Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Dermatology for September 2007. 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.
Botox Before Chemabrasion Reduces Wrinkle Severity
FRIDAY, Sept. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Injections of botulinum toxin type A before chemabrasion reduces the severity of vertical wrinkles in the upper lip region after as little as 90 days, researchers report in the September issue of Dermatologic Surgery.
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Dramatic Improvement in Diabetic Wound Healing in Mice
FRIDAY, Sept. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Wound healing in diabetic, obese mice can be significantly hastened by a systematic application of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies, which dramatically reduce the presence of inflammatory macrophages, according to a report in the September issue of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
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Fetal Exposure to Isotretinoin Entails Substantial Risks
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 26 (HealthDay News) -- There is no safe level of exposure to isotretinoin during pregnancy, according to a review of the medical literature in the September issue of the Archives of Dermatology.
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Consistent Control of Psoriasis Elusive for Many Patients
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Over the long term, most psoriasis patients experience occasional rather than consistent improvement of their condition, despite treatment, according to a report in the September issue of the Archives of Dermatology.
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Efficacy, Purity of Compounded Sclerosant Questionable
TUESDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Sodium tetradecyl sulfate (STS), a chemical used in venous sclerotherapy, is more likely to be free of impurities and possibly more effective in the FDA-approved, pharmaceutical-grade form (Sotradecol) than in compounded form, according to research published in the September issue of Dermatologic Surgery.
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Familiar Doctor Linked to More Satisfaction for Urgent Care
TUESDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who receive urgent medical care from family physicians or after-hours clinics affiliated with their physicians are more likely to be satisfied with the encounter than patients who use other sources of urgent care, according to research published in the September/October issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
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Current Risk Estimates for Face Transplant Inaccurate
FRIDAY, Sept. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Previous estimates of the immunologic risks of facial transplantation, which have influenced a number of major organizations' positions on the procedure, are based on factors deemed irrelevant to facial transplantation, researchers report in the Sept. 1 issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
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Blister Transplants Prove Advantageous for Vitiligo
FRIDAY, Sept. 21 (HealthDay News) -- A study comparing different techniques for treating vitiligo found advantages in using suction blister transplantation compared to transplantation of cultured autologous melanocytes. The research was published in the September issue of Dermatologic Surgery.
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Skin Cooling Linked to Post-Laser Treatment Discoloration
FRIDAY, Sept. 21 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with acquired bilateral nevus of Ota-like macules, laser treatment accompanied by cold-air cooling may increase the risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, according to a report published in the September issue of the Archives of Dermatology.
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Surgery Beats Photodynamic Therapy for Basal Carcinoma
THURSDAY, Sept. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Although excision surgery for primary nodular basal cell carcinoma is associated with a lower recurrence than treatment with topical methyl aminolevulinate photodynamic therapy (PDT), the latter method offers benefits that make it more suitable in certain cases, according to the results of a randomized, prospective trial published in the September issue of the Archives of Dermatology.
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Mutations Found in Patients with Hyper-IgE Syndrome
THURSDAY, Sept. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Mutations in a signaling protein that regulates interleukin-6 have been found in patients with inherited and sporadic cases of hyper-IgE syndrome, a rare immunodeficiency syndrome characterized by dermatitis, boils, infections and bone abnormalities, according to a report published online Sept. 19 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Gene Variation Linked to Greater Risk of Scleroderma
THURSDAY, Sept. 20 (HealthDay News) -- The G-945C polymorphism in the connective-tissue growth factor gene is strongly associated with systemic sclerosis, making it a candidate gene for scleroderma, according to study findings published in the Sept. 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Lidocaine-Tetracaine Peel Useful in Range of Procedures
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- A blend of lidocaine and tetracaine -- called the LT peel -- offers many benefits when used before a variety of dermatological procedures, according to a paper published in the September issue of Dermatologic Surgery.
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Medical Schools Vary in Approach to Case Reports
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Most medical school institutional review boards (IRBs) don't treat individual case reports as "research," as it's defined by the United States Government Code of Federal Regulations, according to a research letter published in the Sept. 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Few Women Counseled About Teratogenic Medications
TUESDAY, Sept. 18 (HealthDay News) -- One in six women of reproductive age fills a prescription for a potentially teratogenic medication each year, yet only half receive contraceptive counseling from their health care providers, according to a report in the Sept. 18 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Nasal Surgery Feminizes Transsexuals' Facial Profiles
MONDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- In male-to-female transsexuals, nasal feminization surgery may play an important role in the gender reassignment process, researchers report in the September/October issue of the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.
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Antibodies Associated with Autoimmune Blistering Disease
THURSDAY, Sept. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Half of patients with autoimmune blistering disease test positive for some form of antiphospholipid antibody, and among those who do, more than half show evidence of thromboembolism, according to a report in the September issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
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Mast Cells May Limit Contact Dermatitis, UVB Damage
TUESDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Mast cells and mast cell-derived interleukin 10 may have a previously unrecognized function that limits damage to the skin caused by ultraviolet light or dermatitis due to poison ivy or poison oak, according to the results of an animal study published online Sept. 2 in Nature Immunology.
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Total Body Photos Don't Affect Melanoma Biopsy Rate
TUESDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- The introduction of total body digital photography did not significantly influence the number of biopsies performed on patients during their first year of treatment at a pigmented lesion clinic, according to study findings published in the September issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
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Scars Affect Patients' Views of Skin Cancer Surgery
MONDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Patients' feelings about their scars significantly influence their long-term satisfaction with skin cancer surgery, Australian researchers report in the September issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
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FDA Halts Sale of Injectable Tanning Product
THURSDAY, Sept. 6 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned a Tennessee-based company, Melanocorp, Inc., to cease the sale and marketing of an injectable tanning product called Melanotan II on the basis that it is unapproved and mislabeled.
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Gluten-Free Diet Reduces Immunity in Skin Disease
MONDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with dermatitis herpetiformis, an inflammatory skin disease, have normal levels of serum interleukin-8 (IL-8) if they follow a gluten-free diet, researchers report in the September issue of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
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