Skin & Allergy News back issues from June 2007:
Earlier is better for port-wine stain Tx.(News)
Jun 01, 2007; ... GRAPEVINE, TEX. -- Treatment with a pulsed dye laser is safe and effective for clearing port-wine stains in children aged younger than 2 years, according to two independent studies presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery. In the ...
Genetic test tells melanoma from dysplastic nevi: noninvasive tape-stripping excels in study.(Clinical Rounds)
Jun 01, 2007; ... LOS ANGELES -- Applying a simple tape to suspicious pigmented lesions and pulling off RNA for genetic analysis can differentiate melanoma from dysplastic nevi, results of a pilot study suggest. Preliminary data show that noninvasive tape-stripping of the stratum corneum and ...
AAD backs new screening criteria for melanoma risk.(Clinical Rounds)
Jun 01, 2007; ... PHOENIX -- Analysis of more than 350,000 reports from skin cancer screenings has identified five melanoma risk factors that can flag candidates for total skin examinations, Dr. Darrell S. Rigel reported at a clinical dermatology conference sponsored by Medicis. The risk factors, ...
Beginning next month, PQRI will be ready for measures reporting.(News)
Jun 01, 2007; ... BALTIMORE -- Focus on outcomes registries, not claims data, as the base for the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative next year, physicians and their representatives said at a forum held in May by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. CMS officials said they are ...
Efalizumab for hand/foot psoriasis proves efficacy.(News)(Clinical report)
Jun 01, 2007; ... MAUI, HAWAII -- One-third of patients with moderate to severe hand and foot psoriasis were clear or almost so after 12 weeks of efalizumab in a phase IV randomized double-blind study. "I think that's quite remarkable when you think of how recalcitrant hand and foot psoriasis is ...
Shockwave may be next wound healing therapy.(News)(Medical condition overview)
Jun 01, 2007; ... TAMPA -- Extracorporeal shockwave therapy is showing great promise for the treatment of acute and chronic wounds, Dr. Wolfgang Schaden reported at the annual meeting of the Wound Healing Society. The noninvasive therapy that has been shown to enhance osteogenesis proved safe in ...
Senate passes 5-year medical device user fee bill.(News)
Jun 01, 2007; ... The full Senate has approved a 5-year reauthorization of the Medical Device User Fee Modernization Act as part of a legislative package that included reauthorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act. MDUFMA is due to expire Sept. 30. The law governs how much manufacturers ...
Prescription drug user fees reauthorized.(News)
Jun 01, 2007 ... After some last-minute wrangling over drug reimportation and regulation of advertising, the Senate voted 93-1 to fund another 5 years of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act. Among other issues, PDUFA governs how much pharmaceutical manufacturers pay to have their products ...
New topical antibiotic for impetigo available.(NEWS FROM THE FDA)
Jun 01, 2007; ... The Food and Drug Administration has approved retapainulin ointment 1% for the topical treatment of impetigo caused by susceptible strains of Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogenes in patients 9 months and older. The retapamulin ointment 1% (Altabax) is from the first ...
Thirteen generic formulations of immediate-release Ambien approved.(NEWS FROM THE FDA)
Jun 01, 2007; ... The first generic formulations of the insomnia drug Ambien were approved by the Food and Drug Administration in April, days after the patent on the trade formulation expired. On April 23, the FDA announced that 13 generic drug manufacturers had received approval for their ...
New hyaluronic acid gel filler receives approval.(NEWS FROM THE FDA)(Brief article)
Jun 01, 2007; ... The newly approved wrinkle filler Perlane offers dermatologists another alternative for the treatment of moderate to severe facial folds and wrinkles, such as nasolabial folds. Part of the Restylane family, Perlane is composed of nonimmunogenic, stabilized hyaluronic acid gel ...
