News

San Francisco - When a dermatologist treats a patient with scleromyxedema, the therapy strategies are often limited and based on a review of the scant case reports in the literature.

Washington - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in late March approved a liquid decontamination lotion for soldiers exposed to chemical weapons. Called Reactive Skin Decontamination Lotion (RSDL), the product is designed as a single-use sponge pad and is meant to be applied immediately after contamination.

Rancho Mirage, Calif. - Stem cells that exist in the skin and in hair follicles are important targets for delivering genes if physicians are to achieve longterm expression of a favorable genetic characteristic, Jonathan Vogel, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery.

There was nothing in his early years that could have predicted what life held for Marcus A. Conant, M.D. His father, who worked for the IRS when Marcus was born in Jacksonville, Fla., a few years before World War II, was called to serve in the war when Marcus was still very young.

Q. I am currently fully invested in a variety of individual stocks and equity mutual funds and am concerned about the market's volatility and recent drop, even though I don't plan on needing the money for another 10 to 15 years. Does it make sense to sell now and buy back at a later date, or should I remain fully invested?

Any medical practice can be embezzled, although several safeguards can help prevent it from occurring and allow you to be compensated if it does. One critical practice, according to Ken Gross, M.D., is to make sure you're not cooking the books yourself: no under-the-table payments, no draws off the top, no missing tax payments.

More than 500,000 troops are expected to receive the smallpox vaccination as America braces for war in Iraq. Many already have begun the process. They are not alone. From the Office of Homeland Security to city councils across the country, folks are revamping contingency plans to keep pace with possible threats against the country. For the first time in recent history, U.S. physicians have inherited the daunting task of recognizing and containing a biological attack on U.S. soil.

The U.S. Treasury Department is turning one of the most complex areas of our tax law on its head. Soon the government will no longer require all expenditures made to acquire, create, or enhance intangible assets to be automatically capitalized rather than deducted as a legitimate expense of the dermatology practice.

How much is too much to pay for a new dermatological drug? Your answer likely will depend on whether you're a developer or doctor, a patient or a third-party payer. Regardless of one's perspective, it doesn't take a medical degree to recognize the fact that prescription prices have risen precipitously in recent years, a trend which continued in 2002 and is expected to persist well beyond this year.

With one in four children at risk for becoming overweight and one in 10 children already overweight, childhood obesity is an epidemic fast becoming a national health problem.

Oklahoma City - Results of preclinical and initial clinical studies indicate the investigational compound CX-452 has promising activity as a highly safe and very effective topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory and anti-aging agent, Bryan B. Fuller, Ph.D., said.

San Francisco - Daily antiviral therapy with valacyclovir (Valtrex) reduces not only genital herpes outbreaks and their severity but also reduces shedding, which, in turn, reduces transmission of the virus, according to a new study.

New York City - Citing a small but growing number of patients who have been diagnosed with minocycline hypersensitivity syndrome, Colleen Crandell, D.O., advises dermatologists to become familiar with this recently emerging entity.

A 24-year-old woman has excelled at her receptionist job at a prominent cosmetic dermatology office. She is an employee at will; that is, she has no employment contract. She has recently attended a conference at which Basal Cell Nevus Syndrome is discussed. At that time she discloses that, although she has no stigmata for the disease, she has a strong family history for this genetically transmitted disease. Shortly thereafter she is terminated from her job. She is not given a reason for the termination but suspects it is related to her genetic predisposition.

While driving home from work on a two-lane road one dark night last week, it suddenly occurred to me that I was taking for granted, without any thought or apprehension, the fact that the drivers of the oncoming cars were paying attention to their driving and not impaired in any way. Of course, once I started to think about the potential problems of inattentiveness or possible impairment of the older drivers, I immediately began recalling the numerous accounts on television and in the newspaper of horrific automobile accidents resulting in extensive injuries and sometimes even death.

