| Cigarette smoke impedes wound healing
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| By
Bob Roehr
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| Riverside, Calif. — Fifty years after the negative effects of cigarette smoke first became broadly known, doctors are still discovering the magnitude of and mechanisms behind its toxic assault on the body. Dermatologists are particularly interested in discoveries over recent years that cigarette smoke results in premature aging of the skin and decreases blood flow to wound sites, resulting in retarded granulation tissue development and remodeling during wound healing and greater scarring.
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| Acne quality-of-life scores grow in importance
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| By
John Jesitus
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| Vancouver, British Columbia — As the sophistication and the number of tools for measuring the impact of acne grow, so might the importance of quality-of-life scores to physicians, patients and policymakers.
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| Fillers beef-up botulinum results
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| By
Rebecca Bryant
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| Combination therapy with botulinum toxin and fillers has another benefit: it produces much longer lasting results than either fillers or toxin used alone when used to treat folds and furrows of the glabella.
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| Acne myths still confuse patients
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| By
Cheryl Guttman
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| New Orleans — Familiarity with popular beliefs about factors affecting acne is an integral part of managing patients presenting with that dermatologic disease, said Alexa Boer Kimball, M.D., M.P.H., at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology here.
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| Modifying your coding
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| By
Inga Ellzey
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| Most dermatology billers are relatively comfortable (or should be) with the various modifiers commonly used by dermatologists (e.g., -24, -25, -26, -58, -59, -76, -79, -GA, GY, and -TC. Less familiar are modifiers -50 and -52.
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| Simple approach yields best results
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| By
Bill Gillette
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| New Orleans — Facial reconstruction does not have to be as complicated a procedure as it might sound, according to Ken K. Lee, M.D., who presented a seminar on facial reconstruction at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) here.
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| Practical considerations dog biologics
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| By
John Jesitus
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| The fact that studies are frequently done at different locations, with different investigators and methodologies, further complicates matters.
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| Growth in cosmetic procedures signals paradigm shift
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| By
John Jesitus
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| National report — With the number of cosmetic procedures performed nationally rising each year, the line between dermatology and plastic surgery continues to blur as dermatologists devote more time to cosmetic procedures and plastic surgeons embrace less invasive treatments.
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| What causes seborrheic dermatitis?
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| By
Zoe Diana Draelos, M.D.
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| What is the cause of seborrheic dermatitis?
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| Electronic medical records
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| By
Lisa B. Samalonis
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| New Orleans — Dermatologists can use electronic medical records (EMR) to streamline their office and make it more efficient. However, critical analysis of their individual practice and the selected system are needed to optimize EMR use, according to David L. Crosby, M.D., a dermatologist in practice in Waukesha, Wis.
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| Sebaceous gland targeting with photodynamic therapy
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| By
Louise Gagnon
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| PDT involves light-activated drugs, or photosensitizers, to treat cancer, ocular and dermatological conditions.
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| Skin-healing powers of the Dead Sea
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| By
Lisette Hilton
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| National report — Ironically, the very properties of the Dead Sea that kill fish and other wildlife offer psoriasis suffers and people with other chronic health conditions significant healing powers.
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| New class of UV absorbers emerging
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| By
Patty Reiman
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| New Orleans — An emerging new class of organic, insoluble UV absorbers shows promise in providing improved broad-spectrum UVB and UVA sunscreen protection and meets the increasing demand of consumers and dermatologists, according to chemist Uli Osterwalder. He reports that the first representative of this UV absorber — bisoctrizole — has been used in sunscreens in European countries for five years and is now being submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval.
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| Mosquito abatement, effective repellents key to eradicating West Nile Virus
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| By
Laura Newman
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| Newport Beach, Calif. — The West Nile Virus outbreak in New York City in 1999 provided important lessons in prevention, abatement and repellent use. The New York area health departments quickly began public health programs, according to Tissa R. Hata, M.D., speaking at the Pacific Dermatology Meeting, here.
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| Clinical research centers require forethought
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| By
John Jesitus
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| Scottsdale, Ariz. — In many ways, running a clinical research center is just like running any other business — those without a plan are likely to flounder.
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| Dermatologist links skin with psyche
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| By
John Jesitus
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| New Orleans — It's no secret that psychosocial stressors can exacerbate many common skin disorders. So why aren't more dermatologists taking advantage of the mind-body link in their daily practices?
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| Rhythmic changes influence female skin susceptibility
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| By
Beth Kapes
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| Orlando, Fla. — Fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone during the menstrual cycle can cause changes to the reproductive system, yet little attention has been paid to how these variations may impact the body's largest organ, the skin.