New radiofrequency device gets FDA okay.(NEWS FROM THE FDA)
Jun 01, 2007; ... In April, the Food and Drug Administration approved the Accent Dual Mode RF system for the treatment of wrinkles and rhytids. The approved indication is for "use in dermatologic and general surgical procedures for the non-invasive treatment of wrinkles and rhytids using combined ...
Infliximab infusion center can prove profitable.(News)
Jun 01, 2007; ... MAUI, HAWAII -- Etanercept might be the clear market leader among the biologic therapies for psoriasis, but infliximab rules the roost in terms of efficacy, according to Dr. Craig L. Leonardi. "Infliximab gets the highest steady state concentration in the body of all the ...
Organization makes pitch for office accreditation.(News)
Jun 01, 2007; ... MAUI, HAWAII -- Dermatologists have fallen behind the curve compared with other office-based physicians in terms of obtaining practice accreditation--and Dr. Roy C. Grekin aims to rectify that. As president of the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, the ...
Act now to stop Mohs pay change, surgeons push.(News)
Jun 01, 2007; ... NAPLES, FLA. -- Mohs surgeons might want to take quick action in the little time that remains before the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services propose to make Mohs surgery CPT codes not exempt from the multiple surgery reduction rule. "I expect that at the end of this ...
Medicare to reimburse for total body photography but at a cost.(News)
Jun 01, 2007; ... MAUI, HAWAII -- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services decision to reimburse for total body photography as a screening tool for early melanoma in high-risk patients is good and bad news, according to Dr. Allan C. Halpern, chief of the dermatology service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering ...
ASAPS warning: mesotherapy use is neither safe nor effective.(News)(American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery)(Brief article)
Jun 01, 2007; ... Patients should avoid injection treatments to dissolve fat--known as mesotherapy or lipolysis--as they are neither safe nor effective, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery warned in mid-May. An ASAPS spokeswoman said the organization issued the warning in the wake ...
Quinapril for sclerosis failed in long-term study.(News)
Jun 01, 2007; ... BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND -- Long-term administration of the ACE inhibitor quinapril failed to significantly improve symptoms of limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis or reduce the frequency or severity of Raynaud's episodes, compared with placebo, according to a study presented at the annual ...
NPI Web site has problems.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
Jun 01, 2007; ... Unfortunately, the article on the National Provider Identifier sounds more like a sales pitch for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services than a balanced report ("National Provider Identifier Sign-Up Deadline is May 23," March 2007, p. 10). The NPI Web site, application ...
Data 'in the wrong hands'.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
Jun 01, 2007; ... With regard to "Feds May Stop Pay for Surgical Site Infections" (April 2007, p. 57), it seems to me that Medicare is using data on surgical site infections to penalize hospitals and ultimately surgeons by way of payment. To make a generalization that all SSIs are preventable is ...
Demotion (with apologies to Franz Kafka).(Under My Skin)(Short story)
Jun 01, 2007; ... As Dr. Gregory Samplingerror awoke one morning, he found that he had been demoted overnight to a ridiculous second-tier physician. "I cannot go to the office," he thought. "All the patients will see the change in me at once. And even if they don't, they will realize it when they ...
Why should we value cosmetic surgery?(GUEST EDITORIAL)
Jun 01, 2007; ... Although almost anyone who reads magazines, surfs the Web, or watches TV knows that cosmetic surgery is a growth industry that has spawned intense competition for prospective patients, most are probably unaware of the schism created within plastic surgery over this area of practice. Here's ...
Making the move to quality reporting.(GUEST EDITORIAL)
Jun 01, 2007; ... On July 1, Physician Quality Reporting Initiative. Physicians who choose to submit quality data will be paid a bonus equivalent to 1.5% of their total Medicare billing for the period July 1 to Dec. 31, 2007. Physicians need only submit data on a subset of their patients to qualify. ...
Do pets prevent allergic disease? The weight of the evidence favors a preventive role.(Point/Counterpoint)
Jun 01, 2007; ... Although there are some inconsistencies in the evidence, most of it supports the hypothesis that having pets in the home prevents the development of allergic disease. First some caveats, however: Not all pets are created equal. The evidence is strongest for furred pets, as most ...
