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Manchester, England — In a widely heralded development, a team of British scientists at the University of Manchester have used a commercial piezoelectric inkjet printer to deposit a single layer of fibroblasts on a bioabsorbable scaffold. Their ultimate goal is to produce a customized tissue that will facilitate complicated repairs of damaged skin.

New Orleans — Various environmental phenomena, such as the depletion of tropical rain forests, can affect human health — for instance, by eliminating the potential for lifesaving medications, says Peyton Weary, M.D., professor emeritus of dermatology at the University of Virginia and former president of the National Association of Physicians for the Environment.

There has been a boon in advances for the treatment of psoriasis, spanning an arsenal of new biologic therapies. As a group, biologics are already the most prescribed systemic medications for the treatment of psoriasis, according to Mark Lebwohl, M.D., Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York City, who discussed many on the market.

Richard G. Glogau, M.D., clinical professor of dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, spoke about the best way to obtain satisfactory outcomes in soft tissue augmentation, yesterday. He said matching defects to appropriate materials and balancing patient expectations and economics along the way are key.

IPL meets radiofrequency

Combining physical modalities represents the newest innovative approach to non-invasive whole body rejuvenation, according to Neil S. Sadick, M.D., F.A.C.P,, F.A.A.C.S, He spoke yesterday.

Stephen Tyring, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., professor, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, presented a talk on the newest advances in antiviral therapy, yesterday. He said, overall, that physicians now have an increase of knowledge pertaining to the diagnosis and management strategies for the herpes virus family, the pox viruses, mumps, measles, rubella, parvovirus B 19 and retroviruses as well as the viral etiologies of hepatitis.

Dermatologists are uniquely qualified to make early diagnosis of acute cutaneous necrosis, which allows early therapeutic intervention and improves overall outcome for these patients, says John C. Hall, M.D.

New AAD Board members

The following physicians have been named to the AAD Board of Directors for a four-year term: Lawrence F. Eichenfield, M.D., San Diego; Michael D. Tharp, M.D., Chicago; William D. James, M.D., Philadelphia; and Susan H. Weinkle, M.D., Bradenton, Fla.

DermaQuest Skin Therapy presents a glycolic acid product line, including two cleansers that contain the acid. The Glycolic Acid Cleanser, a 15 percent glycolic acid formulation, is oil-free and contains encapsulated glycolic acid that exfoliates skin without causing dryness and irritation, the company says.

The Whisper extended ablation laser is one of several new technologies designed to bridge the gap between purely ablative and non-ablative rejuvenation, providing the best of both worlds, the manufacturer says.

Combining a popular topical retinoid with a widely used antibiotic - and applying them at the same time as if they were one drug - clearly outperforms using either agent separately in treating acne. The key is adding to them a novel aqueous hydrogel which solubilizes the two old stand-by drugs and stabilizes them to provide a particularly effective once-daily treatment.

There has been a boon in advances for the treatment of psoriasis, spanning an arsenal of new biologic therapies. As a group, biologics are already the most prescribed systemic medications for the treatment of psoriasis, according to Mark Lebwohl, M.D., Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York City, who discussed many on the market.

Dermatology residents paying for their own training could offer benefits for academic dermatologists, according to Noah S. Scheinfeld, M.D., St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital and Columbia University.

Lidocaine toxicity associated with use of topical anesthetic creams in patients undergoing laser procedures is a major concern that dermatologic surgeons need to be aware of, said Roy G. Geronemus, M.D., speaking in a surgical symposium on "When Bad Things Happen to Good Surgeons."

Because patient medical records must be stored for years and in some cases indefinitely, dermatologists should consider computer storage and scanning hardware and software, now less costly than paper storage.

Creative solutions can be searched for, and, where possible, augmented by a Web-based application that finds unexpected links between disparate but related topics.

Nail surgery 101

Many dermatologists do not feel comfortable doing nail surgery. Those who know the ins and outs of basic nail surgery, however, often find that the procedures are easily done in the office and result in high patient satisfaction, according to Elizabeth M. Billingsley, M.D., Penn State Hershey Medical Center.

Advances in psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disorder that affects approximately 2 percent of the U.S. and European population.

Dermatologists should become familiar with both methotrexate and TNF-inhibiting biologic agents to treat the skin and joints because they are often able to diagnose psoriatic arthritis before rheumatologists, Bruce E. Strober, M.D., Ph.D., said yesterday in his presentation on "Psoriatic Arthritis: Diagnosis and Management."