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| Chemical peels still have role
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| By
Paula Moyer
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| New Orleans — Although laser cosmetic procedures have captured popular attention, chemical peels continue to be appropriate for many patients, according to Suzan Obagi, M.D., at the annual cosmetic surgery symposium of the American College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.
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| Moist dressings accelerate healing, reduce infection, minimize scarring
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| By
Fred Wilson
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| Wound care is a significant problem to dermatologists who perform abrasive cosmetic procedures such as dermabrasion, CO2 laser treatment or chemical peeling, according to Henry H. Roenigk, M.D.
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| Pilot trial: NB-UVB not enhanced by tacrolimus
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| By
Cheryl Guttman
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| New Orleans — Concomitant topical treatment with tacrolimus 0.1 percent ointment (Protopic, Fujisawa) does not improve the response of generalized vitiligo to narrowband UVB phototherapy, according to the results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, pilot study undertaken by researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
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| Researchers: Swimming affects skin's hydration
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| By
Lisette Hilton
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| National report — Recreational swimming in swimming pools results in short-term but significant changes to biophysical properties related to skin hydration, researchers report.
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| Avoiding Chemicals
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| By
Karen Nash
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| National report — West Nile Virus caused nearly 10,000 illnesses and more than 250 deaths nationally in 2003, and in 2004 people were looking for ways to protect themselves from the most common mosquito-borne disease in this country. One problem some face is that safety concerns still exist about some of the chemicals designed to deter mosquitoes.
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| Topical niacinimide reduces sallowness
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| By
Cheryl Guttman
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| Sallowness was assessed using a digital image analysis technique able to quantify yellow color.
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| Final phase 3b results demonstrate efalizumab long-term efficacy, safety
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| By
Cheryl Guttman
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| Efalizumab was probably best administered as chronic therapy to maintain control of this chronic inflammatory disease.
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| Biologics gaining ground against psoriasis
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| By
John Jesitus
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| New Orleans — Although some oral treatments for psoriasis have suffered setbacks, recent studies reveal encouraging news about biologic drugs' ability to battle this illness.
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| Skin regeneration through growth hormone factors
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| By
Beth Kapes
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| Tokyo — Growth factors offer seemingly endless potential to skin wound repair and regeneration, yet there are several questions surrounding those that are exogenously applied to acute or chronic skin wounds, according to Xiaobing Fu, M.D., professor, Wound Healing and Cell Biology Laboratory, Burns Institute, The General Hospital of PLA, Beijing, China.
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| Proper asset allocation ensures successful portfolio performance
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| By
William J. Lynott
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| Keep in mind that there are plenty of successful investors who never own more than a half dozen investments at one time, some even fewer.
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| Procedural laser knowledge crucial to patient, practice
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| By
Paula Moyer
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| In order for laser surgery to be a successful component of a dermatology practice, Dr. Obagi encourages her colleagues to become more adept consumers.
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| Becoming a digital photography pro isn't difficult
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| By
Melissa Heltzel
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| Creating a photo-friendly environment in each room is simple; all that's needed is proper lighting and background.
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| SD doxycycline: New rosacea therapeutic option
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| By
Cheryl Guttman
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| New Orleans — Results of a multicenter phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial demonstrate the safety and efficacy of a subantimicrobial-dose (SD) of doxycycline for the treatment of rosacea, said Diane M. Thiboutot, M.D., at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology here.
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| No better time to protect AR from malpractice claims
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| By
Fred Johnson, C.L.U.
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David B. Mandell, J.D., M.B.A.
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| Most physicians have significant AR balances that sit on the practice's balance sheet as an exposed asset.
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| Tacrolimus, UVB therapy synergistic duo
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| By
Cheryl Guttman
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| Nice, France — Results of a comparative, prospective, randomized study undertaken by French dermatologists indicate that topical tacrolimus ointment 0.1 percent (Protopic, Fujisawa) plus phototherapy with a 308-nm excimer laser can be a highly effective combination for the treatment of recalcitrant, localized vitiligo.
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| Make URL short, memorable
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| By
Kevin C. Smith, M.D.
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| My advice to most doctors is to use a domain name ending in .com or .net — these are recognized by almost all members of the public as being proper domain names.
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| Comparing biologics for psoriasis
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| By
Rebecca Bryant
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| Making the appropriate choice ... requires having a clear understanding of the benefits and disadvantages of each drug.
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Practice Tools