Do pets prevent allergic disease? The evidence of a protective effect is inconsistent.(Point/Counterpoint)
Jun 01, 2007; ... Dr. Wright has tried to convince you that the allergy epidemic in the United States is the result of a lack of sufficient cats and dogs. Unfortunately, this flies in direct contradistinction to the evidence. It's widely believed that asthma and allergic diseases have increased ...
Be age-specific with topical steroids for AD.(Dermatologic Therapy)
Jun 01, 2007; ... MAUI, HAWAII -- A thorough familiarity with the age-specific indications for topical steroids in children with atopic dermatitis has become essential in the aftermath of the Food and Drug Administration black box warning regarding topical calcineurin inhibitors, speakers said at the annual ...
Topical imiquimod 'dramatically' cut infantile hemangiomas.(Dermatologic Therapy)
Jun 01, 2007; ... MONTREAL -- Topical imiquimod 5% cream can dramatically reduce or resolve some infantile hemangiomas and could be a treatment option as early as the newborn phase, Dr. Marc Bourcier said at Dermatology Update 2007. This early, noninvasive treatment has minimal side effects and ...
Selecting acne maintenance considered a vital step.(Dermatologic Therapy)
Jun 01, 2007; ... MAUI, HAWAII -- Selecting an acne patient's long-term maintenance regimen is at least as important a decision as the initial treatment phase, Dr. Hilary E. Baldwin said at the annual Hawaii Dermatology seminar sponsored by Skin Disease Education Foundation. "Acne is a chronic, ...
Options abound for individualizing rosacea care: patients with rosacea should be educated about sun protection, trigger factors, and skin and eye care.(Dermatologic Therapy)
Jun 01, 2007; ... AMELIA ISLAND, FLA. -- Medical therapies work well for the treatment of the inflammatory lesions of rosacea, whereas physical modalities appear to be the most effective for the telangiectasia and macular erythema that are often associated with the disease, Dr. Diane M. Thiboutot said at a ...
Oral steroids prove to still be best for infant hemangiomas.(Dermatologic Therapy)
Jun 01, 2007; ... TORONTO -- Oral corticosteroids offer more clinical benefit than do high-dose pulsed intravenous corticosteroids for patients with problematic infantile hemangiomas, but with an increased risk of adverse effects, Dr. Miriam Weinstein reported in a poster presentation at the annual meeting ...
Mixed results from trials for aphthous stomatitis.(Dermatologic Therapy)(Clinical report)
Jun 01, 2007; ... Pimecrolimus cream 1% is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for oral erosive lichen planus, according to the results of a randomized, doubleblind, placebo-controlled study. In a separate study of a potential mouth ulcer therapy reported in the same issue, pentoxifylline ...
Lessons from HIV benefit the immunosuppressed.(Dermatologic Therapy)
Jun 01, 2007; ... PHOENIX -- The elderly gentleman on Dr. Timothy Berger's mind is a repeat patient in dermatology practices. One biopsy shows he has Grover's disease; another finds papular urticaria. Some of his complaints turn out to be reactions to bug bites. Another time he may be treated for eczema. ...
Topical nitrogen mustard seeking FDA approval.(Dermatologic Therapy)
Jun 01, 2007; ... MAUI, HAWAII -- Topical nitrogen mustard, a mainstay of mycosis fungoides therapy for the past half century, is the subject of an ongoing pivotal clinical trial aimed at winning Food and Drug Administration approval for the time-honored treatment, Dr. Joan Guitart said at the annual Hawaii ...
While PUVA may 'cure' some mycosis fungoides, a carcinogen risk remains.(Dermatologic Therapy)
Jun 01, 2007; ... MAUI, HAWAII -- Long-term efficacy of PUVA in a subset of mycosis fungoides patients is such that "I think we can start using the term cure," Dr. Joan Guitart said at the annual Hawaii Dermatology Seminar sponsored by Skin Disease Education Foundation. Cure has been elusive in ...