There's probably no area of medicine that has received more hype, misinformation, and confusion than the Internet and practice Web pages. There are hundreds and perhaps thousands of our physician colleagues who have created Web pages only to have a bad taste concerning the time, money, and effort spent on a medium that does not appear to generate more patients or improve the efficiency of the practice.

Once you (or your staff) have experienced a liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor, you will never want to go back to a bulky, energy-hogging cathode-ray tube (CRT) display. I purchased one 17-inch LCD monitor for my front-desk staff - it was such an improvement and was so popular that I went back and immediately purchased a second, identical monitor for their other workstation!

Chicago - Incorporating a few straightforward screening questions and some simple intraoperative techniques can translate into significant benefits for enhancing the success and safety of liposuction surgery, Naomi Lawrence, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery.

Birmingham, Ala. - In a rare occurrence, superficial punctate keratitis developed after injections of botulinum toxin type A to the glabellar area, a difficult diagnosis arrived at through the combined consultation of a dermatologist and an ophthalmologist.

Dear general practitioners: Botox isn't an easy road to riches. You need to get very good and deliver consistent, high-quality results throughout the entire transaction - from the first phone call to the next follow-up appointment. You are looking at investing at least $10,000 (more commonly $20,000) after all is said and done, plus probably a hundred hours (or more) of your time.

Akron, Ohio - Chronic wounds benefit from a multidisciplinary treatment strategy, according to Eliot N. Mostow, M.D., of Wound Care Associates, Akron. Dr. Mostow has a multidisciplinary approach, known as the four Ps' of woundcare. "This means getting the right people, the right place, the right products, and the right protocol together," he said.

Boston ?? Wound bed preparation is essential to obtaining the maximum benefits from bioengineered skin and other advanced wound therapies, according to Vincent Falanga, M.D.

Rootstown, Ohio -- Although dermatologists were instrumental in the development of complex procedures such as Mohs micrographic surgery, dermatologic surgeons are better known for their use of simple and quick procedures that are associated with minimal complications, Robert T. Brodell, M.D., professor of medicine, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Rootstown, said.

Lubbock, Texas - Dermatologists are now at the point where they like to repair and reconstruct the wounds they create in the treatment of skin cancer, according to David F. Butler, M.D.

The recent news that a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is well on its way to being a reality has dermatologists pricking up their ears. The vaccine, which is in development by Merck & Co. to target HPV-16, could facilitate a 40-percent reduction of intraepithelial cancer of the cervix within 10 years of widespread distribution to women and men, according to Ulrich R. Hengge, M.D., department of dermatology, University of Essen, Germany. More importantly to dermatologists who see histologically benign recalcitrant vaginal warts every day, the science behind the HPV-16 vaccine is virtually the same as that behind similar investigational therapeutic and prophylactic vaccines for condylomata.

Acne, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, hyperhidrosis, trichotillomania, onychotillomania, neurotic excoriations ... Even as connections between isotretinoin (Accutane) and depression in teens was hotly debated in the media spotlight last year, no one denies the powerful connection between the health of the psyche and that of the skin.

Pittsburgh -Topical tacrolimus ointment 0.1 percent (Protopic) may be a viable addition to the current therapeutic armamentarium for early-stage cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), Larisa Geskin, M.D., said.

Asni?ress, France - The amount of ultraviolet A radiation (UVA) filtering is as important as labeled sun protection factor (SPF) levels in determining the effectiveness of sunscreens, according to Andr?ougier, Ph.D. However the UVA blocker he prefers most, Mexoryl, remains unavailable in the United States as it awaits FDA approval.

Pusan, South Korea -- Intralesional interferon alfa-2b (Intron-A) can be a useful option for the treatment of rapidly growing keratoacanthomas, Chang-Keun Oh, M.D., Ph.D., said.

Paris - Citing ease of application and time savings as the key advantages, Jean-Marie Lachapelle, M.D., characterized Allerderm's T.R.U.E. Test as "a step forward in the technology of patch testing that ensures an optimal penetration and delivery of allergens through the skin."