Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Dermatology for March 2009. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Safe Practice Scores Do Not Add Up to Fewer Patient Deaths
TUESDAY, March 31 (HealthDay News) -- In hospitals, higher self-reported scores for improvements in safe practices do not correlate with reduced mortality rates, researchers report in the April 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Cost Barriers Slow Adoption of Electronic Health Records
WEDNESDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- Citing cost barriers, relatively few U.S. hospitals have adopted electronic health records, posing a major obstacle for policy makers who say health information technology is critical to the improvement of health care quality and cost-effectiveness, according to an article published online March 25 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Laser Effective in Treating Postsurgical Skin Discoloration
MONDAY, March 23 (HealthDay News) -- Pulsed-dye laser is an effective treatment for facial skin discoloration from ecchymoses following cosmetic surgery, according to a report in the March/April issue of the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.
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Fiber-Reinforced Cement Excels in Simulated Skull Repair
MONDAY, March 23 (HealthDay News) -- Fiber-reinforced calcium phosphate bone cement (FRC) exhibited superior strength and structural integrity when compared with non-reinforced cement (NRC), according to a study in the March/April issue of the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.
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Botulinum Toxin Eases Symptoms of Frey Syndrome
FRIDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with Frey syndrome, or gustatory sweating, who are given repeated treatments of botulinum toxin type A, experience less severe symptoms and a reduction in the area affected by the condition, according to a report published in the March issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery.
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Larval Debridement Therapy Effective for Leg Ulcers
FRIDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with sloughy or necrotic leg ulcers, debridement with larval therapy leads to similar outcomes at a similar cost as standard hydrogel therapy, but it may be associated with reduced time to debridement and more pain, according to two studies published March 19 in BMJ Online First.
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Botulinum Drug for Wrinkles Found Well-Tolerated
WEDNESDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- The use of a botulinum toxin type A product (Reloxin) appeared to be well-tolerated and effective after repeated treatments, according to research published in the March/April Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.
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Low-Dose Acitretin Shown Effective in Nail Psoriasis
TUESDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- Acitretin, a medication historically prescribed for skin psoriasis, is comparable to the biologic drugs adalimumab and infliximab in clearing up nail psoriasis, according to the results of a clinical trial reported in the March issue of the Archives of Dermatology.
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Many Factors Affect Lymph Node Biopsy in Melanoma
THURSDAY, Mar. 12 (HealthDay News) -- The use of sentinel lymph node biopsy for clinical stage I and II melanoma is associated with socioeconomic factors, according to research published online Mar. 9 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Transdermal Patches Pose Burn Risk During Scans
FRIDAY, Mar. 6 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning about the risk of burns as a result of wearing medicated patches, such as those used for smoking cessation or pain relief, during MRI scans.
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Obama Wants to Spend $630 Billion on Health Care Reform
THURSDAY, Mar. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Achieving health care reform is one of President Barack Obama's major challenges, and his newly released spending plan calls on Congress to commit $630 billion over the next decade to finance that reform, according to an article published online Mar. 4 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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US Motor Vehicle-Related Death Rates Vary Geographically
MONDAY, Mar. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Although the mortality rate related to motor vehicles remained almost unchanged from 1999 to 2005 in the United States, on closer inspection the data reveals wide variations from state to state, as well as by gender and ethnicity, according to a report published in the Feb. 27 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Study Examines Caffeine's Link to Less Skin Cancer
MONDAY, Mar. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Caffeine causes skin cells damaged by ultraviolet light to self-destruct by blocking a cellular pathway involved in regulating the cell cycle, which may explain why tea and coffee consumption is associated with lower rates of non-melanoma skin cancer, according to the results of a study published online Feb. 26 in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
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