Azelastine for seasonal allergic rhinitis found to have rapid onset.(Dermatologic Therapy)
Jun 01, 2007; ... SAN DIEGO -- Azelastine nasal spray has a faster onset of action than does mometasone nasal spray or placebo in patients allergic to ragweed, according to a poster presented by Dr. Piyush Patel at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. ...
Postsurgery imiquimod improves BCC clearance.(Dermatologic Therapy)
Jun 01, 2007; ... MONTREAL -- Clearance of nodular basal cell carcinoma can be improved by adding topical imiquimod after standard curettage therapy, Dr. Mariusz Sapijaszko said at Dermatology Update 2007. In the future "'we will be using a physical modality such as curettage to debulk most of ...
Isolated limb infusion suited to some melanomas.(Dermatologic Therapy)
Jun 01, 2007; ... WASHINGTON -- Isolated limb infusion appears to be as effective as and less invasive than isolated limb perfusion for melanoma, reported Dr. Mary S. Brady at a symposium sponsored by the Society of Surgical Oncology. Surgical excision is the most common initial approach for ...
Mushrooms: Part 1.(Cosmeceutical Critique)
Jun 01, 2007; ... Mushrooms have been used in folk or traditional medicine for thousands of years. Extracts of medicinal mushrooms have been used in China, Japan, and Korea to treat disorders ranging from allergies, arthritis, bronchitis, and scleroderma to cancer, especially of the stomach, esophagus, and ...
Shave biopsy may impair correct melanoma staging: however, concerns that cutting through cancers may disperse cells and harm patients appear unfounded.(Dermatologic Surgery)
Jun 01, 2007; ... PHOENIX -- Although cutting through a melanoma during a shave biopsy may make reaching an accurate prognosis more difficult, it probably will not harm the patient, Dr. Darrell Rigel said at a clinical dermatology conference sponsored by Medicis. Dr. Rigel, who is with New York ...
Expert reviews evidence for melanoma excision margins.(Dermatologic Therapy)
Jun 01, 2007; ... MAUI, HAWAII -- Evidence from randomized clinical trials indicates that excision margins of 2 cm are optimal for primary melanomas greater than 2 mm thick, Dr. Merrick Ross said at the annual Hawaii Dermatology Seminar sponsored by Skin Disease Education Foundation. That's good ...
Infrared therapy could offer UVB protection; use of light-emitting diode device may protect skin from excess UVB as well as sunscreen with SPF 15.(Dermatologic Surgery)
Jun 01, 2007; ... GRAPEVINE, TEX. -- Brief exposure of arm skin to infrared radiation appeared to protect against subsequent ultraviolet B exposure in a pilot study of 13 subjects, Dr. Daniel Barolet said at the annual meeting of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery. Results from ...
Temporary fillers allow skill development with little risk.(Dermatologic Therapy)
Jun 01, 2007; ... MAUI, HAWAII -- "If you do Botox, you can certainly do fillers," Dr. Howard K. Steinman said at the annual Hawaii Dermatology Seminar sponsored by Skin Disease Education Foundation. Dr. Steinman stressed the importance of developing skills with injectable fillers, noting their ...
Sentinel node biopsy has role in thin melanoma.(Dermatologic Surgery)
Jun 01, 2007; ... MAUI, HAWAII -- Now that sentinel lymph node biopsy has become the standard-of-care staging procedure in intermediate-thickness melanoma, the focus has expanded to include identification of patients with thin melanomas who have novel high-risk features that also warrant sentinel node ...
Port-wine stain surgery safe in pediatric procedure room.(Dermatologic Surgery)
Jun 01, 2007; ... MIAMI BEACH -- Laser surgery with intravenous deep sedation can be performed safely in a pediatric procedure room rather than an operating room when treating congenital vascular stains, Dr. Elizabeth Alvarez Connelly said in a poster presentation at the annual Masters of Pediatrics ...
