elder, M.D., Ph.D.

New Orleans - Significant technological developments continue to advance laser and cosmetic surgery, according to Jeffrey Dover, M.D., who reviewed progress in the field over the last year at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology here.

Chicago - Several bioactive compounds similar to spin traps have been identified that can cool down and block the process of inflammation and also stop the molecular events involved in the aging of skin, Bryan Fuller, Ph.D., said. A particular compound, called Quadrinone, has now been formulated into a topical therapeutic product for problem skin.

New Orleans - Cosmetic dermatology presents a number of complex ethical issues for clinicians and researchers alike, but the bottom line for measuring what constitutes ethical practice is to consider whether patients are being treated as the physician would care for himself or his own family, Andrew C. Markey, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

San Antonio - One take-home lesson from a study on aging is that even the fibroblasts of very old people have significant proliferative potential, James R. Smith, Ph.D., said. "This suggests that fibroblasts may not be the best cells to use in determining a relationship between in vivo and in vitro aging," he said.

New Orleans - Autologous veins extracted during ambulatory phlebectomy procedures provide a safe and effective material for facial soft tissue augmentation and correction of atrophic dermal defects, Mitchel P. Goldman, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

New Orleans - Merkel cell carcinoma is a very rare tumor - U.S. physicians see only about 500 cases a year. It is also a surprisingly deep-seated skin lesion, and therefore extra attention should be paid to excision, Mary Maloney, M.D., said during her presentation on Mohs surgery at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

New Orleans - Patients and physicians express various levels of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with the most common treatment modalities for actinic keratoses. Both groups have strong interest as well in newer therapies, according to the results of a survey presented by James Q. Del Rosso, D.O., at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Stanford, Calif. - Use of an inactivated varicella vaccine may prevent immunocompromised patients from developing varicella-zoster virus infection for up to a year, Ann Arvin, M.D., said. She and colleagues published a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine showing up to 20 percent fewer patients who were varicella seropositive developed zoster a year after a hematopoietic cell transplant.

Los Angeles -- In an attempt to prove estrogen's unknown effect on keratinocytes, researchers presented in vitro data at the Society for Investigative Dermatology that suggest a direct link of the hormone to in vivo epidermal turnover and wound healing.

San Diego - With its acquisition from Bristol-Myers Squibb of worldwide rights and title to Vaniqa (eflornithine hydrochloride) Cream, Women First HealthCare plans to take another pass at providing women with hirsutism a pharmaceutical alternative.

Los Angeles -- Mast cells are directly involved in innate defense against bacterial infection through the synthesis of antimicrobial peptides, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Investigative dermatology.

Los Angeles - Researchers in The Netherlands who looked at nearly 1,000 patients added to the confirmation that smoking causes wrinkles and enhances skin aging in both sexes. They also found that smoking seems to wreak even more havoc on men's skin, causing telangiectasias. So, they said, smoking may have different effect on men and women when it comes to skin changes.

Los Angeles -- Researchers conducting a study to determine the frequency of extra-facial lesions of the erythemotelangiectatic or papulopustular subtypes in rosacea patients found that erythema on the trunk and telangiectasia on the neck were associated with the erythemotelangiectatic subtype.

New Orleans - The training received by dermatologic surgeons is more than adequate for the task; in fact, dermatologists pioneered many of the skin surgery techniques in common use today, outgoing American Academy of Dermatology president Ronald G. Wheeland, M.D., said here at a "controversies in dermatology" session at the AAD's annual meeting

New Orleans - Working smarter, not harder, is a rule people want to live by but is often more difficult than it sounds. In a medical practice setting, where efficiency can sometimes fall by the wayside, physicians must keep an eye out for simple but smart strategies to overcome office shortcomings.

How should antiperspirants be applied for maximum effectiveness?

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - For treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania major, a six-week course of oral fluconazole is effective and avoids the potentially severe side effects of standard parenteral therapy, according to Abdulrahman A. Alrajhi, M.D., M.P.H.

The high cost of medical malpractice insurance, both for patients and physicians, is gaining renewed attention in Washington with President Bush calling for reform and a new report by the Department of Health and Human Services urging legislative action.

Geneva - The global solar ultraviolet radiation index, recently introduced by the World Health Organization, is all about awareness of the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation.

Even before botulinum toxin (Botox Cosmetic) received FDA approval in April for use in cosmetic procedures, the demand for the treatment had made Botox the fifth most common nonsurgical cosmetic procedure in the country.

System to Manage Accutane Related Teratogenicity requires patient, physicianeducation and cooperation

Paris - Combination topical-antibiotic-plus-retinoid treatmentof inflammatory acne using adapalene 0.1 percent gel (Differin) with clindamycin1 percent lotion offers better efficacy and safety compared with clindamycin1 percent lotion alone, according to the results of a study presented atthe World Congress of Dermatology.

Berlin - New therapeutic modalities are needed for treating thesubstantial population of acne patients with marked inflammatory diseaseand scarring. Available data indicate compounds with selective anti-inflammatoryactivity may help fill that niche, Christos C. Zouboulis, M.D., said.

Paris - Selective inhibition of the enzyme steroid sulfatase (STS)with a topically applied nonsteroidal compound may offer a novel approachto the treatment of acne, scientists from the Novartis Research Institute,Vienna, Austria, said at the World Congress of Dermatology.

Study shows higher rates of streptococcus pyogenes colonization in oro-pharynx

New Orleans - The combination product containing clindamycin 1percent with benzoyl peroxide 5 percent in an aqueous vehicle base (BenzaClin)is a highly effective and well-tolerated treatment for patients with moderateto moderately severe acne, according to the results of two randomized, controlled,double-blind studies presented at the annual meeting of the American Academyof Dermatology.

Compliance, treatment, and results differ vastly in post-teen populationthan in traditional groups

New Orleans - The growing emergence of resistant bacteria and confusion created by an expanding number of antimicrobial agents on the market make selection of effective antimicrobial therapy an increasing challenge for dermatologists, James Q. Del Rosso, D.O., said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Buenos Aires - Conventional treatment regimens based on the use of topical and systemic retinoids and antimicrobial agents are effective in controlling the majority of cases of acne across the entire spectrum of disease severity, but there are a wide range of less commonly used modalities that can provide valuable alternatives in a number of clinical scenarios, Ana Kaminsky, M.D., Ph.D., said.