Fractional laser reduces severity of treatment-resistant melasma.(Dermatologic Surgery)(Clinical report)
Jun 01, 2007; ... GRAPEVINE, TEX. -- A fractional, 1540-nm laser produced good responses in patients with treatment-resistant melasma of the face or neck in a pilot study with 12 patients. These early findings suggest that this approach "is a useful, additional treatment modality," Dr. David B ....
Pure hyaluronidase beats compound for correction.(Dermatologic Surgery)
Jun 01, 2007; ... PHOENIX -- Consider keeping hyaluronidase for injection on hand for repairing problems caused by hyaluronic acid fillers and not relying on compounded forms of hyaluronidase, Dr. Alastair Carruthers advised at a clinical dermatology conference sponsored by Medicis. "Vitrase ...
New ultrasound device found safe, effective for raising brows.(Dermatologic Surgery)
Jun 01, 2007; ... GRAPEVINE, TEX. -- A new ultrasound device was safe and effective for raising the brow line, smoothing facial wrinkles, and adding definition to the jowl line in a study with 33 evaluable patients. "Ultrasound appears to be a safe, new modality for brow movement. The procedure ...
Compression handpiece key to reducing purpura.(Dermatologic Surgery)
Jun 01, 2007; ... GRAPEVINE, TEX. -- Purpura-free treatment of facial lesions was achieved by combining a modified-pulse format of a pulsed dye laser with skin compression to blanch out blood during treatment. With this technique "the risk of purpura was virtually eliminated" when treating ...
New trial laser creates fractional photothermolysis.(Dermatologic Surgery)
Jun 01, 2007; ... GRAPEVINE, TEX. -- Fractional splitting of a laser beam has been combined with selective photothermolysis to produce a new tool for dermatologic surgery. By combining the spatial selectivity of fractional technology with wavelength selectivity, fractional photothermolysis ...
Hypertricosis not uncommon after laser removal of facial hair.(Dermatologic Surgery)
Jun 01, 2007; ... GRAPEVINE, TEX. -- Facial-hair removal with laser energy can backfire and trigger hypertrichosis if the regimen is not optimized, Dr. Andrea Willey said at the annual meeting of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery. In a review of more than 500 women who underwent ...
For hidradenitis suppurativa, hair removal aids Tx.(Dermatologic Surgery)(Brief article)
Jun 01, 2007 ... GRAPEVINE, TEX -- Hair removal by intense pulsed light is a useful adjunctive treatment for refractory hidradenitis suppurativa, based on experience with 10 patients at one center. Five of the treated patients had clear improvement in their clinical status after 3-4 hair-removal ...
Low-energy laser for pseudofolliculitis barbae reduces pain.(Dermatologic Surgery)(Clinical report)
Jun 01, 2007 ... GRAPEVINE, TEX. -- Reduced laser energy can be effective and more acceptable to patients who are being treated for pseudofolliculitis barbae, based on results from a study with 11 evaluable patients. "Lower fluences offer hair modulation without permanent hair reduction," Dr ....
Two-wavelength laser effective for blood lesions.(Dermatologic Surgery)
Jun 01, 2007; ... GRAPEVINE, TEX. -- A single laser device that can sequentially deliver both 585-nm and 1,064-nm laser pulses was effective for treating thick port-wine stains, facial telangiectasias, and leg veins in three separate studies reported at the annual meeting of the American Society for Laser ...
European consensus statement offered on foam sclerotherapy.(Dermatologic Surgery)
Jun 01, 2007; ... SAN DIEGO -- European experts in foam sclerotherapy have updated their recommendations regarding how to perform foam sclerotherapy. Those recommendations include one that foam as viscous as possible should be used, and that only a 2%-3% mixture of polidocanol is needed for the greater ...
Foamy future predicted for treatment of varicose veins.(Dermatologic Surgery)
Jun 01, 2007; ... SAN DIEGO -- Foam sclerotherapy will soon be considered the standard of care for treating varicose veins, if it isn't already, Dr. John Bergan predicted at the annual meeting of the American Venous Forum. "We have reached the point where foam has taken over," said Dr. Bergan, ...
Isolated tumor cells raise melanoma recurrence risk.(Clinical Rounds)
Jun 01, 2007; ... WASHINGTON -- Early-stage melanoma patients with isolated tumor cells in the sentinel nodes are at higher risk of recurrence, according to a review presented by Dr. Randall Scheri at a symposium sponsored by the Society for Surgical Oncology. Dr. Scheri and his colleagues ...
Most uncompliant with compression stocking use.(Clinical Rounds)
Jun 01, 2007; ... SAN DIEGO -- Few patients who should wear compression stockings actually are conscientious about following their regimen and putting them on every day, according to a survey of 3,144 venous disease patients in Mississippi. Many patients give the stockings a short trial and then ...
Congenital scleroderma is often missed in children.(Clinical Rounds)
Jun 01, 2007; ... MIAMI BEACH -- Congenital localized scleroderma is a rare and probably overlooked diagnosis in young children with sclerotic lesions, Dr. Lawrence Schachner said at the annual Masters of Pediatrics conference sponsored by the University of Miami. He highlighted a large, ...
Neonatal acne receives new name.(Clinical Rounds)
Jun 01, 2007; ... Recognize this common neonatal skin eruption? Neonatal acne, you say? Think again. The consensus among pediatric dermatologists is that what has traditionally been called neonatal acne is actually a yeast-based folliculitis that has been renamed benign cephalic pustulosis, Dr. ...
Tips to diagnose cutaneous anomalies of newborn spine.(Clinical Rounds)
Jun 01, 2007; ... MIAMI -- Evaluate any suspicious cutaneous anomaly of the midline from the tip of the nose back to the tip of the coccyx in newborns, Dr. John Ragheb said during a pediatric update sponsored by Miami Children's Hospital. Preservation of function is the goal of management. "Early ...
If rash looks like cowboy's gun holster, think Lucky Luke.(Clinical Rounds)
Jun 01, 2007; ... MIAMI BEACH -- If an infant comes to your practice with diaper rash distributed like a cowboy's gun belt holster, consider allergic contact dermatitis, Dr. Amy Paller said at the annual Masters of Pediatrics conference sponsored by the University of Miami. Lucky Luke dermatitis, ...
Dermatologists in the crosshairs over tetracycline-insensitive MRSA.(Clinical Rounds)
Jun 01, 2007; ... MAUI, HAWAII -- Tetracycline-insensitive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is now just a plane ride away from North America, and if it takes hold in the United States, who's going to get the blame? Dermatologists, that's who. "We prescribe 70%-80% of the ...
Peak pattern in infants' MRSA infections may reflect sources, a retrospective study finds.(Clinical Rounds)
Jun 01, 2007; ... PHILADELPHIA -- Infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus occurred in a bimodal pattern in the first year of life, with peaks in the first 5 months and again shortly before the first birthday. The peaks reflect two separate reservoirs of ...
If it looks like a spider bite, think MRSA.(Clinical Rounds)
Jun 01, 2007; ... PHOENIX -- When a child presents with what looks like a spider bite, but the family can't find a spider, Dr. Lawrence F. Eichenfield considers community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. "Most pediatric cases we see are not in wrestlers or football players ....
Melanonychia deserves a case-by-case approach.(Clinical Rounds)
Jun 01, 2007; ... AMELIA ISLAND, FLA. -- Every case of melanonychia striata must be evaluated individually, Dr. Richard K. Scher said at a symposium sponsored by the Dermatology Foundation. Longitudinal bands of pigmentation in nails are among the trickiest of dermatologic phenomena to diagnose ....